Radio Chatskill

The Buffalo-based band The FAR Trio have been performing across the Northeast for over five years. 

Eamon, Drew, and Ethan blend soulful grooves, rock, jazz, and blues into a unique sound that draws inspiration from legends like John Lennon and the Allman Brothers. 

’With two albums under their belt, their new single, “Here and Now,” is set to release on July 14th. 

Band member Drew Azzinarro spoke about  their journey, creative process, and what fans can expect from their latest music.

The Catskill Agrarian Alliance is a non-profit organization based in the Catskills focused on increasing food sovereignty in the region by building connections between local farmers as well as to their consumers. Mutual aid serves as a guiding principle, alongside the belief that every person — regardless of income or zip code — has the right to healthy, culturally-relevant and sustainably-produced food. The Alliance oversees three major initiatives: their own agroecological farm Star Route Farm; 607 CSA, a whole-diet CSA made up of local farms in the Northern Catskills; and West Branch Commons, a community land trust that focuses on connecting up-and-coming BIPOC farmers to affordable farming land. 

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim spoke with co-executive directors Tianna Kennedy and Francis Yu about the nonprofit's mission of mutual aid and food sovereignty, issues of food insecurity amid federal cuts and the USDA’s historical discrimination against BIPOC farmers. 

As Congress weighs a budget proposal that could slash $4 billion from the federal Medicaid program, health officials and local leaders are raising alarm about what the cuts would mean for rural communities. At a press conference on Friday, June 26, hosted by Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Deborah Hogan joined other members of the Shapiro administration to call attention to the far-reaching impacts of the proposed changes.

Liam Mayo of The River Reporter was at the press conference, which focused on both the human and systemic consequences of the federal budget bill, which health leaders say threatens to dismantle crucial supports in areas already struggling to meet demand.

Hundreds of Thousands Could Lose Coverage

According to estimates shared by state officials, approximately 300,000 Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid coverage if the cuts go through. Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys added that another 270,000 residents with individual insurance purchased through the state marketplace, Pennie, could also lose coverage if tax credits included in the American Rescue Plan are allowed to expire.

New York is projected to see even greater losses, with 1.5 million residents statewide potentially impacted. In the 19th Congressional District—which includes Sullivan County—an estimated 37,500 people could lose insurance, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Rural Hospitals on the Brink

James Pettinoto, CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital, described the rural healthcare system as already under duress. While the hospital has made strides to expand services with help from local and state government support, Petinotto warned that any federal cuts would reverse that progress.

“The proposed budget cuts would likely force us over time to reduce services and continue to leave the most vulnerable population of patients at greater risk for disastrous health outcomes,” Pettinoto said.

He also highlighted the hospital’s maternity unit, which delivers approximately 475 babies a year, many to Medicaid-covered and high-risk patients. Without adequate funding, such essential services could face reductions or even elimination, following a pattern seen in other rural counties. For instance, Susquehanna County lost its obstetric program more than a decade ago.

Ripple Effects for All Patients

While Medicaid recipients would be the most directly affected, officials emphasized that the impact would not stop there.

Mayo reported that rural hospitals serve a disproportionately high number of Medicaid patients, according to  health officials at the event. “When funding is pulled, these hospitals lose revenue—but the patients still come. They just come through the emergency room, often uninsured, and the hospitals are forced to absorb the cost,” he said.

That uncompensated care further stresses already thin operating margins. To make up the difference, hospitals may raise prices on privately insured patients or cut additional services, creating a cycle that affects everyone, not just those on Medicaid.

Garnet Health: Another Example of Strain

The looming budget cuts come amid broader financial troubles for regional healthcare providers. Garnet Health, which serves patients across New York and Pennsylvania, recently announced layoffs of 2,042 employees and the elimination of outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation and diabetes services. Officials there cited both shrinking federal reimbursements and anticipated Medicaid cuts as contributing factors.

Unlike Wayne Memorial, which has been trying to expand its footprint, Garnet has been contracting in recent years—part of what its leadership calls a long-term effort to “right-size” the hospital to match shifting regional demographics and medical needs.

Interconnected Consequences

Officials stressed that the changes being debated in Washington are not just budget line items, but seismic policy shifts that could ripple through the entire healthcare system.

“This is not just about Medicaid,” said Commissioner Humphreys. “When one piece of the system breaks, others have to compensate. That raises premiums, reduces access, and increases strain on care providers.”

For continued updates and reporting, visit riverreporter.com.

As arts funding faces cutbacks across the country, local organizations in Sullivan County like the The Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre are speaking out about what’s at stake. 

