On Thursday, June 20, at approximately 12:37 PM, a fire broke out at Russell Farm's barn located along Route 17B in Bethel, NY. The White Lake Fire Company received the call and promptly responded to the scene. According to Shane Cunningham of the White Lake Fire Company, the fire was triggered by a mechanical failure in the hay conveyor machine. D…

Christopher Mele, a senior staff editor at the NY Times with nearly 40 years of experience in community newspapers in New York and Pennsylvania, has authored a new book. In "Goodwill's Secrets," restless teenager Raven vanishes from the Adirondack village of Goodwill. Reporter Alex Provetto, initially dismissive, is assigned to cover her story. As …

In New York and across the country, insurers like Liberty Mutual, State Farm, and Allstate, among others, have stakes in both sides of the climate crisis. To make up some of the lost revenue, they have pared back coverage and hiked rates by more than 30 percent since 2019, in large part because the increasing frequency of storms and other extreme w…

In August 1897, the first scientific expedition to Antarctica set sail from Antwerp. Nineteen young men from six countries were on board, among them was American physician and Sullivan County native, Frederick Cook, venturing into the frozen unknown for more than a year. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of this expedition, the Frederick Cook Soci…

The Deep Water Literary Festival returns to Narrowsburg this weekend and Radio Catskill is proud to be a media partner. Every day this week we’re featuring authors and events from the festival. When Jennifer Kabat moved from London to the Catskills in 2005, she had no idea it was the site of the "Anti-Rent War," an 1840s episode of American rural p…

A record-breaking heat wave envelopes the northeast this week with temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The duration of the heat wave is notable with blazing temperatures lasting several days. Tim Bruno spoke to Mark Pellerito a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's New York office and the heat wave.…

Early Tuesday morning, a select circle of state senators began filing into the office of Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, on the fourth floor of the state capitol building in Albany. They were there for a meeting of the Senate’s Working Rules group, a body so secretive that even some of their fellow senators didn’t know it existed un…

Penn State Health is discontinuing kidney and liver transplant programs, citing ‘ongoing challenges’ and federal scrutiny. The decision casts doubt on the success of the health system’s extensive efforts to rebuild the programs. Jason Dole talks to Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA’s State College bureau and Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA.…

Older adults are frequently seen as easy targets for scammers for a variety of reasons. They might be less familiar with modern technology and the methods employed by fraudsters. Additionally, factors such as loneliness or cognitive decline can increase their vulnerability to manipulation. Lise-Anne Deoul, the Director of the Office for the Aging f…

NY FOCUS recently reported that The Push for Public Power in New York State has spread to the Hudson Valley. Local lawmakers have introduced a proposal for the public takeover of Central Hudson, the region’s scandal-plagued gas and electric utility. Radio Catskills Jason Dole speaks to Colin Kinniburgh of NY FOCUS about the issue.…

Kevin Scot Graham has been named Sullivan County's fifth poet laureate, serving from 2024 to 2026. Graham's artistic talents span music, visual arts, and poetry, with the latter being a constant in his life. He plays multiple instruments, including the guitar and a six-string ukulele. After earning a music degree, he moved to New York City and work…

Greg Goldstein, Chair of the Republican Committee in Sullivan County reacts to Trump’s verdict said,By Patricio Robayo

Anne Hart, Chair of the Democratic Committee in Sullivan County reacts to Trump's Verdict.By Patricio Robayo

According to an investigation by NY FOCUS, New York state prisons have prohibited access to articles from The New York Times, New York Magazine, and several local newspapers, often justifying these bans by claiming that the content could incite disobedience. Jason Dole interviewed NY FOCUS's Rebecca McCray to delve deeper into this issue.…

At 12:33 AM on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the Village of Monticello Police responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at the Sleepy Hollow Apartment Complex, located on Terri Lane. Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims, an adult male and an adult female, inside a vehicle. The vehicle had been driven into a parking lot when it was fired upon, …

Last month, when New York lawmakers passed the state budget, they included a significant win for the tenant movement: the Good Cause Eviction Law. This law grants many renters the right to renew their leases and protects them from substantial rent increases. However, the law has broad exceptions that will exclude many of the state’s landlords from …

