Radio Chatskill

New York state’s health department data shows a major decline in the rate of newborns dependent on opioids in Sullivan County. From 2020 to 2024, the rate of babies born with neonatal withdrawal symptoms has declined by about 70 percent in the county.

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

With the 2026 midterm elections having already begun, the ongoing Supreme Court case Watson vs. Republican National Committee is debating a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day as long as they are postmarked for Election Day. 14 states and the District of Columbia provide this grace period for voters, and 29 states in total allow additional time for at least some voters, namely military and overseas voters. The case comes amid general scrutiny and disinformation on the security of mail-in ballots by the Trump administration.

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. 

While some federal data shows that national ICE arrests have slowed down, advocates say the fear of deportation has been devastating for immigrant communities.

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.