It is hard right now not to root for Ole Miss in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs.

In September 2023, I recorded a WAMC commentary about two aging figures in entertainment and politics: Willie Nelson and President Joe Biden. Watching Willie perform that summer, I came to the regrettable conclusion that it was time for him to hang it up. He’d just turned 90 and was severely diminished physically. As a fan, I’d much rather remember him as I saw him in his prime.

President Trump wants us to bow to him. He tries to impress us by gilding the White House with gold, paving over the Rose Garden, and taking control of the American military and a Latin American country, accompanied by disclosure that the US Mint is considering “a commemorative coin featuring President Trump,” breaking with tradition, not to put living presidents on money that began with George Washington.

As New Yorkers rang in the New Year, Albany’s budgeteers were developing a fiscal proposal for Governor Hochul. As directed by the state Constitution, the governor must unveil her budget plan within a few weeks and with it her policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

What would you say is the biggest problem facing our country? Now, if you said, “Donald Trump,” I wouldn’t necessarily disagree, but that’s not the kind of answer we’re looking for here. Hold that thought, though: you may be onto something.

This past year was tough on the arts. National policies like gutting grants and contracts from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for Humanities (NHA) have affected many local arts organizations.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater closes its annual month-long New York City Center season this Sunday, with five more performances on offer.

A record 58% of us take vitamins, minerals, gummies. This sounds like a wonderful statistic. It suggests that most Americans really care about their health. Enough to shell out $60 billion dollars a year for nutritional supplements. Wonderful, yes, but also somewhat troubling.

Charles Touhey spoke to local Returned Peace Corps Volunteers last month. Charles was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia. Once home he immersed himself in the needs of homeownership for African-Americans in the South End of Albany.

Planning is an important component of success in life. The same is true for government. Developing a plan that relies on broad input, is based on the most recent science and best practices, and recommends specific actions is the hallmark of high functioning government.