On The Story with Trishna Begam

Tom LaPorta is this week's guest On The Story. He is the Microbiology Line Manager at St. Peter’s Hospital. Tom helps us dissect the differences in rapid testing vs PCR testing. Why one is more reliable than the other. 

He also answers questions about when to get a rapid test, and how soon after being exposed to COVID one should test for the virus.

UPDATE: A big congratulations to the winning group RISSE . They received a $10,000 grant from United Way of the Greater Capital Region for their pitch to expand their after school programming.

http://www.risse-albany.org/home/

Releasing episode 35 a little early on a Monday because on Wednesday, December 1st, (2021) evening I will be at Revolution Hall, in Troy to emcee Perfect Pitch, a "Shark Tank' style event.

In this episode Erin Napoleone chats about the purpose of this event, the $10,000 grant that's on the line, and the issue that's getting attention this year -- affordable childcare.

For Event Details, Finalists and Tickets: https://www.unitedwaygcr.org/perfectpitch

To read more about the local Sharks https://www.unitedwaygcr.org/news/2021-sharks

Owner of Saratoga's Broadway Deli, Daniel Chessare discusses running his Jewish-style deli during a pandemic and why he felt more prepared despite many unforeseen challenges for the restaurant industry.

Chessare is bringing back a free chicken dinner program to his Deli, crediting the success his restaurant has had this year and wanting to spread some goodwill throughout the Saratoga Springs community. The restaurant is giving away free chicken dinners, no questions asked, to those in need of a hot meal in November or December. You can find out information here, https://www.instagram.com/p/CVu6dfGAUFi/ (read the post caption on where to place the order if you need a dinner).

He also discusses the restaurant's social media posts that address bad customer behavior, what needs to change about the industry and why he thinks some businesses are seeing worker shortages.

Wendy Burch, the Executive Director of NAMI in New York State, the National Alliance on Mental Illness discusses the challenges in the mental health community, how to get help, and the resources needed to reach more people.

Wendy was featured in part of a News10ABC special report about a local woman's mental health journey. You can watch that story here : https://www.news10.com/news/special-reports/troy-mom-using-social-media-to-address-mental-health/

Where to connect with NAMI:

https://www.naminys.org/

https://www.instagram.com/nami_nys/?hl=en

Lydia Kulbida discusses her special report on Forest Park Cemetery, why the cemetery is open to the public one day a year, and where its scary reputation originated from online.

You can watch her full report here: https://www.news10.com/video/brunswick-cemetery-slowly-being-restored/7112061/

Michael Basedow is a Tree Fruit Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension and works with the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program.  He talks with me about all things apple.

Including:

This year's apple crop

The best apple varieties

His least favorite

Which apples to bake with during the holiday season

How long the SnapDragon variety took to develop

And new varieties that are now out

Links:

Where to go apple picking in the Capital Region - https://www.news10.com/news/apple-picking-where-to-pick-a-peck-in-the-capital-region/

News 10  family Apple Pie Recipe (John's Mom) - https://www.news10.com/news/trimmingson10-news10-abcs-favorite-thanksgiving-recipes/#Desserts

Fall Foliage season is here.

Eric Sheffel from Empire State Development joins me to discuss how I LOVE NY puts together their Fall Foliage Maps.

You can find the maps and the interactive resource Eric discusses at the link below.

https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/things-to-do-in-the-fall-in-new-york/

My 2nd guest is Fred Breglia of the Landis Arboretum.  Who discusses more of the science of autumn, what's happening to the trees and leaves and the conditions that we need to make it a good leaf peeping season.

http://landisarboretum.org/

In 2015 the residents of Hoosick Falls, NY discovered their drinking water was contaminated by a nearby manufacturing facility with a toxic chemical known as PFOA.

This month, September 2021, residents received news that a settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit with the manufacturing companies about the effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in and around Hoosick Falls. Mayor of Hoosick Falls, Rob Allen discusses what the settlement means for the community and what the village is in the process of doing to secure a new source for their drinking water.

Mentioned in episode:

Hoosick Falls PFOA Settlement Website - http://hoosickfallspfoasettlement.com/

NEWS10 Coverage:

Settlement announced: https://www.news10.com/news/rensselaer-county/firm-announces-claim-details-in-hoosick-falls-pfoa-settlement/

Contamination Timeline Special Report : https://www.news10.com/news/special-reports/taking-a-look-at-progress-in-hoosick-falls-after-pfoa-contamination/

Episode 26 features an interview with Dr. Boris Medarov  whose expertise is in sleep disorders.

