Last Tuesday, the Liberty Central School District Board of Education adopted a $72 million budget for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year with no tax levy increase. Now, it heads to voters to decide on May 19.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with the district’s Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan about the budget and what residents should know.

But last Tuesday early morning, apple farms were hit with a late Spring freeze with temperatures that left some orchards devastated with severe crop loss. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar has more.

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to sit down with Barrett on the origin story of home home, the vision she sees for the bookshop and community space and the fight for racial justice and trans liberation within the Hudson Valley. 

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Sullivan County Commissioner John Liddle this morning about the progress.

To understand the potential impacts of this issue on voters, Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with the Brennan Center of Justice’s Andrew Garber, who was involved in the amicus brief that was submitted, as well as David Becker of The Center for Election Research and Susan Lerner of Common Cause New York, a nonpartisan group that aims to advance voting rights and protections. 

In New York, more than half of the state’s farmworkers are undocumented – leaving many navigating the growing risk of deportation, and workplace labor abuses such as wage theft and medical neglect.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Emma Kreyche [KRAY-cee], Director of Advocacy, Outreach, and Education at the Worker Justice Center about their work supporting farmworkers.

Hosted by the nonprofit Maternal Infant Services Network, the event offered free community resources and support for expecting and new families with children under two. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar brings us this report from the celebration.

Radio Catskill spoke with David Albert, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, at the New York State School Boards Association – which serves more than 600 local school boards and BOCES across the state –  about what New York’s school districts are up against this budget cycle.

But some local leaders worry about how the project could affect school property.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Town of Rockland Supervisor Rob Eggleton, Tracy Brown of Trout Unlimited, and Emily Perkins and James Woidt of Redfish Engineering about the project.

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar spoke with Town of Liberty Supervisor Frank DeMayo and Town Planner Peter Manning of Genius Loci Planning about what this all means for residents and the community at large.

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with those involved in the making of the bill, including Bernadette Ruby of the New York Civil Liberties Union, as well as loved ones like 67-year-old Marie Denny, whose son is currently incarcerated, and others who’ve faced these issues firsthand on their experiences navigating the body scanners.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the Monticello rally on Saturday and brings us this report.

The district unveiled an $83.5 million budget during a school board meeting on Tuesday night. Hundreds of people filled the high school auditorium just hours after students staged a walkout to protest the cuts 

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the meeting Tuesday night and has more.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with residents and local officials yesterday and brings us this report.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the school board meeting on Thursday night where the board voted to abruptly drop its policy.

A warning that this story contains many mentions of sexual violence.

Radio Catskill checked in with Assemblymember Kay, who represents Sullivan and Orange counties, about what’s top of mind for her this month.

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 $525,000 to support students facing housing insecurity.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Deborah DeGraw, Director of Student Services at Liberty Central School District, and Dawn Hurley, the district’s McKinney-Vento Outreach Coordinator, to learn more. A McKinney-Vento Outreach Coordinator is a mandatory school district staff member who identifies, enrolls, and supports students experiencing homelessness.

At a Sullivan County Legislature meeting last Thursday, SCVA Executive Director Michael Martellon laid out an ambitious vision for transforming how the agency markets the Catskills region, centered on a shift toward digital advertising and away from the print ads and trade shows that have historically driven the agency's outreach, according to Liam Mayo of The River Reporter. 

Fewer Day-Trippers, More Overnight Guests

The underlying logic is simple: the further away a visitor comes from, the longer they tend to stay — and longer stays mean more money flowing into the local economy through lodging taxes, restaurant bills, and retail spending.

Martellon was also eager to clarify where the SCVA's money comes from in the first place. As Mayo explained, "He really emphasized that the SCVA doesn't get tax dollars that are generated on people who are living and working in the county. The SCVA is funded fully through the lodging tax that is collected on hotel rooms and Airbnb stays in the county."

Martellon said the county currently sits at about a 25% annual occupancy rate across its hotels, inns, and short-term rentals. Nudging that number up even modestly, he argued, could translate to significant revenue gains. A jump to 30% occupancy, he projected, would generate roughly $2.69 million in additional sales and lodging tax revenue. A climb to 40% — a figure he said he achieved over eight years while leading tourism efforts in Telluride, Colorado — could mean $8 million more, with $5.6 million of that coming through sales tax alone.

He acknowledged the figures are projections, not guarantees.

Showing Up on ChatGPT, Not Just Google

To attract those distant visitors, Martellon said the SCVA plans to invest heavily in what he's calling "generative AI engine optimization" — making sure Sullivan County appears when someone asks ChatGPT or Google Gemini where to vacation, not just when they type a query into a traditional search engine. He also described plans to build out a direct digital marketing infrastructure, allowing the SCVA to reach potential visitors without relying solely on broad media buys.

The approach is supported by early data. A campaign the agency ran this past December and January showed interest from well beyond the tri-state area. "Some of the sites were other places in the Northeast like Hartford, New Haven, Connecticut, Boston, Massachusetts," Mayo noted. "But there were some sites further afield in there as well, like Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Orlando, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri."

Mark Baez, president and CEO of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, backed the direction, noting that digital-first strategies have become essential for both tourism promotion and economic development broadly.

Not Everyone Is Fully Convinced

The pivot away from traditional marketing drew some questions from legislators. Mayo described a notable back-and-forth between Martellon and Legislator Cap Scott: "She was asking for more of a specific report on what the SCVA was doing sort of to increase tourism on a day-to-day basis. And he was saying, 'I'm trying to focus on the overall direction — focusing on tactics is getting a little bit too much in the weeds.'"

The concern from lawmakers, Mayo said, was straightforward: "Yes, we're all about the digital, yes, we're all about this new direction, but let's make sure that we're not transitioning too quickly away from what we were doing before we know quite what we are doing."

Grant Program Gets a Reset

Lawmakers also received an update on the SCVA's tourism event grant program, which Martellon has restructured since taking the helm.

When he first arrived, Martellon froze all pending grants — including some that had already been promised to county businesses. After conversations with affected business owners, those were ultimately released. But the episode set the stage for a broader rethinking of how the grants would work.

Under the new model, the SCVA received $1.6 million in funding requests and awarded $150,000. As Mayo put it, the new philosophy boils down to this: "We gave less money to a lot more people." The grants are now framed explicitly as marketing dollars — the SCVA will cover up to 20% of an event's marketing budget, but it's not in the business of funding entire events.

The second round of SCVA tourism event grants is currently open. Information sessions run March 16 through March 26, and the application deadline is April 14. More information is available at sullivancatskills.com.

“We’re excited to say we can start doing the fun part of this work — buying land, building homes,” said Gwen Schantz, one of the organizers behind the effort. “It’s a huge first hurdle for us to get over, just owning our first piece of land.”

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST?

The Catskills CLT was formed roughly a year ago with a clear diagnosis: housing costs in the region have outpaced what local workers earn, and the area lacks rental housing altogether. In much of the Catskills, the service industry is the backbone of the local economy — but seasonal wages and soaring rents make it nearly impossible for those workers to stay.

A community land trust addresses that tension by removing land from the speculative real estate market entirely. A nonprofit organization holds ownership of the land in perpetuity, while homes on that land are rented or sold at prices calibrated to local incomes. The housing stays affordable not just for one tenant, but for every resident who follows.

“Real estate is treated like an investment opportunity, and that has had a big impact on housing prices and land prices,” Schantz said. “The goal of the nonprofit community land trust model is to keep housing accessible to people no matter how much money they’re making.”

THE FIRST PROJECT

The grant will fund the acquisition of a small vacant lot on Meadow Street in the Town of Rockland — a parcel the town board voted to sell to the CLT nearly a year ago. Remaining funds will go toward hiring an architect and preparing the site for construction, bringing the project to what Schantz calls “shovel-ready” status.

The planned structure is a two-family rental home built with local hemlock timber frame — a material Schantz describes as not only durable and beautiful, but a carbon sink that helps offset the footprint of construction. The building is designed to be climate-resilient, a priority in a region with a long history of flooding, and energy-efficient enough to keep tenants’ heating costs low.

“We want to build something that’s strong, beautiful, and helps beautify the street,” Schantz said. “We really think we can solve a lot of problems at once — beautification, affordable housing, and making our town greener and more climate resilient.”

Actual construction will require a second round of fundraising. The grant gets the organization to the threshold — land owned, design in hand, site prepared — but building the home is phase two.

WHO WILL LIVE THERE?

The CLT intends to prioritize local workers — people already employed in Livingston Manor, Roscoe, and surrounding hamlets who struggle to find housing they can afford on local wages. Rent will be set at roughly 30 percent of household income, the standard affordability benchmark.

“Local businesses are struggling to hire and keep employees because it can be really expensive to live here,” Schantz said. “If you’re a family working in town and making $20 or $25 an hour, we want to make sure the rent is affordable to you.”

A MODEL FOR THE REGION

The CLT is thinking beyond Livingston Manor. Schantz says the organization’s scattered-site approach — identifying vacant infill lots rather than pursuing large developments — translates well across the small river-valley hamlets that define the Catskills. The Binghamton-based First Ward Action Council, a long-established affordable housing nonprofit, serves as one model.

Looking further ahead, the organization envisions not only building new homes but also acquiring and renovating vacant historic structures — a persistent problem in the region, where old homes sit unoccupied because repair costs are prohibitive.

The Town of Rockland has been a key partner, having earned a state “pro-housing community” designation last year through the New York Homes and Community Renewal program. The Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland has served as fiscal sponsor for the young nonprofit.

For Schantz, the timing feels right. “Things are thawing out, and it feels like it’s springtime for our organization,” she said. “We’re excited to hit the ground running this summer and literally get some foundations laid.”

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with Angelo Guisado, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who specializes in immigrants’ rights, and Weldon McWilliams, who serves as chair of one of the oldest Black Studies departments in the nation at SUNY New Paltz on how the history of ICE goes much deeper than what Americans are seeing right now and may be foundational to how we understand this country.

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 federal funding threats from the Trump administration to thousands of public libraries. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar reports.

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 Amendment. The order would deny citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who are in the country without legal status or on temporary visas — upending more than 125 years of legal precedent.

A coalition of civil rights and legal advocacy organizations, including Rural and Migrant Ministry (RMM), has filed an amicus curiae — or "friend of the court" — brief urging the justices to uphold that precedent. 

"What is at stake is basically the overturning of a precedent that's over a hundred years old, which basically states that if you are born on the soil of the United States of America, you are an American citizen," said Juana Cortes de Torres, Director of the Immigrant Legal Rights Project at Rural and Migrant Ministry.

A Century of Precedent

The brief filed by RMM and its partners leans heavily on United States v. Wong Kim Ark, an 1898 Supreme Court decision that affirmed birthright citizenship for children born in the United States regardless of their parents' national origin or immigration status.

"It is one of the first cases that basically explains that anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen under the Constitution," Cortes de Torres said. "That precedent memorializes the words of the 14th Amendment."

From a legal standpoint, she argued, no executive order can accomplish what the administration is attempting. "In order to do that, that would be tantamount to amending the Constitution without the role of Congress," she said. "And in my opinion, that would be chaos."

Twenty-two state attorneys general have also joined the legal fight to block the order.

"A Moment of Crisis and Fear"

Cortes de Torres said immigrant families across New York — from Western New York to Eastern Long Island, the geography RMM serves — are frightened.

"Individuals that come to America are often fleeing the hardships and civil rights violations of their country," she said. "They come to the United States to seek safety and harbor."

If the order were upheld, children born in the United States to undocumented parents or parents on temporary visas could be rendered stateless — without access to healthcare, public education, or the right to vote.

"You're talking about health care, the right to vote, every single social benefit that an American citizen has access to," Cortes de Torres said. "These children will not have access to that."

The Stakes for Rural Communities

The implications are particularly acute in agricultural communities like Sullivan County and the Hudson Valley, where immigrant workers form the backbone of the local economy.

"Who's tending to the fields? Who's cultivating the land? Who is milking the cows? Who works in the mass factories that produce all different kinds of food products?" Cortes de Torres said. "It is resounding to say that all of that work is being done by Latino immigrants."

She argued that the administration has failed to account for the economic contributions immigrants make — from farmworkers to healthcare aides to DACA recipients who have become doctors, lawyers, and scientists.

"They're not really evaluating the worth, the net economic worth, that immigrants bring to the table," she said. "And the fact that that analysis is not being done will, in the end, be harmful to America."

A Political Motive?

When asked what she believes is really driving the effort to restrict birthright citizenship, Cortes de Torres was direct.

"The right to vote," she said. "Children born here of immigrant parents will have the right to vote. Their voices will be heard, and they will be the majority of people. It is political in nature."

She also placed the current moment in historical context, noting that waves of anti-immigrant hostility are not new to the American experience.

"You're seeing history taking place again, where immigrants — this time specifically Latino immigrants — are being attacked," she said. "Other immigrants that have come to this country have also faced these types of attacks. The fact that you are different or you have a different culture should not equal a lack of citizenship by any means."

Looking Ahead

Cortes de Torres said she hopes the Supreme Court issues a ruling before the close of its current term, expected in late spring.

"I'm looking for the Supreme Court to do what is necessary and what is correct legally — to uphold the rule of law and precedent and to uphold the United States Constitution," she said.

For immigrant families anxious about the outcome, she had a simple message: "Don't give up. Always have hope. We're here to help you, and we will help you."

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 Calicoon Theater as part of the second annual International Gay Film Series, paired with Kansas 1989, another LGBTQ+ short directed by Clayton Dean Smith.

The screening is a special one: a works-in-progress showing, offering audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at an unfinished film — and a chance for the filmmaker to gather feedback from his own community.

"It's a very special moment to be able to show that in Calicoon, where we filmed it," Abate said.

A True Story, Rooted in Misinformation and Fear

The film's supernatural premise is drawn from Abate's real life. As a teenager in Hamden, Connecticut, in 1991, he and a friend used a Ouija board to summon a spirit they believed could give people nightmares. When Abate had his first sexual experience shortly after, he woke up consumed by dread — not because of anything that had happened, but because of the AIDS crisis raging around him.

"I thought even kissing would get me infected," he recalled, "because there was just no way — we didn't even have the internet back then."

Without access to accurate health information, cut off from guidance by a church and family that offered condemnation rather than education, Abate found himself terrified that a moment he had long anticipated had become a potential death sentence. In the film, Vinnie turns back to that same spirit, hoping to use it to distance himself from the person he'd been with.

"What was supposed to be just a normal moment turned into a complete crisis," Abate said.

Echoes of the Past in the Present

Abate, who now teaches film at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, wrote the script in the period just before the 2024 presidential election. He sees the story's themes — misinformation, religious condemnation, and institutionalized homophobia — as urgently relevant today.

"I mean, I wrote this just before the election, but now we're seeing this — I don't even need to say what's happening right now," he said. "It is an amazing echo to bring the story back, to show what intolerance looks like and how it affects people even in the most important moments of their life."

When casting the film, Abate and producer Todd Stephens were struck by how unfamiliar young actors were with what it meant to live under the shadow of the AIDS crisis. During auditions, actors asked why characters didn't simply take the medications now available for prevention and treatment.

"Todd was crying in that last moment during the auditions," Abate said, "because just that fear — the way that we operated — just every time you were with someone, that fear that it was going to be met with some sort of a death sentence."

Why Calicoon

Though the story is set in suburban Connecticut, Abate — who lives in Calicoon — chose to film in the small Sullivan County hamlet for its singular atmosphere.

"Calicoon just has this beautiful mystique to it that no other place has," he said. "It looks like it's kind of in a different time zone altogether."

The Calicoon Bridge plays a central role in the film. Abate had hoped to shoot before construction began on the bridge, but found that the scaffolding and decay of the construction site added unexpected texture to the visuals.

In a layer of local connection that won't be lost on Thursday's audience, the Calicoon Theater itself appears in the film — meaning the venue will be hosting, quite literally, a version of itself on the big screen. Abate also noted that the previous owner of his home, Harold Miller, served as projectionist at the theater for 30 years. Miller's projector oil is still in the basement.

"There's all these layers of connectivity that are going to be exciting to see come together on the screen on Thursday night," Abate said.

A Moment of Resilience

Abate situates his film within the arc of queer history — the liberation of the 1970s following the Stonewall uprising, the devastation of the AIDS years, and the hard-won resilience that followed.

"It changed the world forever, but it's also about our resilience," he said. "After being battered in the 80s and seeing so many people die, that was the beginning of revolution — the beginning of reclaiming our identity."

It's a message he believes is once again needed.

"We are strong, resilient. We're not going anywhere. We won't be erased."

The Ghost at Skeleton Rock screens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Calicoon Theater, paired with Kansas 1989 by Clayton Dean Smith. Abate and producer Todd Stephens will be on hand for an artist talk following the screening. Stephens is also known for directing Edge of Seventeen and Swan Song.

In the heart of the Catskills, the Party Farm isn’t just a recording studio—it’s a creative hub for songwriters seeking more than just a place to track vocals. With its cozy Mountain Views lounge, in-house bowling alley, and an atmosphere designed to inspire, the studio has become a beacon for local musicians looking to bring their songs to life.

“We’re looking for songs that grab us,” says Terry Brennan, co-founder of Party Farm. “It’s always exciting when we can take something from a simple demo and elevate it to a full, polished track that makes people feel something.”

For Brennan and co-founder Wendy LaManque, the magic is in the transformation—from raw ideas to fully realized songs. “One of my favorite parts is going from mono to stereo with the vocal harmonies,” Brennan says. “Sometimes we even make people cry.”

LaManque adds that producing a song is about more than just recording—it’s about creating a safe, welcoming space for vulnerability. “It’s a lot to ask people to share a piece of themselves. We try to make them comfortable, to really encourage them to be raw and authentic.”

Last year’s winner, Brian Dunn, found the experience both productive and relaxing. What starts as a simple guitar-and-voice recording can evolve into a rich, layered track with contributions from the studio’s network of talented musicians. “He came prepared to experiment,” Brennan says. “We added drums, harmonies, and even a bit of melodica. It’s amazing to see a song go from inception to a fully produced track.”

The Party Farm team emphasizes that this year’s contest remains a celebration of human creativity. “We’ve added a new rule,” LaManque says. “No AI-generated music. The contest is about original, human songwriting—your chords, lyrics, and melodies.”

The deadline for submissions is March 20 at 11:59 p.m. Songwriters are encouraged to submit early—the winning track is often the one that gets stuck in the minds of Brennan and LaManque as they go about their days.

