Radio Chatskill

The Ulster County Department of Health is urging residents to get vaccinated against measles as cases continue to rise across the globe and in the United States. While no cases have been identified in Ulster County, the health department emphasizes the importance of proactive measures to protect individuals and the community. 

As of 2024, the CDC has reported over 164 measles cases in nine states, including two in New York City.  This follows a total of 285 cases reported in the US in 2024.  The majority of cases, over 80%, are in individuals under 20 years old, with 30% under five years old.  Hospitalizations have occurred in 25% of cases, and one unvaccinated child in Texas has died.  Notably, none of the infected individuals had completed the two-dose MMR vaccination cycle; 95% were fully unvaccinated, and the remaining had only one dose. 

The Ulster County Department of Health highlights that measles is a highly contagious and potentially serious disease, with complications including pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death.  Symptoms encompass white spots in the mouth, rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and sore throat.

Ulster County Public Health Director Eve Walter stated that the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles. The vaccine is recommended for children 12 to 15 months old, with a second dose at 4 to 6 years old. Adults without proof of vaccination are also encouraged to get vaccinated. The Ulster County Department of Health provides free vaccines for uninsured residents.

Dr. Gina Carena, Ulster County Department of Health Medical Director, emphasized the safety and efficacy of the MMR vaccine, stating that it is at least 97% effective after two doses.  She addressed vaccine safety concerns, assuring the public that all ingredients are essential, safe, and often present in lower doses than in the natural environment.

The Ulster County Department of Health emphasizes the importance of vaccination for those traveling to outbreak areas such as New York City, Texas, New Mexico, Canada, and internationally. Residents experiencing measles symptoms are advised to contact the Ulster County Department of Health and consult with a communicable disease nurse.  Before visiting a healthcare facility, individuals with suspected measles should contact the facility to ensure proper infection control measures.

For more information about measles and the MMR vaccine, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/measles/. For questions, call the Ulster County Department of Health at 845-340-3070. 

Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, which provides addiction, food, shelter and immigration legal services, will lay off almost half of its workforce, according to a notice filed with the state Department of Labor.

According to the Times Union, the nonprofit, one of the human service agencies of the Archdiocese of New York, is ending chemical dependency treatment and admissions at its clinics in Goshen, Newburgh, Monticello and Port Jervis, chapter CEO Shannon Kelly said in an emailed statement. As a result, 33 people will lose their jobs between May 23 and Aug. 15.

“The difficult decision comes as we face a critical staffing shortage and an evolving health care landscape that has made the continuation of care increasingly challenging,” Kelly’s statement said. “For those individuals currently enrolled in treatment, our dedicated staff are working to transfer all clients to the appropriate level of care at other local providers for continued treatment and recovery support.”

Other community outreach and engagement teams, including peer advocates, will remain available to connect those who need treatment to available resources, according to Catholic Charities.

The nonprofit’s other programs in the region — including food and housing assistance, case management, youth substance use prevention and education, community outreach and engagement, and immigration legal services — will continue.

The employees losing their jobs are not represented by a union, the notice states.

Catholic Charities is ending addiction programs in the region that has been hit hardest by the opioid crisis. Sullivan County has had the highest rate of opioid deaths in the state; in 2020, more than 45 out of 10,000 people in the county died or were hospitalized due to overdoses, more than twice the statewide rate, according to state Department of Health data.

Nationally, the nonprofit faces uncertainty. In January, Catholic Charities urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his administration’s order to freeze federal aid to nonprofit organizations. The order was rescinded shortly after. Several Catholic Charities agencies across the country have reportedly laid off employees and shut down programs, particularly refugee resettlement programs.

People in need of assistance can contact the Catholic Charities office in their county:

• Orange: 845-294-5124
• Sullivan: 845-794-8080
• Ulster: 845-340-9170

At a budget hearing last week, Albany lawmakers focused on housing, which remains one of the biggest expenses for New Yorkers and plays a key role in the state's overall affordability.

Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed 2025 budget continues her push to address the state's housing shortage by expanding efforts to build new housing units. This plan builds on existing initiatives while introducing new ones.

The governor has allocated $500 million over the next two years to repurpose state-owned properties into 15,000 new housing units. Additionally, a new tax incentive is being proposed to help low- and middle-income families achieve homeownership by supporting homes built by nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity.

