Fifteen years ago, Table Hopping columnist and Times Union theater critic Steve Barnes went to see comedian Dane Cook perform in Albany. Opening for Cook was Robert Kelly, an up-and-coming stand-up. Kelly’s set made Barnes laugh so hard, he cried. And then told 100,000 readers that Kelly was funnier than the main act. On this episode of “The Eagle,” Barnes and Kelly reunite for a few laughs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 04, 2024•18 min•Season 5Ep. 28
For six years, Times Union reporter Larry Rulison has been trying to find Prestige Limousine & Chauffeur Service owner Shahed Hussain. He's a former FBI informant who helped convict 7 people in terrorism sting operations in the early 2000s. He's also the father of Nauman Hussain, who is in prison for the deaths of the 20 Schoharie limo crash victims. The elder Hussain disappeared in 2018, and stayed silent throughout the trial and conviction of his son. Now, he says his son has been diagnose...
Sep 06, 2024•23 min
One of the Capital Region’s most notable civil rights advocates has died. In this episode of “The Eagle,” we replay a story Green told us about an encounter she had as a teen that inspired her career and lifelong dedication to social justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 23, 2024•9 min•Season 5Ep. 26
We've been hard at work on a new limited series podcast here at the Times Union. On this episode of "The Eagle," we're bringing you a preview of "Catastrophic Failure: The Story of the Schoharie Limo Crash." In this new series, reporter Larry Rulison and Jessica Marshall delve into the story of the 2018 crash that killed 20 people. It's a story of tragedy and loss. Negligence and consequence. But more than that, it's a story of catastrophic failure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...
Aug 02, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 25
New York’s top executive sat down with Times Union Capitol Correspondent Dan Clark this week for an exclusive interview at Hearst Tower. They talked about the 2024 elections, her support for President Biden, climate change, congestion pricing, and more. This week on “The Eagle,” we’ll hear some of that conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 19, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 24
The song that propelled Sammy Hagar to rock stardom - the 1984 anthem of rebellion and fast living - came to him after he was pulled over and ticketed for speeding on I-87, just outside of Albany. Hagar says he wrote “I Can’t Drive 55” in his head as he continued on to Lake Placid, where he had a home near his son's boarding school. The former Van Halen lead singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer spoke to Patrick Tine about that song and his upcoming tour, where he’ll be joined by former Van Hal...
Jul 12, 2024•19 min•Season 5Ep. 23
When the remains of 25-year-old Karen Ramsey were unearthed at a construction site in March, investigators couldn’t find any record of a missing persons report. Times Union Hudson Valley Managing Editor Phillip Pantuso joins us on this episode of “The Eagle” to discuss what he’s discovered about who Karen Ramsey was, and what happened to her more than 40 years ago. Also on this episode, we’ll get the latest on the investigation of a plane crash in Colonie this week, just a few blocks from our ne...
Jun 21, 2024•23 min•Season 5Ep. 22
For almost four decades, New York State Public Radio’s Karen DeWitt has brought the latest news from the Capitol in Albany to the airwaves. She’s been there for six governors, countless legislative power shifts (including two coups), and all the political maneuvers and scandals that unfolded along the way. She’s on the brink of retirement, and joins us on this episode of “The Eagle” to reflect on some of the most memorable moments of her tenure. Also on this episode, we’ll go over the latest in ...
Jun 14, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 21
For more than three decades, Colin Mochrie has been out of his comfort zone, and he has loved every minute of it. The “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” star says that’s the key to being good at improv comedy. Mochrie and fellow “Whose Line” alum Brad Sherwood are traveling the continent with their unscripted stage show “Asking for Trouble,” and they’ll be in Peekskill on June 15. On this episode of “The Eagle,” Mochrie joins us to talk about the art of improv, and how it has shaped his life and career....
Jun 07, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 20
A time-traveling DeLorean takes center stage in "Back to the Future: The Musical," coming to Proctors in Schenectady in June. But screenwriter Bob Gale is the wind beneath its wings. His iconic franchise, co-written with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, continues to delight audiences almost 40 years after the first movie premiered. Gale joins us on this episode of "The Eagle" to talk about the musical, the film, and the legacy of "Back to the Future." Also on this episode, reporter Rob Gavin discusses...
