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09/17/2025

From BTPM NPR: Former President Obama addressed 8,000 people in Erie, Pa, going off-script to discuss Gaza when confronted by a heckler. He also condemned recent political violence, saying passionate debate is essential for democracy.

Nearly 8,000 people packed Erie Insurance Arena for the Jefferson Educational Society's Global Summit event to hear the former president discuss bipartisanship in government, political violence and artificial intelligence’s role in society.

09/17/2025

Syracuse police are deploying new technology with $1.3 million in state funding, including Spot, a robot dog that can handle dangerous situations and protect officers. The city has seen a 28% drop in crime this year as part of New York's $127 million statewide investment in police technology.

The state is investing $127 million in police departments across the state to help purchase new technology.

09/16/2025

NPR wants to hear from you:

How have increased immigration enforcement operations affected your daily life? Are you carrying extra documentation or changing your routines due to recent ICE activities?

Share your story with NPR's Morning Edition team. Your experience could help inform an upcoming radio piece about how communities are responding to expanded deportation efforts.

All responses are encrypted and identities protected.
Deadline: September 19

NPR wants to hear from listeners whose lives have changed due to an increase in ICE operations, throughout the country.

09/16/2025

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon proposed a $1.6 billion budget for 2026, up 3% from last year. The plan includes a new $6 million sheriff's helicopter, expanding body cameras into jails, and an 11% tax rate reduction to offset rising assessments. The county legislature will vote in October.

The proposed budget includes $6 million for a new sheriff’s helicopter and the use of drones for 911 calls, as well as expanding the use of police body cameras.

09/16/2025

Gov. Kathy Hochul visited a Cayuga County nutrition bar factory following a September 4 ICE raid that detained 57 workers. Hochul criticized federal tactics for separating people "regardless of whether they have papers or not," including nursing mothers from their infants. She said agents misrepresented their authority to business owners.

Hochul visited the room where 69 Latino workers were herded, following the September 4 raid on the company that makes nutrition and protein bars.

09/15/2025

Trump criticized NY Gov. Hochul's endorsement of NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as "a rather shocking development." Despite public tensions, Trump says Hochul "treats me very much nicer to my face."

“She treats me very much nicer to my face than she does to the public,” Trump said.

09/15/2025

From BTPM NPR: Buffalo Rep. Tim Kennedy defends his bill to hire 1,000+ new border officers annually, citing trade delays at Canadian crossings. Critics worry it could aid Trump deportation efforts.

Kennedy says the bill will prevent hours-long delays at the Canadian border. Immigration advocates worry it could enable the Trump administration's deportation campaign.

09/15/2025

Terry Gross on 50 years hosting Fresh Air, pivotal moments from her talks with Joan Didion and John Updike, and the future of public radio.

09/15/2025

The $41 million Southside Renaissance Project aims to transform Syracuse's Elmwood neighborhood with 75 senior apartments, food hall, daycare, and workforce development space. Groundbreaking is expected in 2027.

Developers say the Southside Renaissance Project will be transformative in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

09/12/2025

For the first time, the rare chestnut mining bee has been discovered in upstate New York by SUNY ESF researchers. "This is the first population upstate that really has ever been found," said pollinator ecologist Molly Jacobson.

The chestnut mining bee was found in a grove of American Chestnut trees in Syracuse.

09/11/2025

The World Trade Center Health Program provides medical care and monitoring to those who developed adverse health effects after the 9/11 attacks.

09/10/2025

Fifty years later, Terry Gross, her colleagues, and her competitors look back on how one show became a cultural touchstone.