Radio Chatskill

In 1991 , students protested Bard College’s lack of action in handling cases of sexual violence. Decades later, some students and alumni say the problem persists. WAMC’s Elias Guerra looked into the college’s history on the issue.  A warning that this story contains many mentions of sexual violence.

Budget negotiations are heating up in the New York state legislature as lawmakers race to meet the April 1 budget deadline. For Assembly District 100 Assemblymember Paula Kay, high utility bills, childcare, and local road maintenance are among her top priorities for her largely rural district. Radio Catskill checked in with Assemblymember Kay, who represents Sullivan and Orange counties, about wha...

Housing insecurity remains a key barrier for many students’ ability to learn and participate in schools.  This past week, New York State’s Education Department awarded $8.1 million in federal funds to support school districts and charter schools across the state serving homeless students. Liberty Central School District was one of those grant recipients and received a three-year grant totaling $52...

The Sullivan County Visitors Association is making a case to county lawmakers that the key to boosting the local economy lies in reaching a different kind of tourist — one flying in from St. Louis or Milwaukee, not just driving up from New York City. At a Sullivan County Legislature meeting last Thursday, SCVA Executive Director Michael Martellon laid out an ambitious vision for transforming how t...

LIVINGSTON MANOR, N.Y. — For the Catskills Community Land Trust, the dream of permanently affordable housing in the region just got a lot more tangible. The organization has been awarded a $98,000 grant through New York State’s Smart Growth program — money that will allow it to purchase its first piece of land and take the first concrete steps toward building a two-family rental home in Livingston...

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office has increased local spotchecks at sensitive locations following the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty says the county sheriff’s office has identified a list of local potential sensitive locations and is patrolling the areas. Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar reports. 

Under the Trump administration, every part of the country is confronting a massive uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity that knows no legal bounds. Immigrant communities throughout the United States have been forced to live in fear amid constant ICE raids and especially following the murders of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. But ICE violence should...

At your local library, you’ll find lots of books – but you may also find tax preparers, museum passes, and yoga classes. But library advocates say the services they provide are at risk under New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest budget. The state budget proposes more than $11 million in cuts to the state’s library operating aid and construction budget. Advocates say this follows a rocky year of...

A landmark legal battle over birthright citizenship is now before the U.S. Supreme Court — and advocates who work with immigrant families in rural New York say the outcome could reshape everyday life for communities that depend on immigrant labor and leadership. At issue is Executive Order 14160, signed by President Trump, which seeks to limit who is recognized as a U.S. citizen under the 14th Ame...

A new study from the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz reveals that many households are struggling to keep up with their utility bills. Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar has more. 

For Bobby Abate, making The Ghost at Skeleton Rock meant going back — to 1992, to the height of the AIDS crisis, to his own first sexual encounter, and to the paralyzing fear that followed. The short film, which Abate wrote and directed, follows 18-year-old Vinnie, who turns to a Ouija board after a first intimate encounter spirals into fear and shame. It screens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Calic...

The Party Farm’s fourth annual songwriting contest is officially open, inviting local musicians and songwriters across the Catskills to submit their original tracks. This spring tradition celebrates creativity, offering entrants the chance to transform raw demos into fully produced, radio-ready songs at one of the region’s most immersive recording studios. The contest is open to anyone 18 or older...