Trish LaMonte

Dear reader, The New York State Fair holds a lot of special memories for me. When I was little, the rides scared me, but I loved getting the famous chocolate milk and seeing the police bloodhound dogs. Later, I got to see my very first concert there (Whitney Houston) and broadcast live as a television news reporter in my first real job. Now, I like to take my kids every year in hopes of creating their own favorite memories.

Dear reader, Five years ago, we hired Rylee Kirk to work on our breaking news team. This spring, she returned from a one-year fellowship at the New York Times to work on our public affairs team, covering county government, among other important topics. She likes to joke that her job is to be a “nuisance on behalf of the public.” Below is my Q&A with Rylee: Trish: How did you initially get into journalism and when did you know you wanted to do it for a career?

Dear reader, Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard reporter Mike Waters has been covering the Syracuse men's basketball team since 1989. When I asked him this week what it has been like reporting on Kiyan Anthony's journey after having covered his father, Carmelo, Mike joked, “like I need any more reminders of how old I am.” But it's thanks in large part to Mike's longevity and reputation that he was able to land an exclusive interview with Carmelo Anthony , which we published last week.