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WAMC's Ian Pickus takes part in a media panel at Saratoga Springs Public Library along with Thomas Dimopoulos from Saratoga TODAY, Will Pedigo from WMHT Public Media, Miles Reed of the Daily Gazette, Tom Eschen from WRGB CBS 6 News, and Anya Tucker of WTEN ABC News10.

Housing. Criminal justice. Tuition. In the final days before the start of the new fiscal year on April 1st, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and fellow Democrats who control the legislature appear to be at odds over a number of issues. So — will the budget be late for the second year in a row? We speak with WNYC’s Jon Campbell, who covers the capital. 

If you’ve ever heard a probing interview or feature report from a far-flung nation by Ari Shapiro on WAMC, you may have wondered about the person behind the “All Things Considered” voice. Things like: just how do you get a story filed from Air Force One? Why does this guy know so much about flora and fauna? And how did he go from reporting on Pink Martini to joining the band? Those are just some of Shapiro’s experiences detailed in his new memoir, “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.”

The NCAA men's basketball tournament returned to Albany over the weekend for the first time since 2003.

A documentary that focuses on the ever-present question of immigration and refugee resettlement in upstate New York is beginning a weeklong run in Albany starting Friday. “Utica: The Last Refuge” is a poignant exploration of how Utica embraced refugees to turn around its falling population, fill vital jobs, and create a new future.

With the NCAA men's basketball tournament returning to Albany for the first time in 20 years, we take an audio tour of MVP Arena and inspect its many recent upgrades.

We preview Town Meeting Day in Vermont Tuesday with Middlebury College political science professor Bert Johnson, who hopes the old-fashioned tradition will continue.

Central Hudson Gas and Electric is going through a period of intense public scrutiny and a related leadership transition. Chris Capone has just taken over as president and CEO as the utility responds to widespread criticism over its billing practices.

We conclude our special series on the anniversary of the war in Ukraine by meeting two Capital Region figures who have marshalled local support.

We continue marking the anniversary of the war in Ukraine with stories about Russians and Ukrainians in the Capital Region. And experts from western Massachusetts weigh in on the geopolitical implications.

We mark the grim first anniversary of the war in Ukraine with a series of pieces about residents of the Northeast who have aided in the conflict. On this episode, a northern New York veterinarian travels overseas to help, and a Western Massachusetts woman with family ties to the nation helps refugees.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has named Travis Tellitocci its new commissioner. Tellitocci replaces the retiring Rich Ensor, who set a national record by spending 35 years in the role. Tellitocci, the conference’s fourth commissioner, has served as assistant commissioner for football, basketball and officiating for the Ohio Valley Conference for the past six years. We speak with the 2004 graduate of conference member Marist, where he later served as deputy athletics director.

As we’ve been discussing for weeks here, the nomination of Hector LaSalle to be New York state’s next chief judge is at a stalemate. Noah Rosenblum teaches law at New York University School of Law and has advocated for court reform in New York. He also clerked in the New York State Court of Appeals. He tells us why he thinks the nomination is dead.

For millions of Americans, betting on sports is getting easier all the time. And they seem to like it. That’s the conclusion of a new survey from the American Gaming Association. The trade group says betting on the Super Bowl this year accounted for $16 billion in wagering from more than 50 million Americans. We speak with vice president of research of David Forman.

The football world has descended on Arizona for Super Bowl 57. The Chiefs and the Eagles, will take center stage Sunday. The Eagles are hoping to win their second title since 2017, while the Chiefs are in the big game for the third time in four years. For a preview, we speak with WAMC Sports Commentator Keith Strudler, director of the school of communication and media at Montclair State University.

The embattled longtime chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party has been ousted. Jim Lyons, a steadfast Trump backer who frequently clashed with two-term Governor Charlie Baker and often wound up in the headlines for controversial statements, was narrowly voted out last week. The state committee backed Amy Carnevale instead. For analysis we speak with Emma Platoff of the Boston Globe.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is confronting one of her first major tests after winning a full term in November. Her pick for the state’s new chief judge, Hector LaSalle, is being opposed by a coalition of progressive groups — and crucially, more than a dozen Democrats in the state Senate. We break it down with Albany Law School Professor Vincent Bonventre, who has been following the twists and turns on his New York Court Watcher website.

By Albany standards, it has been a rocky start to the New York state legislative session, with Governor Kathy Hochul’s pick for chief judge rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee and ongoing disagreement about how to approach public safety. Hochul delivers her state budget plan this week. We catch up with Capitol Correspondent Karen DeWitt.

“Mr. Patroon” is coming back to Albany. After Will Brown stepped down as head coach last month, the Albany Patroons say Derrick Rowland is returning as head coach for the 2023 season that starts in March. Rowland has played for and coached the Albany Patroons dating back to their 1982 inception. A star player who led the Patroons to two titles, Rowland will begin his third stint as head coach for the team that plays in The Basketball League. Rowland spent last season coaching in Oklahoma.

For as long as anyone can remember, New Hampshire has held the nation’s first primary of the presidential election cycle. But that century-old tradition is in jeopardy now that the Democratic National Committee is looking to shake up the primary calendar.. A Granite State Poll from the University of New Hampshire finds two-thirds of respondents support the state’s first-in-the-nation status. And support for it is growing. We break it down with Dr. Andrew Smith, Director of the UNH Survey Center and professor of political science.