May 31, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Since the 1960s, Interstate 787 has separated the city of Albany from its Hudson River waterfront. What if the massive elevated highway, with all its noodley ramps, moved underground? Or what if it became a ground-level parkway with traffic lights and crosswalks? Those are two of the proposals the New York State Department of Transportation is floating to remake the city’s main artery, whose current maintenance costs are in some cases more expensive than the proposals to completely raze it. Time...
May 10, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Sprinkling sodium chloride on roads and highways during winter months has long been an effective way to avoid hazardous driving conditions. But ongoing research out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is showing that while road salts are essential for human safety, excessive use of them is profoundly affecting freshwater flora and fauna living near roads and developments. Recently, biology Professor Rick Relyea and his team found that frogs in particular have been evolving faster than normal to ...
May 03, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 17
This year’s New York state budget is done and dusted. Capital reporter Dan Clark gives us the highlights of the $237 billion behemoth, which includes tools to crack down on illegal cannabis and new plans to spur housing development. Also in this episode, we’ll talk with playwright Matthew Spangler, who wrote a stage adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel “The Kite Runner” that’s coming to town next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 26, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 16
There are few things that unite generations of people raised in the Capital Region more than Secrets, the iconic all-ages nightclub at Guptill’s Rollerskating Arena. The memorable radio spots advertising the wa-wa-water cannons and lack of dress code live rent-free in the minds of those who came of age in the last four decades of its existence. Secrets closed in March 2020 after more than 40 years, an unfortunate casualty of the pandemic. On this episode of “The Eagle,” Kristi Gustafson Barlette...
Apr 19, 2024•18 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band are playing the MVP Arena next week, after more than a year of postponements and delays. The resident Times Union Springsteen superfans, editor-in-chief Casey Seiler and city desk editor Mike Goodwin, sat down to talk about why tickets were so expensive, why it was delayed, and what they are looking forward to most about the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 12, 2024•18 min•Season 5Ep. 15
When Caitlin Clark was taking a shot against LSU at the end of Iowa’s Elite Eight game in Albany, Rebecca Lobo was taking a shot at Albany. During the ESPN broadcast, the former WNBA and UConn star joked that there was nothing to do in New York’s Capital City. The hometown crowd was not thrilled with her remarks and took to social media en masse to protest. But Times Union’s Chris Churchill is wondering, is Lobo actually wrong? He joins us on this episode of “The Eagle” to explain. Learn more ab...
Apr 12, 2024•16 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Parts of New York state are smack in the path of totality of the coming eclipse on April 8, and anyone who views it is in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, according to Siena College Dudley Astronomer Mindy Townsend. On this episode of "The Eagle," Townsend goes over what we can expect to see during the eclipse (Hint: it will get dark!) and how we can view it safely. Also on this episode, we'll talk to Old Crow Medicine Show bassist Morgan Jahnig about his Grammy-winning string band's upcomin...
Mar 29, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 13
New York's capital is set to play host to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in the women's NCAA championship tournament at the end of March. It's highly likely that will bring Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and Division I point record holder Caitlin Clark to town. Tickets for the games she's slated to play are already in high demand, with an expected 14,000 per day in attendance. On this episode of "The Eagle," we'll talk about the reasons behind Clark's rockstar status. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
Mar 22, 2024•12 min•Season 5Ep. 11
The Hudson River is only about a quarter of a mile wide between Albany and Rensselaer counties, yet some people who live west of the river banks look at the area to the east as another country, rather than just a different county. On this episode of “The Eagle,” Kristi Gustafson Barlette talks about the strange stigma about Rensselaer County, and why it exists. Also on this episode, Steve Barnes and Susie Davidson Powell talk about the art of reading a menu. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Mar 15, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 11
The Academy Awards are coming up this weekend and we turn to our resident movie expert, features writer C.J. Lais, for his top picks to take home the Oscars. Also on this episode, we'll take a deep dive into our latest investigative project. Reporter Emilie Munson talks about why serious police crashes in New York state have sharply increased in recent years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 08, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter David Nail has had chart-topping hits, played the Grand Ole Opry, and made a name for himself on Music Row. Yet he says he does not consider himself a typical country music star. He’s also been very open about his struggles with depression in recent years. Nail joins us on this episode of “The Eagle” to talk about making music, and how it gives him purpose. Also on this episode, Casey Seiler demystifies the redistricting process as New York lawmakers re-draw Co...
