Local Olympians win gold; new book on Bach; drag queen Aggy Dune

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published February 20, 2026 at 5:28 PM EST

Two people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has long brown hair and is wearing a purple turtleneck; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a navy puffy vest, white button-down shirt, jeans and brown shoes.

1 of 9 — Veronica Volk with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"

Veronica Volk with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, February 20, 2026

Mary Hussong-Kallen / WXXI News

Two side-by-side pictures show the same young woman: in the photo at left she is playing ice hockey; in the photo at right she is wearing a hockey jersey.

2 of 9 — Kirsten Simms.jpg

Kirsten Simms

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3 of 9 — Caroline KK Harvey.jpg

Caroline "KK" Harvey

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Two side-by-side photos show the same young woman: she is wearing a black hockey jersey in the photo at left and a white jersey in the photo at right.

4 of 9 — Laila Edwards.jpg

Laila Edwards

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Two side-by-side pictures show the same young woman: in the photo at left she is wearing a black hockey uniform; in the photo at right she is wearing a white hockey jersey.

5 of 9 — Ava McNaughton.jpg

Ava McNaughton

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Two side-by-side photos show the same young woman: she wears a black hockey uniform in the photo at left and a white hockey jersey in the photo at right.

6 of 9 — Haley Winn.jpg

Haley Winn

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Two people wearing headphones and eyeglasses sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has long dark hair, is wearing a black blazer and holding up a book with a white and green cover; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a navy puffy vest, white button-down shirt, jeans and brown shoes.

7 of 9 — Mona Seghatoleslami with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"

Mona Seghatoleslami with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, February 20, 2026

Mary Hussong-Kallen / WXXI News

A man with short brown hair and a grey beard sis wearing a beige turtleneck sweater and holding a violin.

8 of 9 — Edward Klorman

Edward Klorman

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Two people sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at right has long orange hair and is wearing glasses and a black shirt with blue lettering; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a navy puffy vest over a white button-down shirt.

9 of 9 — Aggy Dune with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"

Aggy Dune with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, February 20, 2026

Mary Hussong-Kallen / WXXI News

It's our weekly news roundup.

First, a gold for Team USA means a gold for Rochester! Rochester native Haley Winn and her USA women's hockey teammates beat Canada Thursday for the top spot on the podium. Winn and several of her teammates are graduates of Bishop Kearney and its select hockey program.

WXXI's Veronica Volk has been following that story and others featuring local athletes competing in Milan. She has the latest.

Then, WXXI Classical's Mona Seghatoleslami recently sat down with the author of "Bach: The Cello Suites." We bring you that interview and discuss the enduring relevance of Bach.

Finally, local drag queen Aggy Dune joins us in the studio. Her new monthly show, "Therapy," highlights queer voices. We get a preview.

Our guests:

Veronica Volk, executive producer and director of podcast strategy for WXXI Public Media
Mona Seghatoleslami, music director, host, and producer for WXXI Classical 91.5 FM
Aggy Dune, drag queen and comedian