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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Friday, July 13

Jenna Flanagan/Innovation Trail

First hour: Environmentalists react to the DEC's rejection of a gas storage proposal on Seneca Lake

Second hour: Discussing pop hits and the meaning behind songs

A long-running battle over the environment is over at the southern end of Seneca Lake -- at least that’s how it appears, with the New York DEC deciding against allowing a big gas project in old salt caverns. The storage project would have a been a big one, and there was a lot of grassroots opposition on a number of grounds. This hour, we examine what the DEC decided and why. It’s not just a question of safety; there’s more to it. We’re talking about community character and why this decision might impact future decisions and how grassroots organizers do their work. Our guests:

  • Will Ouweleen, owner and winemaker at Eagle Crest and O-Neh-da Vineyards, and co-founder of the Finger Lakes Wine Business Coalition
  • Joseph Campbell, president and co-founder of Gas Free Seneca
  • Sandra Steingraber, distinguished scholar in residence in the Department of Environmental Studies at Ithaca College

Then in our second hour, do you care if the music you listen to has meaning for the person who created it? Are you okay with music by committee? The New York Times recently told the story of one of the biggest pop hits of the summer. It’s a song called "The Middle," and it wasn’t performed by anyone who had anything to do with it. The producers sculpted this song because they thought it would sell, and it has. Should we care about the origin of the music we hear? Our guests discuss it.

  • Mikaela Davis, Mikaela Davis Band
  • Matt Merritt, Roses and Revolutions
  • John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music at the University of Rochester
  • Drew Dawson, Hearts Alum

Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.