For more details on contest rules, submission guidelines, and Party Farm’s community events, visit roscopartyfarm.com, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

The leaked memo from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office on the estimated financial impacts of the state’s greenhouse gas reduction law shows average households could face thousands of dollars of extra costs a year.
 
First reported by City and State, the memo from NYSERDA President Doreen Harris to Director of State Operations Jackie Bray dated Thursday says by 2031 — absent any changes – the impact of the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act could cost upstate oil and natural gas households in excess of $4,000 per year.

“So we see this memo as a somewhat disingenuous attempt to renegotiate the whole climate law by using a scare tactic,” Marshall said. “Let me just be clear. This cap and vest program doesn’t exist yet. The government has dragged its feet on it. It was her idea and she and her agencies can design the program any way they want. So if they think that designing it a certain way is going to cost people $4,000 per household, then they shouldn’t design it that way. That’s up to them.”

Marshall spoke in response to Gov. Hochul citing affordability concerns as she considers potential changes to the state’s climate law. “We really do think they’re being overstated,” she said. “Everybody is talking about energy affordability because we have a real energy affordability crisis here in New York that we really need to face. And this cold winter, which I might add is because of climate change, we’re having these weirdly cold winters, is very scary. People’s bills are astronomically high just trying to keep warm and keep the lights on, and that’s scary for everyone. The legislators are hearing from their constituents, etc., and it is a really deep concern.”

Marshall argued that policymakers are seeking easy scapegoats instead of long-term solutions. “What the politicians want to do is find some kind of easy fall guy, point a finger, say it’s not their fault. They don’t want to do the hard work of really looking at the solutions that will actually help people like investing in upgrading the energy efficiency of people’s homes, investing in clean energy solutions that we already know save money for people for the future, and really doing the kind of long-term planning of our energy system that we need in order to reduce future costs for customers.”

On the state’s dependence on fossil fuels, Marshall said, “We have this aging electric system. A lot of our power plants still rely on gas. If gas prices go up, then the cost of electricity goes up. But even more a problem is this gas distribution system that we’re paying through the nose every year more and more to keep. With the amount that people pay on their gas bills, very little of that is actually for the gas. Most of it is to support the system of pipes and infrastructure that brings the gas to you.”

Marshall said advocates are pushing for programs to help households now while transitioning to cleaner energy. “Renewable Heat Now is not only dedicated to defending the climate law and moving a planned transition forward for the energy system, but we’re also super dedicated to helping people right now and making sure programs like the Empower Plus program and the Weatherization Assistance Program are properly funded so that especially the lowest-income households are getting the help they need month-to-month to lower energy bills and be safer and more secure in their homes,” she said.

Marshall also addressed federal challenges, including actions by the Trump administration that affected offshore wind development. “There’s no denying that the Trump administration has not been friendly towards New York’s climate policy, but really the governor has incredible leeway to implement and move forward most of the goals of the CLCPA on her own,” she said.

Looking ahead, Marshall urged the legislature to resist renegotiating the climate law as part of the state budget. “Number one, they should absolutely positively 100% not agree to renegotiate the climate law as part of the budget process. And if the governor wants to renegotiate the climate law, the legislature should say you can do that with us after the budget is over and not during this budget,” she said.

Marshall said clean energy programs can be part of an affordability solution. “We stand by and have plenty of evidence that a clean energy program is an affordability program. We do not see a conflict there. I think that is really the scare tactic that the opposition is trying to use and take advantage of how vulnerable people feel when they open that bill. It is scary, but the culprit for rising energy bills is absolutely not clean energy and we have lots and lots of evidence to show that.”

Meteorological spring, defined by the National Weather Service as the three months of March, April, and May, begins after the 91 coldest days of the year — typically ending February — and is designed to make seasonal statistics easier to track. Astronomical spring, marked by the Vernal Equinox, doesn’t arrive until March 20 at 10:46 a.m. Eastern, when the sun crosses the celestial equator.

“From a statistical perspective, it’s just easier to have fixed months for each season,” said Chad Merrill, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather. “The equinox shifts slightly from year to year, so meteorological seasons give us a clean framework to track averages and trends.”

March is known for its weather volatility, Merrill said. The lingering Arctic cold collides with warming southern air, often producing dramatic swings in temperature. “That’s why we get storms one day, warm sun the next. The Arctic is still cold, but southern areas warm quickly, and March becomes a battleground for these air masses.”

Residents in the Catskills and Upper Delaware River Valley can expect a taste of that volatility this week. AccuWeather predicts 1 to 3 inches of snow tomorrow, transitioning to rain as temperatures climb into the 50s by midweek. The combination of melting ice and rising rivers raises the risk of ice-jam flooding, even with modest precipitation.

Merrill also noted a stratospheric warming event this month, which can temporarily dislodge cold air and bring late-season chills. For the Catskills, that may mean a brief return to cooler temperatures around mid-March, even as the region experiences an early stretch of springlike warmth.

Merrill said, “Early March is usually volatile because of the temperature tug-of-war between the Arctic and southern air masses.”

So, while the calendar may say spring has arrived, residents shouldn’t be surprised if winter’s icy grip makes one last appearance before the Vernal Equinox officially ushers in the season.

“That’s March in the Northeast,” said Merrill. 

“It’s always a pleasure talking to you guys,” says Trevor Tochydlowski, forest specialist with the Wayne Conservation District. “Because I know when I talk to you, that means that spring is just around the corner.”

Tochydlowski is helping organize this year’s Wayne County Maple Tour — a self-guided celebration of a tradition rooted in climate, chemistry and community.

How Maple Syrup Is Made

For anyone who has driven rural backroads this time of year, the most common question is about those bright blue tubes weaving through the trees.

“Most of the time, when people are driving around the roads in the area, the biggest question I always get is, ‘What are those blue lines running between the trees in the forest?’” Tochydlowski says. “They’re maple sap lines.”

At its core, he explains, maple syrup production is simple — at least in theory.

“Maple syrup is one of those things that at its core is very simple,” he says. “But if anyone has ever taken a personal interest, they’ll realize very quickly that it’s a pretty deep rabbit hole.”

Producers tap primarily sugar maple trees — sometimes red maples — and collect sap through gravity-fed tubing systems or other setups that channel the liquid to a central collection point. From there, the goal is straightforward: remove the water and isolate the sugar.

“Regardless of the route you decide to take, the core process is to reduce the water content from the sap and isolate the sugar,” Tochydlowski says.

That reduction requires heat — often from a traditional wood-fired evaporator. Some larger operations add reverse osmosis systems to concentrate the sap before boiling. But no matter the technology, the math remains the same.

“Forty gallons in an ideal situation of raw tree sap converts down to one gallon of maple syrup,” he says.

Forty to one.

“It’s a pretty expensive process. A lot of work,” he adds. Then he laughs. “But a gallon of syrup lasts an awful long time in my house.”

Why Northeast Pennsylvania Is Ideal for Maple Syrup

Sugar maples grow across much of the eastern United States. But not every region can produce high-quality maple syrup.

“The reason why the area is so special is mainly because of the climate,” Tochydlowski says.

The key is the freeze-thaw cycle — cold nights followed by warmer days. That temperature swing creates pressure inside the tree.

“It’s kind of an involuntary process,” he explains. “Because of that freeze-thaw cycle, it creates a pressure gradient in the tree that forces sap in the roots up through the trunk.”

The sap carries sugars stored in the roots during winter dormancy. Producers drill a small hole — about an inch deep — to access the flowing sap.

In regions without consistent freeze-thaw cycles, trees convert stored sugars into compounds that don’t taste good to humans. So even where sugar maples grow, syrup production isn’t always viable.

“We’re very fortunate that Northeast Pennsylvania — and areas of New York and Vermont — have the perfect conditions to make sap flow and have it filled with the sugars we want for maple syrup,” Tochydlowski says. “The best stuff is right here in our backyard.”

A Self-Guided Maple Tour Across Wayne County

This year’s Maple Tour takes place Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s a one-day, self-guided event featuring nine sugarhouses across Wayne County and surrounding areas.

“You can expect to see a pretty decent variety,” Tochydlowski says. “Some are more in that hobbyist territory — small sugarhouses — and then there are others with excess of 25,000 taps.”

In past years, buses transported visitors between sites. But the county’s size made self-guiding more practical.

“It usually makes more sense for people to pick and choose locations that are closer to them,” he says. “Maybe visit two or three — or if you’re feeling really ambitious, go to all nine.”

Along the way, two locations will host pancake breakfasts featuring locally produced syrup.

“Nothing beats them,” Tochydlowski says.

The tour itself is free. (The pancakes are not.)

Education, Access — and a Gateway Hobby

For the conservation district, the event isn’t just about syrup. It’s about education.

“One of the best aspects is the educational piece,” Tochydlowski says. “It’s a great opportunity for producers to show people how it’s done.”

Visitors often leave surprised by how accessible maple sugaring can be.

“I’ve heard this feedback directly from participants,” he says. “They go out and learn, ‘Oh, I might actually have some of these trees on my property.’ And you really don’t need all that many to make maple syrup yourself.”

Like any hobby, it can scale dramatically — from a few backyard taps to industrial operations with tens of thousands.

“You can really get into it and invest in some pretty crazy equipment,” he says. “Or you can do things in a pretty simple way.”

For many, seeing the evaporators in action and speaking directly with producers who have “years, if not decades, of experience” is what makes the tour memorable.

“It’s eye-opening,” Tochydlowski says. “It’s very much accessible to a lot of people who live in this area.”

That tracks with what communities are seeing across New York state and the country. 

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Meghan Maloney de Zaldivar, Vice President of Advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition, to learn what record high ICE detainments can tell us about Trump’s deportation plans.

The updated rules require many adults without young children to document at least 80 hours per month of work or approved activity to continue receiving benefits long-term.

“SNAP has actually had work requirements for quite some time,” said Krista Hesdorfer, Director of Public Affairs at Hunger Solutions New York. “But they have been waived in most parts of New York.”

That waiver has now ended under a federal budget bill passed last summer, triggering stricter enforcement statewide.

What’s Changing?

The rules, often referred to as the “able-bodied adults without dependents” requirements, limit certain adults to just three months of SNAP benefits within a three-year period unless they:

* Work at least 80 hours per month
* Participate in approved job training or community service
* Or document that they qualify for an exemption

“The federal budget bill effectively ends New York’s waiver of those rules,” Hesdorfer said. “So now people across the state who have been held harmless will now be affected by the time limit.”

The legislation also expands who must comply. Advocates estimate that an additional 200,000 New Yorkers who were previously exempt will now be subject to the requirements.

Who Must Meet the 80-Hour Rule?

Under the new policy, individuals must comply if they:

* Are between ages 18 and 64
* Do not have children under 14 in their household
* Are deemed able to work

One significant change affects older adults.

“The groups who are newly subject to the work rules include older adults age 55 to 64 who were previously exempt,” Hesdorfer said. “We’re really concerned about the impacts on that age group, knowing that many people face ageism when trying to find a new job later in life.”

Households with children 14 and older are also newly included. At the same time, exemptions that previously covered veterans, youth aging out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness were eliminated in the federal bill.

Overall, between 300,000 and 500,000 New Yorkers could be affected. Nearly 3 million residents participate in SNAP statewide.

“Many people are not subject to these rules and should continue to receive benefits without disruption,” Hesdorfer emphasized. About 30% of SNAP participants in New York are children, who are not subject to work requirements.

The Exemptions — and Why They Matter

Advocates say the key to preventing unnecessary hunger lies in ensuring eligible recipients properly claim exemptions.

“You may be exempt if you are outside the age range of the policy,” Hesdorfer explained. That includes individuals under 18 or 65 and older, as well as households with a child under 14.

Other common exemptions include:

* Physical or mental health conditions that limit ability to work 80 hours per month
* Receiving disability benefits, such as VA or New York State disability
* Receiving or applying for SSI or unemployment benefits
* Pregnancy
* Caring for a young child or an incapacitated person
* Participation in drug or alcohol treatment programs
* Enrollment in school or job training at least half-time
* Already meeting work requirements through another program

Hesdorfer noted that the term “able-bodied adults without dependents” can be misleading and stigmatizing.

“Many people have disabilities and they don’t necessarily share that information,” she said. “I would encourage anybody to hear that term with skepticism.”

Research from previous SNAP work requirement rollouts found that people with disabilities who should have been exempt lost benefits at the same rate as those required to comply.

“That’s why communication about exemptions and the screening process is so critical,” Hesdorfer said.

What Documentation Is Required?

Documentation requirements vary depending on the exemption. In some cases, self-attestation may be sufficient. In others, recipients may need verification from a medical provider.

New York State has developed standardized templates to reduce paperwork burdens.

“It really feels to me like there’s an effort from our state agencies, local agencies, and community partners to make sure people can keep their benefits and minimize paperwork barriers,” Hesdorfer said.

Anyone who receives a notice indicating they may be subject to the new rules should read it carefully and contact their caseworker immediately if they believe they qualify for an exemption.

“They are there to help you,” she said.

Who Is Most at Risk?

Hesdorfer expressed particular concern for:

* Individuals with unreported disabilities or mental health conditions
* Adults aged 55 to 64
* People without stable housing or transportation

“Work rules are inherently flawed,” she said. “Someone might have housing one month and not the next, or their car breaks down — and now they could lose their food assistance too. No one should have to worry about that.”

Ripple Effects on Food Banks and Local Economies

Advocates warn that food banks cannot absorb large-scale SNAP losses.

“SNAP is by far our largest anti-hunger program. For every one meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine,” Hesdorfer said. “Food banks and food pantries can’t simply fill the gap.”

As food costs remain high and demand continues to climb post-pandemic, she said the ripple effects could extend to housing stability, health outcomes, and local economies.

“When people lose their SNAP benefits, they may face impossible choices,” Hesdorfer said. “Do I pay the rent or buy groceries? Do I pay my utility bill or pick up my medication? Nobody should ever have to make those choices.”

What If Benefits Are Wrongly Cut?

Recipients have the right to request a fair hearing if they believe a decision was made in error. An administrative law judge reviews the case and can order corrections if needed.

How to Get Help

Hunger Solutions New York operates a statewide network of 86 SNAP navigators through its Nutrition Outreach and Education Program. Navigators provide free assistance with applications, documentation, and exemption screening.

“We’re focused on equipping our network of SNAP navigators,” Hesdorfer said. “They’re extremely well trained in every aspect of SNAP policy, including these new rules.”

New Yorkers can find their local navigator at foodhelpny.org or contact their county social services office directly.

As the March 1 implementation date approaches, advocates are urging recipients not to ignore official notices — and to ask questions if they are unsure of their status.

“Our goal is to make sure as many people as possible can keep their benefits,” Hesdorfer said.

At Second Marks, a collaborative art show at Chester's Creative Studio, 12 local artists are doing something few creators willingly attempt: handing over their finished work to another artist — and trusting them to transform it.

The result is part creative experiment, part celebration of the area’s deep artistic bench — and part lifeline for local public media. Proceeds from the show will benefit Radio Catskill.

From Leftover Canvases to Fresh Vision

The idea began with artist Leigh Allison, who noticed something many creatives quietly admit: finished pieces often linger in studios, tucked away once exhibitions end.

“Most artists have artwork kind of laying around,” Allison said. “And I really wanted to show off the artists in the Catskill area — mainly Sullivan County — where there’s so much inspiration.”

The twist? Artists would swap those existing works and reinterpret them into something entirely new.

Allison approached Catherine Chesters, founder of Chester’s Creative, with the concept. Chesters was immediately on board.

To keep things fair — and unpredictable — the pair invited about two dozen artists, ultimately landing on 12 participants. Pairings were decided by drawing names from a jar.

“We didn’t want to be responsible for matching people,” Chesters said, laughing. “So we did a draw. That was actually the most complicated part.”

A Creative Challenge — By Design

Participants described the process as both exhilarating and intimidating.

“There was some caution,” Chesters said. “It was a challenge.”

But that tension is the point. The show embraces what might be called creative recycling — or shared authorship — as artists surrender control and reinterpret someone else’s voice.

The roster spans mediums and styles: painters, graphic designers, digital artists, ceramicists. Some pairings revealed surprising synergy; others pushed artists into unfamiliar territory.

“It was incredible to see,” Chesters said. “Some people’s work really complemented each other in ways we couldn’t have planned.”

Opening night will also feature sound by Alex Fable, turning the exhibit into a multi-sensory community gathering.

Supporting Local Media in a Tough Moment

The event’s fundraising mission adds urgency.

With federal funding shifts affecting public media nationwide, stations like Radio Catskill are increasingly dependent on community backing. For Chesters, supporting local journalism and storytelling isn’t optional — it’s essential.

“It’s essential that we have national and local radio. A voice and a medium for investigative journalism and truth to be reported. We have to support what roots us together. Supporting each other is what it’s about,” Chesters said. “In hard times, you need to see bright things.”

Dr. Jackie Faherty, curator in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History says, "The misnomer on it is that it's an alignment…if you took your finger and you pointed it up and towards one of the planets, all of the planets would be in a line along that finger. And that's just not the case.”

Instead, Faherty likens the planets’ motion to cars on a racetrack. “The Earth is on a side of the racetrack as it's going around the Sun that the other planets…are also on that side. So right now, if you go out, you have to do this right at sunset or else you're not going to catch the planets as they're setting. They're always there, but they are currently on the side of the race track that we're on.”

Why This Planetary Parade Is Special

While planetary parades are not unheard of, Faherty explains, “It happened a year and a half ago…it's just related to the orbital periods, the amount of time it takes any one of the planets to make its way around the Sun.” Mercury orbits in roughly 88 days, Venus in just over 200, Earth in 365, and Mars takes about twice that. Outer planets take even longer, which makes this simultaneous appearance a rare visual treat.
"This planetary parade just means that we are catching them on that planetary disk that they're going around on where it's dark at night where we can see a bunch of them," Dr. Faherty said.

How to Spot the Planets Visible Tonight

Not all planets are visible to the naked eye, Faherty notes, and timing is key. “Your eye can see to a magnitude of six. Uranus is like at the hairy edge of that…Neptune is like 7.8 on the number scale, so no human can see Neptune by eye. Mercury…should be bright, but the problem is Mercury and Venus are very close to the Sun…you're fighting the sunset if you're trying to see them.”

