12:00: Puerto Rican Festival aims to reach younger Latinos, bridge generational gaps
1:00: 'Connections Summer Sessions:' Examining Mamdani’s proposal for free public transit - in NYC and beyond
Rochester's Puerto Rican Festival is back. The 56th annual celebration runs Thursday through Saturday, and organizers say they expect it to bring thousands of people to the city. According to reporting by WXXI's Jose Sandoval, goals this year include reaching younger Latinos, educating children about Latino culture, and bridging gaps among generations. We discuss it all — and preview the fest — with our guests. In studio:
- Jose Sandoval, Latino communities reporter for WXXI News through Report for America
- Orlando Ortiz, president of the Rochester Puerto Rican Festival
- Julio Sáenz, chief content officer for WXXI Public Media
Then in our second hour, "Connections Summer Sessions" continues with special rebroadcasts about the economy. In this episode, we ask what would happen if cities offered free public transit for anyone who wants to use it? New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to do just that. Economist Amit Batabyal examined some data to see what the impact would be — and the answers were not what many of his readers in the Rochester Beacon expected. We discuss what could happen if transit were free and widely accessible. Our guests:
- Amit Batabyal, Ph.D., distinguished professor and the Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics at RIT
- Cody Donahue, co-executive director of Reconnect Rochester
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
