The Debrief Podcast

Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine unpack the midterm elections and the work that follows: delivering on campaign promises, rebuilding political parties, and turning voter frustration into local involvement. They discuss why social media can give a misleading picture of the electorate, what Democrats need to do with voters’ trust, and where Republicans go from here. Closer to home, they take on a lis...

Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine take listener questions on the decisions shaping Finger Lakes communities. A proposed 7 Brew drive-thru in Geneva leads to a discussion about local businesses and planning, followed by questions about Cornell accountability, Seneca Falls highway leadership, Pal-Mac school consolidation, Canandaigua fire staffing, veterans’ property tax exemptions, and sidewalk grant...

Local governments have spent years studying the problems facing their communities. At some point, those plans have to become decisions. This week on The Debrief, Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine discuss Seneca Meadows’ proposed expansion and the difficult financial reality facing Seneca Falls without landfill revenue. They also examine Geneva’s proposed government reorganization, whether additional...

This week, The Debrief turns the show over to listeners. Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine answer questions about data centers and housing, the bills putting pressure on Finger Lakes households, and what local officials can do when the biggest costs seem beyond their control. They also examine rural food access, whether economic development incentives deliver good jobs, the maze of local planning ag...

This week on The Debrief, Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine dig into a recurring problem across the Finger Lakes: Communities have the data, the plans and, in many cases, the solutions — but local governments still struggle to turn any of it into action. The conversation starts in Canandaigua, where relatively modest zoning changes aimed at increasing housing options were pushed off until 2027. Josh...

Today on The Debrief Jackie and Josh dive into four big issues impacting Upstate New York. The state’s data center moratorium has drawn a lot of applause from environmental advocates — but a lot of skepticism from others. Does it have teeth or is this lip service to those who have a range of concerns about data centers and artificial intelligence? The two also get into the Town of Seneca Falls’ fi...

New York’s electric grid is under growing pressure from aging infrastructure, rising demand, renewable energy targets and a wave of proposed data centers. In this episode of The Debrief, Josh Durso answers listener questions about why electric bills keep climbing, how utilities make money from grid upgrades, whether New York is at risk of running short on power and who should pay for the next gene...

This week on The Debrief, Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine dig into the danger of trying to solve major problems with tiny fixes. From local budget pressure and code enforcement headaches to abandoned buildings, housing concerns, and New York’s increasingly fragile electric grid, the conversation centers on one big question: What happens when governments avoid hard decisions for too long? Josh and...

This week on episode #237 of The Debrief hosts Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso answer more of your questions, as submitted over the last two weeks. If you have a question you'd like answered in a future episode, email it to news@fingerlakes1.com or leave it here on Spotify.

On episode 236 of The Debrief, Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso talk two major stories taking shape around the Finger Lakes. The first comes from Ontario County, where debate over the functionality of IDAs was debated as officials in Geneva shared concerns with county economic development leaders that they weren't being focused on enough. Augustine wrote a column on the topic, which served as a...

Episode 235 of The Debrief takes a different approach with an 'Ask Us Anything' edition built around listener questions, comments, and reactions from recent episodes. Hosts Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine dig into Geneva’s property reassessments, the city’s move to a new meeting structure, and why nearly every Finger Lakes school budget passed despite growing frustration over taxes, state...

This week on The Debrief, Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine connect the dots between political dysfunction, municipal budget pressure, dissolution debates, and New York’s growing energy infrastructure problem. The conversation starts in Seneca Falls following the arrest of Town Supervisor Frank Schmitter, but quickly expands into a broader discussion about leadership, governance, shrinking tax bases...

Josh and Jackie break down a packed week on The Debrief, starting with a sharp look at why local governments focus too much on outputs instead of real outcomes. They dive into Albany’s looming climate fight, the realities behind the “senior housing fix,” and growing frustration around property assessments fueled by misinformation. It’s a wide-ranging episode that connects policy decisions to the r...

Communities say they want growth — until it shows up on the agenda. Urban planner, author, and former mayor Bill Fulton joins In Focus to explain why housing debates stall, why zoning reform won’t fix everything, and how changing work patterns are reshaping the role of place itself. Instead of technical jargon, this conversation breaks down the psychology and economics behind local opposition, aff...

Communities across the Finger Lakes and Upstate New York all say they need housing — but approvals still take months or years, small projects stall, and the shortage keeps growing. This week on In Focus , I talk with Strong Towns Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt about the gap between acknowledging the problem and actually fixing it. We discuss the “housing trap,” local regulatory friction, wh...

How's your town or village handling its future? On this episode of The Debrief - Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso talk about debates shaking out in the Finger Lakes around housing, population decline, how the tax burden will or won't be shared among those residents over time, and what communities are doing now.

Election season is over and in just a few weeks a new class of elected officials will take office across the Finger Lakes. While some will return for new terms, others will be taking on roles for the first time. Today Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso discuss the latest across the Finger Lakes, including implications of closely watched elections.

On the final episode of The Debrief this year – Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine sit down to talk about the biggest stories of 2024. They run down their list of the five biggest stories of the year, and look ahead to 2025 – putting together predictions for what residents should keep an eye on.

Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso are BACK in-studio this morning breaking down the biggest stories from the last month as budget season rolls forward for municipalities across the Finger Lakes. They’re talking about Geneva’s complex situation, how some communities have failed to adequately plan for the realities they now face in their most-important commercial corridors and what needs to happen to...

Today on the show hosts Jackie and Josh are talking about  Geneva’s Community Engagement Coordinator position , which was eliminated with a lot of community concern, the  closure of Wells College in Aurora ,  an update on the sale of two prominent properties in Seneca Falls , and  Ontario County’s housing plan . They also discuss the down-ballot ramifications of the breaking news late-Sunday that ...

On this episode of The Debrief Podcast hosts Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine talk about recent headlines across the Finger Lakes region - including the closure of the Geneva Movieplex, development of a Dunkin' franchise on a high-profile city corner, assessment concerns across the region, and continued housing access issues for low- and middle-income residents across the state.

What happens now that elections are over in the Finger Lakes region? Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine are here to break the results down following intense and close contests in Cayuga, Ontario, Seneca, and Wayne counties. They also talk about the recent election news in Wayne County where results were delayed by nearly an entire day due to a technical glitch. They also discuss recent headlines abou...

This week on the podcast Jackie Augustine and Josh Durso break down the biggest races across the Finger Lakes, the issues driving candidates and voters, as well as the undercurrents that have brought communities to present day. The two talk about competitive elections in Canandaigua, Geneva, and Seneca Falls, as well as county races in Cayuga and Ontario. Unprecedented housing issues, a desire fro...

It's time for another episode of The Debrief Podcast! Today on the show Josh Durso and Jackie Augustine break down an array of stories including a new report on the aging population and lack of health care infrastructure here in the Finger Lakes; the future of rural communities in the region as they battle rising costs and shrinking populations in light of that report; the latest on Seneca Mea...

In this edition of The Debrief Podcast we're joined by Peter Mantius from The Water Front Online . The longtime environmental reporter has been busy publishing a number of high-profile pieces on the Finger Lakes over the last two weeks; and we needed to catch up with him to break down the headlines. First up, the shocking news that was originally broke by The Deal, about Cargill seeking to sel...