Radio Chatskill

New York State Police have released the identity of the man who drowned in the Upper Delaware River on Sunday as Chirag Pratel, a 37-year-old Bensalem, PA, man. His death is the second drowning on the river in a week. On June 29, 24-year-old Jeysson Ariel Osorio-Reyes of Ocean County, NJ drowned  near Milford, PA. At approximately 12:40 p.m. on July 7, troopers from the Liberty barracks responded...

The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System . This Thursday, the Upper Delaware Counsel will host a public meeting to discuss the near and long term goals for managing the river. Strengthening partnership with the wider National Park system and shoring up staffing and resource shortages are among the topics to be discussed. The meeting can...

Joe discusses Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which is designed for crew transport to the ISS. Despite numerous delays and technical issues since its first planned launch in 2017, the Starliner successfully docked with the ISS on its third mission in June 2023. Challenges included helium leaks and thruster failures, but NASA and Boeing assure that the crew is safe.  Joe also briefly touches on the...

Cannabis has been cultivated around the world for centuries; however, the plant has been politicized and stigmatized in the US for the last 100 years. In 1970, a young lawyer named Frank Fioramonti was hired by NORML the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. In 1977 because of NORML’s work, marijuana was decriminalized in New York Artist Brandi Merolla is Fioramonti’s step daught...

Susie Kaspar, Park Ranger for the National Park Service at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, shares reminders for a safe summer on the Upper Delaware River.

New York Small Farma is a community of farmers and supporters that advocates for socially just, regenerative, and economically inclusive cannabis laws, policies, and regulations in New York State. The group recently won a bid to help Ulster County develop its cannabis economic sector. The county chose just one organization with expertise in cannabis production, sustainability, and social and econo...

Garnet Health recently announced a restructuring plan that will affect 26 employees, less than 1% of its total workforce. This restructuring is expected to save approximately $4.6 million in salaries and benefits, according to Garnet Health. As part of the restructuring, inpatient palliative care services will no longer be provided, additionally, Garnet Health plans to optimize its Infectious Dise...

The 2024 Upper Delaware BioBlitz will be held on June 28th and 29th at The Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in Boyds Mills, Wayne County, PA.  Eight teams of scientists and amateur naturalists will gather to begin their collection of every unique species of plant, animal, fungus and lichen they can find in 24 hours.  Some teams, like the Mammal Team looking for bats and the Insect Team looking...

Maggi Fitzpatrick is the Health & Wellness Columnist for the Sullivan County Democrat. Her column is "Moving Toward Health." Over two years ago Maggi and her husband committed to walking 45 minutes a day for 75 days. 833 days later, Maggi has yet to drop the habit. Tim Bruno talked to Maggi about commitment, relationships and walking on Radio Chatskill  

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. Weaving story-telling and song, Curtis Zunigha of the Lenape Center will open the festival tomorrow. Zunigha will discuss "Lenapehoking: An Anthology," which includes essays and interviews covering the Len...

Joe Johnson is a retired Port Jervis science teacher and Radio Catskill volunteer and he regularly brings us science stories that have caught his eye.  This week, Joe brings us good news about Voyager One, the spacecraft from 1977;  bad news for some of the cicadas temporarily overtaking parts of the U.S. who are turning into sex-crazed “zombies,” thanks to a fungus; and the climate shift from El...

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. Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason are the founders of AphroChic, one of the nation's most successful Black owned brands. Authors of REMIX: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul and AphroChic: Celebrating the...

Congressman Marc Molinaro represents New York's 19th District, which not only includes much of Radio Catskill’s listening area, but is also highly competitive in this election year. The outcome here could significantly impact the political balance in the House this November. In an interview with Radio Catskill, Molinaro discussed the challenges of representing such a politically diverse district....

La Voz is a multi-award-winning free magazine in Spanish distributed in 10 counties across the Hudson Valley,  serving over 150,000 Hispanic readers. La Voz is celebrating its 20th anniversary as the only print Spanish-language magazine in the region on June 22 at the Spiegeltent at Bard College.  Reporter Marin Scotten spoke to Managing Editor Mariel Fiori about the two decades of providing resou...

The Black Library, in collaboration with the Sullivan County Chapter of the NAACP, is celebrating Juneteenth tomorrow ..but the annual celebration comes in the midst of a harsh reality for the community space in Monticello: its funding is running out.  Radio Catskill's Patricio Robayo spoke with Black Library co-founders Douglas Shindler and Mike Davis about what that means for the future of the B...

The Deep Water Literary Festival takes place June 21 through June 23. Founded in 2018, the festival was founded to promote community engagment, performance, and the sharing of literary ideas in Narrowsburg, NY. As part of WJFF's partnership with Deep Water Literary Festival, Tim Bruno spoke to authors Nana Brew-Hammond and Sara Hosey who are hosting a panel together during the festival.

A record-breaking heat wave envelopes the northeast this week with temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  A "heat dome" parking itself over the region gives the heat wave its unusual duration with blazing temperatures to last several days. The heat wave causes a serious health risk, particularly to the elderly and those working outside. Tim Bruno spoke to Mark Pellerito, a warning coord...

New York education officials have unveiled a proposal that would transform the state’s graduation requirements.  From the New YORK Public News Network, WAMC’s Lucas Willard reports that the plan is intended to bring equity to all students, but some questions remain.

Residents and business owners have raised concerns over the proposed closure of Exit 114 on State Route 17 West. This closure is part of the Route 17 expansion project, aimed at improving a 30-mile stretch of the highway from Exit 113 in Wurtsboro, Sullivan County, to Interstate 87 in Woodbury, Orange County. The project's objectives include enhancing operational efficiency and safety, easing cong...

The Delaware River Basin Commission hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, June 5 in Narrowsburg. Organizations and members of the public spoke before the DRBC and shared their concerns about how climate change and various development projects are impacting the river.  Reporter Marin Scotten has a recap of the event and is joined by Tracy Carluccio, the deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper N...

It’s early summer, and honey bees are keeping busy with foraging for nectar and pollen, nurturing their larvae, and producing honey. But what are the beekeepers up to? Radio Catskill reporter Chia-Tien Nicole Chen spoke to Robyn Underwood, the Extension Educator of Apiculture at Penn State, to find out. With nearly 30 years of researching honey bees and a PhD in entomology from the University of M...

The Sullivan Catskills are about to get a whole lot more fabulous this weekend. "Drag Me to the Catskills" is a weekend-long Pride Celebration featuring drag queens, performances, and more. Tim Bruno spoke to Mrs. Kasha Davis (aka Ed Popil) who calls herself the "The Ultimate Workhorse Queen" about the countywide drag events.

Joe Johnson is a retired Port Jervis science teacher and Radio Catskill volunteer. He's sharing the Science Stories that caught his eye recently, including a stellar explosion, the "heat dome" that's broiling the Western US, and how tiger beetles might be mimicking the sounds of poisonous bugs so bats will avoid eating them. 

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger has announced the release of the 2023 Executive Annual Report, now available online. The report provides a thorough overview of the mission, operations, programs, and services offered by the county government's 26 departments for the 2023 fiscal year. It includes detailed facts and figures about the services provided and the number of individuals served. Accordi...