Dr. Medarov works with patients at Albany Medical Center's Sleep Clinic, in this episode we discuss common sleep problems, how to get better sleep, and healthy sleep habits we should consider.

Albany Med’s Sleep Clinic:

https://www.amc.edu/patient/services/pulmonary_medicine/sleep_disorders/index.cfm

Two local pediatricians, Dr. Jeena Madden of St. Peter's Health Partners and Dr. Jim Saperstone with Community Care Physicians discuss the new Delta variant of COVID, how best to protect our kids, the risks of hospitalizations and what needs to happen in order for schools to reopen safely.

Mentioned:

Mask required in NY schools

https://www.news10.com/classroom-progress-report/ny-schools-students-and-staff-will-be-required-to-wear-masks-health-department-says/

An interview with Heidi Knoblauch, owner of Plumb Oyster Bar. Heidi discusses running a small business in the middle of a pandemic, how she was able to hang on to her employees, and her unique perspective through multiple lenses of being an entrepreneur, scholar and banker.

Where to find the Plumb Oyster Bar:

https://www.plumb.bar/

https://www.instagram.com/plumboysterbar/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/plumboysterbar/

Where to find Heidi Knoblauch

https://twitter.com/heidi_knoblauch?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/heidi_knoblauch/?hl=en

Reaction to the governor's resignation announcement with interviews with Jay Jacobs, Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and Nick Langworthy, Chairman of the New York Republican State Committee.

For the latest developments on Governor Cuomo's resignation and the transfer of power head to www.News10.com

In Episode 20 Dr. Steven Hanks, the chief clinical officer for Saint Peter's Health Partners joins the podcast to discuss the delta variant of the coronavirus. Dr. Hanks discusses the uptick in cases, addresses concerns people have about the vaccine and also answers some listener questions around minute 26 of this episode.

CDC Map: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view

Gary Czarnecki, is a Berkshire county resident, a Navy veteran who served from 1978-1982 and an artist in his own right.  Last year, he combined his passion for his country and love of bald eagles to create one-of-a kind sculptures out of stainless steel.  We interviewed Gary for a story that aired on the 4th of July on News10. This episode of the podcast features his full interview; he goes into detail about the welding process, what motivated him to start, and how long his pieces take.

Gary's story on News10 https://www.news10.com/news/berkshire-county/navy-vet-welds-symbols-of-american-strength-unity-out-of-stainless-steel/?fbclid=IwAR2WIb7lcvUYCPGG8dENW8-LXK649EJB76Ax5RpTqmBfc-5Q25JpevNQ9F4

Gary's website https://www.garyczarnecki.com/

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2021. High school seniors had a challenging year to say the least. In addition, to the pressures of finishing out the last year of high school, the 2020-2021 academic year presented massive challenges as students and teachers had to learn through the pandemic. For some students that meant learning remotely, or a different learning environment at school, and new protocols to follow to stay healthy.

Drew Kozlowski joins me for an episode on senior year of high school during a pandemic and what it was like through her eyes.

One year ago Alicia Barber shared video of her grandparents that went viral. Robert and Lauren Barber could not see each other because of Covid restrictions. Lauren, who has Alzheimer's disease was being cared for at a local long term care facility. Fast forward more than a year later Alicia posted another video this week. A happier update.

Story of their reunion video: https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/local-couple-reunites-after-being-apart-for-more-than-a-year/

Story from a year ago : https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/local-couple-separated-by-pandemic-policy-share-moment-through-window/

This week centers around the remarkable women all throughout the Capital Region. From women we see everyday doing extraordinary things, to a woman making waves and gracing the cover of TIME magazine for her work in the community.

On this episode we hear from News10 ABC's Lydia Kulbia about the series of stories she works on called "Remarkable Women". Four finalists are chosen and featured throughout the month of March for their work in the community and volunteer efforts. Lydia discusses what makes the four finalists stand out and what she enjoys most about telling these stories.

You can find all of the stories here : https://www.news10.com/community/nominate-a-remarkable-woman-in-your-life-2/

You can follow more of Lydia's work here: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaKulbidaWTEN

We also hear from Jammella Anderson, who has been doing some remarkable work in Albany through the pandemic, her project is called FREE FOOD FRIDGE ALBANY.

https://freefoodfridgealbany.com

My third guest is News10 ABC's Samantha DiMascio. She is a new mom, step-mom, and multi-tasks with them best of us.  She discusses navigating being a mom-to-be during the start of the pandemic, transitioning to work from home and the new skills sets she's acquired along the way.

You can follow updates from Sam at : https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaDNews