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Crown Heights Residents Open Their Doors For Hasidic Walking Tours In Brooklyn | Audio Files

Crown Heights Residents Open Their Doors For Hasidic Walking Tours In Brooklyn

The NYPD is on alert after the high holidays as concerns about anti-semitic hate crimes lingers. some New Yorkers have taken combating anti-semitism into their own hands. We go on a tour with Mayer Friedman of the Lubavitch Hasidic community, who does walking tours of the Crown Heights neighborhood to help educate people on Hasidic life. Reported by Amanda Kari McHugh
Texas Standard •

The long fight for adoptees to gain access to their original birth certificates in Texas

During Texas’ recent 88th legislative session, and a year after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, several bills were passed to support family preservation through strengthening programs for families with children in foster care, as well as helping those who are pregnant and low-income. Yet at the same time, a bill that would allow adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates – which could potentially help adoptees reunite with their birth families – was again stalled in the Senate. Texa
Texas Standard •

Why the writers’ and actors’ strikes are ‘unbelievably bad timing’ for the Texas film industry

On Aug. 3, roughly 100 writers and actors – and on this particular day, a large presence of stunt performers – marched outside the Netflix building in Manhattan, calling for fair contracts. Their chanting quieted down as Fran Drescher took the megaphone. “We are not going to back down. We are not going to be stepped on anymore for CEO greed and Wall Street greed at our expense, when they can’t do it without us,” said the actress and activist. “We are the foundation of the wheel. Nobody can own o

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Mott Haven Herald •

A champion for mental health in the South Bronx

About eight people gathered in a small studio on Canal Place in Mott Haven in February to share stories about a topic Bronx native Charles LaLoma doesn’t think gets talked about enough: mental health.

“I’m not too shy to say it, but I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder, since I was younger. I’m laughing ‘cause we don’t know we had depression when we were young. It was, ‘stay still,’” he said. “Stop that crying.”

Yet the 52-year-old, who describes himself as “26×2,” know

New Yorkers In Pursuit Of Change (S12 E5 – FINALE) – 12/06/2023 | Audio Files

I was the Show Producer/Director of our Season Finale of AudioFiles.

New Yorkers In Pursuit Of Change (S12 E5 – FINALE) – 12/06/2023

In the final episode of AudioFiles season 12, hear about a historic vote happening at the Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and learn about why activists are working to try and put an end to the NYPD’s controversial gang database. We also hear from an organizational leader working on nail salon rights about the importance of the anticipated Nail Salon Minimum Standards Council Act.

Later in the show, we hear from a postp
AudioFiles •

Momos, Music, and More (S12-E2) 10/18/2023 - Full Episode

Hosting this episode of AudioFiles: On this episode of AudioFiles season 12, we bring you stories about Tibetan organizers using momos to shed light on an independence movement and a local DJ breathing new life into traditional jewish music. Then, we talk to health reporter Sarah Luft to learn about Long Covid and its impact on New Yorkers. Later in the show, host Amanda Kari McHugh sits down with journalist and audio producer Austin Cope to talk about new regulations enforced by New York City’s Department of Sanitation to tackle
AudioFiles •

Crown Heights Residents Open Their Doors For Hasidic Walking Tours In Brooklyn | Audio Files

Crown Heights Residents Open Their Doors For Hasidic Walking Tours In Brooklyn

The NYPD is on alert after the high holidays as concerns about anti-semitic hate crimes lingers. some New Yorkers have taken combating anti-semitism into their own hands. We go on a tour with Mayer Friedman of the Lubavitch Hasidic community, who does walking tours of the Crown Heights neighborhood to help educate people on Hasidic life. Reported by Amanda Kari McHugh
NYCity News Service •

New Yorkers Want Arts Accessibility – FULL EPISODE | Audio Files

Listen to this episode I was the show producer and director of:
In this episode, we hear from one of New York’s fastest triathletes, who just happens to be blind. Then we visit Queens, where there is an exhibit that raises questions about touching art and a dance festival where the performers are advocating for resources.

Our host sits down with journalist Nick Morgan, who has been following the crypto case closely. Then, we go on a tour to learn how some members of the Crown Heights neighborhood are combating Jewish hate. Later in the show, we take a look
Texas Standard •

The long fight for adoptees to gain access to their original birth certificates in Texas

During Texas’ recent 88th legislative session, and a year after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, several bills were passed to support family preservation through strengthening programs for families with children in foster care, as well as helping those who are pregnant and low-income. Yet at the same time, a bill that would allow adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates – which could potentially help adoptees reunite with their birth families – was again stalled in the Senate. Texa
Texas Standard Instagram •

Tune in: The Long Fight for Texas Adoptees to Gain Access to Their Original Birth Certificates

Over the last two decades there's been a slow but steady movement across the U.S. to restore access to original birth certificates for people who are adopted. This year, South Dakota and Vermont became the thirteenth and fourteenth states to do so.