For casual skywatchers, she recommends starting with the brightest planets: “Venus should pop out at you because Venus is very bright…The easiest one you're going to have to find is going to be Jupiter. Jupiter is super bright right now and it's high…it doesn't set until like 2:00 in the morning. Mercury and Venus and then Saturn…If you want to find Uranus and Neptune, I suggest binoculars or a telescope because those two are very, very faint.”

A Chance to Connect With the Cosmos

Faherty emphasizes that the planetary parade is as much about engagement as discovery. “It's 100% an engagement…watching the planets as they move across the sky was state-of-the-art astrophysics several hundred years ago. We've solved all of the planetary motion questions that exist…So right now it's both a way to engage the public in looking up and a reminder of how far we've come and how much we understand about the universe.”

For those hoping to catch the planetary parade in the evening sky, patience and practice are key. “You need to go outside, try it tonight, practice every night…Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then the planets start to get a little bit further, but you can still try Sunday, Monday,” Faherty said.

The coalition brings together farmers, businesses, hunger relief organizations and environmental advocates to reduce the amount of food sent to landfills, where it generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The goal: curb emissions while redirecting more surplus food to communities in need.

New Yorkers waste roughly 22,000 metric tons of food each year, costing households an estimated $141 million in lost grocery spending. When that food ends up in landfills, it produces significant emissions — accounting for more than half of landfill methane statewide.

“This is something, as you can imagine, I’m incredibly excited about,” said Niamh Moore, director of Healthy Communities at Environmental Advocates NY. “The Food Waste Action Network is a group of environmental climate and food rescue organizations who all come together to reduce the amount of food that New Yorkers are wasting, which will save us money, help reduce emissions and really hopefully get through to those who most need it.”

A Statewide Coalition

Founding partners include City Harvest, Island Harvest Food Bank, Earthjustice, and Environmental Advocates NY.

“Our mission is clear,” Moore said. “What we want to do is we want to influence New York State and local food waste policy so that we can increase food access, stop the flow of food to landfills and reduce unnecessary methane emissions.”

Why Food Waste Is “Low-Hanging Fruit” for Climate Action

Moore calls food waste “low-hanging fruit” in the fight against climate change.

“It’s really low-hanging fruit because food waste simply doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “We can stop buying food that we don’t need. We can donate excess food before it goes out of date so that we can get it to those most in need and stop it going to landfills.”

When food decomposes in landfills, it releases methane — a greenhouse gas far more powerful than carbon dioxide in the near term.

“Methane is a powerful and potent greenhouse gas that I’m not sure if folks are aware, but it’s 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, particularly over the first 20 years of it reaching the atmosphere,” Moore said. “Even though carbon dioxide has longer lasting effects, methane itself drives the pace for global warming in the near term.”

She added: “When we think about getting food out of landfills, that’s a real positive step in the right direction to stop methane from being produced to begin with.”

Addressing Hunger Alongside Emissions

The coalition is also focused on food access.

“It can be real easy to look at food waste and just look at the climate perspective,” Moore said. “But also look at folks who are limited in their access to food and not think about what ways we could increase the access that it gets to them.”

“At every level, whether it be at a farm, a kitchen table or in a food bank, when we waste food, it just means people are going to go hungry. It’s simple demand,” she said. “If we can keep it out of landfills, we can increase the opportunity that folks have to donate this food to partners like City Harvest or Island Harvest, who are incredible at getting it to those who most need it.”

Confusing Food Date Labels

One policy priority for the coalition is standardizing food date labeling. Currently, most food date labels are not federally regulated, leading to widespread confusion.

“We’ve heard from so many people that they’re not aware that food date labels aren’t federally regulated,” Moore said. “The vast majority of states aren’t regulating them either apart from California.”

“As a result, we have seen research that states that about 20% of edible food that is wasted is a direct result of confusion around food date labeling,” she said. “When people don’t understand what a label means, how can we expect them to understand if the food is safe or not?”

Moore points to new legislation in California, which will standardize food date labels starting January 1, 2027. She hopes New York will follow suit.

“We should have simpler labeling available to folks so that we’re not throwing out perfectly good foods that many New Yorkers could eat,” she said.

Policy and Practical Changes

Beyond labeling, the coalition is closely watching New York City’s solid waste management plan, which governs how waste is handled and exported.

“Hundreds of millions is spent on exporting waste from New York City every year,” Moore said. “And if we just simply stop this waste from occurring, local governments and New Yorkers as individuals get to reap the benefits.”

The network is also encouraging farmers, grocery stores and restaurants to rethink purchasing and donation practices — and asking consumers to do the same.

“It’s very easy to see the two-for-one offer, but I myself am guilty of maybe not being able to actually consume all that food,” Moore said. She urged businesses and households to ensure surplus food “actually goes to rescue organizations just like City Harvest and Island Harvest.”

What New Yorkers Can Do Now

For individuals, Moore says change starts at home.

“When you’re looking at the dates on a package, try to remember right now we don’t have any regulation around the terms that are used,” she said. “If you see ‘packaged on,’ ‘sell by,’ ‘use by’ — any of these different 60-plus different terms that are out there — just remember they’re not regulated.”

“What you do need to do though is use your senses — use your taste, your smell, your eyes — to understand whether food is fresh and safe to eat,” she said. “You’ll be able to throw a lot less away by doing this. You’ll be able to have a lot more food available for your family to eat and you’ll be able to have a really big impact on this food waste and climate crisis that we’re experiencing right now.”

Now, he's running for New York's 102nd State Assembly District. Radio Catskill's Tim Bruno spoke with Molinaro about the decision.

Colorectal cancer — cancer that develops in the large intestine, including the colon and rectum — was once considered primarily a disease affecting people over 50. But doctors say that’s no longer the case.

“Colorectal cancer is becoming an increasingly common cancer in patients under 50, which is a new trend we’ve seen over the last 10 to 15 years,” said Dr. Brian Kleinman, a board-certified gastroenterologist and internist at Crystal Run Healthcare. “And so it’s very important because of this increase that we make people aware of it as well as provide more information about screening recommendations.”

A significant shift in who’s at risk

The rise in diagnoses among younger adults has been steady — and concerning.

“This trend is pretty significant,” Kleinman said. “About four to five years ago now we saw the national screening recommendations change where the recommendations used to be to start routine colonoscopies at age 50.”

Those guidelines were lowered to 45. But even that may not fully address what doctors are seeing.

“And even since that time we’ve seen patients in their early 40s that are developing advanced polyps and colorectal cancer,” he said. “And so there’s been about 2.9% increase per year over the last like 10 years or so that we’ve seen in people under 50.”

Researchers are still working to understand why. Kleinman points to several possible contributors: diets lower in fiber and fruits and vegetables, higher consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, obesity, alcohol use and tobacco. Scientists are also studying whether changes in the gut microbiome — the bacteria that live in the digestive tract — may play a role.

Why colonoscopy remains the “gold standard”

As awareness grows, so does the need for screening. Colonoscopy remains the most reliable test.

During the procedure, “a thin flexible camera with a light on the end is passed through the anus and around the entire colon, which is about 5 feet long,” Kleinman explained. Doctors can view the entire colon and identify polyps — growths that can sometimes become cancerous.

“During the colonoscopy, we have the opportunity to identify and also remove those polyps so that they don’t become bigger and potentially more serious in the future,” he said.

The procedure is typically done under sedation. “Patients that undergo a colonoscopy do not experience pain or discomfort during the procedure,” Kleinman said. “It’s a very short-acting sedative. So the recovery time is minimal.”

Most patients leave within an hour and return to normal activity the next day.

Addressing fear and hesitation

Despite its effectiveness, screening rates remain below national targets.

“I think the most common fear I have is that people are nervous about the prep,” Kleinman said. The preparation involves avoiding solid foods for 24 hours and drinking a laxative solution the night before.

“A lot of patients will come in for the procedure and they’ll tell me I was so nervous about the prep. It really wasn’t so bad,” he said. “Those are small things to do in terms of what we could potentially prevent by actually getting the colonoscopy done. It’s one day or a day and a half out of your life, and hopefully, are able to prolong that life by detecting polyps.”

Other barriers include anxiety about anesthesia or fear of what a test might reveal.

“But hopefully, more outreach and more awareness that we can spread, we’ll see more patients coming in to get these tests done,” he said.

Family history and earlier screening

For people with a family history of colorectal cancer, screening often needs to begin sooner.

“The typical recommendation is to start at age 40 or 10 years younger than when their relative was diagnosed with colon cancer,” Kleinman said.

Certain inherited conditions require even earlier and more intensive monitoring. For younger adults without symptoms but with concerns, Kleinman urges proactive conversations with primary care providers.

“It’s important to certainly not ignore any symptoms,” he said. “But also just to discuss things like family history … and just their overall concerns, if they do want to better understand what their risks are and maybe what they can do to lower the risk.”

Prevention beyond screening

Screening saves lives — but lifestyle also matters.

“We know that obesity and lack of exercise as well as poor dietary choices definitely are not great in general for gut health and certainly it can increase … the risk,” Kleinman said.

He encourages diets high in fiber, fruits and vegetables, less processed meat, regular exercise and limiting alcohol and tobacco use.

Looking ahead, Kleinman hopes advances in research could lead to even earlier detection. “Everybody would love to see a blood test to detect any type of cancer,” he said. “Those things are potentially on the horizon in the future to help with early detection and increased screening.”

At Liberty Elementary School, teachers are reshaping how they improve their craft through Lesson Structure Study (LSS) — a collaborative process that puts educators in charge of refining their own teaching, with student engagement at the center.

A Shift from Traditional Professional Development

For years, professional development often meant outside experts delivering strategies and sending teachers back to busy classrooms to figure out implementation on their own.

Voigtland, who first encountered Lesson Structure Study 15 to 20 years ago as a classroom teacher, said this model is different.

Instead of being told what to do, teachers:

• Set a goal for improvement
• Plan a lesson collaboratively
• Teach and observe student engagement
• Debrief and revise
• Reteach and refine

The five-step cycle is repeated three times before findings are shared with the entire school.

Focused on Students — Not Teachers

Unlike formal evaluations, LSS observations center on students.

Teachers observing the lesson track how students interact with instruction, then gather feedback to guide improvements.

The result? A culture where teachers feel comfortable experimenting and “failing forward.”

Real Changes in the Classroom

First-grade teachers Christina Burns and Megan Henry say the process led them to implement student-centered math rotations and choice boards.

Students now:

• Choose learning centers
• Take on leadership roles
• Engage in peer-to-peer problem solving

Burns added that student choice has not only increased engagement but also helped her differentiate instruction more effectively.

Teachers Learning from Teachers

After piloting the program in the math department last year, teachers shared their findings school-wide. The impact spread quickly.

Colleagues began implementing LSS-inspired strategies in their own classrooms — even if they weren’t part of the original cohort.

Voigtland’s long-term vision is for LSS to become fully teacher-driven.

Building a Culture of Growth

Liberty Elementary is a Leader in Me school, and administrators say LSS aligns closely with that philosophy — empowering both teachers and students to take ownership.

Looking ahead, Voigtland hopes the model expands not just within the elementary school, but eventually to the middle and high school levels.

“Our goal,” he said, “is continuous improvement — sharpening teaching so students get the best education possible.”

From Sullivan County Walk to The New Yorker

Strasser had been trying to break into The New Yorker for years before she approached Coy.

“I had been trying to submit cartoons to the New Yorker for quite some time before I approached Bizzy,” Strasser says. “And we took a nice walk and I said, ‘Listen, Bizzy, you know, I’ve got these cartoons, I have these drawings, and I think they’re wonderful, but nobody else does.’ And I was wondering if you might look at them and perhaps take a new perspective on some of the captions because Bizzy is a brilliant comedic writer.”

Coy’s initial response?

“She said, ‘No.’”

“That’s true. That’s true,” Coy says, laughing. “You know, but Leah’s persistent. You know, she’s a persistent person. She knows what she wants.”

Six months later, persistence paid off.

“She followed up with me about six months later,” Coy says. “And I had kind of gotten used to the idea. And I said, ‘All right, send me some of your cartoons.’ And she had a treasure trove of amazing cartoons. And it didn’t take much word smithing to kind of tweak her captions and tweak what she had. And it was really fun. It’s very addicting to like come up with a caption.”

That’s how their partnership — part caption contest, part comedy duo — began.

Playing the Caption Contest

If you’ve ever flipped to the back page of The New Yorker, you know the caption contest: a single cartoon, thousands of possible punchlines.

Coy says that’s often exactly how they work.

“Leah, isn’t that exactly what I call it sometimes — is I’m playing caption contest with Leah’s illustrations?”

Strasser agrees. “As a matter of fact, I texted Bizzy an illustration late last night. Late last night, too late. ‘Hey, you know, do you want to play? The caption contest, the caption contest.’”

“You can guess what I said,” Coy adds.

“She said no.”

“Yeah, well Bizzy said no.”

“A lot of our comedy comes from my eagerness to connect and Bizzy’s not wanting to,” Strasser says. “And my persistence, you know, and the comedy there that ensues.”

The Hardest Part: Rejection

Breaking into The New Yorker without being on staff means pitching — again and again.

“You’re kind of pitching these ideas every time, right?” the interviewer asks.

“Yeah,” Coy says. “Not giving up is the huge thing. Tenacity. And Leah is a model of tenacity. This has been a dream of hers for a long time and she really put the work in.”

Strasser’s advice to aspiring cartoonists isn’t about pen technique or joke structure. It’s about ego.

“It truly is developing this kind of rough outer shell and emptying out of your ego,” she says. “And that’s I think that’s actually the hardest thing — not making the drawings, not coming up with ideas, but the continual rejection. Because if you can get through that, there, you know, you might get a yes one day.”

Coy adds, “There is almost no rhyme or reason, which means you just have to generate a lot of work and see what sticks.”

Talk Toons in Narrowsburg: Cartoons, Rejects and Laughs

At Sunday’s Talk Toons event in Narrowsburg, the pair will project Strasser’s drawings and invite the audience to craft their own punchlines in a live cartoon caption contest.

“We’re going to bring some of those cool drawings up on the screen,” Coy says, “and we laugh as a group at the incredible things that people come up with. When we’ve done this in the past, it’s amazing. Don’t you agree, Lia? What people come up with that we never would have thought of.”

“It is so inspiring and so fun,” Strasser says. “What I love that happens is we’ll take one concept and sort of evolve it and push it further, which is definitely how Bizzy and I work together on our own submissions.”

And yes — they’ll share the rejects.

“It’s going to be all rejects,” Strasser jokes. “We really do have a treasure trove… not only work that we’ve sold that also not only has appeared in The New Yorker but has appeared in the pages of the esteemed River Reporter… and in addition a wonderful array of rejected pieces that I think just haven’t found a home yet. But are still wonderfully funny, I think.”

The event is free. More information? Well.

“More information basically nowhere,” Strasser says. “That’s kind of all the information we have at this point. But yes, please connect with us on socials and we’re still looking forward to laughing together on Sunday.”

From a Florida closet to a Main Street stage in Narrowsburg, Strasser and Coy are proof that cartooning is equal parts craft, collaboration and stubborn optimism — with just enough rejection to make the punchlines sweeter.

Under new rules from the <a href="https://dmv.ny.gov/points-and-penalties/the-new-york-state-driver-point-system" target="_blank">New York State Department of Motor Vehicles</a>, alcohol- or drug-related driving offenses and aggravated unlicensed operation now carry 11 points — enough to trigger an automatic suspension. Previously, those violations carried zero points.

Other violations, including passing a stopped school bus or speeding in a construction zone, now carry eight points. A cell phone violation remains at five.

The union representing state troopers says it supports holding reckless drivers accountable. But it’s also warning that many motorists may not understand how dramatically the system has changed.

“Drivers need to be aware that the point system is coming into effect,” said Charles W. Murphy, president of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association. “First and foremost, member safety is a big thing and our people are public servants. So, they don’t just hand the ticket out and walk away.”

Murphy says troopers often stay roadside to answer questions — and that can put them at risk.

“When people have questions on this ticket, they stay and explain it and try to let them know what it is,” he said. “By doing that, they’re in harm’s way longer. And as you know, our troopers get struck unfortunately at a very high rate. It’s one of the things that actually causes most deaths in law enforcement.”

<strong>A Single Offense, Immediate Suspension</strong>

Previously, alcohol- and drug-related driving offenses carried zero points under the DMV system. Now they jump to 11.

Murphy says the hope is that tougher penalties will deter dangerous behavior before a citation is ever issued.

“We’re hopeful… through the education that we’re going to start seeing people really start to look for those other options — your Ubers, your Lyft — making sure you have a reason to get home in a safe way,” he said. “That’s what we want.”

<strong>Look-Back Period Extends to 24 Months</strong>
The expansion of the look-back period from 18 to 24 months could also catch drivers off guard.

Previously, Murphy explained, “after 18 months, these points kind of fall off. They wouldn’t affect your insurance and if you were having to pay a driver responsibility fee, then it would come off.”

Now, “by having it go 24 months, you’re going to be paying those responsibility fees at a longer rate… points will be held against the driver for a longer.”

That means someone who assumed older violations were behind them could find themselves at risk of suspension — or higher insurance premiums — for six additional months.

“Unless they’re educated to this… they may choose to try to take some type of responsibility class to have those points reduced off their license,” Murphy said. “But if they don’t have the education, they’re not going to know to do it until they get the bill.”

<strong>Distracted Driving Still a Concern</strong>
While impaired driving penalties saw a dramatic increase, a cell phone violation remains at five points. Murphy noted that distracted driving remains a persistent issue, even as DWI arrests have slowly declined.

“The numbers say it is slowly going down for the driving while intoxicated. However, distracted driving, it’s still up there,” Murphy said. “People have done it all through times for driving… It’s always going to be a problem with driving. That’s why the education of being out there and telling people the dangers of it.”

<strong>More Court Challenges?</strong>
Stricter penalties could also mean more drivers contesting tickets in court — something Murphy acknowledged as a possibility.

“It may cause some drivers to be unable to maybe get a reduction… and they’ll want to try to take it all the way through to a trial,” he said. “But again, we’re out here to enforce the laws and we’ll do our jobs as needed.”

For now, the union’s focus is on awareness.

“It might be the one and only time their stop and a citation is issued,” Murphy said of motorists. “They have many questions, concerns, thoughts in their head at that moment… and that’s where our people are standing on the side of the road explaining this longer and longer and putting themselves in harm’s way longer.”

