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PODCAST

Connections Podcast

Evan Dawson talks about what matters to you on Connections. Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections. For transcripts, please email our Move to Include team with a link to the episode.

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All Episodes

50:57

Where have all the nuclear protesters gone?

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/18

In the 1980s, students practiced getting underneath their desks in the case of a nuclear attack. Protests routinely focused on the threat of nuclear war and the need for non-proliferation. Today, the concern about nuclear war is barely mentioned — even though a growing list of countries wants to join the nuclear club. Why is that? Our guests will discuss the change in public concern, and how they view the nuclear threat today.Our guests: Holly Adams, member of Genesee Valley Citizens for

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50:54

"Big Beautiful Bill" could reshape your tax bill

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/17

The federal bill that the GOP calls the "Big Beautiful Bill" could significantly affect the way many Americans are taxed. Families and retirees will see some changes; some new deductions; an increased child tax credit. There are new deductions for tips and overtime. Our guests will walk us through what is changing and how it could affect us.In studio:Anthony Scinto, CPA, partner and tax department chair with MMB+CO Kristina Stamatis, CPA, partner with MMB+CO ---Connections is supported by

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50:57

Sitting down with Ukrainians visiting Rochester

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/17

A group of Ukrainians are visiting Rochester this week, guests of the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester. The group works in veteran reintegration across Ukraine. We'll discuss the state of the war in Ukraine: what Ukrainians think and want; the state of negotiations; and what could lead to a lasting peace.In studio: Lillia Matvilchuk, public relations and media specialist at Veterans Center Poltava Oksana Redkva, deputy director of

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50:52

The Bills are going to win the Super Bowl right...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/16

The stars are aligning for the Pegula family, when it comes to their Buffalo Bills: the new Bills stadium will open in 2026, and the team could be coming off their first Super Bowl win. Just imagine: the hottest team in professional sports, sky-high demand for tickets and seat licenses... and prices are already soaring! We predict that most fans will pay any increase happily if it follows a Super Bowl win. And we don't believe in jinxes -- the Bills are winning the Super Bowl this year

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50:07

How colleges are preparing for a possible enrollment...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/16

American birth rates fell after the great financial recession of 2007. Eighteen years later, there are fewer young adults who might go to college. For some schools, it's a crisis: the pandemic has combined with this smaller population of students to significantly cut the incoming freshman classes. In Western New York, some schools have already shut down. So what's next? How can higher ed deal with this challenge? How can they appeal to more students? Our guests discuss it.In studio:Brian

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50:59

Understanding the Trump administration's mixed...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/15

Tax credits: on or off? Solar projects: full speed ahead, paused, or scrapped entirely? Depending on the day, the headlines have been wildly different. We sit down with one of the local leaders in the solar sector to discuss what's going in with the second Trump administration -- what that means for workers in the solar industry, what that means for homeowners, for businesses, and more.Our guest:Kevin Schulte, CEO of Greenspark Solar---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to

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51:20

The debate over allowing AI to write our music

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/15

Tech innovator Kevin Surace recently said that artificial intelligence can solve the problem of writer's block. It can complete half-written songs. It can write lyrics when we hit the wall. It can figure out a great new bridge for your song. And it's true: AI can do those things, but should we let it? When does a song become something other than an artist's creation? Where is the line? AI music is already here, and will become more common. We sit down with musicians and songwriters to

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51:13

Processing the assassination of Charlie Kirk

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/12

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is the latest in a series of political attacks in recent years in this country. We sit down with a leader in the nonviolence movement to talk about the cost to a society of increasing violence. And we welcome feedback from our audience about how to process this disturbing and tragic news.In studio:Jonathon Jones, community trainer with the Ghandi Institute of Nonviolence Kit Miller, director emeritus of the Ghandi Institute of Nonviolence

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50:46

Examining Mamdani’s proposal for free public transit...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/12

What would happen if cities offered free public transit for anyone who wants to use it? New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to do just that. Economist Amit Batabyal recently examined some data to see what the impact would be - and the answers were not what many of his readers in the Rochester Beacon expected. We’ll discuss what could happen if transit were free and widely accessible.In studio: Amit Batabyal, Ph.D., distinguished professor and the Arthur J. Gosnell Professor

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51:11

The legacy of HBCUs

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/11

We continue our look at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their legacy. Evan Dawson and co-host Racquel Stephen welcome guests who are graduates of HBCUs, and can talk about why they chose to attend. They'll discuss the value of HBCUs today, after so much has changed in access to higher education.In studio:Shirley Green, Ed.D., commissioner of the department of recreation and human services for the City of Rochester and graduate of Delaware State Seanelle Hawkins,

