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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 10/29/26: ICE at the polls, cannabis worker wages, and decoy candidates

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Sam Dingman

Published October 29, 2026 at 6:02 PM EDT

Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino and President Donald Trump in front of a bronze statue of the president commissioned by Constantino.

As Republicans struggle to hold seats at the national level, local GOP campaigns are facing tough decisions about how to allocate their funds. In upstate New York, a pair of state senate seats that once seemed safe suddenly look like they're in play for Democrats.

Also this hour...

Human smugglers are using TikTok to find their targets. Producer Molly Anderson investigates a troubling gray area in social media content moderation.
For months, we've heard reports that the Trump administration may send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to monitor polling places. Our Capital Region bureau chief has looked into it, and he says there's very little reason to expect it will actually happen.
A candidate who will appear on the Working Families Party ballot line in the race for New York State's 113th Assembly District has no actual affiliation with the party.
As Republican Anthony Constantino chases headlines with brash tactics in the congressional race in New York's 21st District, his opponent keeps a low profile.
Rolling Stone has released its list of the top rock songs of the 21st century. Our newsroom offers our own picks.

All that and more on this Oct. 29 edition of Northeast Notebook.

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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

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While TikTok users watch the latest trends, they may also encounter videos of human smuggling

Molly Anderson

Advertising on TikTok has taken off post-pandemic as a way that smugglers market their services. Recently, a man was charged with at least a dozen counts of allegedly smuggling people from Canada into the U.S. He recorded and uploaded their testimonials to TikTok. Northeast Notebook features in-depth regional reporting, bringing you the context behind what everybody’s talking about. Ten minutes a day, every weekday, ready by 5 p.m., just in time for your commute. You can subscribe to Northeast Notebook on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
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ICE presence at polls unlikely, but advocates and officials prepare

Grant Ashley, Sam Dingman, Molly Anderson

State and local officials across the country have said they are prepared for the potential of the Trump administration deploying ICE agents or other Homeland Security officials at polling places. Advocates have expressed concerns, even though ICE presence at the polls seems unlikely. WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Grant Ashley has been looking into these concerns and spoke with co-hosts Sam Dingman and Molly Anderson on Northeast Notebook Live.
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New York's 21st Congressional District garners national attention as Election Day nears

Aaron Shellow-Lavine, Sam Dingman

As Election Day approaches, New York's 21st Congressional District race continues to grab headlines. Vice President J.D. Vance is headed to the district on Monday to campaign for Republican Anthony Constantino as he seeks to retain the seat for the party that has held it for all but a few years since the Civil War. Also, a recent story by City & State New York calls into question Constantino's allegations that his opponent, Democrat Blake Gendebien, dumps dead cows on his St. Lawrence County farm. WAMC's Sam Dingman spoke about where that race stands with Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Aaron Shellow-Lavine, who's been covering the contest for months. Before they got to the latest news, the pair discussed how the comparatively mellow Gendebien's campaign is versus Constantino's...
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In New York's 113th Assembly District, GOP, third-party candidates share apparent ties

Aaron Shellow-Lavine

In the race for an Alaskan Senate seat, two Dan Sullivans will be on Tuesday’s ballot. Dan S. Sullivan is the Republican incumbent. Dan J. Sullivan is a retired teacher who has no party affiliation. Alaska Governor, Republican Mike Dunleavy, has ordered a probe centered on Democrat Mary peltola's campaign and whether it recruited Dan J. to spoil the election and draw votes away from Dan S.A similar scenario is seemingly playing out in New York’s 113th state assembly district race – Incumbent Democrat Carrie Woerner is facing Republican Allen Caruso… and 22-year-old Thomas Kenny whose campaign is tied to Caruso’s in a couple of notable ways. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Aaron Shellow-Lavine discussed the similarities between Kenny and Caruso with New York Focus’ Chris Bragg.