<strong>The Bottom Line for Drivers</strong>
Murphy’s message is straightforward:

“Just please be aware that before violations that were not going to be penalized with severity are going to be now penalized with a very harsh penalty and it will affect your insurance,” he said. “So please educate yourself from doing these dangerous driving behaviors, so that you don’t have to be corrected by us.”

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on the horizon, former Congressman Chris Gibson says the country is facing a defining test — one that echoes the perilous summer of 1787.

He calls it “the spirit of Philadelphia.”

“So, the spirit of Philadelphia is what happened at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 when they finally compromised on the issue of how to work the legislature and representation,” Gibson said in a live interview. “Their back was up against it. And so, they came together.”

Gibson will expand on that theme Sunday at Time and the Valleys Museum, where he’ll discuss his book, The Spirit of Philadelphia: A Call to Recover the Founding Principles, and what he sees as a modern crisis of trust.

A Nation on the Brink — Then and Now

The former Army officer and Republican congressman paints a stark picture of the years under the Articles of Confederation.

“The country at the time, not even really a country — the Confederation was close to failing, and the leaders knew it,” Gibson said.

Delegates arrived in Philadelphia divided. Large states demanded representation by population. Small states feared being swallowed whole. For weeks, they stalled.

“They didn’t even get a quorum for 10 days,” Gibson noted. “And then for three weeks, they struggled with the same question.”

What broke the deadlock was the Connecticut Compromise — a breakthrough that blended proportional representation in the House with equal representation in the Senate.

“When they finally compromise… that changed the mood of the entire convention,” he said. “All of a sudden, what seemed insurmountable was actually insurmountable.”

That shift — from stalemate to shared purpose — is the “spirit” Gibson believes Americans must rediscover.

Trust at Historic Lows

Gibson argues today’s political dysfunction mirrors that earlier instability.

“This is the lowest level of trust, confidence and faith in institutions and leaders in all the time they’ve been doing this research,” he said, referencing decades of public opinion data. “So regardless of what folks want to see happen, they all agree that it’s not what’s going on right now.”

He draws a sharp distinction between philosophy and ideology. The founders, he argues, set aside partisan agendas to answer more fundamental questions: Who are we? And how should power be structured given human nature?

“They make the conclusion that we’re conflicted as a species,” Gibson said. “Certainly capable of love and sacrifice… but if we’re being very bluntly honest about ourselves, we have a side of us that we don’t hope to show to people.”

Because of that realism, he says, the framers designed a system that checked ambition with ambition — separating and balancing power.

“When you consolidate and centralize power, there just aren’t examples in history where that’s worked out well for us, we the people,” Gibson said.

Emergency Powers and Congressional Drift

One of Gibson’s central arguments is that Congress has gradually surrendered its constitutional responsibilities — particularly to the presidency.

“We have so much accumulated power in the presidency,” he said. “That was never the intent of the founders.”

He points specifically to emergency powers and trade authority.

“How is it that president is doing all this work on tariffs when the Constitution explicitly, Article 1, Section 8 gives that power to the people’s representatives?” he asked. “And I have to tell them it’s just a tortured answer.”

Gibson argues emergency powers should automatically sunset unless reapproved by Congress. War powers, too, should return to legislative debate and recorded votes.

“The people, we the people, were supposed to have a say,” he said.

Rebuilding Trust Starts with Hard Work

Gibson doesn’t sugarcoat the effort required to repair civic life.

“I remember my time in the Army… the workouts were really arduous,” he said. “If you were to wake me up in the middle of the night and say, ‘Do I really enjoy CrossFit?’ I don’t think I would have said yes. But I knew it was good for me.”

Democracy, he suggests, requires similar discipline: reading deeply, thinking critically, engaging respectfully.

“We need to read and we need to think,” Gibson said. “And then we need to reach out to each other.”

He believes collaboration itself can transform hardened attitudes, citing social science research on “cognitive dissonance” — the tension between belief and lived experience.

“When we believe one thing and experience another, the human mind reduces dissonance, and it tends to move toward experience,” he said.

In other words: work together, and minds can change.

“Is the System Basically Fair?”

Gibson proposes a series of reforms — independent redistricting, campaign finance reform, term limits, tax and trade reform — all centered on one guiding question:

“Is the system basically fair?” he asked. “Right now, the overwhelming majority of Americans… think the system’s rigged.”

Then he adds, candidly: “I wish I could tell you after my six years serving in Congress that I didn’t believe that. But I do believe that. I think our system is rigged.”

Still, Gibson insists America’s best days are not behind it.

“I absolutely believe that this Republic — we’re capable of getting back on track and having our best days yet.”

Event Details

Chris Gibson speaks Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Time and the Valleys Museum in Grahamsville, with options to attend in person or virtually. More information is available through the museum and at his website.

As the semiquincentennial approaches, Gibson’s message is less nostalgia than challenge: the founders, he argues, were imperfect but pragmatic — willing to debate fiercely, then compromise.

“We can do this,” he said. “We can recover that spirit that we achieved in Philadelphia in 1787.”

The fourth annual Jell-O Jamboree, hosted by the Midtown Kingston Arts District (MKAD), returns Saturday with what organizer Chris O’Neill calls “a fun, jiggly live event with all sorts of amazing activities for children and adults.”

At the center of the evening is the Jell-O sculpture competition — a showcase that has grown more ambitious each year. “It truly is amazing,” O’Neill said. “You will see some of these and the fact that they are technically edible Jell-O will not be believable — but they are. The work that people make is just mind-blowing.”

Nearly 30 artists are expected to participate, with entries ranging from abstract forms to pop culture references. Last year, one submission recreated the infamous duct-taped banana artwork by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan — only this time, entirely in gelatin.

Beyond sculpture, the jamboree leans into its playful spirit. There’s a spin-the-wheel game that O’Neill describes as “one of the highlights of the event,” plus a much-anticipated “Jell-O ring toss.” Pressed to explain how exactly that works, O’Neill laughed: “You’re going to have to see in person. It has to be seen to be experienced.”

Of course, there will be plenty of Jell-O to sample, alongside other fare. For adults, the menu includes boozy Jell-O cocktails and specialty gelatin shots made with a local distillery, as well as beer and wine. Live music keeps the energy high, with Nova Darkstar bringing disco-infused new wave and R&B sounds, and Z Liberation with Sci-FiRE performing with illuminated props, hula hoops and fire.

While the tone is whimsical, the purpose is serious. The fundraiser supports MKAD’s pay-what-you-can art classes and its youth workforce program.

“Not only is this a super fun, great event, it really does support the work we do,” O’Neill said. “We pay our high school age interns to work in the arts. This goes directly to support their wages and we offer a wide variety of pay what you can classes. We want to make classes available to everyone regardless of what they can pay, and so by you buying a ticket, you’re going to help those workers and those classes run.”

In recent weeks, residents reported dead crows and other birds in and around the Town of Wallkill. Phillip Pantuso of <a href="https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/bird-flu-wallkill-21345021.php" target="_blank">the Times Union</a> says the state’s early findings point to bird flu.

“There were some reports in recent weeks about a number of dead birds including dead crows that were showing up in and around Wallkill in Orange County,” Pantuso said. “And what we're reporting is that preliminary tests obtained by the Department of Environmental Conservation show that those were positive for avian influenza, which is a highly contagious pathogen that can really re-cadic on wild birds and poultry.”

Avian influenza, often called bird flu, spreads easily among wild birds and domestic flocks. But Pantuso says the risk to people remains low.

“As for how worried we should be, I don't think too worried. It's quite rare that it can be passed to humans,” he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71 human cases of bird flu have been confirmed nationwide over the past two years, resulting in two deaths. As of Jan. 30, eight cases had been identified in New York state.

Pantuso notes that outbreaks among birds are not unusual in the region.

“It’s also not that unusual for bird flu to be circulating in bird communities, I guess, in the Hudson Valley and Catskill and further their upstate New York,” he said.

The virus can be devastating for farms. In January of last year, about 50 chickens and ducks died from avian influenza at a poultry farm in Ulster County.

“It’s really more of a problem for poultry and dairy farmers because usually what you have to do is you have to eradicate your whole flock if it starts circulating,” Pantuso said.

State environmental officials continue to monitor the situation. Residents are advised not to handle dead birds and to report sightings to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

PFAS — a class of more than 10,000 synthetic compounds — accumulate in soil, water and human bloodstreams. Studies have linked them to certain cancers, developmental effects in children, immune system suppression and reproductive harm.

This week, the State Senate passed two bills aimed at limiting exposure. One would require greater disclosure of PFAS discharges into waterways. Another would ban PFAS in many consumer and household products. Both now head to the Assembly.

“Addressing the PFAS contamination crisis in New York requires multiple policies,” said Kate Donovan, director of Northeast Environmental Health at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) . “There's not just one single piece of legislation that's going to solve the problem. We need to look upstream to kind of like turn off the tap to PFAS.”

Turning off the tap

Donovan says the consumer products bill targets PFAS at the source.

“That’s what the PFAS in consumer products bill does. It says, we don't need to use PFAS in these particular consumer products, because they're unnecessary. There are alternatives on the market and they're contributing to kind of the influx of PFAS into our system.”

At the same time, she says, the state needs to understand where contamination is coming from on the industrial side.

“There are thousands of manufacturing and industrial facilities across New York that use these chemicals in industrial processes as lubricants, as additives for cleaning machinery. We just don't know exactly where it's all coming from and the PFAS Disclosure Act would help us understand that. And it focuses on transparency.”

Advocates often describe PFAS as a life-cycle problem — from production to disposal. Donovan says the two Senate bills reflect that strategy.

“We know that these chemicals are being intentionally added to products that we use in our homes,” she said. “Ultimately, when these products get washed down the drain … they end up in our wastewater stream.”

From there, PFAS can pass through treatment plants and into surface waters. Other products end up in landfills or incinerators.

“Those pans and all of those other products end up in landfills,” she said. “The chemicals from those are ending up in landfill leachate or being emitted into air emissions.”

Federal rollbacks, state response

Several related PFAS bills are still pending in the Assembly, including one that would codify federal drinking water standards into state law.

Under the Biden administration, the Environmental Protection Agency set new maximum contaminant levels for certain PFAS in drinking water — standards that were more protective than New York’s in some cases. Donovan says advocates fear those rules could be weakened.

“There’s a piece of legislation that we're supporting that would require New York to, what we would say, codify those federal levels into state law,” she said. “And so, that's a direct piece of legislation to combat what's happening at the federal level.”

Currently, New York limits two PFAS chemicals — PFOA and PFOS — to 10 parts per trillion in municipal drinking water. But Donovan notes that represents only a fraction of the compounds in use.

“That's only two chemicals, right? And you mentioned there's over 10,000,” she said. “So that would leave several smaller systems in New York kind of under that 10 parts per trillion threshold, which would still be at risk.”

Cosmetics, sewage sludge and environmental justice

Among the other bills awaiting action is the Beauty Justice Act, which would phase out toxic chemicals — including PFAS — in personal care products and cosmetics.

“We know that PFAS is used in waterproof mascaras in different types of lotions and conditioners to make things kind of feel slick,” Donovan said. “In addition to PFAS, there's heavy metals, asbestos, all sorts of hormone disruptors and allergic additives.”

She says the legislation also addresses disparities in marketing.

“These particular products with these high levels of toxicity are marketed disproportionately to brown and black communities,” she said. “That's why we think it is a very important environmental justice piece of legislation.”

Another proposal would place a moratorium on spreading sewage sludge on farmland — a practice that has become part of the PFAS story.

Wastewater treatment plants separate liquids from solids. The remaining sludge, once promoted as a nutrient-rich fertilizer, can contain concentrated contaminants.

“That sludge … is highly concentrated in all of those other chemicals that came down the drain,” Donovan said. “Unfortunately, it's highly concentrated with PFAS chemicals and other toxins. So, it's a big concern.”

In New York, treated sludge is sometimes sold to farmers and spread on fields. Testing has shown that PFAS can move from soil into crops and livestock, raising concerns about the food supply.

“It gets spread onto our land and we know from testing that our food supply is at great risk of uptaking all sorts of things that are contained in that sewage sludge,” she said.

The human toll

For Donovan, the push for regulation is grounded in community experience.

“The community members are really why we're doing this work,” she said. “They have been poisoned for a lifetime.”

She points to places like Hudson Falls and Hoosick Falls, where residents have dealt with contaminated drinking water.

“I've heard some community members talk about living with kind of a ticking time bomb in their bodies of what particular illness they may develop over a period of time,” she said.

Research has linked PFAS exposure to serious health effects, including high cholesterol and reduced vaccine response. PFAS have also been detected in breast milk, placentas and umbilical cord blood.

“It really is pervasive in the human body,” Donovan said.

An analysis by NRDC and another organization estimated that PFAS contamination could cost New York between $2.7 billion and $4.4 billion annually in health care expenses.

“We conservatively estimated it range between $2.7 and $4.4 billion dollars annually in expected health care cost from PFAS contamination in these communities,” she said.

What comes next

Even if the full legislative package passes, implementation would vary. Some measures would take effect immediately. Others would give manufacturers time to comply.

“It depends on the implementation period,” Donovan said. “Some of the consumer product bills … give industry a year or two before it is actually implemented.”

Advocates say momentum is building nationwide, as states move to regulate PFAS amid uncertainty in Washington.

“We know enough to act,” Donovan said. “We just think that the time is right to really address this.”

For now, supporters are pressing lawmakers to take up the remaining bills before the end of the session.

“We'll continue our drumbeat,” she said. “We hope that this year is the year for the legislature to step up again and pass some really significant reforms on PFAS regulation.”

From Prison Workshops to Original Music

For more than 30 years, Hoehler has created theater with at-risk youth and incarcerated New Yorkers. He founded a professional acting company for formerly incarcerated actors and recently published Acting Out: How a Prison Theater Workshop Broke Free, chronicling 15 years of workshops and productions inside prisons.

“It was one of the men in prison who nudged me to write my own songs,” Hoehler recalls. “‘You always sing covers—why don’t you sing your own?’ That challenge reopened a creative door for me.” His first audience for these songs was the men inside the prison, whose encouragement helped him bring his music to wider stages.

Love, Outrage, and Connection

The concert moves from intimate family songs to raw love songs, and then into music inspired by his work with incarcerated communities and broader social justice themes. “The title says it all,” Hoehler explains. “Sometimes the best response to outrage is love—thinking about how we connect with each other rather than stoking the fire.”

Hoehler hopes his music also challenges misconceptions about incarceration. “You don’t see the incredible ability of people to rise above, to rebuild their lives. My work is about sharing those stories honestly and respectfully.”

Now, a curated selection of those iconic pieces is coming upstate. This Friday and Saturday, The Stickett Inn in Barryville will host a Cindy Lauper Closet Clearance Sale, with part of the proceeds benefiting the St. Anthony’s Food Pantry, a local organization feeding dozens of families in need.

From New York City to Barryville: How the Sale Happened

Johnny Pizzolato, longtime friend of Lauper’s stylist and organizer of the Barryville event, shared the story behind how these legendary pieces made it north.

Among the highlights is an Alexander McQueen coat Lauper has been photographed wearing on multiple occasions. The sale will also feature vintage items, fun streetwear, and key stage pieces, each accompanied by stories from Lauper’s stylist, who will be on hand to provide context and fashion advice.

Fashion Meets Philanthropy

The event continues the philanthropic spirit of Lauper’s New York sale, which benefited the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund. Proceeds in Barryville will support St. Anthony’s Food Pantry, where Pizzolato has volunteered for five years.

What to Expect This Weekend

The Stickett Inn will be transformed into a pop-up fashion archive.

• Friday, 5:00–10:00 p.m.: Part of the monthly Pussycat Lounge event, with cider and music.
• Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.: Full-day shopping with coffee and browsing.

Visitors can explore racks of iconic pieces while enjoying a festive, community-focused experience.

The Ulster County Clerk’s office, in partnership with the Ulster County Restorative Justice and Community Empowerment Center, will host a “Lunch and Learn” event on February 12 delving into a groundbreaking discovery: evidence that an integrated baseball game took place in Kingston in 1867, predating the traditionally recognized first integrated game in Philadelphia by six months.

“This is really the first recorded integrated game played in America,” said Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck, who also plays vintage baseball. “It’s fascinating that it happened right here in Ulster County and, interestingly, it didn’t get a ton of fanfare at the time. We’re still researching, but it seems like it may have been a fairly routine occurrence for Black teams and white teams to play against each other in this area.”

Bruck described how his own experience playing vintage baseball—a recreation of the sport as it was played in the 19th century—led to this discovery. “In playing vintage baseball, we follow 1864 rules and do a lot of research into that era. This winter, we uncovered evidence of Black and white players sharing the field here in Kingston,” he said. “Some of the players were Civil War veterans. After the war, many were familiar with baseball because generals had encouraged troops to play to boost morale, so when they returned, they continued playing locally.”

Bruck said this history hasn’t been more widely recognized because there aren’t many researchers focusing on this specific era. "There’s just one small newspaper account of the game. Like much Black history, it often gets buried and isn’t included in larger historical texts. Part of the fun—and the responsibility—of doing history is uncovering these overlooked stories,” he said.

Bruck said stories like this highlight baseball as a true melting pot in its early years. “You had teams of different ethnicities playing together. For Black Americans, these stories should inspire pride. History isn’t always a straight trajectory. Rights gained during Reconstruction were later stripped away during Jim Crow, so these narratives remind us how complex—and how rich—our local history really is,” he said.

Bruck’s personal involvement adds another layer to the event. “We have public records, newspapers, and photographs that helped us uncover these stories,” he explained. “Combining my role as county clerk with my passion for vintage baseball has been incredibly rewarding. We want to make history accessible and engaging, not just for academics, but for the whole community.”

Reflecting on this hidden history, Bruck said, “It’s eye-opening to see how much equality existed, even briefly, during Reconstruction. There’s a lot of painful history afterward, but finding positive stories and lifting them up is exactly why Black History Month remains so important. These stories deserve the spotlight.”

The New York State Attorney General has approved the unification of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan and the Rockland Community Foundation, creating the Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland. The merged organization now oversees more than 600 charitable funds and nearly $71 million in assets, supporting nonprofits, scholarships, and community initiatives across all three counties.

For Elizabeth Rowley, president and CEO of the foundation, the merger is about more than scale.

“This really means a stronger, more vibrant community foundation for our region,” Rowley said. “By combining our capacity and expertise, we can better support donors and respond to the needs we’re seeing across our communities.”

