The Local Edition

Sullivan County's mountainous terrain has hindered broadband expansion for decades. But a $30 million state investment to bring faster internet to the county is now well underway. Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar has more. 

Crystal Run Healthcare in Rock Hill, New York will be closing its OB-GYN practice starting July 1, 2026. That leaves Sullivan County with just one OB-GYN practice - Sun River Health - left to serve the entire county.

Crystal Run patients received emails from Optum, which acquired Crystal Run in 2023, earlier this week about the sudden closure.

A spokesperson from Optum Health said that “patients are receiving clear communication and support throughout the transition, which isn’t scheduled to happen until July."

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with New York Assemblymember Paula Kay about what this means for the state of healthcare in Sullivan County and the region.

Hochul’s counter would limit informal collusion with ICE only in civil matters.

PharmaCann, one of the country’s largest cannabis cultivators, is closing its plant in Orange County. Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar has more.

Andrew Neiderman has spent much of his life writing stories.

Long before he became known as the longtime writer behind the V.C. Andrews novels, before The Devil’s Advocate became a major Hollywood film, and before his books helped carry one of the most recognizable franchises in American publishing, Neiderman was teaching English at Fallsburg High School in Sullivan County.

For 23 years, he taught at the same school he once attended.

“I came back to the school I graduated from,” Neiderman said. “I taught with the teachers who taught me. That was a wonderful experience.”

During his time at Fallsburg, Neiderman became chair of the English Department, directed dramatics, coached wrestling, created an audiovisual division and served as an assistant principal for several years.

But even then, writing was not a side project.

“I was always writing even when I was teaching,” Neiderman said. “In fact, I published 18 novels while I was teaching.”

Neiderman said he first realized storytelling was part of him when he was still a child. In kindergarten, he recalled, his teacher asked students to stop listening to stories and start telling them.

Most of the children were nervous. Neiderman was not.

“I got up and I started telling my stories,” he said. “After a while, the kids would yell my name.”

That continued through junior high and high school, where he wrote poetry and articles for the school newspaper. By the time he became a teacher, writing was already a permanent part of his life.

“I knew it was going to be part of my life forever,” he said.

Neiderman eventually left the classroom when his writing career began to take off. He said a contract with G.P. Putnam’s Sons, along with a movie project in Hollywood, made it feel like the right time to fully commit.

“I thought it’s time for us to shift to the next gear,” he said.

That next gear would take him to California in 1987, where he continued writing novels, working on film projects and eventually becoming the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews after her death.

Neiderman said he had not read Andrews’ work before the opportunity came up, though his wife had. His agent told him he might be asked to finish a V.C. Andrews novel. Not long after moving to Hollywood, he was called back to meet with an editor.

What started as one assignment became a decades-long role.

“It started with that and frankly never stopped,” Neiderman said. “It’s been over 37 years for me.”

Neiderman said he had to study Andrews’ style carefully before taking on the role. His background as a creative writing teacher helped him understand what to look for, especially when it came to voice.

“I had to spend time learning her style,” he said. “The thing is I taught creative writing, so I had a little bit of a head start.”

The work became enormously successful. Neiderman said the first 10, 15 and 20 books he wrote under the V.C. Andrews name reached No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.

At the same time, he continued writing under his own name. His own thrillers include The Devil’s Advocate, which was adapted into the 1997 film starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron.

Neiderman said seeing his book become a film was “wonderful,” but he also understood that books and movies are different forms. Because he had taught film studies, he said he was comfortable with that process and was welcomed on set.

“I knew the difference between a book and a screenplay,” he said.

Over the years, Neiderman has worked across novels, screenplays, stage adaptations and television. He also served as a consultant as V.C. Andrews stories were adapted for the screen, reviewing scripts and helping keep the projects close to the tone of the books.

“They wanted to keep close to V.C. Andrews novels,” he said. “They wanted to keep it with that feeling.”

After decades of writing in that world, Neiderman is now stepping away from ghostwriting for V.C. Andrews. He said Bird Lane Island is the final V.C. Andrews novel he wrote.

The decision, he said, came as the franchise shifted after A+E Studios became involved and the future of publishing new novels became less clear.

“It ran pretty good,” Neiderman said. “Over 45 years, I figured, okay, maybe this is the time.”

But Neiderman said retirement from ghostwriting does not mean he is done creating.

“I’m not leaving the process,” he said. “It’s just trying to figure out new ways to do it.”