However, as New York braces for reduced federal assistance due to planned cuts to national spending under the Trump administration, RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner and CEO of the state Department of Homes and Community Renewal, emphasized that the state should not rely on its budget to fill gaps left by federal low-income housing programs.

Visnauskas stressed that Governor Hochul, the state attorney general, and lawmakers must hold New York's congressional delegation accountable for maintaining funding for vital housing programs that have been supported by the federal government for decades.

As we’ve been reporting, NYSEG and other electricity customers have experienced dramatic spikes in their electric bills this winter, with some seeing their costs double or even triple. 

Some NYSEG customers have taken drastic measures in recent months to combat sky-high energy bills: unplugging every appliance before bed, layering up instead of turning the thermostat above 60, and even turning off the heat entirely.

Radio Catskill’s newest reporter Kimberly Izar spoke to some of these customers about how they are coping with the unexpectedly high bills. 

Local state representatives Assembly member Paula Kay and Sen. Peter Oberacker have asked customers in their districts to reach out to their offices for questions or concerns.

On Sunday, March 9 at 2:00 a.m.,  it will be time to Spring Forward and set your clocks ahead by one hour to enter Daylight Savings Time.  According to the CDC, switching to Daylight Savings Time can disturb sleep, cause health issues, and lead to an increase in traffic accidents and work-safety events. 

As part of the upcoming Sleep Awareness Month in March,  Garnet Health Sleep Medicine provider Dr. Ellen Bradley is joining us with some information on the importance of sleep, tips for healthy sleep hygiene practices, and some of the most common sleep disorders.

International Women’s Day is Saturday and this year’s theme is 'Accelerate Action', a global call to recognize tactics, tools, and methods that support women's progress in various areas of life.

Farm Arts Collective is celebrating the day at the Agri-Cultural Center at Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Damascus PA, with afternoon of art, food, and empowerment. Attendees will have the chance to connect with local women, share stories, and engage in transformative activities as part of a day that encourages action, growth, and empowerment.

The event will open with a performance by Farm Arts Artistic director Tannis Kowalchuk, who will present an excerpt from her solo performance "Decompositions."

Our resident science guy Joe Johnson is back with some science stories that caught his eye recently, including the commercial spacecraft carrying NASA experiments that successfully touched down on the moon's surface early Sunday morning, ushering in a new phase of private space exploration.

Two Sullivan County school districts will implement a new mental health initiative aimed at preventing youth suicide, and all three districts in the county will participate in a program to evaluate their mental health services. Sullivan 180, a local non-profit organization, is partnering with the Fallsburg and Eldred school districts to launch a three-year pilot program called Hope Squad in their middle and high schools. 

The Hope Squad program is an evidence-based peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that trains students to identify peers who may be struggling with mental health issues and provide support and encouragement.  Students nominated by their peers undergo training from a qualified advisor to learn about mental health and how to offer help to their peers.  Staff Hope Squad advisors and student Hope Squad members will work to create active Hope Squads in their schools.

In addition to the Hope Squad program, all three Sullivan County school districts – Fallsburg, Eldred, and Sullivan West – will participate in the School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation System (SHAPE).  This free web-based platform allows districts to evaluate their existing mental health programs and resources and identify areas for improvement. 

This initiative is supported by the New York State Office of Mental Health.  

Mike Conklin, Eldred Junior/ Senior High Principal and Meaghan Mullally-Gorr, Sullivan 180 Director of Health and Wellness, spoke about the youth mental health initiatives on Radio Chatskill.

Local representatives and members of the Trump administration met this weekend to discuss ways to fight the ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin, in order to return drilling rights to property owners in Wayne and Pike counties, and to help make Northeastern Pennsylvania the Artificial Intelligence (AI) capital of the world.

Representative Rob Bresnahan, the newly-elected congressman for Pennsylvania’s eighth district, convened a roundtable on Sunday with local pro-fracking industry figures, advocates and elected officials. Together with Lee Zeldin, newly appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they talked about the need to unleash the natural gas resources in the Delaware River Basin and throughout the country.

Liam Mayo was there for The River Reporter.

The state Department of Corrections has begun firing and fining corrections officers who have not returned to work as the prison wildcat strike enters its third week.