HPAC is calling on state and regional funders to recognize the vital role the arts play in preserving cultural heritage, boosting tourism, and fostering inclusive community spaces. 

Radio Catskill’s Genevieve Hartnett sat down with Lourdesa Hunt, Director of Development at HPAC, to talk about the organization’s advocacy efforts, its new restoration of the historic O&W Luzon Station, and why investing in the arts—especially in smaller, diverse spaces—matters now more than ever.

Sure, you can drive from NYC to the Catskills in just a few  hours. But as "Doobby," the taxi driver in ⁠Planes, Trains and Automobiles⁠ says, "You don't see nothing on the interstate but interstate."

In this story, Kaatscast host Brett Barry walks with ⁠⁠Casey Kelbaugh⁠⁠ on a stretch of the "⁠Long Path⁠," a 358-mile trail from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the edge of the Adirondack Park. 

From cutting-edge space observatories and mysterious radio signals, to The blood-curdling Permian monsters that ruled the Earth before dinosaurs, our resident science guy Joe Johnson takes us on a whirlwind tour through time and space—literally.

Life Before the Dinosaurs: Welcome to the Permian

Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the Permian Period ruled. Spanning from roughly 299 to 251 million years ago, the Permian marked the end of the Paleozoic era—a time of extreme climates, bizarre beasts, and, ultimately, the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history.

The supercontinent Pangea dominated the globe during the Permian. While its coastal areas boasted lakes and swamps teeming with early plant life, the interior was an arid desert. The planet’s atmosphere held about 30% oxygen—higher than today’s 21%—fueled by the oxygen-rich Carboniferous forests that preceded it.

Flowering plants had yet to evolve; instead, the landscape was dominated by ferns, horsetails, and early gymnosperms like pine trees and ginkgos. The animal kingdom, meanwhile, was home to creatures that seem plucked from science fiction: dragonflies the size of ducks and apex predators with circular saw-like jaws.

Among the dominant land species were the synapsids, a group of four-legged vertebrates that eventually evolved into mammals. The most famous synapsid, Dimetrodon, sported a large sail on its back—possibly used for courtship, cooling, or dominance displays. At around 10 to 12 feet long, it was a ferocious predator equipped with a “mouthful of steak knives.”

The Permian’s reign ended with a catastrophic volcanic event in present-day Siberia, releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide. Scientists believe this caused a global temperature increase of about 10°C and triggered the extinction of 95% of marine life and 70% of land species.

A New Eye on the Universe: Vera C. Rubin Observatory Delivers Stunning First Images

Shifting from ancient Earth to the edge of the universe, Johnson discussed the groundbreaking release of the first high-resolution images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile’s Andes Mountains. Sitting at 9,000 feet above sea level, the observatory houses the world’s most powerful digital camera—3,200 megapixels and the size of a small car—built by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Every three days, this technological marvel will scan the entire southern sky, capturing time-lapse images in stunning detail. Scientists hope to use artificial intelligence to analyze changes in space over time, detecting everything from supernovas and variable stars to elusive near-Earth objects.

“This telescope will generate more data in a single year than all previous optical astronomy combined,” Johnson said. An estimated five petabytes—5,000 terabytes—of data will be processed annually, with a dedicated facility in Scotland tasked with storage and analysis.

Among its ambitious goals, the observatory aims to:

• Map the solar system (discovering 2,000 previously unknown asteroids in just 10 hours),
• Detect potential planets like the theorized “Planet Nine,”
• Understand the formation of the Milky Way,
• And probe the mystery of dark matter, a term coined in part thanks to the observatory’s namesake, astronomer Vera Rubin. Her work observing the unexpected rotational speeds of galaxies helped establish the presence of unseen mass now known as dark matter.

Fast Radio Burst? Try a Spark from a 1960s Satellite

In a surprise twist, a mysterious radio signal detected on June 13, 2024, turned out not to be a deep-space event—but rather a local one. The Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope picked up a powerful burst lasting just 30 nanoseconds. At first, astronomers suspected a fast radio burst (FRB), a phenomenon usually traced to distant galaxies or neutron stars.

However, the signal's proximity—only 4,500 km from Earth—led to a startling discovery: it came from Relay 2, a long-defunct communications satellite launched in 1964 and inactive since 1967.

Scientists now believe the burst may have resulted from either a micrometeoroid collision or a massive electrostatic discharge—a kind of space-based static shock. As Johnson explained, “These old satellites can accumulate charge while passing through the Earth’s magnetic field. Sometimes, it’s enough to spark a burst of radio energy.”

