WJFF - The Local Edition

Guest: Carl Albright Wayne County Transportation Director

Every week we check in with Wayne County, to see what is new and what is happening.

This week, we will be talking about Wayne Countys Transportation system and how it has been operating during the pandemic. – Guest: Rabbi Fred Pomerantz, Agudas Achim Synagogue

The Passover holiday will soon be upon us, with the first night being celebrated on March 27 at sundown.

Usually, its a time for family and friends to gather for a Seder. But during the age of COVID-19, how can this holiday be celebrated safely?

Here to give us some insight into the holiday, its importance, and how to celebrate safely is Rabbi Fred Pomerantz from the Agudas Achim Synagogue in Livingston Manor.

Guest: Laurie Ramie, Executive Director Upper Delaware Council

Skinners Falls Bridge, the single-lane bridge that connects Milanville, Pa. to Cochecton has been closed since October 2019 after failing an inspection.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 4-0, with the Federal Highway Administration and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 9, is planning a study for the Skinners Falls Bridge.

PennDOT will be hosting a virtual public meeting on March 30 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.and they are seeking input from the community about the future of the bridge and transportation in the area. – Guest: Borders with Ron Bernthal Podcast

WJFFs Borders with Ron Bernthal Podcast airs every Saturday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcast or you can find the show on our website at wjffradio.org/staging/borders

We will be previewing the first episode from that podcast

Fresh fish and seafood is a major Swedish industry in Gothenburg Sweden. And Nicholas Swenson is a chef at one of Gothenburg's popular fish restaurants...Ron Bernthal interviews him and here is that conversation – Guest: Owen Walsh, The River Reporter

Weekly Local News Roundup with Owen Walsh, The River Reporter.

Guest: David Jett, VP of the Sullivan County Chapter of the NAACP

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order requiring all local governments to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021, or be in danger of not receiving state aid. April 1st is right around the corner and some towns have already adopted their plans, some are going to this week or next.

On the phone with us now is the Vice President of the Sullivan County Chapter of the NAACP, David Jett. – Guest: Ken Korn, Ethelbert B Crawford Public Library

In December of 2021, acclaimed film director Steven Spielberg will be releasing his first musical, a remake of West Side Story.

In anticipation of the films opening.on Thursday, March 25 at 6 pm Ken Korn will have a virtual lecture at the Ethelbert B Crawford Public Library.
The talk will discuss the creation, history, and legacy of the 60-year-old Broadway play.

Guest: Nancy McGraw, Sullivan County Public Health Services Public Health Director

Sullivan Countys COVID-19 vaccine clinics are underway with large vaccine clinics being held at SUNY Sullivan.

WJFFs Patricio Robayo spoke to Sullivan County Public Health Service Director Nancy McGraw earlier today, – Guest: Dawn Hurley & Marjorie Linko, Liberty Public Library

The Liberty Public Library is hosting an online author talk on March 25, at 1pm. On the book entitled, The Place Between Our Fears: Life in Congo and Beyond. From the green hills of eastern Congo comes an unforgettable true story about women who refuse to give up

On the phone with us now is one of the authors of the book, Dawn Hurley, and Library Director for Liberty Public Library, Marjorie Linko

Guest: Beat Keerl, Curator Cragsmoor Free Library

The Cragsmoor Free Library is hosting an exhibition that is opening this Saturday, March 20between 2-5 pm..Cragsmoor Women of the Past, a collection of paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other works that are either by women artists of Cragsmoor or celebrate Cragsmoor – Guest: Greg Speller, EVP, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East & Tamesha James, Certified Nursing Assistant, (C.N.A.) The Pines at Poughkeepsie

Yesterday, the 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East union participated in a Day of Action at over 200 nursing homes across New York State including two locations in Poughkeepsie. This Day of Action was to call on Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to work together to pass nursing home reform that ensures nursing homes invest in patient care rather than profits.

Guest: Kelley Stewart, the Wayne County Conservation Districts Forest Specialist

Every week we check in with Wayne County, to see what is new and what is happening.

This week, we will be talking about the Spotted Lanternfly which is is an invasive species and is a planthopper that is native to Asia and first discovered in PA in 2014.

The Spotted Lanternfly contributes billions of dollars each year to PA's economy.

Recently PA Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that eight counties, including Wayne, have been added to Pennsylvania's Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone ahead of the 2021 spring hatch. – Guest: Tri-Valley Football Coach Greg Botsford and Fallsburg Football Coach Dominick Scanna

Sullivan County Democrat Co-Editor Joseph Abraham and Sports Reporter/Photographer Richard A. Ross talked with Tri-Valley Football Coach Greg Botsford and Fallsburg Football Coach Dominick Scanna about coaching during the pandemic and expectations for the shortened Fall II season.

Guest: Carol Ryan, Sullivan County NAACP Health Committee

The Sullivan County Chapter of NAACP and the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library in Monticello is hosting a community forum on the COVID-10 vaccinations Tomorrow, Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm.
This Zoom event will try to answer some of the common questions folks might have with the vaccinations.
Questions like, Are the COVID-19 vaccinations safe to take? What are the side effects, and Will it protect me? – Guest: Owen Walsh, The River Reporter

Returning to the airwaves week is Owen Walsh from the River Reporter to give us an update on what is going in the area. – Guest: James B. Huntington, host, WJFFs WorkShift Live!

We now turn our eye to the economy, and here to give us the latest on what is going on in the economic world and help us make sense of it all is Jim Huntington, host of WJFFs WorkShift Live!

Guest: SueAnn Boyd, Healthy Schools Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan

Every year, Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan host Agriculture Literacy Week...Ag Week.which has a mission is to foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation of how we produce food and fiber, what we eat, and how we live by having volunteers read to the students in the classroom.

Ag Week, which started yesterday March 15th..goes through March 20th.

This year, due to the pandemic, Ag Week, will look a little different.

WJFFs Patricio Robayo spoke to Healthy Schools Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan, SueAnn Boyd about AG Week and how the pandemic affected the program – Guest: Joe Abraham, Sullivan County Democrat

Sullivan County Democrat Sports Editor, Joe Abraham, attended over the week, the Celebrate Life Half Marathon in Rock Hill.

This half marathon honors remembers and celebrates those who have fought against cancer. The race annually raises funds to assist cancer patients in their financial needs donating 100% of the proceeds to patients in treatment. – Guest: Alisha Kohn, The Newburgh LGBTQAI+ Center

The Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center is urging the New York Senate and the New York Assembly to pass the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, HALT

According to the Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center, tens of thousands of New Yorkers are locked in solitary confinement for months, years, and even decades. More than 8-in-10 people in solitary in New York State prisons are Black and/or Latinx.

The HALT bill, which would end the torture of long-term solitary confinement and replace it with more effective rehabilitative alternatives.

Guest: Debra Thony and William Chellis

We talk to the two Jefferson Village Mayor Race, Debra Thony, and William Chellis

Guest: Susan Avery, Hudson Valley Philharmonic

This Sunday at 3 pm, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic will hold its 48th annual competition...virtually. It will be streaming on the Bardavon Presents Youtube Channel. The competition honors the top young, professional string musicians from all over the world.
WJFFs Tim Bruno spoke to Susan Avery, the chair of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic about the competition. – Guest: Jay Hostetler, Wayne County Arts Alliance

The Wayne County Arts Alliance, the WCAA, has a new exhibition that opened last weekend HOME- An Artists Response to Self-Isolation.
The exhibition shows the pandemic through the eyes of the artists and is on display until May 2 at the WCAAs Main Street Gallery in Honesdale, PA and the gallery hours are Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.. Masks and social distancing will be required.