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Northeast Notebook Live
WAMC’s Northeast Notebook Live brings listeners inside the conversations of the region. Each day, the hour-long show airing online and on-air will feature a deep dive into an issue that matters most, as well as analysis of the headlines and additional interviews with newsmakers and journalists to provide a broad overlook of what matters most. The show will feature reporting by WAMC journalists, and highlight the vital work local journalists do to inform their communities. Northeast Notebook Live will regularly feature reporting by the Albany Times Union, the Berkshire Eagle, and the Adirondack Explorer thanks to a formal partnership with WAMC that’s meant to explore the region’s news with breadth, depth and context.

Northeast Notebook 10/22/26: Musk's PAC floods NY, disabled voting access, and witches

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Sam Dingman
Published October 22, 2026 at 5:07 PM EDT
From left to right: Congressman Richard Neal and Independent candidate Nadia Milleron faced one another Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, for a televised debate. Both are looking to serve in the U.S. House via the MA 1st Congressional District.
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From left to right: Congressman Richard Neal and Independent candidate Nadia Milleron faced one another Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, for a televised debate. Both are looking to serve in the U.S. House via the MA 1st Congressional District.

Debates unfolded around the Northeast last night, as congressional and gubernatorial candidates faced off with the midterms approaching. Today, we highlight the key moments from each debate.

Also this hour...

  • Elon Musk is pouring cash into upstate New York congressman Mike Lawler's re-election campaign. How is his challenger, Democrat Cait Conley, using Musk's support as a weapon against Lawler?
  • For people with disabilities, accessing a voting booth can be extremely complicated. Producer Annie Bennett explores the specific challenges they face.
  • Albany County voters have the opportunity to make significant changes to the coroner's office.
  • With housing affordability at the top of voters' minds, the city of Kingston, New York, has stood out for its efforts combat rising rents and a housing shortage. 

All that and more on this Oct. 22 edition of "Northeast Notebook."

Please note: You may notice decreased audio quality in today's episode. We experienced some technical difficulties with our normal recording system, so this is backup file. Everything is still audible, but you may experience some minor hiccups as you listen.
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Sam Dingman
Sam Dingman is WAMC’s Hudson/Catskill Bureau Chief. Previously, he was co-host and reporter at “The Show” on KJZZ, Phoenix’s NPR station. Prior to KJZZ, Dingman was the creator and host of the acclaimed podcast “Family Ghosts,” which has been hailed as a critic’s choice by NPR, the LA Times and the New York Times. Dingman also co-hosted the BlueWire original series “The Rumor,” which was featured in the Washington Post and New York Magazine, and was a Webby honoree for Best Podcast Writing. He was story editor for Lemonada Media’s Signal Award-winning series “Pack One Bag,” writer and showrunner for John Stamos’s Webby-winning podcast “The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra,” editor of Karina Longworth’s “You Must Remember This,” and a producer for WNYC’s Peabody-winning “On the Media.” He is a four-time winner of the Moth Grand and Story Slams, and has created, written, hosted, produced and edited podcasts for The Atlantic, Audible Originals, Gilded Audio, Gimlet Media, Lincoln Center, Panoply Media, Paramount Pictures, Pushkin Industries, Spotify, Slate, Stitcher, and Wondery.
See stories by Sam Dingman