This rare occurrence has prompted astronomers to reconsider how often space junk might mimic cosmic phenomena.

It’s been nearly 40 years since Dirty Dancing first hit the big screen—but the music, the moves, and the unforgettable Catskills setting still strike a chord. 

Now, a group of local artists is bringing the soundtrack to life with a high-energy tribute concert happening Saturday, July 5 at Pelkey’s Tavern in Hankins, New York.

The Songs of Dirty Dancing features a full live band performing 18 songs from the iconic film—from the Ronettes to Otis Redding—and comedic hosts Bob Powers and Amanda Melson 

We sat down with co-creator and guitarist Dave Keener and co-host Bob Powers to talk about how the show came together.

As June draws to a close and the nation looks ahead to Independence Day festivities, the American Red Cross is making an urgent appeal: donate blood, and do it now.

The summer season—especially the weeks around the Fourth of July—is one of the most challenging times of year to maintain a healthy blood supply. With regular donors on vacation, schools closed, and many businesses unable to host blood drives, donations drop just as demand spikes due to increased outdoor activity and traumatic injuries.

“This time of year falls within what we call the ‘100 Deadly Days of Summer,’” said John Vale, Executive Director of the Red Cross’s Hudson Valley Chapter, in an interview with Radio Catskill. “More people are on the roads, out on boats, camping, and just enjoying life—but that can also lead to accidents and a greater need for blood.”

Type O blood is in particularly high demand. Type O-negative is the universal donor used in emergency rooms when a patient’s blood type is unknown, while O-positive can be safely transfused to about 80% of the population. “Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion,” Vale emphasized. “We rely on type O during those critical moments.”

To help meet the urgent need, the Hudson Valley Red Cross has launched a new initiative: Banking on Life. The campaign teams up with local financial institutions to sponsor a series of blood drives in July. Participating partners include M&T Bank, Ulster Savings Bank, Hudson Valley Credit Union, and Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union.

The first blood drive kicks off Tuesday, July 1, with additional drives scheduled throughout the month. All blood types are welcome, and each appointment helps ensure that hospitals have the lifesaving supply they need.

Vale encourages potential donors to make an appointment by visiting redcross.org, downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. “And if you make an appointment, please try to keep it,” he said. “Emergencies happen, but every pint counts.”

In addition to urging blood donations, the Red Cross is sharing safety reminders for those heading outdoors or using fireworks during the holiday weekend. Resources, including a first aid app, weather alerts, and emergency tips, are available for free on the Red Cross website and app stores.

“Whether it’s taking a first aid course or just being more aware, there are small steps people can take to protect themselves and their loved ones this summer,” Vale said.

He closed the conversation with a heartfelt message: “We’re all part of this community. Thank you to everyone who donates, volunteers, or supports our mission. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.”

💉 Want to Help?

• Schedule a blood donation: redcross.org or 1-800-RED-CROSS
• Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App
• Find local Banking on Life blood drives by ZIP code

🎆 Stay Safe This Summer:

• Visit redcross.org/summersafety for holiday safety tips
• Take a first aid or CPR course
• Download the Red Cross First Aid and Emergency apps

The Gender, Identity, Respect, Dignity and Safety Act, more commonly known as the G.I.R.D.S. Act, is a proposed legislative bill in the New York State Senate that would require all New York prisons and jails to house Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Intersex (TGNCNBI) people in accordance with their gender identity, as well as making sure they get access to gender affirming medical care and personal items.

The bill stalled in committee during this year’s legislative session, but advocates say their push is far from over. 

The Trans Prisoners' Rights Coalition (TPRC) is working to raise awareness and build momentum for the next legislative cycle

The passage of the G.I.R.D.S. Act would be a blanket coverage of protection for trans folks in all New York State prisons and jails.

However, according to Mik Kinkead, New York State Attorney and TPRC Representative, and Grace Detrevarah, LGBTQ Liaison and Case Management Assistant at the Osborne Association, it is only one step in fixing a carceral system that invalidates and criminalizes trans identity.

Radio Catskill’s Genevieve Hartnett spoke with Kinkead and Detrevarah, about how trans folks are at higher risk of violence in the carceral and criminal justice system and how passing this bill would protect human rights in New York state.

This week brought dangerously high temperatures to New York following weeks of heavy rainfall—conditions that are creating new challenges for farmers already grappling with major federal budget cuts under the Trump administration.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with local farmers about how this season’s weather is affecting their work and how climate change and shifting federal policies are reshaping agriculture in the region.