He is now working on a story he describes as part V.C. Andrews and part Neiderman, bringing together the gothic family drama that longtime Andrews readers know with the thriller side of his own work.

Even after more than 140 full-length novels, Neiderman still talks about writing as something active and alive. He said his process usually begins with a character and a “what if” question.

A believable character, he said, can carry the story forward.

“Usually a character writes the story,” Neiderman said. “Once you create the character, a character will always do what it does.”

For Neiderman, writing has never been just a career. It was there in kindergarten, in the school newspaper, in the Fallsburg classroom, on the page, on the screen and across decades of books read by millions.

“It just became our life,” he said. “Truthfully.”

The Orange County Jail has served as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility since 2008. Advocates have long alleged that individuals incarcerated in the jail’s ICE unit have faced medical neglect and inhumane treatment.

On April 22, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office addressed the allegations, calling them “rumors.” Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar has more.

John Kagia is stepping into one of the most closely watched roles in New York government at a critical moment for the state’s legal cannabis industry.

Recently appointed acting executive director of the New York Office of Cannabis Management by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Kagia takes over following leadership turnover and ongoing concerns about how the state’s cannabis rollout has unfolded.

Kagia leads the team responsible for policy development and implementation for New York’s medical, adult-use and cannabinoid hemp programs. He also oversees research and data systems used to track industry performance, along with public health education campaigns tied to cannabis use.

Kagia told Radio Catskill the rollout has faced challenges but also pointed to major progress.

Kagia described the current moment as “exciting” for legal cannabis in New York, pointing to rapid growth since adult-use sales began.

“We’ve issued over 2,000 licenses across the supply chain… and we have over 600 stores now open,” Kagia said.

He added that the state has already surpassed $3 billion in total sales, with projections of up to $3 billion more in 2026 alone.

Still, Kagia said many prospective business owners are waiting for approvals, and that access across the state remains uneven. “There’s a lot more to do,” he said.

Kagia, who previously served as the agency’s policy director, said he sees the cannabis office moving out of its startup phase. Just a few years ago, the agency didn’t exist. Now, it has grown into a team of more than 270 people overseeing what he called one of the most complex regulatory systems in the country.

The next phase, he said, is about refining and stabilizing the system. “There’s a huge amount of work still to do to grow this program… and ensure its long-term sustainability,” Kagia said.

Kagia brings more than a decade of experience in market research and strategic analysis, including work across federal government, technology and nonprofit sectors. Since entering the cannabis industry in 2014, he has focused on emerging markets, investment trends, supply chains and consumer behavior, advising policymakers, investors and business leaders.

Kagia is stepping into the role as federal cannabis policy begins to shift. He pointed to recent moves to reclassify marijuana at the federal level as some of the most significant drug policy changes in decades.

“These are some of the most consequential… policy changes in the last century,” he said.

While cannabis remains illegal federally, those changes could eventually reshape how state markets like New York operate—especially around banking, taxation, and research.

The state’s cannabis rollout has faced criticism for delays, licensing backlogs, and confusion in the marketplace. But Kagia pushed back on the idea that New York has moved too slowly.

“If you benchmark the pace… we’ve actually moved really quickly,” he said, noting the scale of building a new regulatory system from scratch.

Still, he said people are frustrated by delays, and improving efficiency is a top priority.

One of the most visible challenges has been the rise of unlicensed cannabis stores, particularly in New York City. Kagia called enforcement a “critical priority,” citing concerns about public health, youth access, and the impact on legal businesses.

“Illicit businesses are selling cannabis from who knows where… and too often to people who should not have access,” he said.

He added that illegal shops also undermine licensed operators and create confusion for consumers. State agencies are working together to address the issue, though Kagia said enforcement resources remain limited.

The cannabis market has also seen swings in supply. Early on, growers produced more cannabis than the limited number of open dispensaries could sell. Now, with more than 600 stores operating, the concern has shifted toward meeting demand.

Kagia said the state is working to stabilize supply by allowing existing growers to expand production and bringing new cultivators into the market.

New York’s cannabis law was designed with a strong focus on social equity—aiming to ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by past cannabis enforcement benefit from legalization. Kagia said that goal remains central to the agency’s work.

State law calls for 50% of licenses to go to equity applicants, including minority- and women-owned businesses, veterans, distressed farmers, and people from impacted communities.

As Kagia steps into leadership, he faces the challenge of managing a fast-growing but uneven system, with ongoing state issues and shifting federal policy shaping the industry. Kagia said the focus now is on improving how the system works and making sure businesses and consumers can rely on it.