Bob Smith

Supporters of the Occupy movement in Rochester say they're gearing up for another season of activity even if they're not moving back into Washington Square Park except for periodic daytime rallies and meetings.

Shirley Thompson, an active member of the Occupy Rochester assembly, says there are many issues that still remain as they continue to challenge those at the top of the economic and political pyramid.

Occupy assembly member Andrea Moscowe says the action will continue through working groups and community mobilization even if there's no fulltime presence in any local park.

Thompson's colleague Brian Erway says the movement is becoming active nationally on issues of social and economic justice.

One of the most active journalists covering the story of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale Region says it's become controversial partly because of a spotty environmental record for the industry, and partly because of a lack of openness on the part of gas drilling firms about what they're doing and how they're doing it.

Tom Wilber is author of "Under The Surface; Fracking, Fortunes and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale." He says part of the reason why the process of drilling for gas with the hydraulic fracturing method, is the secretive nature of the process and the companies that use it.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of his conversation with WXXI’s Bob Smith on Tuesday’s 1370 Connection.

Former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson has publicly shared his thoughts about the controversial shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

Johnson wrote an op-ed piece published the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, FL, a suburb of Orlando.

You can read Johnson’s piece at the newspaper’s website. In it he talks issues of race and police community relations in Rochester and the unique connection between our city and Sanford.

Click on the audio player above to listen to Johnson talk with WXXI’s Bob Smith about what he wrote and why he wrote it.

New York State is behind the curve when it comes to implementing President Obama's Affordable Health Care Act.

Blair Horner, American Heart Association Regional Vice President for Advocacy, says that because of the indecision and uncertainty created by ongoing court challenges to the program, New York has fallen behind in creating the program's mechanisms for shopping for and buying health insurance at an affordable price.          

Horner says if the courts eventually allow the program to stand, New York will have to act fast, or the federal government will have power to set up health care exchanges for New Yorkers.

New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has introduced a bill to boost the state's minimum wage by $1.25 per hour, but a new study by an Albany-based think tank shows that we would still lag behind a number of states, including several in the Northeast and Great Lakes, even if Silver's proposal passes this year.

Frank Mauro, executive director of the nonpartisan Fiscal Policy Institute, says our state compares poorly with some of the states around us.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of WXXI’s Bob Smith interview with Mauro during Thursday’s 1370 Connection.

Mauro says hundreds of thousands of minimum wage workers in New York actually lag further behind an average worker in this state, than their counterparts in every other state. 

Proposals to re-water portions of the Erie Canal in downtown Rochester are surfacing again along with ideas on how to turn it into a recreational waterway and tourist focus.

The Canal Society of New York is preparing for a statewide forum a week from Saturday.

Tom Grasso, chairman of the group says he'll put the proposal on the table next month because it could provide a significant boost to economic development and job creation in Rochester, although he warns it could carry a $100 million price tag.

Grasso says the project is feasible, and a case can easily be made to funding sources in Washington and Albany that it would be a strong economic investment. 

A co-inventor of digital photography whose pioneering work began 36 years ago at Eastman Kodak says he's proud of what he and his colleagues accomplished--even if Kodak was never able to take full advantage of it the way it once dominated chemically based photography.

Steve Sasson, who is now retired from Kodak, says in general he's happy to see the way digital picture-taking has blossomed.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of the interview with WXXI’s Bob Smith on 1370 Connection on Thursday, February 16.

The State Education Department and New York State United Teachers have until Thursday to resolve their litigation over new evaluation standards for teachers and school administrators.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of Urbanski's interview on 1370 Connection with WXXI's Bob Smith.

If they fail to do so, Governor Cuomo says he'll impose his own standards as part of his package of amendments to his proposed state budget.

Rochester Teachers' Association President Adam Urbanski says he's not surprised by the Governor's declaration, but teachers and the education department hope to agree to a settlement before the governor can act.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget looks balanced, but he has concerns about the future.

Speaking on 1370 Connection with WXXI’s Bob Smith, DiNapoli said the state needs to keep track of revenues and do whatever it can to encourage more growth and more balance in the state’s economy so that revenues can remain stable and predictable.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of the interview from 1370 Connection on Monday, February 13, 2012.

The Susan B. Anthony House has been granted an official state charter as a museum.

Executive Director Deborah Hughes says they'll soon unveil the official new name, The Susan B. Anthony Museum and House.

Click on the audio player above to listen to a portion of Hughes’ interview on 1370 Connection with WXXI’s Bob Smith on Tuesday, February 7.

The name change comes with an expanded range of exhibits and programs designed to bring visitors in touch with Anthony and the women's rights movement she helped found.

Hughes says the mission of the Anthony Museum and House will include greater online outreach to expand on the hundreds of thousands of online visits they now host each year on their website.