Radio Chatskill

 Early American taverns are often imagined as rowdy halls full of drinking men. But a closer look at these 18th- and early 19th-century institutions reveals a far more complex picture — one that shaped politics, business, culture, and transportation in the young United States. 

“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.”

For decades, the Catskills’ Borscht Belt helped shape American comedy, giving immigrant performers a place to test jokes, tell their stories, and build careers that would later define stand-up nationwide.

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.”

A vacant warehouse in Chester, New York, could soon become New York state’s next ICE processing facility, according to internal ICE documents. The news drew significant local opposition – with hundreds of people protesting outside the Chester Senior Center last night. The Village board relocated the board meeting to a larger venue last minute to accommodate the crowd.

The protest comes amidst nationwide protests following the ICE killing of Nicole Renee Good in Minnesota. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar reports.

The Hudson Valley’s LGBTQ+ and Allied a cappella chorus Key of Q is celebrating 10 years of music, community, and joy with its winter concert, It’s About Time. 

“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.”

The federal government recently released updated national dietary guidelines that emphasize whole, minimally processed foods, an inverted food pyramid highlighting proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables, and a reduction in added sugar. The new guidance has sparked debate over what Americans should eat — and what this could mean for public health.

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.

“It just feeds into the larger confusion… this is all just becomes confusing to the public who don’t know where things are or why things would change and what’s the motivation behind it,” she said.

Key Health Outcomes to Watch
For Ulster County, Dr. Walter said public health monitoring will focus on food access and education.

“Really getting the message of not only what healthy foods are out there, but how is access working? How do we help people improve their access to these foods, how do we help people understand how to cook these foods that they may be less familiar with,” she said. “We have people who sometimes have to travel very far just to get to a supermarket… and that’s a real problem.”

Dr. Walter’s assessment underscores the challenges of translating national dietary guidance into practical, equitable, and culturally sensitive local health strategies.

New York energy advocates are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to make affordability a top priority in her State of the State address, amid soaring energy costs. Gas prices are projected to more than double by 2026, and roughly one in seven New Yorkers is behind on bills.

Kim Fraczek, director of Sane Energy, said recent victories like repealing the 100-foot gas rule and securing funding for EmPower+ will help households, but more action is needed.

“The 100-foot rule has cost New Yorkers $600 million in delivery charges,” Fraczek said. “EmPower+ helps low- and moderate-income families upgrade their homes to consume less energy and lower bills.”

Fraczek also urged the governor to address ongoing gas infrastructure expansion, citing its cost and lack of necessity. “We need a commitment to gas decommissioning and stronger funding for renewable energy and efficiency programs,” she said.

As Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, await their next court appearance, activists in the Mid-Hudson Valley are pushing back against U.S. involvement in Venezuela. 

A coalition of local activist groups gathered in Newburgh on Sunday, calling for the end to the U.S.’s military intervention. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar reports.

A proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Chester, New York, is drawing sharp reactions from local officials and residents, as details emerge about a national plan to speed up immigrant detention and deportation.

The Chester site would be one of 16 smaller processing facilities proposed across the country, according to internal federal documents first reported by The Washington Post. Investigative reporter Sarah Trafton of the Times Union says the goal is to streamline the early stages of immigration enforcement.

Located in the village of Chester, the 401,000-square-foot warehouse is part of a larger plan to house 80,000 immigrants in warehouses across the country. 

“The warehouse in Chester — it’s proposed as one of 16 processing facilities throughout the country,” Trafton said. “And the idea is that rather than the existing system, that this would speed up the process of detaining and deporting immigrants.”

Formerly the Pep Boys Warehouse, the facility would be Orange County’s second U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Under the plan, immigrants would first be taken to these short-term processing sites before being transferred elsewhere.

“So once they go through those initial processing centers, then they would be sent to one of seven larger warehouses that are being proposed,” she said. “And that’s where they’d be detained before being deported.”

Trafton emphasized that the Chester facility would not function as a long-term detention center.

“The proposal specifically focuses on short-term, quote-unquote, processing,” she said. “These facilities wouldn’t be like the long-term detainment facilities. It would just be sort of to process the immigrants and then essentially funnel them to another facility where they’d be held until their eventual deportation.”

Local officials say they were not consulted

One of the biggest sources of concern locally is how the proposal surfaced.

“The folks that we talked to really, I think, were very caught off guard by the news,” Trafton said. “They said that no — specifically the town supervisor said that no one from the federal government had contacted him about the plans.”

Instead, she said, local leaders learned about the proposal through media reporting.

“Really the only reason why anyone knows about them is because of the Washington Post article and the internal documents that those referenced,” she said.

Lawmakers speak out

Several elected officials have also voiced opposition, including U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, who represents the district that includes Chester.

“He was very vocal about being opposed to this facility and just the general premise behind it,” Trafton said.

Ryan’s statement highlighted language attributed to officials involved in the plan.

“In his statement, he referenced a quote from one of the officials involved, and they’re basically saying that this plan will be like Amazon Prime except with people,” she said. “So the whole idea is to make it more efficient.”

Chester’s existing ICE presence

The proposal is especially notable because Chester sits in Orange County, home to the Orange County Jail, which has housed ICE detainees for years. The jail has faced lawsuits and reports alleging systemic medical neglect and other issues involving detained immigrants.

Trafton says geography may be a key factor in the federal government’s interest in the area.

“I think they’re kind of looking to establish these facilities in places where you can easily then transport immigrants back and forth,” she said. “This is the only new location being proposed in New York, but it’s Southern New York, closer to access to the city.”

She added that officials have drawn a distinction between the proposed warehouse and the existing jail.

“This new facility is being proposed as a processing facility, which would be different than the long-term detention facility,” Trafton said.

Can the project be stopped?

It remains unclear how much authority local governments would have to block or delay the facility.

“I think that kind of remains to be seen at this point, just because this is such a new and developing thing,” Trafton said. “I know the town supervisor is very against it and wants to do anything he can to prevent it, but as far as what means he has to do that against the federal government, I think remains to be seen.”

National context and public reaction

The proposal is emerging amid heightened scrutiny of ICE following a fatal enforcement operation in Minneapolis earlier this week, in which a woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent.

“I think that that may definitely play into people who are wary of having this facility in their backyard, or just more ICE presence than there already is,” Trafton said.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funded NPR, PBS and hundreds of local public radio and TV stations like ours for more than 50 years, said Monday that its board voted to dissolve the organization after Congress cut off federal funding.

The decision formalizes plans announced last year, following Congress' move to eliminate more than $500 million in annual support

This wasn’t unexpected. Still it’s quite a shock to all us in the public media system. The CPB is no more. 

Our own Jason Dole shared his thoughts about the closure of the CPB this week on The Local Edition.

Wayne County commissioners are beginning the new year with a $43.4 million balanced budget for 2026 — and it comes with no tax increase. The plan funds a three-percent wage increase for county employees and supports infrastructure, public safety, and community projects across the county.

“The way we covered the three percent increase on the budget was we had additional boarding fees from boarding prisoners from other correctional facilities,” said Brian Smith, Wayne County Commissioner. “We also had some addition to our set values on newly built homes.”

County leaders say growth in housing, careful spending, and new revenue sources have put the county on solid financial ground. Ongoing projects include a 24/7 crisis stabilization center in Honesdale, bridge repairs, recreational upgrades, and a new transportation hub. 

Commissioners emphasized that maintaining quality of life, public safety, and responsive government remains their top priority.