Bob Smith

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.          

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rochester Police Chief Jim Sheppard talked with WXXI’s Bob Smith on 1370 Connection.  Sheppard says he’s already in talks with the Regional Greater Rochester Transit Authority about security and safety at the upcoming transit center as part of an overall effort to maintain and improve public safety in the downtown area.

Millions in federal money due to Rochester schools from the Race To The Top program is being held back by the State Education Department, and School Board president Malik Evans still isn't sure why.

Evans says he only knows that every large city school system in the state is in the same boat, and some of them are hurting far worse than Rochester, which can take the funding delay in stride, for now.

WXXI President Norm Silverstein and Little Theatre and WXXI Board Member Mark Cleary discuss the new partnership between Rochester’s public broadcasting organization and the region’s principal venue for the showing of independent film, the Little Theatre on WXXI-AM's 1370 Connection.

Click the audio player above to listen to a portion of the interview with WXXI's Bob Smith on 1370 Connection Friday, January 6, 2012.

You can also listen to the full interview.