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50:41

In the age of Trump, the courts are losing power

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/11

We condemn political violence, and we will have more to discuss on this tragic subject soon. For now, we continue as planned with our first-hour discussion: President Trump and Vice President Vance have said that the courts should not stand in the way of their administration's priorities. The courts are, of course, supposed to be an equal branch of government. But are they? We welcome three retired judges — Republican and Democrat — to discuss it.In studio: Hon. Richard Dollinger, New York

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50:49

A tale of two Rochesters

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/10

Real estate broker Mark Siwiec says the newest data is stark, and tells a story of two Rochesters. For luxury homeowners, it’s the best of times: soaring numbers of homes sold for more than a million bucks. For first-time buyers, it’s the worst of times: tiny inventory, high pressure. But Siwiec says there’s reason to think that change is coming. He joins us to discuss it.In studio:Mark Siwiec, broker and owner of Elysian Homes by Mark Siwiec and Associates

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50:46

What teenagers say will get them off their phones

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/10

New data finds that teenagers want more freedom and autonomy. Give them those things, and they say they’ll spend less time on their phones. Here’s the problem: modern parents are giving kids freedom in the wrong places. They’re giving kids more freedom online, where kids are getting addicted to social media and discovering violence and porn earlier than they used to. Meanwhile, parents are giving kids less freedom in the real world. So how can that be flipped?Our guests:Michael Scharf,

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51:09

Democrats have a decision to make

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/09

Six months ago, Senator Chuck Schumer persuaded his fellow Democrats to vote for a funding bill that President Trump and Elon Musk wanted. It averted a government shutdown. Some Democrats argued against funding a government acting in ways that betrayed their values. Schumer said he realized many colleagues would disagree with him, but he acted in courage and conviction. He doesn't think the government can be allowed to shut down, even if the party in power is acting in repugnant ways. Shut

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50:36

Will artificial intelligence destroy or improve the...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/09

Kevin Surace is an RIT grad who has spent decades piling up patents and helping lead the field of technological innovation. He is much more optimistic about artificial intelligence than the doomsayers. Surace believes that AI will not devastate the job market, but he says it can certainly transform the nature of work in many ways. He says that can be a good thing if we know how to use AI. We sit down to discuss the future of work, and why he wants us to see the sunny side of technology.In

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51:08

"Remaining Native": the challenge for native families...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/08

The Little Theatre's One Take Documentary series will feature "Remaining Native" on Wednesday and Saturday this week. The film is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of a 17-year-old Native American runner. Ku Stevens has a dream of becoming a high-level collegiate athlete, but as Ku ages, he confronts his own great-grandfather's escape from Indian boarding school. We'll talk to the filmmaker, who is originally from Rochester and attended Ithaca College.In studio:Paige

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51:39

The story of a Black lawyer who became America's...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/08

How well do you know the story of Thurgood Marshall? For many Americans, Marshall was a Supreme Court Justice. But as noted in a new documentary about Marshall's life and impact, Marshall is the rare case of a Supreme Court Justice who is now known even more for his work before joining the court. Marshall was a Black lawyer at a time when predominantly white courtrooms, particularly in the south, meant that Black lawyers couldn't win. Instead, Marshall won 29 of his 32 civil rights cases

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50:58

What local businesses can learn from the surprising...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/05

Perhaps the single most successful marketing experiment in the last 10 years in this country is an independent baseball team that features dance parties at home plate and a player who bats while standing on stilts. The Savannah Bananas are often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters, but owner Jesse Cole says there are key differences. He wants to build a fanbase of one billion people, and so Cole says he keeps the team affordable: jerseys, hats, even tickets to games. Cole has turned down

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51:22

Former Democrat & Chronicle journalist Gary Craig...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/04

Maybe it's the intrigue surrounding the nasty and expensive legal battle within Oak Hill Country Club; maybe it's the court reporting that made Gary Craig a legend in Rochester journalism. (He says it's Oak Hill.) But whatever the reason, Gary Craig just can't quit doing the work. He retired from the Democrat & Chronicle earlier this year. This summer, he launched his own Substack, which already has hundreds of followers. Craig joins us to dig into the juicy Oak Hill news, along with

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50:27

If aliens come near, will cuts to NASA mean we won't...

Connections Podcast ·

2025/09/04

The Trump administration is downsizing NASA, with thousands of NASA employees leaving their careers behind. The White House's proposed budget would have eliminated some of our most ambitious missions in space, including the search to discover intelligent alien life. Astrophysicist Adam Frank says we are in danger of losing the next space race, with China aggressively moving ahead on plans to search for alien civilizations. Frank's popular new newsletter covers this and a lot more, and we'll

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