Less than 10 officers have been terminated, and more than 350 officers are facing civil contempt charges that are being filed by the state Attorney General’s office, officials said.

The state’s shift to punitive measures comes after a tentative deal struck between the state and New York’s corrections union late Thursday failed to sway hundreds of striking officers to return to work. The strike, officials said, has so far cost the state $25 million.

Corrections officers received notices Saturday warning that strikers would have their health insurance coverage cancelled for them and their families effective Monday. Additionally, the department wrote in text messages to officers, stating that “those that continue to participate in this illegal strike” would be subject to imprisonment.

At a news conference on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said striking corrections officers rejected the deal that their union agreed to.

“People decided, ‘Well, we’d rather stay out on the line,’” she said. “That was their choice, It was not the union’s position.”

Jackie Bray, who is the commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, justified the firings, saying that corrections officers are essential workers who, under Taylor Law, are subject to termination if they do not work for 10 consecutive days and into the 11th day. Under that law, Bray added, the state could seek fines against corrections officers equivalent to the amount the state is incurring due to the strike.

“We have negotiated in good faith at the mediation table across a broad range of topics, going as far as we can legally go,” Bray said.

State Sen. Mark Walczyk, R- Watertown, Jefferson County, decried Hochul’s approach to the situation by “doubling down on threats.”

“I think the governor is already short corrections officers across the state of New York,” he said. “She needs these guys to return to work and she should listen to what they're saying about safety in the workplace. Instead of threatening these guys, we need them to be corrections officers.”

The state has spent $25 million dollars by sending about 7,000 National Guard troops and additional reinforcement into prisons, according to Bray. Current estimates from the state indicate the strike will cost New York approximately $106 million a month if it continues at its current rate.

Over the course of the strike, four prisoners have died at three separate facilities -- including an inmate allegedly fatally beaten at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy. The state is investigating the death of a 22-year-old inmate on Saturday at Mid-State Correctional Facility. Individuals allegedly involved in the incident were put on administrative leave, according to state officials. It is not clear if any of the deaths are related to the strike.

At its peak, state officials said, the strike affected 38 of 42 state facilities as nine out of 10 officers left their posts. State Commissioner for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Daniel Martuscello said over the weekend, several facilities stopped participating in the strikes: Green Haven, Fishkill, Shawangunk, Hudson, Taconic, and Sing Sing.

Several facilities stopped participating in the strikes over the weekend, including Green Haven, Fishkill, Shawangunk, Hudson, Taconic, and Sing Sing, said Daniel Martuscello, state commissioner for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

“In order to continue this dialogue, though, we really need our staff to return to the workforce so we can operate safe facilities and provide safety to the surrounding communities,” Martuscello said on Monday, speaking alongside Bray.

While some strikers returned to work Saturday, others among the wildcat group, who have been demanding safer working conditions and more leeway in using solitary confinement since the strike began on Feb. 17, say the deal does not do enough to protect corrections officers in the face of increased prison violence rates over recent years.

Martuscello: It’s up to lawmakers to repeal HALT Act

Martuscello acknowledged the mediated consent award reinstates solitary confinement only to a limited extent.

“There's really no change that we can immediately make to the HALT act, other than to go to the Legislature to make changes,” Martuscello said.

Walczyk said corrections officers tell him they’re rejecting the tentative deal because it does not allow prison staff to separate “violent” prisoners from the rest of the facility’s population by placing them in a special housing unit.

"That piece of the HALT Act, the governor completely ignored in negotiations, and it's a mainstay of what they're asking for,” Walczyk said. “It's offensive to have someone who has acted out violently or they know is a threat, – not just to corrections officers but also to other inmates in the facility.”

Hochul maintained Monday she would not repeal the piece of legislation unless the Legislature chooses to.

“I’m not pretending to be the king of the state or the queen of the state,” Hochul said. “I will follow the law until the Legislature choose[s] to make any changes.”

Walczyk did acknowledge the deal made headway in addressing staffing shortages in state correctional facilities.

“One of the good things that came out of this, (the deal) talked about some of the issues with staffing levels that, I think ... were appropriately responded to,” he said.

Story By Jeongyoon Han

Jeongyoon Han is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network, producing multimedia stories on issues of statewide interest and importance.