What changes — and what doesn’t

Community foundations often do their most important work out of sight: managing investments, ensuring compliance, and handling the administrative backbone of charitable giving. Rowley said bringing those systems together creates efficiencies that benefit both donors and nonprofits.

“There’s real economy of scale,” she said. “Much of the work is back-office administration. By streamlining that, we free up more capacity to focus on impact.”

What remains unchanged, Rowley emphasized, is the foundation’s commitment to local presence and local relationships.

“We’re still showing up,” she said. “At community events, with nonprofits, and in conversations about what really matters in each county.”

A hub for local philanthropy

Rowley describes the foundation as a kind of “turnkey” private foundation for community members who want to give back.

“We help people create scholarship funds or charitable funds that support causes close to their hearts,” she said. “We take care of the administrative side so they can focus on giving, fundraising, and legacy.”

Those funds support a wide range of causes, including education, health, arts and culture, and local journalism. The Community Foundation of Orange, Sullivan and Rockland is a financial supporter of Radio Catskill.

Staying rooted in place

The foundation currently has offices in Orange and Sullivan counties, with plans to establish a physical presence in Rockland County.

“These are big counties, and relationships matter,” Rowley said. “Having a physical space gives people a place to come, ask questions, and learn about charitable giving and community needs.”

In Sullivan County, the foundation is housed at the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, increasing visibility and access.

A first public milestone

Later this month, the foundation will host its 2026 Signature Awards Reception – Rockland Edition, its first public event since the merger.

The event will introduce a newly expanded board of directors, now representing all three counties, and honor community leaders and institutions, including the Ramapo Catskill Library System.

“The library system has been tremendous for our region,” Rowley said. “It’s an honor to recognize that impact.”

Scholarships and giving season ahead

This spring, the foundation will award more than $700,000 in scholarships, with an average award of about $3,000. Many scholarships are multi-year and include support for trade and certificate programs.

Applications are due April 10, and a single streamlined application is available at cfosrny.org.

The foundation is also preparing for Hudson Valley Gives, now in its 11th year, which returns in May.

Filling gaps in uncertain times

As nonprofits face potential state and federal funding cuts, Rowley said community foundations play an increasingly important — if limited — role.

“Philanthropy can’t replace government funding,” she said. “But we can help fill gaps and respond quickly where needs are greatest.”

For Rowley, the merger marks a milestone years in the making.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “The sky’s the limit for what we can do together.”

That’s the idea behind Sullivan Club 180, a network of small, community-based clubs in Sullivan County that help people form healthier habits through simple, consistent actions.

“Health really doesn’t occur in isolation,” says Anne-Louise Scandariato, Director of Community Engagement at Sullivan 180. “Social isolation can increase the risk of chronic disease and depression. Those who find connection can have better heart health, lower blood pressure, and improved overall lifespan.”

Meaghan Mullally-Gorr, Director of Health and Wellness, adds, “Connections keep you accountable and make reaching your goals more fun. It’s not a chore—it’s something you enjoy.”

A Club 180 usually includes five or more people—neighbors, co-workers, or friends—focusing on physical activity, nutrition, mental health, or reducing substance use. Clubs are led by trained Community Health Champions and emphasize small, achievable steps over drastic lifestyle changes.

“Small steps are tangible and achievable,” Scandariato says. “In a group, you can see progress and hold each other accountable. It doesn’t become a chore—it’s just part of your routine.”

Clubs like the Monacello Fireflies have made regular meetups more intentional—adding walks, healthy meals, and nutrition lessons. Spartan Clubs, meanwhile, help students train for the annual Spartan Race at Bethel Woods, focusing on finishing together rather than winning.

“You don’t have to start with a big goal,” Scandariato says. “It just takes a spark of interest, and we help you build from there.”

Supervisor Warns of Economic and Public Safety Risks

Holdridge emphasized the potential financial burden on the town.

"If the federal government were to take over the warehouse, we would lose around a half a million dollars of annual tax revenue for the town and village of Chester, which would be devastating to our local budgets here," he said.

He also warned that protests could escalate costs for local taxpayers.

"Chester taxpayers would have to front the money for policing costs and overtime costs… The federal government isn't going to pay us back for the mayhem that they cause," Holdridge said.

Concerns About Infrastructure and Safety

The town’s infrastructure, Holdridge said, cannot support the facility.

"There's no sewage capacity in the village of Chester… They're trying to turn a warehouse that was meant for just over a hundred employees into a facility that's supposed to house 1,500 beds plus employees plus visitors," he said.

He also flagged the facility’s proximity to youth sports facilities as a safety concern.

"They're planning on housing violent criminals near where kids regularly go for sports activities," Holdridge said.

Bipartisan Local Support

Supervisor Holdridge noted that opposition to the facility has been unanimous across party lines.

"On the local level here, it has been across the board unanimous… from both Republicans and Democrats on the town and village boards," he said.

He also pointed out strong support from residents.

"100% of the Chester residents that I have received emails and calls from have been against the facility… I’ve only gotten one email… that was in favor of the facility," Holdridge said.

Limited Authority, But Persistent Advocacy

Although the federal government ultimately controls the project, Holdridge is coordinating local opposition and legal avenues.

"Because this facility is privately owned, I'm not sure how much power [local officials] actually have… The federal government I'm not really sure is concerned with following local zoning laws or listening to local boards," he said.

He has circulated letters to local, county, and federal representatives, urging coordinated resistance.

"This is really a whole-of-government approach here on the local level… to continually say to the federal government, please stay away," Holdridge said.

Supervisor Committed to Fighting the Facility

Despite uncertainty about the outcome, Holdridge remains determined.

"My gut is telling me that we are up against the wall… I will not stop fighting," he said.

So what happens if the planning board approves the project anyway?

Liam Mayo, news editor at The River Reporter, recently explored that question in depth, examining the options the National Park Service would have — including the rarely used and often misunderstood concept of eminent domain.

“The National Park Service’s determination has been in the background since 2023,” Mayo said. “But in December, the Park Service sent a letter to the planning board re-emphasizing that even after years of tweaks and adjustments, the project still doesn’t conform with the River Management Plan.”

The agency’s concerns focus on two major points. First, the River Management Plan prohibits permanent structures at campsites, and the Park Service considers the proposed park-model RVs at Camp Fimfo to qualify as such. Second, the project’s scale would substantially increase the intensity of use in the corridor, which could alter the traditional character of the area.

Jeff Spitz, head of the planning board, told Mayo that the board is still reviewing the project and weighing the Park Service’s concerns. “Until that process is complete, it’s unclear how much influence the Park Service’s non-conformance finding will have on the decision,” he said.

If the planning board moves forward despite the Park Service’s objections, the federal agency has limited tools. The first option is continued negotiation, working with local stakeholders to minimize environmental impact and bring the project closer to compliance. The more extreme backstop, Mayo explained, is eminent domain — the legal authority for the government to take land in limited circumstances.

“In theory, the National Park Service could use eminent domain if the project violated zoning laws or threatened the river’s resources,” Mayo said. “But it’s extremely unlikely. It would be a last-resort action, and the Upper Delaware operates under a unique collaborative model that gives local towns and municipalities significant control over development.”

This collaborative model has historically allowed local projects to proceed even when the Park Service raises objections, making eminent domain a rare, almost unprecedented option in the region. Mayo noted that the outcome of the Camp Fimfo decision could set an important precedent for the future of camping along the Upper Delaware, potentially influencing how other sites balance traditional camping practices with new, amenity-rich developments.

The planning board has not set a firm date for a decision, though a ruling could come within the next few months. 

Children’s Coordinator Callison Stratton says one of the most exciting additions is a peer-led academic enrichment program designed by local high school students.

“Back in the fall we opened up proposals for a teen mini-grant,” Stratton said. “So our winning proposal was the Equation and Expression program.”

The proposal came from Sullivan West High School sophomore Christopher Lee and junior Mary Chellis. Their idea: create a collaborative learning space where younger students explore math and literacy through games, led by teens who have recently navigated those same academic challenges.

“We thought it would be a really wonderful program to offer a peer-led, teen-led learning games environment,” Stratton said, “where they’ll be learning about math and literacy through this sort of collaborative, fun environment.”

The program will meet Wednesdays at the Jeffersonville library in five-week sessions, divided by grade level. Sessions for grades two and three begin February 25, followed by grades four and five on April 8. A middle-school preparation course for sixth graders starts May 20.

While families are asked to commit to all five sessions, Stratton says the focus isn’t on grades or test scores.

“Really it’s not about getting grades or anything like that,” she said. “It’s about community skill building, social emotional learning, developing those skills that are going to help them just go a little bit further in their academic career.”

Stratton says seeing teens step into leadership roles was what made the proposal stand out.

“It will be something that’s led by students who’ve been through it already,” she said. “When we saw their proposal, we were just so proud of it. We said, we have to help facilitate this.”

The library is also preparing to take learning outdoors with its Junior Master Gardeners program, which meets at the Narrowsburg branch and uses a plot at the Tusten Community Heritage Garden.

“We’re very excited for our garden club,” Stratton said.

The next session begins March 7 and is open to children ages six and up. Returning participants are welcome, and the program is open to families across the community.

“It’s a very community-based, all-ages program,” Stratton said.

The library is also seeking volunteers, particularly local gardeners interested in sharing their skills.

“People who love getting their hands dirty and love working with kids are welcome to come volunteer,” she said.

Researchers found that so-called “night owls,” people who naturally stay up late, tend to have poorer overall cardiovascular health compared to early risers. The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking irregular sleep schedules to increased heart risk.

Dr. Lindsay Mitrani, a cardiologist with Optum Care Mount Medical, says sleep plays a central — and often overlooked — role in heart health.

“Sleep is crucial for cardiovascular health,” Mitrani said. “There is a bidirectional relationship, meaning it goes both ways. In other words, sleep is really important for preventing key factors that are related to cardiac health, including elevated blood pressure, weight, and feeling well. And the other side of this, cardiovascular treatment can also affect sleep.”

What counts as “good” sleep?

According to Mitrani, adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night — but quantity alone isn’t enough.

“Almost a third of adults are poor sleepers, meaning they're averaging less than seven hours, and less than half of adults report having a good night’s sleep,” she said. “That said, it's not just about quantity of sleep, it's also about quality.”

Quality sleep, she explained, includes how long it takes to fall asleep, how often someone wakes during the night, and whether sleep is consistent from one night to the next.

How lack of sleep affects the heart

When sleep is short, irregular, or poor in quality, the cardiovascular system can suffer.

“When someone's not sleeping, essentially the blood pressure rises,” Mitrani said. “Blood pressure is a critical risk factor for cardiac health.”

Sleep deprivation also affects daily habits tied to heart health.

“When you're tired, it's harder to make good dietary choices. You're less physically active. You're not in the mood to go to the gym,” she said. “And even for me or for anyone I know, there's definitely mood disturbances or irritability when you don't have good sleep.”

Over time, poor sleep can increase the risk of atherosclerosis — plaque buildup in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks.

Is it timing, quality, or duration? All of the above.

Mitrani says heart health depends on a combination of sleep factors.

“It’s all three together,” she said. “When we think about heart health, we think about not just medications, but lifestyle. What can we do to help keep our heart healthy?”

That includes both getting enough sleep and maintaining good sleep quality. Frequent awakenings, trouble falling asleep, or difficulty staying asleep can all undermine cardiovascular health.

Can night owls “catch up” on sleep?

The study focused on people with late-night sleep patterns, raising questions about whether weekend sleep or naps can offset weekday deficits. Mitrani says irregular sleep itself is part of the problem.

“The irregularity is definitely harmful,” she said. “Having sleep consistency is a key marker for sleep success.”

Still, she emphasizes that many sleep habits are modifiable.

“What we like to talk about is sleep hygiene,” Mitrani said. That includes limiting screen use before bed, dimming phone displays, setting a consistent bedtime routine, and keeping the bedroom cool and dark. “Some people turn their phone on do not disturb, turn down the temperature 68 to 70 degrees, and even turning off the TV to not have something awakening them up in the middle of the night.”

Families, kids, and mismatched sleep schedules

For couples or families where one person is a night owl and another is an early riser, Mitrani says routines can help reset circadian rhythms.

“Studies show you can actually move that up by a couple of hours by setting good routines,” she said, though she acknowledges not everyone can fully adjust.

For children and teens, screen time and caffeine are major obstacles.

“Another big thing is caffeine, especially with teenagers,” Mitrani said. “Trying to limit that later in the afternoon… all of that can be helpful.”

Even as a cardiologist — and a parent — she admits sleep struggles are universal.

“Oh no. Absolutely not,” she said, when asked if her children follow her advice. “A lot of what I do in clinic with patients is normalize how difficult it is.”

When to talk to a doctor

Mitrani encourages people to seek medical advice if sleep problems persist despite good sleep hygiene, especially because some sleep disorders are closely linked to heart disease.

“One big one is called obstructive sleep apnea,” she said. “That means not just snoring but gasping for air and difficulty obtaining oxygen, which is crucial to your health during sleep.”

She also points to depression and anxiety as common, treatable conditions that can disrupt sleep and affect heart health.

The takeaway

Mitrani says the benefits of good sleep go beyond feeling rested.

“Good sleep can improve your life expectancy up to several years,” she said. “One study said almost five years in men and two and a half years in women.”

Just as important, she adds, is quality of life.

“It can improve your blood pressure, your mood, helping make good dietary choices,” Mitrani said. “All of this is essential to good cardiovascular health.”

More information about American Heart Month and ways to prevent cardiovascular disease is available at the American Heart Association’s website, heart.org.

County Clerk Russell Reeves said the disruption began without warning earlier this week and has left staff unable to process routine transactions that depend on internet connectivity.

“We have had no service for three days now,” Reeves said during a Friday radio interview. “Spectrum has left us hanging. We cannot get internet into the Monticello DMV, and without it, we simply cannot serve the public.”

Reeves said repeated calls to Spectrum have yielded few answers, adding that the Monticello DMV appears to be the only county office affected by the outage.

The closure has had a wide ripple effect in a largely rural county where access to transportation and identification is critical.

“If you think about daily life—driving to work, getting to a doctor’s appointment, traveling, opening a bank account—without an ID or vehicle registration, you’re really in trouble,” Reeves said. “This is tremendously impactful for our residents.”

To provide limited relief, the county has deployed a mobile DMV unit and temporarily set up two service stations with assistance from the county’s IT department. Under normal circumstances, the Monticello office operates eight to ten stations.

“We’re doing whatever emergency situations we can,” Reeves said. “But we’re operating at a fraction of our capacity.”

The timing of the outage has added to the strain. Reeves noted that New York State DMV offices—including Sullivan County’s—are scheduled to shut down for several days beginning February 13 as part of a planned statewide system upgrade.

“We’ve been preparing for weeks to get people through their transactions ahead of that shutdown,” he said. “This couldn’t come at a worse time.”

For now, officials are urging residents to complete transactions online whenever possible. Standard renewals remain available through the state DMV website. Those with urgent needs—such as medical travel or time-sensitive identification issues—are encouraged to contact the county clerk’s office directly for assistance or referrals to other DMV locations.

Despite mounting frustration, Reeves praised the public’s patience.

“The people of Sullivan County have been phenomenal,” he said. “But it’s not fair to put them through a three-day disruption like this.”

As of late Friday morning, Reeves said Spectrum had not provided a clear timeline for restoring service, though a technician was reportedly working on a nearby issue.

“We’re hopeful,” he said. “And if anyone out there has a contact at Spectrum who can help move this along, we’d welcome it.”

County officials say they will provide updates as soon as service is restored and normal DMV operations can resume.

There is an Extreme Cold Warning from 7AM Saturday until 1PM Sunday Afternoon as more arctic air moves into our area tonight along with snow and wind.

“We call this pattern the Siberean Express because the airmass is originating in Siberia, going over the north pole, and then descending into the northeast,” Adam Gill, Meteorologist with The National Weather Service (NWS), Binghamton tells Radio Catskill. 

If this sounds like a similar forecast to those in the past month, it is. The difference this time, says Gill, is just how cold this air will be. 

“With this pattern persisting, we just keep getting these bouts of really cold air, and it looks like this weekend will be the coldest that we’ve seen this season.” 

With single digit temperatures and winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour, the NWS says there will be dangerously cold wind chills, possibly as low as 25 to 30 below zero. Exposed skin could get frostbite in less than 30 minutes outdoors. 

There will also be snow Friday night into Saturday. With the cold and wind, whatever snow does fall will be light, fluffy, and drifting around. 

“It’s going to blow around pretty easy,” Gill explains.  “Once those winds pick up on the back side of the cold front Friday night into Saturday, you’re probably going to have blowing snow issues, especially near open areas. …It’s definitely going to be a pretty raw day on Saturday and into early Sunday.”

Looking past this weekend’s cold front, temperatures are expected to rise next week, possibly reaching the low 30s by Tuesday.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar was at the county legislative meeting and has more.

“Juniper is a picture that is being painted as we speak, all of us together,” says Luzenski. “We’re bringing our background and people-focused mission, but the other half is the people who walk through our doors—their needs, their interests, what they envision for their community.”

Located in the heart of Ellenville, Juniper was born out of a desire to fill gaps in local resources, especially for arts and after-school programs. “We’ve noticed a need in the community,” says DiMatteo. “Many families lack access to music schools, wellness programs, and cultural opportunities. We’re here to change that.”

Juniper blends wellness and global cultural experiences, influenced by DiMatteo and Luzenski’s travels. “I work directly with indigenous cultures around the world—from Guatemala to Peru, Israel to Egypt,” DiMatteo explains. “All of these experiences inform our work, especially ancestral wellness practices that we’re bringing to the community.”

Juniper’s mission goes beyond individual wellness to building flourishing community life. “We’re creating connections,” says Luzenski. “Helping people connect with themselves radiates out to neighbors, friends, and the larger community. Together, we can make a positive, constructive world.”

Nature is central to Juniper’s vision. Programs like a community garden and food education initiatives help residents reconnect with the environment and learn sustainable practices. “It’s about honoring the natural world and integrating it into daily life,” DiMatteo says.

Grand Opening Celebration
Juniper officially celebrates its grand opening this Saturday from 6–9 p.m., featuring a cacao ceremony, live music, and community gatherings. “Cacao is a superfood from the Amazon Basin,” DiMatteo says. “It’s our way of welcoming the community, opening hearts, and planting seeds for what will grow here.”

