The Local Edition

Representatives from around the world gathered in Manhattan for New York Climate Week last week. Across the state, nonprofits and local governments are resisting President Trump's cuts to environmental protections.

Dr. Alonzo Plough, Vice President and Chief Science Officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, affirmed the severity of the crisis, stating: "I don't use the term existential that often, but (climate change) is an existential threat." 

In agreement with this sentiment, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $30 million in funding awards for 19 projects statewide as part of Climate Week. The funding comes from the Bond Act, passed in 2022. This initiative aims to enhance community resilience to flooding and extreme weather events across New York.

Governor Hochul underscored the state's proactive stance: "New York is continuing to make historic investments to protect our communities from the growing risks of inland and coastal flooding." She added that these projects "will strengthen local infrastructure, restore natural protections, and make neighborhoods more resilient in the face of climate change."

New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said in the press release that the distribution will "deliver the resources local governments need to strengthen critical infrastructure, protect shorelines, and restore natural systems that help keep people safe."

Within infrastructure repairs, activists are also reimagining how to build in an eco-friendly way.

Mikhail Haramati, who leads state-level industrial decarbonization work at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), told Radio Catskill about an initiative designed to mitigate climate degradation, rather than adapt to existing damage. These include "a set of recommendations for near-term actions that New York could take right away." From Haramati's department, this means changing the way New York uses building materials. Ideally, infrastructure could reuse supplies from old buildings or experiment with products or designs that use less carbon. Haramati cited the waffle ceilings in the D.C. Metro stations as an example.

A major theme during Climate Week discussions was the tension between aggressive state and global efforts and lagging national support from the leaders of the United States. Governor Hochul stated that "the federal government refuses to protect us."

Dr. Plough cited numerous decisions that concern him, including "the reduction in resources to FEMA, the drastic cuts to the Health Department... the cuts to the weather service that have reduced the satellite monitoring that lets us know when hurricanes are forming," and more. Despite these setbacks, Dr. Plough noted that "New York State and New York City Health Departments have been amongst the leaders," stepping up to "fill in some of the gaps."

Climate change discussions also addressed social justice. Dr. Plough pointed out that "climate change is an amplifier of structural racism's impact on health." When extreme heat and weather are placed on marginalized communities already dealing with substandard housing and higher rates of chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes, the result is "disproportionate, unfair larger impacts."

Ultimately, the impact of climate events transcends political lines, argues Dr. Plough. He emphasized that "science isn't red and blue." If a storm causes flooding in the Northeast, "it's gonna flood every community. (It) doesn't matter where you voted or how you voted; you're gonna be affected by that."

The Gateway Housing Project was rejected by the Sullivan County Legislature for the second time last Thursday. Advocates say the project would help alleviate the county’s homelessness crisis and have spoken about it passionately at the weekly meetings in Monticello.

Sullivan County’s Health and Human Services Department has been working with the community and the legislature to secure a location for the site, but the clock has run out for state funding to the project. 

Amidst the high tensions and looming deadlines, Radio Catskill's Genevieve Hartnett spoke with John Liddle, Sullivan County Health and Human Services Commissioner about the work his department is doing to address the crisis and concerns from the community.

 Claims linking autism to vaccines or medications like Tylenol resurfaced this month after former President Donald Trump suggested acetaminophen use during pregnancy could cause autism. But experts say the science doesn’t support those claims.

To help clarify the issue, Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke with Dr. Noor Syed and Lauren Lestremau Allen of Empire State University’s Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES). Both emphasized that decades of rigorous research show no causal link between autism and either vaccines or Tylenol.

Allen noted that misinformation can create serious risks for families.

The experts also stressed the harm these myths cause beyond healthcare, reinforcing stigma toward autistic people.

CAARES works to support families, provide evidence-based resources, and promote inclusive communities. Families seeking accurate information can contact the center at [email protected].

Governor Hochul (D-NY) has through December to decide whether or not to sign the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill. If passed, anyone who makes a report of suspected child abuse will have to provide their own name and contact info. Nila Natarajan, the Associate Director of Policy and Family Defense at Brooklyn Defender Services, has been working on getting it signed into law. She says the opposition is based on a fear of discouraging reports, thus leading to more children being harmed. But the data, Natarajan explains, doesn't back that up. Over 90% of anonymous reports were found to be unsubstantiated, according to Natarajan and data from the state.

This evidence suggests that anonymous reporters are using accusations maliciously, with many families receiving dozens of anonymous complaints with no supporting evidence. Natarajan told WJFF:

"It becomes apparent when a family is experiencing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, sometimes tens, dozens of reports with similar allegations over and over again, or allegations that kind of have nothing to do with the facts of the family- like so outlandishly false- that it's really hard to conclude anything other than it's a harassing call."

These accusations have real-world repercussions for the families, even if no evidence is found. CPS investigations can be traumatizing and time-consuming for the parents and the children. Natarajan explains more about this controversial bill and whether or not Gov. Hochul is expected to authorize it.

New York Focus recently reported that ICE detentions in New York’s county jails have skyrocketed this year — nearly six times more than in all of 2024. Seven jails across the state are now holding people for federal immigration authorities, raising questions about money, politics, and the human impact of these agreements.

Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke to NY Focus reporter Julia Rock about this story and what is causing the surge…..

John J. Lennon has spent nearly 25 years behind bars — but his voice has traveled far beyond prison walls. An incarcerated journalist currently serving time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Lennon has published work in The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine. Twice a finalist for the National Magazine Award, his reporting has been praised for its unflinching honesty and rare perspective from inside the U.S. prison system.

Now, Lennon is releasing his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime, which comes out tomorrow. Written from a prison cell, it’s a groundbreaking work that redefines how we think about the true crime genre. Instead of sensationalized tales of violence, Lennon’s book tells the full life stories of men who committed murder — Robert Chambers, Milton E. Jones, and Michael Shane Hale — weaving their narratives together with his own. The result is both a journalistic investigation and a personal memoir, exploring not only what led to these crimes but what life looks like afterward, behind the bars of a prison yard.

Lennon challenges readers to consider the human complexity of people we often reduce to headlines. He raises hard questions: What truths do we lose when we only tell part of a story? What role does trauma play in shaping the paths of those who commit violent acts? And what does redemption look like for someone who has taken a life?

On The Local Edition, Patricio Robayo speaks with Lennon about his journey from a prison writing workshop at Attica to becoming a nationally published journalist, and now, an author. They discuss the inspiration for his book, the ethical dilemmas of writing as both a journalist and a man convicted of murder, and the importance of telling stories that reach beyond crime into the deeper humanity of those involved.

The Tragedy of True Crime is not just about crime — it’s about accountability, resilience, and the power of storytelling to confront pain, complicate easy narratives, and perhaps even offer a path toward redemption.

Image: (Photo Credit: John J. Lennon)