The Local Edition

A Pension Battle Is Heating Up in Albany. Here’s What to Know.

Confused to Shocked: Nonprofit Libraries No Longer Able to Process Passport Applications

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,362 measles cases in the United States in just over three months since the start of the year, following 2025’s highest annual total since 1991. Why the sudden spike in cases? Dr. Lauren Smith of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says the rise is tied to the spread of vaccine misinformation — both on social media and from the current U....

A major environmental fight is unfolding in New York over the future of the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls — the largest landfill in the state. The landfill, originally expected to close in 2025, is now seeking state approval to remain open and expand operations through 2040. For environmental advocates, the proposal is about far more than one community. They argue it is a test of whether...

A new archival exhibit opening in Kingston will highlight the women who helped shape civic life in Ulster County, from some of the first women to register to vote to generations of local advocates who organized around issues affecting their communities. The exhibit, “Women Shaping Democracy in Ulster County,” opens Wednesday at the Nina Postupack Archives Gallery on the second floor of the Ulster...

Air quality has become an increasing concern across New York State in recent years, particularly after smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the region in 2023. The hazy skies and air quality alerts that summer exposed gaps in how the state responds to dangerous air pollution events. Now advocates are urging lawmakers to pass legislation that would better prepare communities when the air...

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...

State Prison Officials Said an Employee Accused of Sexual Assault Didn’t Exist. We Found Him.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been detected in Orange County, with cases affecting waterfowl, raptors, and even mammals like skunks across New York. Health officials say there have been no human infections in the state since 2022. Haley Motola, an epidemiologist with the Sullivan County Department of Public Health, is closely monitoring the virus and its potent...

New York State Police have identified the man involved in a trooper-involved shooting earlier this month in the town of Rochester as Benjamin Scism, 33, of Accord. Scism remains in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center, according to State Police. He has been charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing, both Class A misdemeanors. The shooting hap...

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger outlined an agenda focused on housing, affordability, and public health during her 2026 State of the County address on Feb. 18, while also raising concerns about the impact of federal policy decisions on local communities. Speaking to a full audience at the Rosendale Theatre, Metzger said the county remains focused on meeting residents’ needs despite what she de...

While there are limits, collaboration still happens through a handful of key avenues, a Spotlight PA review of Shapiro administration policies and statements shows.

New York State has earned approximately $35 million in accrued interest on the more than $3 billion in opioid settlement funds it has secured to date. Some advocates are concerned that how and where interest dollars are used could be harder to follow with provisions in Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest executive budget. Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar reports.