WCNY Community FM

In our premiere episode from the WCNY Community FM studios in Syracuse, Peter Ward and Mike Durkin sit down with Sean Kelsey, the non-lawyer CEO of Nave Law. Sean is a master of business "social software." While he leads one of the region's premier legal teams, his brilliance lies in his ability to architect a culture of radical trust and resilience. We explore how Sean converts life’s negatives i...

On the latest edition of North Words, in the cold of winter, an effort is underway to connect people to their special summer place in the Adirondacks. Some people with long ties to Twitchell Lake in the southern Adirondacks have launched a website that charts the natural, social, and even legal history of a place that has drawn visitors for generations - and generations of visitors. Later, what ma...

On this edition of Our New Neighbors, host Maryna Bagovska is joined by Nina Polukhina a Russian immigrant who moved to America after marrying her childhood friend. Several years later Nina is now a mother of three children with a passion for photography. In this discussion Nina discusses the challenges she faced as an immigrant as well as offering advice for those in similar circumstances.

On the latest episode of Repeating History, we welcome Dr. Angela Murphy, Professor of History at Texas State University. Our topic today is the extraordinary life of Syracuse's own "defiant fugitive" Rev. Jermain W. Loguen, the Underground Railroad King and tireless freedom fighter. Bob and Professor Murphy talk about the research that went into her new biography of Loguen and how this nationally...

On this edition of CNY Heroes, Dan’s guest is Syracuse State Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli. In 2008, he was the driving force behind re-establishing the annual CNY Veterans Parade and Expo at the NYS Fairgrounds. The early November event features dozens of veteran and military groups and draws thousands of spectators. Magnarelli, first elected to the Assembly in 1998, talks about what it took to get...

Do animals experience joy? Most people think they do, but proving it is a different story. Learn about scientific efforts to measure animal happiness. Also this month on Science Today, find out about “pre-rehab” which may improve surgical outcomes, and how a plant can survive exposure to outer space.

(#92, 3/3/26) In this March 2026 Episode of CNY Latino: cnylatinonewspaper.com/Podcast, we will be talking about the controversial issue of medical assisting dying in New York state, a nice Passage when Marisol and I had walking through the beautiful Town of Canandaigua, and also the surprising discovering we did around the town of Fulton at the canal system, having a luxury expensive Yacht passin...

Today's Check It Out focuses on two programs that will be at a number of libraries through the spring. Tom and Maggie welcome Summer Merrick from the Early Childhood Alliance and they will talk about the play "Tiny Martians Big Emotions" as well as the Books, Balls and Blocks program. The programs will be going on until May at three city libraries.

(#91, 2/17/26) In this February 2026 Episode of CNY Latino: cnylatinonewspaper.com/Podcast, we will be presenting the moments when we were at the '2025 Fairport Canal Days', the ' 2025 Rochester Puerto Rican Festival', and a demonstration of the '2025 Upstate New York Supplier Diversity Summit in Rochester' En este episodio de febrero de 2026, presentaremos los momentos en los que estuvimos en los...

February break is upon us, and to celebrate the week, Check It Out brings in a familiar guest. Maggie and Tom welcome the director of the Solvay Library, Brian Rowlands. The trio talks about the 45-50 break related events going on around the county. This includes Olympic trials in the library, a Mardi Gras Party, a Wicked celebration, a Snow Glowy Story Walk in Fairmount and the debut of a play fo...

On this edition of "It’s Happening Here" host Chris Libonati is joined by Central Current contributor Eddie Velasquez and reporter Patrick McCarthy to discuss immigration enforcement and how local elected officials are responding to pushback against President Donald Trump‘s deportation agenda.

On this edition of Checkup From the Neck-Up, Psychologist Rich “Dr. Neckup” O’Neill’s guest is Nurse Practitioner Ms. Kaytlyn Flansburgh from Inclusive Health Services at SUNY Upstate Medical University. In this show they discuss the facts about sexually transmitted infections (both bacterial and viral, excluding HIV), how common they are, and how to prevent and treat them. Our follow-up show will...

