First hour: Lessons from the East Avenue party that became national news
Second hour: How invasive species are affecting homeowners and farmers in Western New York and the Finger Lakes
The now-infamous July 7 party at an East Avenue mansion has become a national story. The woman who threw the party admits to making "blatantly racist" comments on an anonymous Twitter account. She claims the numerous items at her party that have historically been used as racist stereotypes - including buckets of fried chicken - were just coincidental, and that she has only done racist things online. What, if anything, can we learn from this? Our guests discuss it:
- Rachel Barnhart, Monroe County Legislator
- Tiffany Porter, founder of Being Black in the Burbs
- Chris Thompson, engineer, writer, comedian, and activist
Then in our second hour, last summer, a homeowners throughout Western New York reported unseasonably barren trees and trees covered in caterpillars. The cause? An infestation of a moth called Lymantria Dispar Dispar -- or LDD. This summer, farmers say a different invasive species is wreaking havoc on crops: the spotted lanternfly. The insect is native to China and as CITY Magazine reporter Gino Fanelli writes in a new piece, "their attack on fruit crops, like grapes, can best be described as vampiric." This hour, we talk about these invasive species and their impact on homeowners and farmers. Our guests:
- Gino Fanelli, reporter for CITY Magazine and WXXI News
- Brian Eshenaur, senior extension associate for ornamental crops at New York's Integrated Pest Management team at Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Hans Walter-Peterson, team leader and viticulture extension specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension, Finger Lakes Grape Program