Mar 01, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Pinky and The Brain hatched their first plot to take over the world in 1993 on an episode of the hit animated series “Animaniacs.” In 30 years, cartoon mice have yet to achieve global domination, but they did take over “The Eagle” this week. Emmy-winning voiceover artists Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche join us on this episode to talk about their live “Animaniacs in Concert” tour, and what it takes to bring their famous characters to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...
Feb 23, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 8
A large snowstorm that hit the northeastern United States this week was forecast to pummel upstate New York. While parts of the Hudson Valley were affected, the Capital Region was completely spared. On this episode, we asked National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Frugis why the forecast changed so drastically and whether the groundhog’s prediction this year will prove true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 16, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 7
When 35-year-old Ben Fruchter went looking for his birth family a few months ago, he discovered a startling truth about his origins: He’d been snatched from his parents in Chile as an infant in a forced adoption under the brutal regime of dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. On this episode of “The Eagle,” we’ll learn more about Fruchter’s story, and his quest to reconnect with his long-lost family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 09, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 6
With the terminal fate of Albany’s crumbling Central Warehouse sealed, officials in Albany have begun the complicated process of figuring out how to raze it. A hefty price tag, combined with complex structural logistics and asbestos mitigation, make it an arduous task that could take years. On this episode of “The Eagle,” reporter Steve Hughes goes over what’s involved. Also on this episode, Capitol Bureau reporter Dan Clark discusses what would happen to the 21st congressional district election...
Feb 02, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 5
When Delphine Sosu accepted an offer to play DII soccer for the College of Saint Rose, it was a dream come true. But when traveled to Albany from Africa to join the team, the life she was hoping for turned quickly into a nightmare. Arriving days before the school announced it was closing, she was facing an impossible situation, with her future very much uncertain. On this episode of “The Eagle,” Delphine Sosu and former Golden Knights coach Laurie Darling Gutheil join us to talk about their dire...
Jan 26, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 4
On Jan. 14, 1950, West Point cadet Richard Cox walked off campus and disappeared. More than seven decades later, that vanishing has become one of the Hudson Valley’s biggest mysteries. Author David Levine joins us on this episode of “The Eagle” to discuss the case. Also on this episode, a new chapter in the story we’ve told about Jaliek Rainwalker, a 12-year-old who went missing in Washington County in 2007. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 19, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 3
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her third State of the State address this week, where she made promises to address a range of issues including mental health, housing and infrastructure. Yet reactions to the speech from lawmakers and observers focused heavily on what was omitted. Months after declaring a state of emergency over the influx of migrants coming into the state, Hochul made no mention of it during her hour-long speech. On this episode of "The Eagle," Capital Bureau reporter Josh S...
Jan 12, 2024•16 min•Season 5Ep. 2
The family of the 9-year-old girl who was abducted in Saratoga County in October hasn’t spoken publicly since she was found alive and her alleged abductor was arrested and charged. But now, they’re hoping what they’ve learned about the investigation can help other victims. Jené Sena, the girl’s aunt, joins us on this episode of “The Eagle.” Also on this episode, Times Union columnist Chris Churchill shares his “predictions” for what’s in store in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Jan 05, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In 1993, an activist group calling themselves the Barbie Liberation Organization swapped out the voice boxes of talking Barbie and G.I. Joe toys and snuck them into stores for unsuspecting customers. Their aim was to publicly challenge the social norms they believed the toys represented. Thirty years later they are at it again. Spurred by the success of the “Barbie” movie this year, the group turned about 300 purchased Barbies into “Eco Warriors” modeled after climate activists like Greta Thunbe...
Dec 22, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 37
