First hour: D&C on its Nojay coverage; NAMI discusses suicide prevention
Second hour: When craft breweries go big
Assemblyman Bill Nojay's suicide has raised questions about possible fraud charges he was facing. Should the public have access to that information? The Democrat & Chronicle says yes. It's unusual for someone accused of a crime to die before the criminal complaint or indictment can be unsealed. We'll talk to the D&C's reporting team of Gary Craig and Steve Orr, who broke the story about possible fraud charges. They'll not only explain why the newspaper is pushing for public release; they'll take us through the extraordinary events of Friday that led to their initial story.
Then we'll discuss suicide prevention with Kristina Mossgraber, events coordinator with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Rochester chapter. She'll share her own story, and discuss resources for prevention.
Then, if a craft brewery sells to a big corporate parent, is that evidence of "selling out?" In Virginia, some craft beer drinkers seem to think so. When Devils Backbone Brewing Company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch, the backlash was severe. It was no longer allowed to compete for the annual Craft Beer Cup, and it will no longer host the annual craft beer festival and competition where the Cup is awarded. And across the industry, this is a growing trend: big corporate beers criticize craft beer, then make plans to buy up successful craft breweries. Should we blame the smaller breweries for selling? Can the beer remain, well, craft and pure? Are we being too hard on craft brewers who struggle to make money? Our panel discusses it:
- Joe McBane, owner of Tap & Mallet
- Geoff Dale, co-founder of Three Heads Brewing
- Andy Cook, manager of Swiftwater Brewing
- Chris Spinelli, Roc Brewing
- Will Cleveland, beer columnist for the Democrat and Chronicle
