12:00: Muslims celebrate Zohran Mamdani's historic win
1:00: Shortage in firefighters puts public safety at risk
The former president of the Islamic Center of Rochester says New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory is a seismic event for the Muslim community. Some of the ads late in the campaign depicted Mamdani as anti-American, and one ad declared that electing Mamdani would bring the next 9/11. We discuss the significance of Mamdani's victory and the themes that surfaced in the campaign. Our guest:
- Sareer A. Fazili, past president of the Islamic Center of Rochester and the Monroe County Bar Association, and practicing lawyer
Then in our second hour, volunteering is at its lowest level in decades in the United States. In some communities, this marks a possible crisis: rural hospitals are struggling and could close, and emergency relief dollars are harder to come by. Volunteer firefighting is a lifeline for many small towns. We check in on the efforts to increase volunteerism — especially where it's needed most. Our guests:
- Bill DiFabio, 3rd assistant chief of the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department
- Matt Kelly, EMS captain of the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department and EMT for Yates County Ambulance
- Rebecca Case, firefighter/EMT with the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department and junior at Keuka College
- Alvin Leid, firefighter with the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department
- Lily Stewart, firefighter/EMT with the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department and sophomore at Keuka College
"Connections with Evan Dawson" is live streamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
