Jesse King

Largely dormant this summer due to the pandemic, Saratoga Performing Arts Center kicks off its virtual concert series Saturday night with a private performance by world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell. WAMC’s Jesse King has a preview. 

Friday was the first day of an unexpected move-out at SUNY Oneonta, where more than 500 students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of classes on August 24. The outbreak caused a two-week shutdown, followed by a move to all-virtual instruction this fall. WAMC's Jesse King spoke with resident assistants at the college, who have been under particular pressure during the outbreak. 

SUNY Oneonta says 289 students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of classes last week. The outbreak forced the campus to halt in-person learning until at least September 13. For year-round residents of Oneonta, New York, the news is nerve-wracking – but not surprising. 

Almost 30 SUNY Oneonta students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of classes on Monday. College President Barbara Jean Morris says school officials are investigating reports of off-campus gatherings — including complaints of rush parties hosted by fraternities and sororities. WAMC’s Jesse King spoke with Abigail Perrin, a SUNY Oneonta senior currently living in town.

The Republican National Convention wraps in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight, with President Trump formally accepting the party’s nomination from the White House. While the coronavirus pandemic has stymied a majority of the convention’s in-person events, many of New York’s delegates have been watching closely from afar. WAMC’s Jesse King spoke with delegates from the Capital Region…

The city of Albany has selected a firm to conduct a racial bias audit of the Albany Police Department.

Saratoga County has opened its new public safety headquarters in Ballston Spa. 

Cohoes, New York has a new police chief for the first time in 27 years. 

With Election Day less than three months away and no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight, election officials in New York are scrambling to handle an expected spike in absentee ballots.

As COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country, cities in the Capital Region are bracing for the return of college students this month.

The city of Albany has launched an initiative to give younger residents a safe place to play and learn this summer during the coronavirus pandemic. 

As activists and lawmakers call for police reforms across the country, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association came out with its own list of priorities Wednesday. 

Schenectady’s Museum of Innovation and Science plans to reopen with two new exhibits next week — exhibits that help explain the existence of this very story.

A new exhibit at the Albany Center Gallery celebrates the life and work of the late Schenectady artist Duane Todman, who was fatally shot this spring.

Seven Capital Region theatre troupes will come together Tuesday night in a collective response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Albany City School District Board of Education is launching a committee to change the name of Philip J. Schuyler Academy, in light of renewed focus on the major general’s ownership of slaves in the late 1700s.

Two Democrats vying for a shot at New York’s 121st District Assembly seat squared off in a recent debate on Zoom before Tuesday’s primary.

Citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the annual Boilermaker in Utica, New York have canceled the race for the first time in its 43-year history. 

After Sunday’s “Rally for Black Lives” drew roughly 11,000 demonstrators to Troy, organizers with the group Justice for Dahmeek are calling on the city to make sweeping changes to bring about racial justice. 

Thousands marched in Troy Sunday to protest police brutality. Despite some tension, the day remained peaceful. WAMC’s Jesse King was there.

As Massachusetts slowly reopens from the coronavirus pandemic, Hancock Shaker Village kicked off its 60th season Thursday with a phased reopening of its own. WAMC’s Jesse King stopped by for a preview.

Over the weekend, thousands of protesters took to Albany’s streets to protest police brutality. While the larger demonstrations have been peaceful, a string of lootings Saturday night left dozens of city businesses boarding up their windows and picking up the pieces. WAMC’s Jesse King checked in with store owners on Central Avenue.

A play with ties to the Hudson Valley that opened to packed crowds this winter will come back via Zoom Thursday night to keep interest alive.

The CARES Act passed by Congress in March effectively postponed federal student loan payments through September in light of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic — but some borrowers say their credit scores have taken a hit as a result. 

Every year, the Carey Institute for Global Good in rural Albany County hosts journalists from around the globe through its Logan Nonfiction Program. Its latest residences wrapped just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. WAMC’s Jesse King stopped by the campus in Rensselaerville, New York to speak with author Craig Nelson.

Recent sightings of the so-called “murder hornet” on the West Coast have triggered fears that the menacing insect could gain ground in the U.S. But as WAMC’s Jesse King found out, the hornets are a ways away from the Capital Region.

Every year, the Carey Institute for Global Good in rural Albany County hosts journalists from around the globe through its Logan Nonfiction Program. Its latest residencies wrapped just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, with fellows researching subjects ranging from the U.S. prison system to World War II. WAMC’s Jesse King stopped by the campus in Rensselaerville, New York to speak with reporter Rachel Riederer.

New funding is available for local history museums and organizations in New York that are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.