George Gershwin wrote the words ‘summertime and livin’ is easy”. Unfortunately, last summer wasn’t like that for much of Central New York, but this year looks to be off to a promising start. On this edition of Syracuse Speaks Katie Zilcosky and Tarryn Mento will look at the array of summer option for local residents as COVID restrictions continue to be lifted ..read more

For over a year, we have been witnessing and processing a global pandemic, political upheaval, and police violence against communities of color. Any of those events by itself would cause stress and trauma, but all of them simultaneously can be overwhelming ..read more

Life for Central New Yorkers in the age of COVID-19 has forced many members of the community, local businesses and nonprofits to readjust their priorities and lifestyles ..read more

At the end Syracuse University’s last semester, racist crimes took hold of the campus community. What does it take to make higher education institutions more inclusive ..read more

Central New Yorkers faces an election in November with dozens of local offices on the ballot for positions that decide things such as tax rates, education policy, and district lines. But voter turnout in elections with primarily local races has been historically low. In light of this, community groups and political researchers are asking what will get people engaged ..read more

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused health and fiscal strain across the community, and it continues to even as parts of the economy reopen. But organizations who help those struggling say the problems aren’t new. They’re existing problems that have been made worse by the effects of COVID-19 ..read more

CNY Speaks is the new public affairs program from WAER that aims to discuss issues and stories that matter to members of the Central New York community. The show debuted with a roundtable discussion about the future of I-81. WAER News Director Chris Bolt and Host/Reporter Katie Zilcosky facilitated a roundtable discussion to outline the timeline for a decision regarding the highway and how it could end up impacting the surrounding areas. Joining the WAER staff was Yusuf Abdul Qadir, Director of the Central New York Chapter of The New York Civil Liberties Union, Jonathan Link Logan, Director of ..read more

Central New York has progressed through the four phases designed by the state to restart the economy. But where do we go from here ..read more

M any health and government leaders are putting enormous effort into ramping up vaccination against COVID 19. Most of us probably know someone who’s received a shot, or maybe you’ve gotten one yourself ..read more

M any health and government leaders are putting enormous effort into ramping up vaccination against COVID 19. Most of us probably know someone who’s received a shot, or maybe you’ve gotten one yourself ..read more