Shantel Destra

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.

The year 2026 marks the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence! We 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. We sit down with Daniel Mackay, deputy commissioner of historic preservation, with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, to learn more about how New York is preserving historic sites from the war across the state. Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt produced a six part documentary series unpacking the history and legacy of the American Revolution. We share an exclusive trailer from the film.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Attorney General Letitia James announce the standards for the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. Assembly Member Phil Steck (D - 110th A.D., Colonie) unpacks legislation requiring social media companies to comply with law enforcement warrants within 72 hours. Rory Christian, Chair and CEO of the New York State Public Service Commission, details the changes to reporting standards for the rate hikes for utility companies and the expanded powers of the commission from the enacted state budget.

New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara Guinn unpacks the issue of EBT benefit fraud, the rollout of chip based benefit cards and funding for the office. We dive into the challenges of the legal cannabis industry and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management - including lack of regulation and the enforcement of licenses. New York lawmakers have passed legislation to help crack down on illegal cannabis shops and provide better support to the workforce.