The Local Edition

Radio Catskill’s reporter Marin Scotten uncovered the troubling details of how the Bloomingburg wastewater treatment plant has been discharging untreated wastewater—up to 120,000 gallons daily—into the Shawangunk Kill, a vital waterway flowing through Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. 

Authorities say a sewage treatment plant in Sullivan County has discharged dirty wastewater daily for at least 15-months stemming from challenges with non-biodegradable materials and operational failures within the treatment process, posing significant environmental and public health risks. 

In the coming weeks, New York’s lawmakers will pass a budget that determines how the state will spend over $230 billion in public money. It’s a massive sum, bigger than most countries’ budgets, and outpacing every other state except California.

At stake are key questions for New York’s future. Will the state invest in treatment centers for people struggling with opioid addiction? Will it stop subsidizing the expansion of fossil fuel–based heating systems? With a declining incarcerated population, how many prisons can the state close?

Radio Catskill's Jason Dole speaks to NY Focus reporter Sam Mellins

Since 2009, the DEC has put a stop to brush burning from March 16 to May 14 every year to help prevent wildfires and keep communities safe. This ban is important because warm weather dries out last fall's leaves and debris, making it easy for wildfires to start and spread, especially with windy conditions and no green plants around. 

Sullivan County Fire Coordinator, John Hauschild, shared important information about this ban and what to do if you see someone burning illegally.

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, visited an aquarium, ordered something on Amazon, or paid your utility bill in New York, your life may have been impacted by a little-known local authority called an industrial development agency. Under state law, IDAs have the power to dole out tax breaks to corporations in order to promote the “economic welfare” of their communities — and as a result, they play a huge role in shaping the tax bases of towns, counties, and school districts.

The agencies comprise a sizable chunk of New York’s economic development apparatus. The state hands out nearly $11 billion in subsidies annually to lure corporations, with mixed results, little oversight, and plenty of scandal.

New York Focus has been covering IDAs, their impacts on crucial areas of state policy, and the controversies surrounding them. For example, our reporting has uncovered the important role that IDAs play in climate politics, though their involvement in energy projects had previously drawn little scrutiny. Last fall, we reported on wind and solar developers’ claims that IDA tax breaks make their projects financially viable, even as state watchdogs question whether they should be eligible for the subsidies. And last month, a New York Focus investigation found that IDAs handed out over $1 billion in tax breaks to fossil fuel projects between 2010 and 2022.

Since 2016, Newburgh’s main water source, Washington Lake has been contaminated with PFAS chemicals, a group of chemicals that don’t break down naturally- coining the name ‘forever chemicals’. In Newburgh and across the country, advocates are pushing for stricter PFAS regulation to prevent these harmful chemicals from further contaminating drinking water sources.

Radio Catskill reporter Marin Scotten is joined by Newburgh resident Jennifer Rawlison and Shannon Roback, the director of science at Riverkeeper to discuss the issue.

On Friday, March 8th, the New Hope Community in Loch Sheldrake is set to join the "Rally in the Valley" at Letchworth Village in Stony Point, NY, to advocate for better compensation for Direct Service Professionals who support 140,000 vulnerable residents across New York. 

New Hope, among others,  is advocating for a 3.2% pay raise, a significant step up from the 1.5% increase proposed in Governor Kathy Hochul's current budget. 

Debbie McGinness, CEO of New Hope Community spoke to Jason Dole on The Local Edition. 

While the nonprofit Greater New York Hospital Association lobbied, a lucrative for-profit arm may have run up costs for hospitals.

Two-thirds of New York hospitals and health systems are losing money. To Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, one clear reason is that while drug, supply, and labor costs have climbed, the state government’s hospital spending has not kept pace.

In Raske’s view, Albany should — and can afford to — spend billions more.

NY Focus Reporter spoke Radio Catskill's Jason Dole on the situation. 

Investigative reporter Carter Walker of Votebeat/Spotlight PA has uncovered a pressing concern within Pennsylvania's electoral framework: the significant turnover of election officials. So many officials have left, in fact, that it adds up to a loss of nearly three centuries' worth of cumulative expertise since 2019.

This upheaval underscores potential vulnerabilities in electoral accuracy, particularly with the 2024 presidential race on the horizon.

Radio Catskill's Jason Dole spoke with Votebeat’s Carter Walker.

Brock Pinkerous is a 13-year-old race car driver from Ellenville, New York. Despite racing competitors who are in their 30s and 40s, Pinkerous has done more than hold his own. He hopes this is the beginning of a long career that one day leads him to winning the Daytona 500 NASCAR race.

Radio Catskill reporter Marin Scotten is joined by Pinkerous to hear more about his racing success.

Governor Kathy Hochul has made no secret of her goal to scale back state spending across agencies. But among some rural state lawmakers, her plan to save $77 million on prisons is driving backlash. Eliza Fawcett from NY Focus has more.