Looking ahead, Juniper hopes to become a go-to hub for wellness and cultural learning in Ellenville. “Yoga, nutrition, arts, and community programs can transform lives,” Luzenski says. “We want Juniper to be a place where people take action to improve their own lives and their community.”

For more information and programming updates, visit junipertogether.com.
 

Maria Pfegel of the program says:

The training helps New Yorkers create household emergency plans, gather essential supplies, and think ahead for themselves and their communities. Each family receives a preparedness kit, checklists, and guidance to be ready for any situation.

The CPC also encourages participants to help neighbors and vulnerable populations, not just themselves:

Local residents can join the next training at Livingston Manor Roscoe Branch Library, Friday at 5 p.m. 

Pfelgel leaves one final tip for those who haven’t thought much about preparedness:

New York Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday proposed legislation aimed at limiting local law enforcement’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her proposal would ban counties and cities from entering into so-called 287(g) agreements, which allow local police to partner directly with federal immigration authorities.

But immigration advocates say the governor’s plan doesn’t go far enough. Many are calling on Hochul to pass the broader New York for All Act, which would prohibit state and local government agencies—including police—from assisting ICE in detaining or deporting immigrants.

“We’re very clear on our demand, which is the New York for All Act,” said Daniel Atonna, political coordinator for For the Many, a grassroots organization in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley. “It would completely prohibit New York state and local government agencies, including police, from colluding with ICE, disclosing sensitive information, or diverting personnel or other resources to further federal immigration enforcement.”

Atonna, whose parents are immigrants, emphasized that the organization is also supporting the Melt Act, legislation that would unmask ICE operations across the state. “We’re really loud and clear about asking state legislators to co-sponsor New York for All and Melt and for Governor Hochul to pass them unamended before the state budget,” he said.

Critics argue that eliminating 287(g) agreements alone does little to stop ICE cooperation. A recent report from New York Focus highlighted a police chief in the village of Allegheny who said ending 287(g) agreements would not prevent his department from assisting ICE—it would only stop the department from being reimbursed for it.

“For the governor to ignore these bills that already exist and to propose her own watered-down, half measure is really frustrating and disappointing,” Atona said. “Unfortunately, it’s emblematic of a lot of the stuff Governor Hochul does, where she takes good ideas and then waters them down to please either corporate donors or conservative voters.”

In an interview on NPR’s Morning Edition, Hochul defended her proposal, calling it a “very positive step” while acknowledging that some immigration advocates say it doesn’t go far enough.

Atonna countered that the governor’s approach is actually slowing progress. “Governor Hochul is smart enough to know that if she were to get behind New York for All, it would immediately pass the State Assembly, where it’s been held up,” he said. “Her not supporting it and proposing this half measure is actually what is blocking New York for All from happening.”

Beyond state legislation, local concerns are growing. ICE has proposed building a detention center in Chester, Orange County, capable of holding up to 1,500 people. Advocates fear the facility could eventually house more than 2,000 detainees.

“People are really scared,” Atonna said. “This new proposal is almost unanimously opposed by people across the Hudson Valley. ICE is proposing building this, and we’re calling on Orange County and the state government to do everything they can to fight it.”

For advocates like Atonna, the fight goes beyond legislation. “The protest needs to continue. Grassroots advocacy needs to continue. Lobby meetings, calling your state legislators, meeting with them in person, talking about how important New York for All is,” he said. A major mobilization is planned for March 10 in Albany.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar visited the new facility for a tour and spoke with Dr. Michael Mandarano, primary care physician at Northwell Health.

At SUNY Sullivan, a growing program is trying to change that by bringing college into the high school classroom.

Through its College in High School (CIHS) program, SUNY Sullivan partners with local school districts to offer college-level courses to students in grades 8 through 12. The classes count for both high school and college credit, giving students an early start on higher education — often at a fraction of the cost.

On Tuesday evening, the college will host a College and High School Information Night for students and parents interested in learning more about how the program works and what opportunities it opens up.

“It’s really about getting an early start,” said Jason Kaplan, an associate professor at SUNY Sullivan and coordinator of the CIHS program. “Students are earning high school credit and college credit at the same time, in an environment they already know — their own classrooms.”

Kaplan says that familiarity matters, especially for students who might not yet see themselves as college-bound.

“It builds confidence,” he said. “They get a taste of what a college course is like and realize, ‘I can do this.’ For some students, that realization actually changes the direction they see for their future.”

The program is designed not just for students who already plan to attend college, but also for those still figuring out what comes next. Courses often align with SUNY’s general education requirements — including English composition, speech, and precalculus — making them widely transferable whether students attend SUNY Sullivan, another SUNY campus, or continue on to a four-year degree elsewhere.

“We’re very intentional about making sure these are real college classes,” Kaplan said. “The academic rigor has to match what students would experience on our campus.”

That rigor is supported through close collaboration between SUNY Sullivan faculty and high school teachers. The college provides professional development, training, and classroom observations to ensure instructors meet SUNY standards and that course content stays aligned.

“We’re not just putting our name on a syllabus,” Kaplan said. “There’s real faculty engagement and ongoing conversation.”

SUNY Sullivan's Eleanor Davis says timing is critical — especially for families navigating academic planning.

“High schools matriculate students through advisors, so parents need this information early,” Davis said. “February is not too soon to start thinking about next year’s courses and long-term pathways.”

She says the program has made a profound difference for students who once doubted their academic potential.

“We’ve had students who didn’t see themselves as college material at all until they took these classes,” Davis said. “One student went on to graduate as a valedictorian, earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award, completed the Promise Scholarship with no debt, and now has a well-paying job in nursing.”

Stories like that, she says, are common.

Today, more than 700 Sullivan County students are enrolled in SUNY Sullivan college-level courses through the program, with roughly 150 courses offered. In two local high schools, students can even earn an associate degree by the time they graduate.

Tuesday’s information night will bring together admissions staff, faculty, and advisors to answer questions about course options, degree pathways, and credit transfer.

For families unsure whether the program is right for them, Kaplan says the event is designed for exactly that.

“We like people who are on the fence,” he said. “This is a chance to get the full picture — the benefits, the challenges — and make an informed decision.”

—

Senate enate leaders reached a deal with the White House on Thursday on the massive spending package after Democrats pushed for reforms to ICE following national outrage over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Both were U.S. citizens killed by federal ICE agents.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke to New York’s 19th Congressional District Representative Josh Riley this morning about where the federal package is and the impact Minneapolis’s escalating immigration raids are having locally.

For decades, Van Put welcomed anglers, visitors, and neighbors with warmth, humor, and homemade food — becoming as much a part of the Catskills fly-fishing experience as the Beaverkill itself.

Her daughter-in-law, Judy Van Put, said Agnes lived with uncommon energy and generosity.

“I was fortunate to have gotten to know Agnes when I was in my early 20s,” Judy said. “I fell in love with her son Ed Van Put, and we married — and I had Agnes in my life for 48 years.”

Agnes, she said, defied easy description.

“She was an enigma,” Judy said. “She was tough and fair and kind and just filled with love.”

Much of that love came through food. Agnes was known for her baked goods, preserves, and the soup she made each year for opening day of trout season at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center — a tradition remembered fondly by generations of anglers.

“She gave love in so many ways,” Judy said. “So often it was with food. But if you were in Agnes’ net — which extended very wide — you certainly felt the warmth of her love.”

Agnes worked at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum well into her 100s, greeting visitors in the gift shop and attending community events across the region.

“She just had this incredible will to keep going,” Judy said. “She enjoyed life. She had a real joie de vivre.”

When asked about the secret to her longevity, Agnes kept it simple.

“She’d say, ‘I do whatever I like whenever I like, and I eat whatever I like whenever I like,’” Judy recalled.

That philosophy included a legendary sweet tooth.

“She’d say, ‘I didn’t feel like making dinner, so I had a banana split,’” Judy said, laughing.

The Van Put family is planning a public celebration of life in August at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum. Details will be announced at a later date.

Memorial contributions in Agnes Van Put’s name may be made to the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

“Winterfest is kind of like our love letter to the Catskills,” said Tiffany Conklin of Roscoe Mountain Club. “It’s about leaning into the season instead of hiding from it. Adults and kids can just relax and have some good outdoor fun.”

Visitors can enjoy ice carving, horse-drawn carriage rides, sledding, bonfires with free s’mores, and a snowman-building contest. “The ice skating rink and live music is the most lively and festive part of the day,” Conklin said. “Snowshoeing and carriage rides offer a quieter way to enjoy the landscape.”

Live music starts at 12:30 p.m. with Far Beyond Gone at Wolf Lodge, followed by BJ Hendrickson at the barn at 1 p.m. The festival also features local artisans, pop-ups, fire pits, and indoor crafts for kids, plus dog-friendly areas.

“This is the 12th annual festival from Roscoe Beer Company,” Conklin said. “It’s a great way to support local artists, connect with the community, and show off everything the Catskills have to offer.”

For details, visit roscoemountainclub.com or follow their social media channels.

Jamie Van Nostrand, policy director at the Future of Heat Initiative and former chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, explained the disconnect in a recent interview.

“It's helpful to point out that the price of gas really hasn't changed much over the last decade or so,” Van Nostrand said. “It's the cost of delivering that gas that's driving up bills.”

According to the analysis, about three-quarters of a typical New York gas bill comes from delivery charges—not the gas itself. “The cost of the gas itself is only about one quarter of the bill,” Van Nostrand said.

Why Delivery Charges Are So High

These delivery charges largely reflect the money gas companies spend replacing pipelines—the primary way they earn profits. “They don’t make any money on the gas itself,” Van Nostrand explained. “The asset base for gas companies has increased from $17 billion to $37 billion over the last 10 years, and most of that is replacing pipes. Then there are profits and financing costs associated with that work.”

This structure creates a strong incentive for utilities to overspend on infrastructure, which in turn drives up bills for customers. “One of the biggest things we can do to address affordability is to get gas company spending under control,” Van Nostrand said.

Future of Heat Initiative’s Role

The Future of Heat Initiative, a nonprofit focused on energy affordability, works with state regulators to address these issues. “Across the country, natural gas sales are going down, yet spending on the gas system is going up. It’s just simple math: less sales, fixed costs rising—delivery charges go up,” Van Nostrand said.

He emphasized that while safety is essential, utilities often choose the highest-profit options for pipeline work rather than the lowest-cost solutions for customers. “Rather than replacing the pipes, which is where they make the most money, you could repair or reline them and keep them in service longer,” he said.

A longer-term solution, according to Van Nostrand, is electrifying homes and decommissioning parts of the natural gas system. “As sales go down, we need to be shrinking the gas system, otherwise rates are going through the roof,” she said.

The Role of State Regulators

In New York, the Public Service Commission sets utility rates. Utilities must file cases to increase rates, which regulators review carefully. “This is where regulators can really ask the tough questions: Is this replacement necessary? Is there a lower-cost solution? Should you repair rather than replace?” Van Nostrand explained.

She stressed the importance of addressing delivery charges to help customers. “It’s a source of real frustration. People are reducing gas use, but the delivery portion of the bill doesn’t change much,” he said.

Looking Ahead

As more New Yorkers switch from gas to electric heating, Van Nostrand warns that the cost of maintaining an oversized gas system could fall on consumers. “If we can’t reduce the cost of the system itself, bills are going to be much higher,” he said.

Future of Heat is advocating for regulatory changes to allow utilities to substitute electric service for natural gas, which would enable pipeline decommissioning and reduce unnecessary spending. “The legislature could help by giving the commission the authority to authorize utilities to move customers off gas and onto electricity,” Van Nostrand said.

It’s called Daytime Disco, a sober, midday dance experience created by Catskills DJ Mark Partridge, also known as Ambient Barn, host of Ambient Barn on Radio Catskill. The first event takes place Saturday in Narrowsburg, offering a joyful, low-stakes way to move, connect, and shake off the winter blues.

“I think something like this is more necessary than ever,” Partridge said. “There are so many people in this region who are creative and love to dance. And sometimes it’s difficult to get out at night.”

Partridge said many people want to dance but find nighttime events hard to attend — especially in winter.

“There are a lot of amazing nighttime DJ dance parties in this area,” he said. “I thought there was some space to do something during the day.”

The idea was inspired by Brooklyn’s Mr. Sunday parties — daytime, all-ages dance events known for their welcoming, judgment-free atmosphere.

“They were super inspiring and uplifting,” Partridge said. “No nightlife cool-guy energy. Just open, fun, communal space. I thought it would be really cool to bring that to the Catskills.”

Daytime Disco is intentionally alcohol-free. Instead of a bar, Partridge and collaborators are experimenting with what they call “hydration bars,” with plans to introduce mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages in the future.

“In wintertime, people shouldn’t be drinking and driving,” he said. “We’re trying to fill that space.”

The goal, he explained, is to take the joy of nightlife dancing and bring it into daylight hours.

“You can come and dance all afternoon, drive home, feel uplifted, have dinner, watch a movie, and go to bed,”
 Partridge said. “It doesn’t have to be the other way around. No judgment — I love nightlife — but this felt like something new to try.”

Musically, the daytime setting changes the vibe behind the decks. Partridge describes the sound as upbeat and eclectic, designed for sunlight rather than strobe lights.

“We start with daytime vibes,” he said. “Uplifting, major-key, forward-progress music that creates a sense of wonder.”

Expect a blend of Italo disco, house music, pop favorites, and custom edits of well-known songs — lighter than his nighttime sets, but still dance-floor ready.

Since announcing the event, Partridge says interest has been strong.

“The response has been incredible,” he said. “I think people are really going to come out of the woodwork for this.”

He hopes Daytime Disco becomes a recurring pop-up series across the region.

“Activating interesting spaces around the county is something I really want to do,” he said. “Bringing dance to different places and creating a daytime disco space for this community.”

More than anything, Partridge wants the event to feel open and welcoming.

“We’re trying to create a communal, non-judgmental space,” he said. “Come express yourself. Movement is meditation — especially in winter.”

His invitation is simple: “Rummage through your closet. Find that outfit you have nowhere else to wear. Put it on and come dance.”

Daytime Disco runs Saturday, January 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Kraus Recital Hall in Narrowsburg as part of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Salon Series. More information is available at delawarevalleyartsalliance.org.

But new reporting suggests powerful corporate interests, including Uber, may be playing a significant behind-the-scenes role.

Kevin Duggan, a reporter with Streetsblog NYC, says a little-known advocacy group has been lobbying aggressively in Albany in support of the governor’s proposal.

“One of the governor’s big proposals this year is to lower car insurance rates,” Duggan said. “She’s talking about going after fraud and regulations that she says allow for too much compensation for people involved in crashes.”

Duggan found that a group called Citizens for Affordable Rates has spent heavily on lobbying while keeping basic details about its leadership opaque.

“When we looked into this group, some information was available, but other things — like who’s in charge or even an address — were harder to find,” he said. “What we found is that this group is basically being led by Uber, with other car-focused companies attached.”

Those companies include trucking and coach bus interests, Duggan said, and they have been pushing similar policy changes for roughly a year.

The governor’s proposal includes narrowing the definition of “serious injury,” eliminating pain-and-suffering damages for people found mostly at fault in a crash, and capping damages for uninsured or impaired drivers.

“On paper, these sound like straightforward regulatory changes,” Duggan said. “But attorneys who represent crash victims warn this could drastically reduce how much someone can recover if they’re hit by a car.”

One provision would bar compensation entirely for anyone found even slightly more than 50 percent at fault.

“If you’re found just over half at fault, you would get no damages at all,” Duggan said. “Juries can be subjective, and small factors — like a cyclist not wearing a helmet, even if it’s legal — could tip the scale.”

Duggan said similar efforts backed by Uber have appeared in other states, including California and Florida, as part of a broader push to reshape liability and insurance rules.

Driver and safety advocates in New York remain skeptical. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance has not endorsed the proposal, warning that reduced coverage would also harm drivers injured in crashes.

Street safety groups argue the state should focus on preventing crashes in the first place.

“They’re urging the governor to focus on safer streets and cracking down on repeat speeders,” Duggan said. “That would reduce crashes — and insurance costs — without cutting victims’ rights.”

Hochul denies the proposal is being driven by Uber, saying it targets fraud such as staged crashes and inflated medical claims. But Duggan says it remains unclear whether the changes would significantly lower premiums.

“What we do know is that it would reduce the amount people can recover after a crash,” he said.

When Streetsblog asked the governor’s office about concerns raised by crash victims, Duggan said the response raised questions.

“The press office forwarded us a press release from Citizens for Affordable Rates that had been sent by an Uber spokesperson,” he said.

As budget negotiations continue ahead of a March deadline, Duggan says lawmakers should closely examine both the data behind the proposal and the influence shaping it.

“A lot of this will come together at the last minute in Albany,” he said. “We may not know the final outcome until the budget is released.”

“The Outdoor Towns initiative goes back to this toolkit created by the PA Environmental Council,” explained Liam Mayo of The River Reporter. “It helps towns figure out ways to better use their outdoor spaces and revitalize their natural economies.”

Hawley’s plan, guided by consultants from Eastwick Solutions, combines public input and an action team of local residents. Ideas include expanding trails, constructing a pedestrian bridge over the Lackawaxen River, updating trail maps, and promoting outdoor dining and events.

“The priorities people ranked highly were about creating more ways to access nature,” Mayo said. “Some projects, like adding Hawley’s trails to the AllTrails app, can happen quickly. Others, like the pedestrian bridge, will take longer and require planning and funding.”

The initiative emphasizes natural development as economic development, aiming to attract tourists who use local trails, rivers, and lakes while supporting small businesses. Outdoor recreation contributed $19 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy in 2023, showing the potential of nature-focused growth.

Residents interested in learning more or participating can visit visithawleypa.com. “It takes a village,” Mayo said.

Read Liam Mayo’s full reporting on Hawley’s outdoor revitalization at riverreporter.com.

“Your ability to connect with the horse for the rider affects them deeply in areas we can’t even measure,” said Vera Remes, a PATH International–certified therapeutic riding instructor and equine assisted learning specialist. “At Fair Hill, the most important component is the horse.”

Connection Comes First

Fair Hill’s one-hour lessons are structured to prioritize connection before skill. Executive Director Sally emphasizes relationship-building with the horse before teaching riding techniques.

“They could do stuff we really can’t do with words,” Remes said. “There are skills, and then there’s connection for our riders.”

During sessions, participants begin on the ground with breathing exercises and grooming, learning how their body language affects the horse.

