The Debrief Podcast

On the heels of FingerLakes1.com's ongoing investigation into the Ontario Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Canandaigua, State Senator Pam Helming [R-54] has announced yesterday on Wednesday, July 1st that she shall co-sponsor legislation to establish an independent and bipartisan commission to investigate the deaths of New Yorkers who passed away from COVID-19 while residing in state-re...

Thirty-two days have passed since the Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protests started in the City of Geneva.  Today is July 1st, and tonight is a Geneva City Council meeting.  Eleven resolutions related to reforming the Geneva Police Department are all on the table, including the creation of a police accountability board and even partly defunding the police.  Akim Hudson, a lifelong Ge...

Connie Helker claims to be the first employee who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Ontario Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, earning the nickname "COVID Connie" among some of her peers.  As a front desk receptionist and a housekeeper, Connie cared about her safety and wellbeing as someone who's immune compromised and encountered cancer three times.  She chose to leave and beca...

What's the deal with Deer Haven Park? Is Saturday's reopening of Deer Haven Park in danger? Today on the show, an in-depth look at what Earl Martin announced this week as the future of the property that ran guided tours for the last several years.

Jeff Pirozzolo is the superintendent of schools in the Auburn Enlarged City School District. This week he was in-studio talking about the future of the classroom, how it will be shaped, how students will get there, and what it will look like to implement it all. 

Lisa Mattoon is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester. Earlier this week she was a guest on Inside the FLX. From that conversation came some interesting points: Like mentors expectations versus the reality of being one. It's not expensive, it doesn't have to involve giving back monetarily, and often - kids in the program are just looking for a person. Today on The Daily Debrief...

What does the Cayuga Nation traditional leadership think about the land-into-trust legal suit?  Sachem Chief Sam George of the Bear Clan claims that the entire community was not consulted prior to the lawsuit announcement made by Clint Halftown, the Bureau of Indian Affairs representative, alongside his legal counsel.  Is the push for gaining land-in-trust status for certain parcels fuel...

What's happening at farms across New York State? Early in the pandemic shutdown we saw a variety of headlines connected to the idea that farms were already struggling -- and that new realities made doing business nearly impossible. As businesses open up -- big questions loom -- like, "What policies need to change to protect small and medium sized farms moving forward?" Today on The Daily Debrief,...

A big week of headlines broken down by Jackie Augustine, Josh Durso, and Ted Baker.

What is Juneteenth? Edith Wormley, the assistant director of the Academic Opportunity Programs at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a member of the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church talks about the history of this significant date. She also spends some time reflecting on how its remember now amid nationwide protests in memory of George Floyd.

Martin Feria continues where he left off as we confront racism in the City of Geneva starting on the Hobart & William Smith College campus as he retells when he was racially profiled by students. Why was he profiled? Should it matter that Martin wasn't a student on-campus and rather a visitor?

What is it like growing up as a first generation U.S. citizen with Mexican heritage in Geneva?  Martin Feria, a lifelong Geneva resident is a first generation citizen here in the United States after his parents and older brother moved from Mexico to California and then Geneva, New York. Feria, who is shortly moving away to New Jersey reflects on his challenging upbringing from the vineyard to...

How has the process for acquiring hunting permits changed amid the coronavirus pandemic?  Norm Ridley, a Department of Environmental Conservation volunteer instructor in Region 8 speaks about how in-person training demonstrations have shifted to online training programs statewide for the first-time ever, which are being offered until today - June 15th.

What does prison oversight look like in New York State? Phillip Miller, the associate director of policy at the Correctional Association of New York speaks about a bill that he and a team of other policymakers crafted, which aims at enhancing accountability and transparency within correctional facilities that are overseen by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Johanna Anderson and Delia Yarrow work on the frontlines of providing safe, affordable housing for those in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier. They're part of INHS, or the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing System, which serves a number of counties beyond Ithaca and Tompkins. INHS recently launched a rental assistance program connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, as thousands were left out of work -- and...

Are changes to election protocols and procedures going to enhance or diminish democratic participation in the form of voter turnout amid the novel coronavirus pandemic? Assistant Visiting Professor Ricky Price of Political Science at Hobart & William Smith Colleges weighs the short-term and long-term consequences of such sudden changes to voting systems here in New York State throughout the su...

Earlier this month Jenna Hotaling wrote a piece highlighting the outreach efforts of the Finger Lakes Problem Gambling Resource Center. May was Mental Health Awareness Month and March was Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Since March much of the world has been consumed by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Today, we catch up with Jenna, who serves as team leader at FLPGRC to discuss their effortrs, and wha...

Where are the turkeys? Just a few days after the regular spring turkey season ended in New York State, Norm Ridley, a board of director at the North Seneca Sportsmen Club and president of the state's National Wild Turkey Federation speaks with us about whether hunting turkeys is a viable solution to help feed families during statewide meat shortages in supermarkets amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As anti-racism protests grip communities around the region, state, and country people are wrestling with systemic injustices, and the best ways to address them. There are also school board and budget elections coming up, as well as primary contests that will take place in late-June. Today on The Weekend Debrief, Ted Baker and Josh Durso break it all down – going through the headlines that were, an...

Is there a separation of church and state amid the Coronavirus Pandemic? Could Governor Andrew Cuomo in bounds placing restrictions on worship in New York? Antonio Gomez, a pastor at the Church of God in Farmington expresses his feelings about Governor Andrew Cuomo and reopening congregations across the New York State after recently attending an event among other pastors from other counties surrou...

Is the Finger Lakes Drive-In experiencing a resurgence? Is this a new trend, and will the "drive-in fever" last through the summer?  On this edition of The Daily Debrief, Paul Meyer, the owner of Finger Lakes Drive-In located on 5&20 near Auburn assesses his recent opening weekend and the future of the drive-in movie theater industry amid the coronavirus pandemic. He also explains how his...

Why does a $10.3 million broadband grant matter for Yates County? With employees working remotely from home becoming a more common industry practice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nonnie Flynn, the treasurer and administrator for Yates County reflects on obtaining the full grant award in the amount of $10.3 million from the Re-Connect Program, which is dispersed through the U.S. Department of Agric...

Today on The Daily Debrief, part of our conversation with Jeff Behler, of the U.S. Census Bureau. He oversees operations in several states - including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He spoke with FingerLakes1.com Reporter Gabriel Pietrorazio, who co-hosts this show - about the pandemic, and how 2020 is shaping future census counts...

On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo pressured the press corps into an impromptu history pop quiz, asking where the first Memorial Day celebration occurred, but instead met with silence. On today's special holiday edition, we honor the lives and legacies of our nation's fallen heroes by stepping back in time in observance of Memorial Day to learn more about the origins and founding of this national ho...

What's it like living inside a state prison during a global pandemic? Are incarcerates informed about current events with frequent updates surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Are they rendered invisible, out of sight and out of mind? Are prisons a safe space, especially for health immune compromised inmates inside?  Joyce Smith-Moore, the spouse of Jim Moore, an 85-year-old, is presuma...