Jesse King

The coronavirus pandemic will have many faithful in the Capital Region worshipping from home this month. Adhering to social distancing guidelines limiting gatherings of more than 10 people, many churches, synagogues, and mosques have shuttered their doors ahead of their biggest religious holidays.

Every year, the Carey Institute for Global Good in rural Albany County serves as a refuge for noteworthy writers, journalists, and documentarians from around the globe. The Institute’s Logan Nonfiction Program recently wrapped its first 10-week session of 2020 fellows. 

The coronavirus pandemic has essentially shut down everyday life for many in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered the closure of or restricted the operations of schools, restaurants, bars, gyms, and movie theatres across the state – forcing Capital Region residents and businesses alike to get creative in order to stay active.

A new exhibit at the Albany Institute of History and Art commemorates the centennial of women’s suffrage in the U.S. by highlighting notable women throughout Capital Region history. 

Guilderland Town Supervisor Peter Barber was “cautiously optimistic” as he delivered his State of the Town address this morning. 

The Preservation League of New York State has released its biennial “Seven to Save” list highlighting the most at-risk historic sites statewide. As WAMC’s Jesse King reports, this year’s designations include a Hudson Valley lighthouse, the Barge Canal System, and more.

The longtime Swiss theatre troupe Mummenschanz brings its masks and props to Proctors in Schenectady tonight. WAMC’s Jesse King sat down with the co-founder and Artistic Director for a preview.

A new exhibit celebrates the life of Toni Morrison with a focus on the late novelist’s work as a University at Albany professor in the 1980s. 

Special Olympics New York is bringing its State Fall Games back to Glens Falls this October after a five-year absence.

New York’s history is largely defined by its waterways. But what about its future? The New York Power Authority recently authorized a $300 million plan to “reimagine” the state’s canals. While it primarily focuses on the Erie Canal, some of the state’s other waterways are receiving small makeovers this winter. WAMC’s Jesse King stopped along the Champlain Canal for an inside look at a lock pumpout.

Students at the University at Albany have an on-campus medical center for the first time in over a decade. As WAMC’s Jesse King reports, the new Health & Counseling Services Center is now open.

A nonprofit coding school in Albany, New York has received a grant from Facebook to extend its programs across the state. 

WAMC's Jesse King speaks with Melissa Mangini, editor-in-chief of the Albany Business Review, about reports that Stewart's Shops plans to spend $70 million on expansions this year, with new shops coming to the Capital Region. 

A Center Square landmark in Albany has gotten a new lease on life. Dove & Hudson bookstore is now under new ownership. 

A new community solar farm in Saratoga County is now up and running.

New York State Police and local law enforcement are stepping up patrols and traffic stops to crack down on impaired driving this holiday season. 

In one Saratoga Springs classroom, an ancient art is meeting new media. WAMC’s Jesse King reports on poetry and podcasting at Maple Avenue Middle School.

A longtime tradition at Albany’s Empire State Plaza is open for the season ahead of New York’s holiday tree lighting on Sunday. WAMC’s Jesse King stopped by while the state Office of General Services placed the finishing touches on the plaza ice rink. 

A snow emergency begins Tuesday night in the city of Albany. 

Law enforcement officials, local district attorneys and state lawmakers are among those trying to stop criminal justice reforms due to take effect in the new year. Now, Republican New York State Senator Jim Tedisco and Democratic Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara have introduced a bill seeking to amend upcoming bail reforms.

The Capital District YMCA plans to open a new health and wellness center in Albany’s growing Park South neighborhood in February. 

At one Capital Region high school, students can add fades, tape-ups and crew cuts to reading, writing and arithmetic. 

(Airs 11/10 @ 6 p.m. & 11/11 @ 3 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with WAMC’s CEO Alan Chartock; Times Union Editor Rex Smith; Judy Patrick, former editor of the Daily Gazette and vice president for editorial development for the New York Press Association; and journalist Jim Heaney, former Buffalo news reporter and current editor and executive director of Investigative Post. On this week’s episode, Alan, Rex, Judy and Jim discuss the failures of the Freedom of Information Law, and consider whether going nonprofit can save daily newspapers.

A family in Altamont, New York has loaned a powered parachute used in the 1999 James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough” to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

The College of Saint Rose in Albany has opened its new Women’s Leadership Institute. 

There has been a shakeup in the race for mayor of Troy just one week before Election Day. 

In May 1827, a member of Albany’s elite was killed in his family’s Georgian mansion at Cherry Hill. The murder of John Whipple resulted in two sensational trials steeped in the issues of their time, and the last public hanging in Albany history. Historic Cherry Hill continues to mark the macabre anniversary, as WAMC’s Jesse King found out.

The University at Albany is teaming up with Capital Region BOCES to bring a new weather forecasting tool to school districts.

The 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is celebrating 20 years at the helm of the university. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson became the first woman to lead RPI in 1999 — and the first African-American woman to lead a top-ranked research school nationwide, period. Her tenure has included groundbreaking research and some campus controversy. WAMC’s Jesse King sat down with Jackson for a rare interview.