The Local Edition

July is Disability Pride Month—a time to not only celebrate the contributions of disabled individuals, but also to examine the systemic challenges they continue to face. As Congress debates sweeping changes to Medicare under “One Big Beautiful Bill,” advocates are raising the alarm about exactly what these cuts could mean for the people that rely on it Radio Catskill’s Jamie Case sat down with Pat...

Governor Hochul announced on June 30th that $75 million will be put into New York's dairy factories. Walton's branch of "Lactalis" is receiving $15 million from that fund. Lactalis, the world's largest dairy company, is giving the money for construction improvements to increase production. In exchange, the state is offering tax incentives through the Excelsior program, which provides write-offs fo...

The Woodstock Library may have expanded into a bigger building, but they’re facing big cuts as part of the Trump Administration’s broader cuts to public services. The impact of funding for public libraries would not only be a loss for intellectual curiosity, it would be especially devastating for rural communities.  Radio Catskill’s Genevieve Hartnett spoke with Ivy Gocker of the Woodstock Public...

Is the U.S. president above the law? That’s what Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo wanted to find out when he spoke to Michael Kirk, an award-winning filmmaker and founding producer of FRONTLINE. Kirk’s latest documentary, Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law, explores how the foundational idea that no one is above the law is being tested like never before—in the courts, in Congress, and in the Oval...

The Wurtsboro Founder’s Day Street Fair was held last Saturday, July 12th on Sullivan Street in Wurtsboro, NY. The annual celebration saw one of its biggest years yet with the 200th Anniversary of the village’s naming by William and Maurice Wurts. The street fair included over 100 vendors and featured live music, face painting, a birds of prey exhibit, an antique car show, and five new murals pain...

Votebeat PA reports that the U.S. Justice Department is asking Pennsylvania how it manages voter rolls. Several other states are also facing new scrutiny as the Trump administration refocuses election-law enforcement. Carter Walker explains that some elections officials and observers are wary because of the larger context in which this effort is occurring, although the commonwealth has not yet res...

New York is staring down billions in lost federal funding for Medicaid and food assistance over the next decade

The public now has access to crucial data about air quality around Hudson Valley. Bard College has partnered with an environmental justice group, “JustAir,” to install sensors and publish the data in real time. Before this initiative, only government agencies could view the data without a formal request and it was being measured from farther away. Citizens have to file using the Freedom of Informa...

Radio Catskill's Jaime Case explores the intersection of biodiversity, conservation, and native plants with environmentalist and landscape designer Carolyn Summers.   In this conversation, Summers shares insights from her ambitious 20-year project, Flying Trillium , located on a 100-acre property in Sullivan County. The project serves as both a living laboratory and a sanctuary—where native plants...

Camille O'Brien represented the Catskills this Independence Day on Coney Island for a great American tradition, Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest. O'Brien ate six and a half weiners in just ten minutes, placing eleventh out of thirteen women. At the weigh-in on July 3rd, O'Brien was feeling starstruck, surrounded by the biggest names in professional eating, including two former champions. " I...

Jeffersonville’s Camille O’Brien is heading to Brooklyn this July 4 to compete in one of America’s most iconic eating competitions — the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island. “I can’t even believe it,” said O’Brien. “I actually signed a contract yesterday with Major League Eating, so technically I’m a professional eater now.” She secured her spot by winning a qualif...

The story of Sullivan County’s growth and transformation begins along the banks of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. In a recent conversation with Radio Catskill, Fiona Feltman, Assistant Parks Director for Sullivan County, spoke with Patricio Robayo about the D&H Canal Interpretive Center in Summitville. The center highlights the history of the canal, once a vital transportation route that helpe...

Statewide spending on hotels has more than tripled in recent years. The shift away from shelters has prevented families from accessing services like child care and help finding housing. Read more here: https://nysfocus.com/2025/06/24/new-york-homelessness-hotels

For Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Radio Catskill's Patricio Robayo speaks with keynote speaker and entrepreneur Kevin Green. From Division 1 athletics to fine dining and an appearance on the Food Network’s Chopped, Green’s journey is one of resilience and reinvention. He shares his personal story of facing burnout, divorce, and career shifts—highlighting the importance of men’s mental healt...

Author Patricia Grayhall joins Radio Catskill’s Jamie Case to discuss her new book, A Place for Us , an autofictional account of her search for a country where she could legally live with her British partner—years before the United States extended immigration rights to same-sex couples. At the heart of her story is a message to queer youth: “Love will prevail.”

Sweeping changes are coming to a massive program that aims to bring high-speed internet to everyone in the U.S., after the Trump administration rejected one of the initiative’s key policy goals. The new rules for the $42.5 billion program change the way states will evaluate competing proposals, which areas are eligible for funding, and how long states have to award the grants. The announcement in...

The solar power industry is increasing its presence in the Catskills. This rise is accompanied by debates over land use and accusations of predatory marketing tactics. Pennsylvania, specifically, is in the midst of a heated legal battle.  First lies the question of where to put large solar farms. The vast open spaces suited for them are commonly farm lands. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been...

In a stunning political shift, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s decisive victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary has not only toppled former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attempted comeback but also stirred speculation about the future of Democratic politics across New York State. Speaking with Jason Dole on Radio Catskill’s Local Edition , David Lombardo of The Capitol Pressroom described...

What do a half-eaten batch of brownies and a grassroots movement have in common? In this episode, Mariabella Todaro, founder and CEO of “Millions of Butterflies,” shares how one spontaneous moment sparked a community-powered effort to fight hunger in Ulster County. Relying on the heart of a town that shows up, Todaro discusses accomplishments and everyday realities of leading an organization built...

The bill package will now head to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk, and she could either sign, veto, or scale it back through amendments to the legislation. Amid one of the most chaotic years for New York’s prison system in recent memory, the state legislature passed a limited omnibus prison reform bill Thursday night, hours before one of its chambers closed out its lawmaking for the year. The bill is...

This fall, the State of New York is launching SUNY Reconnect , a tuition free program for all SUNY Community Colleges for adult learners with no prior degree between the ages of 25-55.  As the cost of higher education increases exponentially year after year, New York state is taking steps towards making the pursuit of an education more accessible and affordable. Radio Catskill’s Genevieve Hartnett...

Today, on Juneteenth, we celebrate the generations of Black Americans whose contributions have shaped our country’s history. In New York’s Catskills region, community leaders and public officials took the day to recognize important Black leaders in our community. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the Sullivan County’s legislative meeting on June 19, where the legislature honored the Watson fam...

With four confirmed cases of measles recently reported in neighboring Orange County and over 1,000 cases nationwide this year, local health officials are urging residents to take action to prevent a wider outbreak. Dr. Jodi Galaydick, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist with Garnet Health Doctors, emphasized the highly contagious nature of the virus during a recent interview with R...

As June marks Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, the Alzheimer’s Association is amplifying efforts to educate the public on the early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, with new data revealing that over 7 million Americans are currently living with the disease—a number projected to double by 2060. Speaking with Radio Catskill, Dr. Carl V. Hill, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office...

The City of Middletown became the latest upstate city to adopt a local 'Good Cause Eviction' law, which protects tenants against eviction without justifiable cause and from predatory rent increases. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with For the Many's Brahvan Ranga and Vanessa Cid just hours before the Middletown Common Council adopted the legislation on June 17. For the Many is a statewide gr...