Shantel Destra

On This Week's Edition: New York has it's first ever Master Plan for Aging! We sat down with James McDonald, commissioner for the State Health Department, and Greg Olsen, acting director for the State Aging Office for a deep dive on the plan and its impact. We'll unpack the latest on the ongoing process of transitioning New Yorkers enrolled in the consumer directed personal assistance program, CDPAP, to using one fiscal intermediary: Public Partnerships LLC.

On This Week's Edition - We dive into the latest developments in the race for New York City Mayor and Democrat's positioning on whether or not to endorse Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani with Jimmy Vielkind of WNYC and the New York Public News Network. The New York NOW team takes a day trip to the 184th annual New York State Fair and highlights many of the new attractions as well as the crowd favorites this year.

Courtesy: Screenshot from Eric Adams video ending campaign

On This Week's Edition -- New York state is celebrating the Erie Canal's bicentennial anniversary. We discuss the history and legacy of the Erie Canal with Rebecca Hughes and Jackie Schillinger of the NYS Canal Corporation. To commemorate the anniversary, the Buffalo Maritime Center has constructed a full-sized replica of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief to travel on the canal. We take a trip to one of the tour stops in Waterford. WMHT Producer Catherine Rafferty shares an episode of her Reflections on the Erie Canal Documentary.

On This Week's Edition -- SUNY Chancellor John King joins us to discuss the second class of Empire Service Corps., student retention rates, and federal & state funding. New York was one of the first state to make Thanksgiving a holiday. We dive into the all of the historic thanksgiving facts about the state - from state proclamations to celebrations at the state museum.

On This Week's Edition - With the looming December 31st deadline, Gov. Kathy Hochul has just a few weeks to make a decision on several controversial bills that passed in the state Legislature this year. We dive into the context, impact and current status of the controversial bills. We also look at New York's place in the history of the American Revolution and how the state is upholding the groundbreaking legacy of the war.

On This Week's Edition -- It's been quite the eventful year in New York politics - from a competitive mayoral race in New York City to controversial policy items debated at the state Capitol. We'll dive into the headlines that drove the year with POLITICO'S Katelyn Cordero, Bloomberg's Raga Justin and Jimmy Vielkind, of WNYC, Gothamist and the New York Public News Network.

On This Week's Edition -- It's a new year and a new legislative session in the State Capitol. New York State lawmakers are primed to address affordability in the state amid the threat of the state loosing federal funding. Gov. Kathy Hochul previewed three proposals for her state of the state address scheduled for next week - centered around protecting children online, public safety in New York and universal child care. State Sen. John Liu (D - Senate NYC Education Committee Chair, 16th Senate District) joined us to discuss the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and a bill to require public schools to teach students about the attack. Assembly Member John McDonald (D - 108th Assembly District) spoke with us about drug prescription affordability in the New York.

In the latest budget development, Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a property tax on New York City homes worth more than $5 million that serve as a secondary properties for out of town owners. David Lombardo, of WCNY's the Capitol Pressroom, and POLITICO's Marie French dive into the ongoing conversations around energy, gas emissions and the state's 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act at the state capitol. Longtime Assembly Member and Former Republican Minority Leader Will Barclay unpacks his tenure in politics and the complex political positioning of Republicans in the Legislature.

As part of WMHT's Production Internship, State University of New York At Albany Student Jordyn Miller spend over two months working on a reporting project for New York NOW. Miller spent countless hours interviewing a slew of lawmakers, policy advocates and impacted individuals to understand how the lack of funding to support childcare initiatives in Rensselaer County is impacting families.