Texas Standard intern Amanda Kari McHugh is an adoptee born in New York. That state gave access to these birth certificates in 2020. She's been digging into the efforts to do the same here in Texas, why it matters and what's holding it up. Check out her story today!
Texas Standard •

Why the writers’ and actors’ strikes are ‘unbelievably bad timing’ for the Texas film industry

On Aug. 3, roughly 100 writers and actors – and on this particular day, a large presence of stunt performers – marched outside the Netflix building in Manhattan, calling for fair contracts. Their chanting quieted down as Fran Drescher took the megaphone. “We are not going to back down. We are not going to be stepped on anymore for CEO greed and Wall Street greed at our expense, when they can’t do it without us,” said the actress and activist. “We are the foundation of the wheel. Nobody can own o
Texas Standard Instagram •

Tune in: Why the writers’ and actors’ strikes are ‘unbelievably bad timing’ for the Texas film industry

Note: I wrote and recorded the audio and took the photos for this social video. Wells Dunbar edited the video.

Texas was once a booming force in the film and television industry, but when tax incentives were stripped from the state, work started moving to other southern states.

It has remained a decent place to make independent, non-union films and film commercials. However, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA contract negotiations looming, work in LA and NYC started drying up for crew members starting as early as last fall.

Union crew members in Texas who were looking forward to more work have found their work has dried up alongside those crew members on the coasts.

We'll have more about the strike's impact on Texas on the show!
Texas Standard •

Failing big: This performer has more televised fails than any other

What do all of these folks have in common?

They have all failed spectacularly before achieving historical success. So it stands to reason that if we keep failing, eventually we’ll find success, right?

Well, just ask Sethward what he thinks. He’s a performer known for having more televised fails on awards shows than any other for both America’s Got Talent and The Gong Show.

On America’s Got Talent, he’s been auditioning on the show almost every year since 2018, hoping each time to make it to t
Texas Standard •

Report: Artificial intelligence threatens nearly 800,000 jobs in Texas

With just this turn of phrase I got my NPR news roundup, the weather forecast and learned a bit about history. That’s because I programmed my Amazon device to do this on my command. So it’s easy to see how AI can help us with our daily routines, making our lives just a bit easier.

It seems harmless, but what does this mean for jobs in the future, since we can now program AI to do more advanced tasks?

These days it’s hard not to think about how AI’s helping and potentially hurting us. ChatGPT,
TPR •

New study finds higher rates of Alzheimer’s in Texas border counties

Chances are you know someone who has been impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, an estimated 6.7 million people in the United States are suffering from the disease, which has no cure.

Just this past December, a $226 million increase in annual federal funding for Alzheimer’s research was signed into law. This has allowed for new findings to emerge about the disease, which can lead to more knowledge about reducing risk.

A new study has come out that took a deep look into which counties acr
Texas Standard •

Texas has front-row seats to the world’s next total solar eclipse

Every 18 months, the Earth experiences a total solar eclipse, which is when the sky goes completely dark because the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. The phenomenon is known to have such an awe-inspiring effect that there are people – known as eclipse chasers – who travel all over the world to see them.

You won’t have to travel far to see one on April 8, 2024, because some of the best seats in the country will be in Texas. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see one here, because a to
Texas Standard •

Surf’s up! Catch some killer waves in Waco this summer

It’s the height of the summer season, and that can only mean one thing: good times spent at the beach.

Texas has more than 350 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the best-known surfing towns are Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, South Padre Island and Waco.

Imagine you’re sitting on a beach, underneath a cabana, facing a view of turquoise waves and just beyond the break… you see longhorns grazing in the pasture. Well, that’s what it’s like to vacation at Waco Surf park
Texas Standard •

Report: Police in Houston have the slowest response times in decades

Response times by the police in Houston have been the slowest they have been in decades, according to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle. In addition, police presence in areas with higher rates of crime has also gone down.



This is in spite of Houston having more officers per capita than any other Texas city except for Dallas. The city also allocates more than a third of its general fund budget to the police department.

So what is the cause of these issues?

Mike Morris was one of t
TPR •

Gov. Abbott signs bill to establish an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council

Last month Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2060, which will establish an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council for the state of Texas. The council will oversee how state agencies are developing and using AI in an effort to make sure that it is done so responsibly.

This comes on the heels of a number of AI-related issues showing up in Texas schools recently, such as a ChatGPT error leading to a number of college students not getting their diplomas. Another a Texas school district embraced
KUT •

‘The best of what Texas has to offer’: How the state recognizes artists, poets and musicians

Texas is known to be a place rife with political arguments and controversy. As the second most populous state in the country, behind California, it’s natural that there would be a range of viewpoints, often leading to a polarized public. So, it’s nice when we’re able to take a break from those issues to focus on things that there’s more agreement over, like the pleasure of Texas art and music.

For many years, the state has appointed poet laureates, state musicians and state artists. It’s a proc
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