Radio Chatskill

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? We can—right here in Sullivan County! The Homestead School in Glen Spey, NY, was the backdrop for a new short featuring real students and teachers, capturing a full day in the life of a schoolkid. The episode, featured in Season 55 titled “New School Scaries,” follows children navigating first-day jitters—from lockers to lunch to heading home—offering y...

At just 23, Henry Furland is already turning heads with a guitar style that makes one instrument sound like a full band. Known for blending melody, rhythm, and percussion simultaneously, Furland draws inspiration from legends like Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, and Duke Ellington—and infuses it with his own youthful energy. Furland’s musical journey began unexpectedly: he asked for a snowboard for C...

Our resident science guy Joe Johnson is back with three stories from space, nature, and medicine. Asteroid Bennu’s Building Blocks of Life NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu in 2023, and scientists now confirm they contain amino acids, nucleobases, ammonia, and water-formed minerals. In short: Bennu is packed with the ingredients for life. Researchers say it may be a fr...

 Bar Veloce, an upscale bar in Narrowsburg, NY, has been ordered closed by the Town of Tusten following allegations that a fraudulent engineering report was submitted as part of its application for retroactive approval of a rooftop deck.  Liam Mayo, news editor for the River Reporter , has been covering the situation. “There is a need for Bar Veloce to get retroactive approval for its rooftop bar....

Pike County remains the only county in the state of Pennsylvania without a hospital or urgent care facility. That could soon change. The Pike Medical Foundation was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for equipment to build the first-ever planned community hospital in the county. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Pike County Commissioner Ron...

Art lovers have a rare chance this weekend to explore the studio of the late Dorothy Gillespie, the trailblazing artist known for her bold, swirling metal sculptures. The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation is hosting an Open House Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 8181 Route 52, Narrowsburg . Gary Israel of the foundation shared what visitors can expect: “Well, when they come into the stu...

Saturday September 6. 2025, Ulster County is shining a spotlight on its young people with the very first One Life Only Youth Event at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. It’s a free, county-wide celebration filled with music, sports clinics, art, games, food, and even pony rides—all designed to spark positivity, creativity, and community connection.  The event is organized by the Ulster County Youth Bureau...

Joe Johnson’s latest Science Stories dives into three fascinating discoveries: a never-before-seen supernova, a genetic bottleneck in human ancestors, and a centuries-old shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. A Supernova Like No Other Astronomers observed a unique explosion, SN 2021 YFJ , first detected in 2021 and reported in Nature . Unlike typical supernovas, this star had lost almost all of its...

Get ready to ‘Rock the Roof’ off on Saturday, September 6, at the Cochecton Pump House in Cochecton, N.Y. Tracy City, We Were Werewolves, and Basic Bitches is the trio of all queer, all rock bands gearing up for a free music show this Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Tif Wolf and Terry LaFrazia from We Were Werewolves about what attendees can expect and th...

This Saturday, One Grand Books marks its 10th anniversary with a special salon featuring award-winning journalist and author Laurie Gwen Shapiro. Shapiro will discuss her latest book, The Aviator and the Showman , which explores the pioneering partnership between aviator Amelia Earhart and publishing impresario George Putnam. In her new biography, Shapiro examines how Earhart’s collaboration with...

Incarceration is not an experience felt only by the incarcerated individual themselves. It is an experience that also confines their loved ones. Especially after the correctional officers strike from February this year, families have cited both structural barriers to maintaining connections with incarcerated family members and being subject to the same culture of humiliation and powerlessness that...

Attention book lovers: the Livingston Manor Library is hosting a unique program this week on how to preserve and protect your personal library. On Thursday, September 4 at 6:00 p.m. , professional book conservator Cara Schlesinger will lead a hands-on presentation about book conservation and care. “ Book conservation is the field that encompasses the care and preservation of books so that people c...

Since July, families in Sullivan County have faced uncertainty after officials announced a pause on enrollment and recertification for New York State’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) due to a funding shortfall. Parents and providers are now questioning how long the pause will last and what it means for working families who rely on affordable child care. “ It provides funding for low-income f...

The Love Our Land Parade is a peaceful protest scheduled for Sunday, September 21, aimed at drawing attention to overdevelopment and environmental concerns in the Town of Fallsburg. The event, organized by Brett Budde of Majestic Farm in Mountdale , will feature a community marching band, live performances, and a dog costume contest. "We've been working to help move the town of Fallsburg to take o...

 Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti has officially launched her campaign for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, challenging Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in what’s expected to be one of the most closely watched elections in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Cognetti, who first won office in 2019 as an independent before switching to the Democratic Party, said her campaign will focus on corruption, hea...

Labor Day is behind us—and flu season is already ahead. After last year’s record-breaking spike in cases, doctors say now is the time to get protected. “Last year in New York State was actually a record high number of cases—about 55,000 in a single week,” said Dr. Michael Traub , primary care physician with Crystal Run Healthcare. “We are definitely preparing.” Why Get the Flu Shot? Protect yourse...

Singer-songwriter Brad Cole and his band Bossa Blue are bringing James Taylor: Reimagined back to the Towne Crier Café on Friday, offering a fresh take on Taylor’s beloved catalog with a blend of Bossa Nova, Samba, Jazz, Rock, Soul, and Blues. Now in its third year, the performance has become a local tradition at the iconic Beacon venue. Cole says the idea started as a simple cover project. “Seven...

The start of a new school year always brings lots of planning, excitement, and maybe a few nerves. For Rockland Central School District students, families, and staff, this year marks an even bigger fresh start after Livingston Manor and Roscoe Central school districts merged into one unified school district in 2024. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Superintendent John Evans of Rockland Ce...

  Festus , presented by the interdisciplinary ensemble Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble, invites participants to play games, solve puzzles, and share stories—all of which are transformed into live music, movement, and theater in real time. Strike Anywhere’s Leece Walker and Ralph Sturm spoke with Radio Catskill about what audiences can expect. “We’re going to invite folks to join us in some ar...

The Village of Liberty approved a local law on Aug. 21 to prohibit camping or sleeping in Village parks, sideways, and other public areas. The local ordinance came with mixed input from community members. Some residents said the law was necessary for tighter public safety regulations, while others said the law criminalized homeless residents. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the public hearin...

Environmental advocates and farmers in New York state are preparing to organize to stop the construction of the Constitution Pipeline that would bring fracked gas from Central Pennsylvania into New York and parts of New England. They’ve been here before, winning a long fought legal battle in the 2010s. But with the Trump administration’s  forceful intervention in state's energy sources, the Hochul...

Pennsylvania lawmakers blew past the state’s June 30 deadline to pass a budget, and as the impasse stretches into late August, local leaders in Northeast Pennsylvania are bracing for possible impacts. “The Pennsylvania state budget has a legal deadline of end of June, early July,” said Liam Mayo, news editor of The River Reporter . “And given that it’s almost September now, that budget or that dea...

When Phoebe Legere describes her art, she doesn’t talk only about notes, instruments, or performance. She talks about floating pianos, recycled costumes dredged from Venetian canals, and children’s sneakers that make music with every step. The visionary singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist — who's been compared to everyone from Beethoven to Edith Piaf — has always blurred the lines between...

The Delaware River Watershed is under threat. Delaware Riverkeeper Network released a press statement on July 16 that vowed a Pledge of Resistance and Protection against increasing efforts by pro-fracking interests working with both local and federal governmental officials to overturn the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) fracking ban in the watershed alongside other attacks against the DRB...