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Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny, and other mothers loved their neighborhood on the east side of Niagara Falls. It had an elementary school, a playground, and rows of affordable homes. But in the spring of 1977, pungent odors began to seep into these little houses, and it didn’t take long for worried mothers to identify the curious scent. It was the sickly sweet smell of chemicals.In "Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe," New York Times journalist Keith O’Brien uncovers how Gibbs and Kenny exposed the poisonous secrets buried in their neighborhood. The school and playground had been built atop an old canal — Love Canal, it was called — that Hooker Chemical, the city’s largest employer, had quietly filled with twenty thousand tons of toxic waste in the 1940s and 1950s. This waste was now leaching to the surface, causing a public health crisis the likes of which America had never seen before and sparking new and specific fears. Luella Kenny believed the chemicals were making her son sick.

Today's Book Picks come from Matt Tannenbaum from The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts.

WAM Theatre is in the house to tell us about their MisCast Cabaret - a special one-night-only benefit performance hosted by Tony Award and Drama Desk Nominee Jayne Atkinson on Thursday, July 7th at 7:30 PM at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA.In the MisCast Cabaret, WAM artists, accompanied by live musicians, will perform favorite Broadway songs from roles in which they would not traditionally be cast. It is a fun way to question traditional casting while singing along! Hear your favorite songs from Hamilton, South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, and more performed in ways you haven’t heard before.The benefit performance supports WAM Theatre’s Education and Community Engagement programs— empowering and uplifting women and girls in Berkshire County and beyond. To tell us more, we welcome: Kristen van Ginhoven and Jayne Atkinson.

Today we welcome Dr. Andi Nawab, a cardiology internist at Cardiology Associates of Schenectady, part of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates. Dr. Nawab specializes in heart disease prevention and women’s heart health. Call with your question. 800-348-2551. Alan Chartock hosts.

Ready to hit the road, air or water and get away from it all? We have the show for you! We welcome back travel expert Jean Gagnon to take your questions. To join the conversation, give us a call at 1-800-348-2551 or you can e-mail us at VoxPop@wamc.org. WAMC's Joe Donahue hosts.

Millions of Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Not getting enough sleep can do more damage than just making a person tired. We'll talk about the many different kinds of sleep disorders and the latest treatments with Dr. Boris Medarov. The number to call with your question is 800-348-2551. Ray Graf hosts.

For decades, Dick Conant paddled the rivers of America, covering the Mississippi, Yellowstone, Ohio, Hudson, as well as innumerable smaller tributaries. These solo excursions were epic feats of planning, perseverance, and physical courage. At the same time, Conant collected people wherever he went, creating a vast network of friends and acquaintances who would forever remember this brilliant and charming man even after a single meeting.Ben McGrath, a staff writer at The New Yorker, was one of those people. In 2014 he met Conant by chance just north of New York City as Conant paddled down the Hudson, headed for Florida. McGrath wrote a widely read article about their encounter, and when Conant’s canoe washed up a few months later, without any sign of his body, McGrath set out to find the people whose lives Conant had touched–to capture a remarkable life lived far outside the staid confines of modern existence.His book is "Riverman: An American Odyssey."

It’s primary day in New York. In today’s Congressional Corner, New York Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district, speaks with WAMC’s Alan Chartock.

What happens now after the fall of Roe v. Wade? In today’s Congressional Corner, New York Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district, continues his conversation with WAMC’s Alan Chartock.

Tools to deal with it are in place, but the pandemic isn’t over.In today’s Congressional Corner, New York Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district, wraps up his conversation with WAMC’s Alan Chartock.