Skip to main content

© 2026

Donate

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

Scam Advisory: We have been made aware that an online entity is posing as Joe Donahue to invite authors and other creatives onto our radio shows. The scammers then attempt to charge guests an appearance fee for exposure/publicity.
Please note: WAMC does not charge guests to appear on the station and any email about appearing on a WAMC program will come from a wamc.org email address.

The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best Of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge #1717: Homesteading on a Half-Acre and Lyme Disease Research

By Lucas Willard,

Jim Levulis, Samantha Simmons, Jody Cowan

Published August 18, 2023 at 3:00 PM EDT

Eric Smassanow at his home in Saratoga County, New York

The harvest season is here. We’ll learn about homesteading from planning to canning. New research suggests an old cancer treatment is effective in fighting tick-borne illness. And education officials in New York announce funding for mental health.

————

The Best Of Our Knowledge

Lucas Willard

Lucas Willard is a news reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011. He produces and hosts The Best of Our Knowledge and WAMC Listening Party.

See stories by Lucas Willard

Jim Levulis

Jim was WAMC’s Assistant News Director and hosted WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition.

See stories by Jim Levulis

Samantha Simmons

Weekend Edition Host/Reporter.

She covers Rensselaer County, New York State politics, and local arts and culture.

She can be reached by phone at (518)-465-5233 Ext. 211 or by email at ssimmons@wamc.org.

See stories by Samantha Simmons

Jody Cowan

One of the newest additions to the WAMC team, Jody Cowan has a naturally curious approach to media production and strong passion for story telling. Jody's work is currently showcased on the shows 51% and The Best of Our Knowledge.

See stories by Jody Cowan

Related Content

The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge #1716: Student Podcasting and Teacher Retention

Lucas Willard, Jody Cowan

NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge drew more than 3,000 submissions this year, but only about two dozen were selected as finalists. We’ll speak with two of the students recognized in the competition for their piece. And a new report examines gaps in teacher retention.————
The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge #1715: A Prolific Toy Inventor and the Borscht Belt

Lucas Willard, Ian Pickus, Jody Cowan

A new museum explores the comedic history of the Borscht Belt in New York’s Catskill Mountains. A 101-year-old toy inventor will share stories about his ideas over a long career. And a recently-closed liberal arts college will welcome a new kind of class this fall.
The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge #1714: One Year of Webb and Regulating AI in Politics

Lucas Willard, Jody Cowan, Paul Tuthill, Pat Bradley

On this week's Best of Our Knowledge: The James Webb Space Telescope has been sending detailed glimpses of the universe to Earth for a year now, plus more.
The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge #1713: Studying Change and Stepping Up to Protect Adirondack Lakes

Lucas Willard

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll set sail! A Vermont teacher is on a mission to study climate change at New York’s Adirondack Park and a new app is informing Lake George property owners on what they can do to protect water quality.