Literacy Volunteers of Sullivan County not only assist individuals in obtaining their GED or enhancing their reading skills, which have seen a significant increase since the pandemic, but they also manage a second-hand bookstore in Monticello. Angela Dutcher, the Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Sullivan County, recently joined Jason Do…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Throughout May, Radio Catskill will feature weekly interviews with Astor Services, a nonprofit that offers services related to children’s mental health in the Hudson Valley and the Bronx. Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke with Dr. Todd Karlin, the Chief Program Officer at Astor Services for Children & Fami…

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a dedicated time to raise awareness about foster care issues and recognize the vital contributions of foster parents, family members, child welfare professionals, mentors, policymakers, and other community members. These dedicated individuals play an essential role in helping children and youth in foster care fin…

Sarai Manuel from Astor Services, a leader in addressing mental health, child welfare, and early childhood development in Mid Hudson Valley and the Bronx. Mental Health Awareness Month provides a crucial opportunity to shine a light on mental health, a subject often shadowed by stigma and misunderstanding. Sarai Manuel, Chief Development Officer at…

New York’s Equal Rights Amendment would enshrine the right to abortion in the state. A judge threw it off the ballot for the fall, but an appeal is expected. New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state, has been ordered off the November ballot, after a judge ruled that lawmakers didn’t follow the ap…

The Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library in Monticello is launching its Community Art Series this month, featuring the works of local artist Hassina Brodie. Her exhibit, titled "The Re-Creation of Hassina Brodie," showcases a diverse range of paintings, including depictions of racial oppression, animals, and landscapes. The exhibition will be avail…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to focus on the importance of mental health. In this episode, we talk with Megan York, the Regional Director of Outpatient Clinics for Astor Services in Liberty, about how to recognize if someone is struggling and how to start a conversation about mental health.…

Town officials in Forestburgh, Sullivan County, are contesting allegations from the New York State Attorney General's Office that they implemented zoning regulations specifically to obstruct a housing development intended for Hasidic Orthodox Jews. The attorney representing Forestburgh asserts that their zoning laws allow religious uses across all …

Recently, Meg McGuire, the publisher of Delaware Currents, co-hosted the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference with the University of Pennsylvania. The conference brings more than 1,000 environmental journalists from the U.S, Canada and internationally to discuss key environmental issues, including the major national debate on fracking an…

On May 4th 2024. the Town of Liberty will celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that's become more popular in the United States than in Mexico. It's now a celebration of Mexican-American culture. Patricio Robayo from Radio Catskill spoke with James Guara, Liberty's Recreation Director, about what’s planned for the event and how people can join.…

The Planned Parenthood clinic in Monticello, Sullivan County, ceased operations in 2020 due to staffing and funding shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the organization. This closure was part of a broader statewide trend in 2020, which saw twelve such facilities shut their doors, leaving a significant gap in healthcare services in t…

Join us for an in-depth exploration of New York's brand-new, nearly three-week-late $237 billion budget and its implications for you. Maia Hibbett, the Managing Editor for NY FOCUS, discussed the contents of the budget and the items that didn't make the cut with Jason Dole.By Patricio Robayo

Phil Mossman is a New York City-based professional musician who grew up in London. He has worked with acts like Primal Scream and LCD Soundsystem. His most recent non-musical project is living in the Catskills and volunteering with the Jeffersonville Volunteer First Aid Corps. Phil stopped by Radio Catskill’s studios last week to talk about his loc…

Overgrowth of cyanobacteria, often mistaken for algae, in Lipman Park's pond has led to blocked outflows and rising water levels, threatening to spill onto nearby properties. Efforts to manage the situation include the use of aerators to oxygenate the water and the introduction of barley straw pellets to inhibit the bacteria's growth. Radio Catskil…

This week, New York State announced temporary import requirements for dairy cattle entering the state following detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in dairy cattle and goats in other states. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets stated that no cases have been detected in New York livestock to date, and the USDA contin…

Radio Catskill’s Jason Dole spoke to Wayne County Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer, who also chairs the Wayne County Board of Elections, about today’s primary and the special election in Pennsylvania's 139th District.By Patricio Robayo

The Sullivan County community is set to welcome back its essential Head Start services, with the announcement of the reopening of centers in Riverside, Waverly, and Woodbourne by Thursday, according to Philip Pantuso of the Hudson Valley Times Union. The program, previously known as Sullivan County Head Start, has been rebranded as CDI Head Start S…

Amberly Jane Campbell has been appointed as the new Assistant Deputy County Executive of Ulster County, as announced by Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. In her newly assumed position, Campbell will lead efforts in communications and community engagement for the County Executive's Office. During an interview with Patricio Robayo of Radio Catskil…

