Ryan Finnerty
Ryan Finnerty is producer on Hawaii Public Radio's local public affairs talk show The Conversation where he reports on local and state politics, business, economics, science, and the environment. Before coming to Hawaii Public Radio, Ryan was an officer in the U.S. Army stationed at Schofield Barraks on Oahu. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in economics.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a series of new laws aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs and helping struggling, independently-owned pharmacies, but vetoed a third that supporters argue would reduce costs for the state's Medicaid program. -
New York State’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers took effect Monday, amid a legal challenge over religious exemptions to the requirement — and Supreme Court precedents make it likely the mandate will be upheld. -
New York healthcare workers must be vaccinated for COVID-19 or lose their jobs. At one rural hospital, opposition to the vaccine is exacerbating an existing labor shortage, forcing cuts to services.
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At 46%, Lewis County has the lowest vaccination rate in the North Country and among the lowest state-wide. The mostly rural community recently became a national focal point for anti-vaccination sentiment. -
One of the first choices Hochul will face as governor is whether or not to continue her predecessor’s state of emergency on gun violence. -
The announcement that Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all state workers by Labor Day did not land well with some of the labor union’s representing public employees. The labor organization representing correction officers in the state prison system corrections says it was not consulted by the governor prior to his declaration. -
The tourist economy in Hawaii has been decimated by the pandemic, with 1 in 6 people there unemployed. Now, the state hopes new traveler testing protocols will help bring visitors back to its beaches. -
A dispute over wastewater and coral reefs in Hawaii could have a major impact on the reach of the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court hears arguments in the case Wednesday.