“When you get an equine involved, they affect everyone in the area,” Remes explained. “There’s even research that shows their heartbeat can lower the heartbeats of people in the lesson. It’s called heart rate variability.”

Parents often notice improvements at home. “One little vignette,” Remes said, “is when a kid who’s never said a word tells their horse to ‘walk on.’ Your heart just swells.”

Beyond Traditional Riding

Therapeutic riding differs from standard instruction because the horse’s movement itself promotes healing.

“If someone’s on a horse, it approximates the movement of the human body walking,” Remes said. “You’ll often see improvement in gait, balance, and coordination.”

Fair Hill’s instructors ensure horses keep moving during lessons. “When they’re walking, you’re helping with balance and coordination — all the things you can’t really teach. The horse is doing that,” she said.

Serving a Wide Community

Fair Hill serves children with developmental, intellectual, and behavioral disabilities, adults, seniors, foster children, and veterans.

“We have a woman with a bad back,” Remes said. “The horse helps her because she can’t walk well. When she gets off, she feels better.”

The center also runs Stable Moments, a mentoring program for foster youth. “When you change a person’s attitude, other things come along with it,” Remes said. “It changes how they think of themselves and the people around them.”

Volunteers: The Heart of Fair Hill

Volunteers are essential to the program. Annual training, led by Remes and Nancy Van Wick, is set for Saturday, January 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Maplewood Farms in Waymart.

“We welcome people even with no training,” Remes said. “We’ll make them really good volunteers who can interact with professionals, participants, and families. You’ll never feel stranded.”

She adds with a laugh, “Nancy and I are like comedians. It will not be dry and academic.”

A Place of Belonging

For Remes, Fair Hill is more than therapy — it’s community.

“When I walk into the barn, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling,” she said. “It’s a place where people are just so accepting of whatever different abilities you might have. That’s what the horse does for you.”

More information on volunteering and programs is available at fairhill.farm.

New York is facing a growing blood supply shortage, and health officials say the situation is becoming increasingly critical.

The American Red Cross and regional partners, including the New York Blood Center, report that in parts of the state, blood donations are running nearly 40 percent below hospital demand. O-type blood — along with A-negative and B-negative — is especially needed.

Blood is essential for everyday hospital care, from emergency trauma response and childbirth to cancer treatment and chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease. Nationwide, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds. When supplies run low, hospitals may be forced to delay surgeries, infusions, or other lifesaving care.

January is National Blood Donor Month, a time set aside to raise awareness about the ongoing need for donations — particularly during the winter, when supplies often dip.

“So this month exists because donations during January are so low,” said Jennifer Malinchak, a registered nurse and manager of Occupational Health and Wellness at Garnet Health. “In 1969, actually President Nixon declared January to be National Blood Donation Month. So that started in 1970, so it has a long history.”

Malinchak joined Radio Catskill to discuss the statewide shortage and an upcoming community blood drive hosted by Garnet Health in partnership with the New York Blood Center. Garnet Health is also a financial supporter of Radio Catskill.

Winter weather, seasonal illnesses, holiday travel, and scheduling disruptions all contribute to fewer donors during this time of year.

“We have for various reasons, as you can imagine — the weather, right? We have a pending storm coming this weekend, wintertime illnesses, the holidays, people planning holiday events and also travel,” Malinchak said. “So blood donation may not be at the forefront of people’s minds.”

On the front lines, the shortage is already having real impacts.

“There is a critical shortage right now, so that impacts the ability that we have to provide blood products to our patients,” she said. “There may be delays in discharges, delays on infusions. People may need to stay in the hospital longer or reschedule infusions or surgeries.”

While blood donations are often associated with emergencies or trauma care, Malinchak emphasized that most donated blood supports everyday, ongoing medical treatment.

“Actually, more than 25 percent of the blood supply goes to treat cancer patients,” she said. “In addition to cancer patients, we have patients that have chronic illness that require transfusions of blood products. So it really impacts not only during times of trauma — it’s also day-to-day treatment of patients, improving their quality of life and saving lives.”

Health officials say many people who are eligible to donate never do.

“Every two seconds, someone needs blood,” Malinchak said. “At least 62 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, but only 3 percent do. So there’s a huge opportunity for education and sharing the importance of blood donation and how it saves lives.”

For those hesitant to donate, Malinchak said the process is simple and safe.

“The New York Blood Center has been doing this for well over 60 years. The professionals make the process as easy and seamless as possible,” she said. “Usually it takes about an hour of your time. The actual donation time is about 15 minutes. So it’s a relatively short period of time where you can make a huge impact on the well-being of the community.”

And yes — donors still get refreshments. “There’s always the juice and cookies at the end,” she added.

Most people who are healthy and feeling well can donate. Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and generally be between the ages of 16 and 75. Sixteen-year-olds need parental permission, while donors 76 and older need a doctor’s note.

Malinchak also encouraged past donors to keep coming back.

“You’re able to donate approximately every two months — like 56 days,” she said. “If you have already donated, you understand the process, the rewards of donation are so great. I encourage you to return as a donor and continue to contribute to the well-being of our community.”

To help address the shortage, Garnet Health and the New York Blood Center will host a community blood drive on Wednesday, January 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Garnet Health Medical Center, 707 East Main Street in Middletown.

“It’s right off Route 17, easy access,” Malinchak said. “You can come in the main entrance or the side entrance by the conference center. You can pre-register, or we accept walk-ins.”

Appointments can be scheduled through the events page at garnethealth.org, though walk-ins are welcome.

“One hour of your time makes a huge difference in someone’s life and their quality of life,” Malinchak said.

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The proposal was the focus of a recent conversation on Radio Catskill, where Superintendent Dr. Ivan Katz outlined what’s being proposed, why now is the right moment, and what families should know ahead of the vote.

Years in the Making — and Prompted by Heat

Dr. Katz said the capital project has been years in the making, driven largely by deteriorating parking lots and the growing need to address extreme heat inside school buildings.

“We’ve planned for several years to fix our deteriorating parking lots,” Katz said. “We knew it would be expensive to do so, so we set up capital reserves.”

Those reserves — funds set aside specifically for major projects — were approved by voters in advance, particularly for heating and air-conditioning upgrades, which Katz described as the most expensive components of the proposal.

The timeline accelerated after a New York State law passed in 2024 set 88 degrees as the maximum allowable temperature for occupancy in public school buildings beginning in September 2025.

“That law prompted us to have to take action,” Katz said. “We needed to make sure that hot temperatures wouldn’t affect school attendance for kids.”

Heat Already Disrupting Learning

While a state-required Building Conditions Survey completed in 2023 identified a number of facility needs, Katz said the urgency became clear during last year’s heat waves.

“This past June, our school buildings were getting so hot — especially cafeterias and gymnasiums — that we had to close school early on several days,” he said.

Those early dismissals came during Regents exams and other end-of-year activities.

“Losing necessary school time was not something we wanted to have as an ongoing concern in the years to come,” Katz added.

Parking, Traffic, and Safety Improvements

A major portion of the proposal focuses on replacing and widening parking lots at both the junior-senior high school and Benjamin Cosor Elementary School.

The elementary school’s only entrance, Katz said, is currently about 40 feet wide — creating congestion during drop-off, pick-up, and school events.

“We often need police present to direct traffic,” he said. “Creating additional parking and changing the layout of the entrance by adding an additional lane will help address some of the congestion that we get.”

Smaller Projects With Immediate Impact

Beyond HVAC and parking upgrades, the project includes several smaller improvements expected to affect daily operations and security.

Among them is the installation of card-swipe access for classroom doors.

“Card swipes will make our classrooms safer,” Katz said. “Classroom doors will always be in a locked position and will eliminate the issues that happen when staff members lose or misplace their keys.”

Other upgrades include fuel tank replacements nearing the end of their useful life, masonry repairs, trash compactors, and updates to libraries and learning spaces.

How the District Plans to Avoid a Tax Increase

Despite the project’s size, Katz said it is structured to avoid any increase in local school taxes — now or in future budgets.

“This is the question I get asked most,” he said.

The $56.5 million project would be funded through three primary sources:

• About $41 million in New York State building aid
• Roughly $11 million from the district’s capital reserve funds
• $5.2 million in retired debt from previous projects

“When you add those together, you have a project equaling just under $57 million,” Katz said.

The district qualifies for approximately 72 percent state building aid, meaning the state would reimburse roughly 72 cents for every eligible dollar spent.

“Our past projects have also come in at a zero percent increase in taxes,” Katz said. “Past performance is the best indicator that I can offer.”

Second Proposition: Property Purchase Near Elementary School

Voters will also be asked to consider a second proposition to purchase a neighboring property near Benjamin Cosor Elementary School.

The purchase would allow the district to widen the school’s only entrance and exit — a change Katz said is especially important for emergency vehicle access.

“Our current entrance makes it very challenging for emergency vehicles to gain entrance at times when we have high traffic,” he said.

Like the main capital project, the property purchase would be funded through capital reserves and would not increase local school taxes, according to the district.

Timeline and What Voters Will See

If voters approve both propositions, major construction would begin during the summers of 2027 and 2028, with some work potentially extending into 2029.

“The roadways and parking lots would be very visible,” Katz said. “Air conditioning and other repairs would be taking place inside buildings and on rooftops.”

What Katz Wants Voters to Know

As voters head to the polls on Feb. 3, Katz said his message is straightforward.

“I really want our school community to come out and vote,” he said. “We’ve been listening to concerns about parking lots and the overall improvement of the district’s buildings and grounds.”

He emphasized again that the proposal would not raise taxes.

“This project will really have no additional impact on their taxes,” Katz said.

Voting Information

Voting on both propositions will take place February 3, with polls open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Board of Education meeting room at the junior-senior high school.

More information is available at fallsburgcsd.net and on the Fallsburg Central School District’s official Facebook page.

Viral TikToks are blaming Tamiflu for frightening side effects, homeopathic influencers are promoting so-called “Tamiflu tea,” and posts warning parents to never give their kids antivirals are getting thousands of likes.

To cut through the noise, we spoke with Dr. Jess Steier, a public health scientist and founder of Unbiased Science, who translates complex medical evidence into clear, practical guidance. She’s also a parent navigating flu season in real time.

What Flu Antivirals Do—and How They Differ From Vaccines

Dr. Steier explained the difference between prevention and treatment in everyday terms:

She offered a simple analogy:

Common Myths About Flu Medications

One viral myth claims that brewing teas like star anise can replace antivirals such as Tamiflu or Xofluza. Dr. Steier debunks this:

She also addressed fears about hallucinations and seizures:

Why Early Treatment Matters

Antivirals are most effective when taken early:

Even after the first 48 hours of symptoms, there may still be benefit for high-risk patients:

Practical Steps for Getting Treatment Quickly

Dr. Steier recommends rapid testing and acting fast, especially for high-risk groups:

She added that otherwise healthy adults may focus on symptom management rather than antivirals:

Warning Signs That Require Urgent Care

For children, Dr. Steier says urgent care is warranted if you see:

• Difficulty breathing or ribs pulling in with each breath
• Bluish lips or skin
• Severe irritability or trouble waking
• Not drinking fluids
• Fever with a rash

For adults, seek immediate care if you have:

• Shortness of breath or chest pain
• Confusion or inability to keep fluids down
• Symptoms that improve but return worse with fever and cough

Barriers to Early Treatment

Access remains a major challenge during this severe flu season:

She encourages individuals to plan ahead:

Choosing the Right Antiviral

Two main oral antivirals are widely used: Tamiflu and the newer Xofluza.

Layered Protection: Beyond Antivirals

Dr. Steier emphasizes a multi-layered approach:

She notes the importance of ventilation even in winter:

Key Takeaways for Flu Season

Dr. Steier, a parent herself, says her family is taking precautions:

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about the best treatment for you and your family.

The Ulster Rapid Response Network is a community-based deportation defense group in Ulster County, mobilizing people and resources to defend immigrants in Ulster County from ICE. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Diana Méndez, a member of the Ulster Rapid Response Network, to learn more.

“Don’t skip meals. Don’t skip meals. You’ll get cranky…”

The song, written and performed by students at Liberty Middle School, is part of The STEAM Fund’s Real Food Songwriting Program — an arts-based initiative that invites students to write original music about nutrition, wellness, and making healthier food choices. The program has just wrapped up its latest run, and now the songs are reaching a wider audience, with a new student-created music video released every Monday.

“The Real Food Songwriting Program is just one of the vehicles we use to deliver our mission,” said Gary Siegel, co-founder of The STEAM Fund, speaking alongside his wife and partner Judy Siegel via Zoom. “Our actual mission is to support musicians, artists, and the venues where they share their gift.”

Using Music to Teach Real-World Skills

At its core, the program blends songwriting fundamentals — rhyme, rhythm, and collaboration — with lessons about real food versus processed food.

“It’s a songwriting program where we incorporate music to present the concepts of real food versus processed food,” Gary said. “And then help the students that are participating make good, healthy choices.”

The idea grew out of an earlier collaboration with the organization A Single Bite, which resulted in a song called Real Food Rules.

In early versions of the program, students worked together to write new verses to that song. Teaching artists guided brainstorming sessions, helping students turn nutrition concepts into lyrics that rhyme and fit a melody. The current version takes things a step further.

“The new program that we’re doing now is sort of a hybrid,” he said. “The kids write their own original song about a topic that has to do with real food versus processed food and making good, healthy choices.”

From Lennon Tributes to Local Classrooms

For the Siegels, the move into arts education was sparked by a moment far from Sullivan County.

“We were at a John Lennon tribute in New York City,” Judy recalled. “The executive artistic director got on stage and announced they were bringing the John Lennon Real Love Project into public schools.”

Gary turned to her and said, “That’s it.”

“That was back in 2019,” Judy said. “We should bring arts and education programs into schools, and that’s really how it started.”

Gary’s background as a music educator made the connection feel natural.

“This was a great vehicle to deliver our mission of supporting musicians, artists, and venues,” Judy said.

The Real Food Songwriting Program also responds to local needs.

“Food insecurity is obviously a big issue in Sullivan County,” Judy said. “So it was important to us to help facilitate a better way to make choices.”

Songs With a Message

Each student-written song carries a clear takeaway. One recent release, Don’t Skip Meals, was written by a group calling themselves The Superb Strawberries.

“So remember,” the song concludes, “eating three balanced meals a day will give you the energy you need to be happy, healthy, and focused.”

“The coolest thing about these songs is that every one of them has a message,” Gary said. “Every one of them is promoting good, healthy choices through music.”

Learning Beyond the Classroom

The entire process — presentation, writing, rehearsal, and recording — happens quickly. The impact, he says, is already extending beyond music class.

“They’re actually using these assets on the morning announcements,” Gary said. “To promote the concepts of real food versus processed food and making good, healthy choices.”

The schools also receive video and audio materials they can continue using, helping reinforce the lessons long after the recording session ends.

“It’s really part of prevention and education,” Gary said. “To make good, healthy choices.”

Just as important, he added, is what students learn about their own voices.

“It teaches these kids at a young age that they can use music as a tool for all sorts of things,” he said. “We sent a message out because we wrote a song.”

Reverend Richard Witt, executive director of Rural and Migrant Ministries, said the proposal has heightened fear among immigrant families. “They're already living in great fear of separation from their parents, of their children, and having such a facility just adds to that environment of fear,” he explained.

Community members have voiced concerns at local board meetings, highlighting potential impacts on quality of life, local reputation, and the economy. “When they've built facilities like this in other communities… people don't think of Batavia anymore as a beautiful town; they think of it as a repressive detention facility,” Witt said.

The nonprofit has also seen a surge in volunteer efforts to support immigrant families. “We recently had a volunteer donate 50,000 meals that could be delivered to folks,” Witt noted, citing increased need amid fears of raids and reduced social services.

Local leaders, including Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Congressmember Pat Ryan, have expressed opposition to the facility, reflecting a broader community concern. Witt emphasized the importance of public engagement: “People need to let their legislators know their feelings… the overwhelming majority of the people don't want to be living in a community that's based on oppression and fear, and economic ruin.”

In Pike County, a grassroots effort is underway to restore the illuminated star on Milford Knob, a display that dates back nearly a century. And in neighboring Wayne County, community members are weighing in on what should replace the former playground in Honesdale’s Central Park.

Liam Mayo, news editor for The River Reporter, says while the projects are distinct, they share a common thread: deep community investment.

A Star With a Long History

According to reporting by The River Reporter, commemorative displays have appeared on Milford Knob since the Civil War. The illuminated star itself dates back to the 1930s and was maintained for decades by the Milford Lions Club.

That changed in 2017, when the National Park Service — which owns the land — told the Lions Club the display could no longer be installed, citing concerns that it could be perceived as endorsing religion.

Supporters of the effort to bring the star back argue the symbol is cultural, not religious.

Among them is Milford Mayor Candace Mahalik, who co-chairs the Restore the Star committee.

Another organizer, Fred Weber, moved to Milford after the display was removed.

The Restore the Star committee has begun circulating letters, raising funds through the Greater Pike Community Foundation, and building local business support. The group’s Facebook page has attracted more than 300 followers.

Longer-term goals include illuminating the display at additional times of year, such as the Fourth of July or Veterans Day, and potentially powering it with solar energy.

A previous attempt to designate the star as a historic site was rejected in 2023 after a three-year review, citing insufficient community support.

Reimagining a Playground in Honesdale

In Honesdale, a different kind of community-led effort began after playground equipment in Central Park was removed. A report found that tire mulch used as ground cover could be harming nearby trees, and the equipment came out with little public notice.

That led to the formation of the People’s Playground Project, which has conducted surveys and pop-up workshops to gather ideas before narrowing down what’s feasible.

So far, more than 200 survey responses have been collected.

Other priorities include bathrooms, safety fencing, and accessibility features. Respondents were also asked about themes.

Some survey responses raised concerns about safety and vandalism, particularly involving teens. But organizers emphasized inclusion over exclusion.

Both projects, he added, reflect a broader trend.

More information about the efforts can be found at restorethestar.org and peoplesplaygroundproject.com. Coverage of both stories is available at riverreporter.com.

The Trans Support Initiative (TSI) hosts a monthly book club in Callicoon, bringing together trans people, gender-diverse community members, families, and allies to read and discuss trans history, memoir, and identity.

“We discovered that there were way more transgender people in the county than we thought,” said Luisa Santoro, a founder of TSI. “Our family’s involvement came with one of my grandchildren, and at the time there were very few resources around.”

