News

Former WRVO General Manager and on-air host John Krauss died June 17 in Oswego, N.Y.  Krauss was one of the longest serving station administrators in public broadcasting having held various managerial titles for more than 40 years, 14 as general manager. He retired in 2010. Krauss was 64.

Krauss started at the then ten-watt WRVO on January 6, 1969 – the day the station signed on the air at SUNY Oswego. WRVO’s primary transmitter at Oswego now broadcasts at 50,000 watts.

Older Canadians will be able to spend more time in the United States under a proposal floated by New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer.

Right now, Canadians can stay in the U.S. up to six months. Many retired Canadians use up that time at winter homes in the Southwest or Florida.

By creating a retiree visa that would allow for eight months spent south of the border, Schumer is hopeful it will translate into more short trips to places closer to the Canadian border, like the Finger Lakes region.

As some of you may have heard, NPR has announced that Talk of the Nation, hosted by Neal Conan, will end production on Thursday, June 27, 2013 (Science Friday with Ira Flatow will continue).

After 25 years at NPR, 11 of them hosting Talk of the Nation, host Neal Conan is known as one of NPR's most distinguished journalists, bringing extraordinary depth, insight and skill to his work. He will surely leave a legacy of excellence, having carried the nation through some of the most important news of the last decade.

Syracuse officials are accusing the ownership of three vacant gas stations at a southern entrance to the city of blocking the properties' sale in the name of competition.

On Monday, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner brought in Sen. Charles Schumer to call on Sunoco to allow the sale and redevelopment of the stations near the intersection of Seneca Turnpike and East Brighton Ave.

One of the properties has been vacant more than 15 years.

Entering the city and driving past the rundown properties sets "a bad tone" for the area, Schumer said.

Join us this summer for our annual trip to the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown. There are matinee performances scheduled for July and August this year and, as always, transportation and meals are included in this truly unique experience.

There are only four days left in the legislative session, and so far no agreements have been reached between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature on major issues like campaign finance reform or a women’s equality act.

People climbed up the bleachers in the grandstand at the Lewis County Fairgrounds in Lowville on Saturday for a rally opposing the New York SAFE Act. More than 400 people turned out to condemn the controversial package of gun control measures passed by the state Legislature in January.

It's strawberry season in central New York, and one strawberry patch in Chittenango  lets you pick fresh fruit, while helping veterans. The patch at Clear Path for Veterans works as both a fundraiser, and an opportunity for vets to get closer to nature.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki was in Syracuse last week, to mark the 60th anniversary of the city's VA Medical Center. He also helped to formally open a new Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Center. 

A growing number of doctors recommend a daily aspirin to patients who have cardiovascular disease. But many patients still have questions about who should be taking aspirin, and new research about the benefits of aspirin are still being conducted,

This week, “Take Care” speaks with Dr. Charles Hennekens, the world’s leading authority on aspirin research in cardiovascular health. He was the first to demonstrate that aspirin prevents a first heart attack, and the first to discover the life-saving properties of aspirin, both for patients experiencing heart attacks as well as heart attack survivors. He’s held the distinction of being the third most widely cited medical researcher in the world for over a decade.

Click "Read More" to hear our interview with Dr. Charles Hennekens.

Summer means dining al fresco, picnics and grilling out. But how does all this outdoor activity affect your food? This week on “Take Care,” we talk to Joan Rogus, a registered dietician in central New York who has her own private practice in Syracuse.

Click "Read More" to hear our interview with Joan Rogus.

On this edition of the Campbell Conversations, Chris Fowler of the organization Syracuse First returns to the program to discuss how the buy local movement has evolved and strengthened since he spoke to Grant Reeher two years ago.  How does it fit into the broader set of concerns for sustainability, and for local business development?  And where does it need to go from here?

Lake Champlain is about to get a little cleaner. A new boat — a sort of waterborne honey-wagon — that collects sewage from boaters' tanks was christened yesterday in Burlington.

It’s pouring rain at the Burlington waterfront. But that doesn’t stop about 20 people from coming to watch the launch of Lake Champlain’s newest service boat.

It’s called Champlain’s Ark. And its job isn’t pretty: hauling and disposing human waste so boaters don’t empty their tanks directly into the lake.

James Ehlers, director of Lake Champlain International, says it's a challenge.

The lengthy dispute over casino royalties was resolved in Niagara Falls on Thursday with the signing of new deal between the state of New York and the Seneca Nation of Indians. 

This deal is the third in 30 days between the state and upstate Indian nations since the governor launched his initiative to push for additional casinos (or as he calls them "resort destinations"), in upstate.

What's in it for the Seneca? Support from Albany to uphold their rights to run exclusive gaming operations in western New York.

More and more doctors are recommending their patients take a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. And recently, new studies have suggested aspirin might help with cancer prevention, as well. But why does aspirin help? And who really should be taking it? Lorraine Rapp and Linda Lowen, hosts of WRVO's health and wellness show "Take Care," spoke with the physician who first demonstrated the life-saving properties of aspirin, Dr. Charles Hennekens.

People along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario will get a chance to weigh in on a new water levels plan next month.

Regulators say the plan, called “Plan 2014,” still helps the environment by returning more natural ebbs and flows to the water bodies. But they would have caused more shoreline damage on Lake Ontario.

An estimated 15 percent of people around the world live with some form of disability. Upstate universities are tackling the challenges faced by this segment of the population and coming up with innovative technologies to increase access.

A walker for elderly people that also monitors vital signs, and a cane that uses vibrations to allow deaf and blind people to easily navigate their environment: these are just a couple of the access technologies created by researchers in western New York.

A bill that could bring the dissolution of the bi-national peace bridge authority one step closer has passed through the New York State Assembly and Senate.

Under the bill proposed by Sen. Mark Grisanti and Assemblyman Sean Ryan the Peace Bridge Authority will have until July, 2014 to get its affairs in order. Ryan says the bill also brings the authority back in line with similar state entities.

A new report from the Brookings Institution argues that more resources for training workers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) should be directed at non-degree education providers.

The need for more STEM grads is a familiar cry from industry leaders and politicians alike. But, this new report argues there’s a large potential workforce being ignored because STEM jobs are being too narrowly defined.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli came to Watertown on Wednesday to commend the city's leadership on its sound financial stewardship. DiNapoli's office is rolling out a program of annual fiscal “stress tests” for municipalities and school districts. And the comptroller said Watertown sets an example for prudent financial planning. 

As a recent poll shows his approval rating continuing to slide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a trip through upstate New York Wednesday with a stop in Syracuse to push for his newly released campaign reform package.

The commercialization of a new industrial process in upstate New York could lead to cheaper, greener solar energy systems.

Nanotech company Intrinsiq Materials has been awarded $887,000 by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to take their idea forward.

Solar cells are currently made with circuits that use connections made from silver; an efficient but expensive conducting material.

With just over a week left in the legislative session, Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his bill to extend public financing of political campaigns to statewide races. But he still faces resistance from some factions in the legislature.

Cuomo’s talked of his support for a public campaign finance system for statewide races based on the New York City model, but this is the first time that he’s revealed the details of the actual legislation.