Radio Catskill’s reporter Marin Scotten uncovered the troubling details of how the Bloomingburg wastewater treatment plant has been discharging untreated wastewater—up to 120,000 gallons daily—into the Shawangunk Kill, a vital waterway flowing through Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. Authorities say a sewage treatment plant in Sullivan County…

In the coming weeks, New York’s lawmakers will pass a budget that determines how the state will spend over $230 billion in public money. It’s a massive sum, bigger than most countries’ budgets, and outpacing every other state except California. At stake are key questions for New York’s future. Will the state invest in treatment centers for people s…

Since 2009, the DEC has put a stop to brush burning from March 16 to May 14 every year to help prevent wildfires and keep communities safe. This ban is important because warm weather dries out last fall's leaves and debris, making it easy for wildfires to start and spread, especially with windy conditions and no green plants around. Sullivan County…

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, visited an aquarium, ordered something on Amazon, or paid your utility bill in New York, your life may have been impacted by a little-known local authority called an industrial development agency. Under state law, IDAs have the power to dole out tax breaks to corporations in order to promote the “economic welfare” …

Since 2016, Newburgh’s main water source, Washington Lake has been contaminated with PFAS chemicals, a group of chemicals that don’t break down naturally- coining the name ‘forever chemicals’. In Newburgh and across the country, advocates are pushing for stricter PFAS regulation to prevent these harmful chemicals from further contaminating drinking…

On Friday, March 8th, the New Hope Community in Loch Sheldrake is set to join the "Rally in the Valley" at Letchworth Village in Stony Point, NY, to advocate for better compensation for Direct Service Professionals who support 140,000 vulnerable residents across New York. New Hope, among others, is advocating for a 3.2% pay raise, a significant ste…

While the nonprofit Greater New York Hospital Association lobbied, a lucrative for-profit arm may have run up costs for hospitals. Two-thirds of New York hospitals and health systems are losing money. To Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, one clear reason is that while drug, supply, and labor costs have climbed, …

Investigative reporter Carter Walker of Votebeat/Spotlight PA has uncovered a pressing concern within Pennsylvania's electoral framework: the significant turnover of election officials. So many officials have left, in fact, that it adds up to a loss of nearly three centuries' worth of cumulative expertise since 2019. This upheaval underscores poten…

Brock Pinkerous is a 13-year-old race car driver from Ellenville, New York. Despite racing competitors who are in their 30s and 40s, Pinkerous has done more than hold his own. He hopes this is the beginning of a long career that one day leads him to winning the Daytona 500 NASCAR race. Radio Catskill reporter Marin Scotten is joined by Pinkerous to…

Governor Kathy Hochul has made no secret of her goal to scale back state spending across agencies. But among some rural state lawmakers, her plan to save $77 million on prisons is driving backlash. Eliza Fawcett from NY Focus has more.By Patricio Robayo

Making a living as a small-scale farmer in a system that supports mass-production isn’t easy. For Black farmers, a number of discriminatory barriers have made farming even more challenging. In the last century, Black farmers have lost over 90% of the land they once owned and today just 1% of American farmers are Black. Radio Catskill Reporter Marin…

In recent reporting, New York Focus found that after the worst year on record for overdose deaths in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul wants to level off investment in addiction treatment and use opioid settlement funds to fill the gaps.By Patricio Robayo

With the growing demand for mental health resources in New York State, Astor Services has taken a step forward in expanding access to essential care by extending its mental and behavioral health services to Sullivan and Rockland Counties. Astor Services is a community-based non-profit organization that provides children’s mental health services, ch…

Kim Botteicher decided to speak out about her work offering syringe services in Westmoreland County, hoping to prompt change that she believes would help save lives. According to Spotlight PA, after she went public, county government officials pulled $150,000 in opioid settlement funding they had approved for her organization — money Botteicher sai…

New York state wants to phase out fossil fuels. Localities have given over a billion dollars in tax breaks to help keep them around. Across the state, IDAs enter into payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreements, or pilots, with businesses, exempting the corporations from property taxes in exchange for a lower annual payment to the town, county, and school di…

Jay Mendels, a member of the Sullivan County Conservation Club and a key figure on the King of the Ice committee, discusses with Radio Catskill's Patricio Robayo the significance of this year's King of the Ice event and its positive impacts on Sullivan County.By Patricio Robayo