Santoro said her family eventually found support — but only after navigating a difficult path.

“He is now a very successful person, a college graduate,” she said. “But it took a lot to find the resources to get there. We’d like to help other families do that without as much drama as we had.”

For Chana Pollock, the book club is both a cultural and political response to rising hostility toward trans people.

“If you can see it, you can be it,” Pollock said. “Given all the negative energy that’s out in the world currently about trans folks, we need to build a really stable, solid grounding in our history.”

Pollock said books offer both education and joy.

“Just because the world around you might seem really negative doesn’t mean you don’t have the opportunity to create joy,” they said. “There’s so much joy to be had in art and culture.”

The group’s discussions range from graphic memoirs like Gender Queer to classic and contemporary works such as Stone Butch Blues and Hijab Butch Blues.

“We open every book club by asking the simplest question: ‘What do you think?’” Pollock said. “And it just kind of takes off from there.”

Santoro said the book club has become a rare safe space in a rural setting.

“Some people are really afraid to come out, even to a small group,” she said. “But the books help people identify with others who have the same trials and tribulations — or whose children are going through them.”

Beyond the book club, TSI hosts movie nights, community brunches, and maintains a lending library. Meetings are held at St. James Episcopal Church in Callicoon.

“I have never been in such a positive, multi-generational room as when I walk into a TSI meeting,” Pollock said. “Without calling it a support group, it naturally becomes one.”

More information at transsupportinitiativenypa.org.

Ali Faqirzada, a Bard College student and Afghan refugee, has been held in ICE custody since Oct. 14. This week, a federal judge in New Jersey denied his petition for release, finding that his detention does not violate due process.

“So Ali Faqirzada is not going to be able to come back to the Hudson Valley,” said Times Union reporter Maria Silva. “After this federal judge in New Jersey ruled that his detention is essentially lawful.”

Judge: ICE Acted Within Its Authority

The judge pointed to the terms of Faqirzada’s humanitarian parole, which allowed immigration officials to revoke his release at their discretion.

“When Ali Faqirzada was first apprehended by Border Patrol and then granted humanitarian parole, immigration officials made it clear they could terminate that parole at any time,” Silva said. “That’s what happened on October 14.”

ICE issued an administrative — not criminal — warrant for Faqirzada’s arrest. He has remained in detention since.

The court also rejected arguments that his detention violates due process.

“The judge said his detention does not violate due process because he has been in custody for less than three months, which courts do not consider arbitrary,” Silva said.

Under federal law, the judge ruled, Faqirzada must remain in custody until his asylum case concludes.

“He’ll stay detained until he’s either granted asylum or removed from the country,” Silva said.

Arrest Followed Credible Fear Interview

Faqirzada was arrested after attending a credible fear interview — a standard step in the asylum process.

“He went to an ICE facility in New Jersey on October 14 and attended a credible fear interview on Long Island,” Silva said. “His sister told us he passed that interview, and his lawyer said he showed credible fear of returning to Afghanistan.”

After an immigration officer told Faqirzada he had a valid asylum claim and gave him a court date, ICE agents arrested him in front of his attorneys.

“The reason given was that he crossed the southern border without permission,” Silva said. “But expressing fear of returning to Afghanistan is legal and part of the asylum process.”

Crossing the border without authorization is a civil immigration violation, not a criminal offense.

Family, Bard College Rally Support

Faqirzada’s family and supporters say his detention makes little sense. His parents and siblings, who crossed the border with him, have already been granted asylum.

“They all went through the same process,” Silva said. “The family doesn’t understand why Ali is being detained when everyone else was approved.”

The case has drawn bipartisan attention and strong support from Bard College, where Faqirzada studied computer programming and worked as a campus security guard.

“Bard College has held vigils and raised thousands of dollars to support his family,” Silva said. “Supporters describe Ali as generous, respectful, and someone who was contributing to society.”

Faqirzada’s asylum case is still pending.

Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates New York, joined NPR to break down what the state got right, where it fell short, and what the 2026 agenda calls for.

"We know that New Yorkers want climate action that's practical, affordable, and real," Fajans-Turner said. "The governor understands the pressure families are under, but climate leadership now means moving much faster on deploying solutions and clean energy at scale that will lower costs and protect New Yorkers’ health in the near and long term."

Investing in Water and Public Health

Among the highlights of Hochul’s address was a $3.75 billion, five-year clean water plan. Fajans-Turner called it a "historic investment" that will not only replace aging infrastructure like lead pipes but also safeguard communities from rollbacks at the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

"This is pocketbook protection," Fajans-Turner said. "By investing in large-scale public infrastructure, the state reduces costs for property taxes, municipal budgets, and household water expenses."

Clean Energy Gaps and Nuclear Concerns

Fajans-Turner praised the emphasis on affordability and safety but said the governor fell short on clean energy. "We did not hear about utility-scale solar or offshore wind deployment," she said. "Incremental wins are not enough. We need a statewide energy plan that accelerates New York toward its climate goals."

She also cautioned against overreliance on nuclear power. "Nuclear will cost billions more than solar or wind and take years to deploy," Fajans-Turner said. "It cannot replace shovel-ready clean energy projects that are essential today."

Housing, Data Centers, and Environmental Protections

Hochul also proposed streamlining environmental review to speed housing construction. Fajans-Turner urged a careful approach: "Reform should be a scalpel, not a chainsaw. Reviews must protect our water, air, and communities to ensure projects deliver more benefits than costs."

With rapid growth in energy demand from data centers, Fajans-Turner emphasized that "big load growth must come from binding clean energy and storage requirements. We cannot allow expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure."

2026 Action Agenda: PFAS, Clean Energy, and Resilience

Environmental Advocates New York recently released its 2026 action agenda, which Fajans-Turner described as "not a wish list, but the basic work of governing in a warming world." Key priorities include banning toxic PFAS chemicals in consumer products, investing in community resilience, and accelerating clean energy deployment.

"First and foremost, we urge the governor to commit an additional billion dollars for the Sustainable Future Program," Fajans-Turner said. "Second, we must continue to protect drinking water and accelerate clean energy. These steps will help New York remain a climate leader and keep costs down for residents."

Looking ahead, Fajans-Turner said success would mean a 2026 renewable energy plan that charts a clear path toward solar, offshore wind, and a zero-emission economy, along with programs that make polluters pay rather than burden taxpayers.

"If we follow through on these priorities, New York can accelerate its clean energy transition while protecting health, lowering costs, and safeguarding communities," Fajans-Turner said.

Learn more about Environmental Advocates New York and their 2026 agenda at eany.org.

Radio Catskill reporters Jason Dole, Kimberly Izar, and Patricio Robayo, who followed the speech closely, said the governor’s overarching message focused less on sweeping policy details and more on framing the political moment.

Dole said her key message seemed to be: “Re-elect Governor Kathy Hochul. She was presenting an image of stability and accomplishment.”

Affordability Takes Center Stage

Hochul repeatedly returned to cost-of-living pressures, highlighting energy bills, child care costs, housing shortages, and insurance premiums. She noted that the average New Yorker pays about $1,700 a year just to keep the lights on and pledged to rein in utility rate hikes.

“She talked a lot about affordability, especially energy,” Izar said. “But there were not a lot of specifics on how those rate hikes would actually be stopped.”

The governor said large energy users, including data centers, should “pay their fair share” so everyday consumers aren’t left shouldering higher costs.

Child Care Push Amid Federal Cuts

One of the biggest applause lines came when Hochul outlined plans to expand child care statewide, including universal pre-K for four-year-olds and a partnership with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to fund care for 2,000 children in the city.

But reporters noted the timing is complicated by federal cuts.

“We’re seeing federal cuts to child care under the Trump administration,” Dole said. “That’s going to make implementation challenging.”

Immigration and Federal Overreach

Hochul sharpened her criticism of federal immigration enforcement, proposing tighter limits on ICE activity in New York.

One proposal would require immigration officers to obtain judicial warrants before conducting enforcement actions in “sensitive locations” such as schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.

“The governor argues that without these protections, people are afraid to send their kids to school or seek medical care,” Robayo said. “State officials warn that this kind of avoidance can undermine public health and safety more broadly.”

Hochul said New York will not use state resources to assist federal immigration raids targeting non-criminal immigrants.

Housing, AI, and a Shift in Tone

On housing, Hochul renewed calls to streamline environmental reviews to accelerate construction, backing New York City’s plan to build 500,000 new homes over the next decade.

“Let them build,” she said.

She also announced a new AI research center at Binghamton University and proposed clear labeling requirements for AI-generated content, particularly in elections, alongside stronger data protections for children.

Reporters noted a tonal shift away from earlier law-and-order rhetoric.

“She’s moved away from bail reform framing,” Dole said. “Safety was discussed, but with more nuance.”

Political Stakes Ahead

Republicans criticized the address as heavy on rhetoric and light on results. Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said “actions speak louder than words,” while State Sen. Peter Oberacker said families need lower costs and safer communities “not just speeches.”

As budget negotiations begin, reporters say the real test will be whether Hochul’s affordability agenda survives federal funding cuts and legislative bargaining.

“This is when they're all going to weigh in and that's why you're going to hear me talking to our news partners on there and saying what are people on the ground saying what who likes this idea who doesn't like this idea,” said Dole.

“Early American taverns are a fantastic window into the making of the United States,” says historian Dr. Kirsten Wood. “They were important in the American Revolution, but also in the early republic… once you start following who went to taverns and what they did there, you can see how tavern going contributed to the country's economy, its transportation networks, and even its political culture.”

Dr. Wood explores this history in a virtual program, Taverns in the Early United States, this Sunday at 2 p.m., hosted by The Time and The Valley’s Museum in Grahamsville. 

Taverns varied widely depending on location and architecture, and drinking wasn’t always the main activity. “You would also find people who were drinking very little or not at all. So tavern going didn’t necessarily mean excessive drinking,” Wood says.

They also drew a more diverse crowd than imagined. “There were sometimes women — travelers, women conducting business — not just white men,” she explains.

Taverns hosted mutual insurance societies, horse-thief detection clubs, dancing lessons, stockholder meetings, and even medical society gatherings. “The amount of capitalism in fairly advanced forms that’s happening there is really striking,” Wood says.

They were vital to travel too. “People were traveling by foot, on horseback, wagons, or stagecoach… taverns are really important nodes in transportation,” she explains, often serving as early watering stops for stagecoaches and railroads.

Taverns’ legacy lives on in modern public spaces, she says. “The ability to safely enter and use any of those spaces shapes your economic possibilities, your sense of belonging as a citizen… That, I think, is the key similarity between taverns then and now.”

Now, that legacy is being revived.

This weekend, the Borscht Belt Museum launches a new season of the Borscht Belt Comedy Club at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, with Ellenville-born comedian Alejandro Morales serving as curator, host, and headliner.

Morales, now based in Philadelphia, returned home with a clear goal: bring live Catskills comedy back to the place where it all began — and make it reflect the voices of today.

A Borscht Belt Family History

Morales’ connection to the Catskills resorts runs through his family.

“My mom and dad are both from Chile, and they emigrated separately in the 1970s,” Morales said. “My father says that he was the first Chilean in Ellenville — you take that with a grain of salt. But he got a job at the Nevele Hotel, and then my mother got a job at the Nevele Hotel, and they met working in the dining room.”

By the time Morales was growing up, the golden age of Borscht Belt comedy had already passed.

“By the time I was a teenager, the sort of heyday of the Borscht Belt was more or less in the past,” he said. “So I unfortunately missed all of the wonderful emergence of live stand-up comedy in the region.”

He didn’t see live stand-up until moving to Philadelphia, where comedy took hold. When he eventually moved back to Ellenville, he wanted to reconnect the region with its comedic roots.

“I really wanted to bring back this original art form that sprang up in the 20th century,” Morales said, “and bring it back so people can continue to enjoy that live art in Ellenville.”

Finding the Borscht Belt in His Voice

Morales now recognizes how deeply the Borscht Belt shaped his comedic instincts — even before he understood its history.

“I was a big fan of Joan Rivers,” he said. “She was one of my favorite comedians growing up. I was also a big fan of Sandra Bernhard and Richard Lewis.”

Through television, Morales absorbed the rhythm and sensibility of Borscht Belt comedy without realizing where it came from.

“I didn’t put two and two together when I was a teen or in my 20s,” he said. “But I’ve always been connected to this tradition that started in my hometown.”

That connection, he says, is something comedians still feel when they perform in the Catskills.

“People come up to the Hudson Valley and it kind of dawns on them,” Morales said. “‘Oh, this is where it all started.’ Those conversations usually happen in the green room before the show.”

A New Comedy Season in Ellenville

As curator of the Borscht Belt Comedy Club, Morales has built a season that blends history with contemporary voices.

The January kickoff features Jeff Gurian, Alan Frischman — a local plumber and author — along with Bess Farber and David Lustbader.

February programming celebrates Black History Month with comedians Chanel Ali and Anthony Moore.

In March, Emmy Award-winning comedian Judy Gold headlines what Morales calls the season’s marquee performance.

April brings a Spanish-language comedy show with Laura Bolívar, expanding the Borscht Belt tradition to audiences long connected to the Catskills resorts.

“I really want to bring something to my generation and my parents’ generation — people who worked in the hotels who were Latin American and South American and speak primarily Spanish,” Morales said.

The season concludes in May with a family-friendly comedy show, aimed at welcoming as wide an audience as possible.

Carrying an Outsider Tradition Forward

Morales sees clear parallels between today’s revival and the origins of Borscht Belt comedy.

“The story of the Borscht Belt is the story of outsiders who were not welcomed everywhere,” he said. “It was Jewish folks who wanted to go on vacation and couldn’t go where they wanted to because of prejudice.”

Out of that exclusion came a cultural force that reshaped American comedy.

“They took that rejection and that outsider status, and they built something that became an art form that’s taken the entire world by storm,” Morales said.

Today, Morales believes that same spirit lives on through marginalized voices finding space onstage.

“We can now plug in our outsider voices and carry on that tradition,” he said. “Having somewhere to practice your art and connect with your community — I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than that.”

Comedy Comes Home

The revival is personal for Morales. His late father worked as a maître d’ at the Nevele and the Concord, where he crossed paths with celebrities of the era.

“I’m sure he’d be super excited if he were still with us,” Morales said. “My mother is so excited to have me back home. She’s thrilled.”

The protest comes amidst nationwide protests following the ICE killing of Nicole Renee Good in Minnesota. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar reports.

“We are an auditioned group of LGBTQ+ and allied singers… Over our 10 years together, we've become really a chosen family with deep and abiding connections,” said Terry Gibson, managing director of Key of Q. “We practice love and support and acceptance and really celebrate all of our unique voices.”

The chorus performs modern, secular music in complex multi-part harmonies, often with themes of equality, love, and identity. Gibson described the group’s unique approach to music selection:

“We encourage all members to suggest songs… We strive to have about half of our music celebrate something about the queer community… It fosters not only more of an emotional connection to the music but a stronger sense of community.”

Key of Q has also launched the One Day Chorus, a one-afternoon session where anyone can join and sing in full harmony. “There’s no audition, there’s no pressure… All proceeds go to benefit a local queer-positive organization,” Gibson said, noting that the first session raised hundreds of dollars for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center.

On the theme behind It’s About Time, Gibson explained:

“Some days [time] just rushes past and other days it feels heavy and slow… It’s an invitation to pause, to listen, and to remember that even when the world feels dark and rushed and uncertain, our lives and our communities can still unfold in meaningful, beautiful, joyful ways, and we're all here to support one another.”

Learn more and grab tickets at keyofq.org. Gibson adds:

“You don't have to know anything about choral music. You don't have to be LGBTQ+ to belong with us, just be open to being moved. Our singers put their whole selves into the music and that creates a kind of honesty you can really feel in the sound.”

To discuss the implications, we spoke with Dr. Eve Walter, Public Health Director for Ulster County.

On Aligning Guidelines with Local Health Data
Dr. Walter said the written recommendations generally align with established dietary guidance, though the visual representation of the new pyramid may confuse the public.

“I want to first separate that there’s a bit of a difference between the recommendations as they’re written in the words and the recommendations as the visual appears,” she said. “When you then look at the image though, you know it’s recommending… protein recommendations typically like a giant picture of a steak or whole milk. These tend to be higher in saturated fats, so it starts confusing the message a little bit.”

She noted that some aspects of the guidelines, such as limiting sugar for children under 10, may be unrealistic. “Some of them are really valid and some of them are a little confusing,” she said.

On Saturated Fats and Heart Health
The new guidelines have raised concerns among some nutrition experts for emphasizing red meat and full-fat dairy, foods high in saturated fats linked to cardiovascular disease. Dr. Walter stressed that while the written guidance still advises reducing saturated fat, the visuals may send a mixed message.

“The research is a bit mixed on exactly how much saturated fats are, you know, should a person avoid?” she said. “It’s obviously been associated with higher risks of different kinds of cardiovascular diseases… I’m actually less… expecting that your average person on a day-to-day basis will sit here and all of a sudden be dramatically changing their diet as a result of this.”

On Equity and Food Access
Dr. Walter emphasized that the guidelines do not address broader public health issues such as food access, cultural differences, or affordability.

“There are many cultures who consume large amounts of rice and grains and healthfully consume them, and it’s sort of suggestive that how their eating is not appropriate,” she said. “It doesn’t at all address access to food… fast food… is way less expensive than healthy fruits and vegetables… that’s the bigger concern.”

Impact on Federal Nutrition Programs
The guidelines influence federal programs like WIC, SNAP, and school meals. Dr. Walter said the impact is already being felt locally.

“We have a WIC program and the WIC program recipients receive a card so that they can go shopping and the food is covered. Already recipients are being… this is dictating sort of what will be covered more, what will be covered less,” she said. “There’s definitely a higher level of proteins and fruits and vegetables being covered, but there’s still this issue of access to fruits and vegetables… sometimes individuals are shopping in places where fruits and vegetables are not commonly available or affordable.”

Challenges in Public Adoption
Dr. Walter said education is key, especially for SNAP recipients who may not have access to nutritionists.

“Already, we have been setting an agenda for our public health department to really figure out how we can educate people on how to identify and cook the healthiest foods possible,” she said. “Not everyone has that opportunity… other people are going to have to navigate it on their own and that’s a concern.”

On Alcohol Guidance
The new guidelines also remove specific daily limits on alcohol, advising Americans simply to “drink less” for overall health. Dr. Walter described the messaging as vague and potentially confusing.