On this edition of CNY Heroes, Dan speaks with Kathy Allen, the recently retired Senior Manager of Community Relations at Tops Friendly Markets. Kathy flew as a guardian on Honor Flight Syracuse Mission 4 in 2014, sparking a longtime partnership between Tops and Honor Flight. Under her leadership, Tops has been a leading supporter of the organization, generously donating the backpacks full of sna...

(#90, 2/4/26) In this February 2026 Episode of CNY Latino: cnylatinonewspaper.com/Podcast, we will be presenting recordings of moments when we were at the '2025 Albany Latino Festival', '2025 Punta Cana Family Funday' in Albany, and an interview with the Spanish 'Music director 'Emeritus José-Luis Novo. En este episodio de febrero de 2026, presentaremos grabaciones de momentos en los que estuvimos...

In this week's edition of Check It Out, Tom and Maggie sit down with someone you may not have seen, but you have heard on TV, in movies and even in some video games. We welcome voice actor Jamie Sara Lewis to the podcast, and she lets us know about her work on the Netflix show "Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches" an upcoming movie this summer and her some programs for youngsters interested in acting and vo...

On this first edition of Real Talk CNY, Community FM’s Joel Stockton is joined by Prime Time Boxings owner Joe Stray, and member Michael Alexander. Together they discuss the positive impact that boxing has had on their own lives, the benefits of the boxing mentality on the young members of the CNY community, and the changing landscape of the sport of boxing.

How did problem gambling become recognized as an addiction? Learn about the psychiatrist who championed this view. Could the mRNA Covid vaccine enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment? Also in this episode of Science Today, the risk of “Chatbot Therapy” to adolescents, a new dinosaur is revealed and the surprising origin of the world‘s most expensive coffee.

Joe Stray, founder and owner or Prime Time Boxing talks with Joann Yarrow about his journey through boxing and its similarity with the play "Relentless" presented at Syracuse Stage.

On this edition of Our New Neighbors, host Maryna Bagovska is joined by Rita Sofyan Conte who spent her life on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, where she lived a comfortable life running a successful business with her late husband. In late 2023 Rita decided to moved to the United States, after meeting her new husband, where she now lives a modest life in Syracuse.

On the latest episode of Repeating History, our guest is Dr. Douglas Bradburn, President and CEO of George Washington's Mount Vernon. As America begins its year long 250th birthday commemoration, Bob and Doug discuss the recently completed $40 million renovation and restoration of George Washington's home, the incredible history of Mount Vernon as a historical site and the birthplace of historic p...

Need a good book to read for the kids? We have two suggestions and they are both from our guest today on our library podcast for the young patrons: Check It Out. Author Kate Monto stops by to talk to hosts Maggie and Tom to tell them all about her books "Calpurnia and the Pink Pedestal" as well as "Stepping Stones". But don't take our word for it.... instead, just Check It Out!

On the latest edition of North Words, the first person to make a solo canoe journey down the entire length of the Hudson River returns to repeat the journey, 35 years later.  Peter Lourie talks about how his Hudson reprise compared to the trip he took in 1990.  Later, an urban sociologist looks at what makes Ottawa the place it is, and at the unique relationship Americans along the border have wit...

(#89, 1/13/26) In this January 2026 Episode of CNY Latino: cnylatinonewspaper.com/Podcast, Marisol has an interesting interview with both Henry I. Padrón-Morales, a Nuyorican from Brooklyn, NY, who currently lives in Rochester, NY, is a musician, poet and activist, as well as a retired Kindergarten Dual-Language educator; and also with Mara Nicole Criollo-Rivera is a Puerto Rican and Peruvian illu...

On this edition of Checkup From the Neck-Up, “Dr. Neckup” psychologist Rich O’Neill’s guest is family psychiatrist, researcher, and author Dr. Nayla Khoury. They discuss yoga, its history, the “eight arms” of yoga practice, how it has been adapted for people with prior trauma, its relationship to meditation, using it to “up-regulate” or “down-regulate the nervous system, and research on its effect...

Community FM presents a special extended edition of “CNY Heroes” in Honor of Veterans Day. Host Dan Cummings is joined by Army veteran Vito Lovecchio Jr. who shares his experiences as a combat infantryman during the Vietnam war, as well as his life following his military service. This discussion dives into the turbulent homecoming after the conflict, changing public opinion on the way veterans are...