Confused to Shocked: Nonprofit Libraries No Longer Able to Process Passport Applications

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,362 measles cases in the United States in just over three months since the start of the year, following 2025’s highest annual total since 1991. Why the sudden spike in cases? Dr. Lauren Smith of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says the rise is tied to the spread of vaccine misinformation — both on social media and from the current U.S. Secretary of Health.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a nonprofit focused on improving public health through community development, healthcare access, and policy.

Of all the measles cases in the United States this year, only four have been identified in New York. South Carolina has the highest number of measles cases in the country this year with 664. 

Parents in some states may be unaware of the severity of measles, in part because the disease had been largely under control for more than 30 years. Smith said that changed following President Donald Trump’s return to office.

“ I would point out is that these vaccines have been tested. They are safe, they’re effective, and in fact, they’ve been so effective that many parents now, haven’t had any direct experience with any of these illnesses,” said Dr. Smith. “Contrast that to our parents and grandparents who saw what these illnesses could do for their own children, for their neighbors, their friends. When these vaccines became available, the older generation jumped at the chance to ensure that their children, us, and people who are older than I am, were protected.”

Smith says there are trustworthy peer-reviewed sources for parents seeking information on measles, and other diseases that vaccines are available for. 

“ One source that’s like that is the American Academy of Pediatrics. I’m a pediatrician and I think that they’ve done a great job at wading through all of the confusion to be able to reinforce what the evidence continues to show about vaccines,” said Dr. Smith. 

The CDC has also reported that 92%-93% of measles patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. No deaths have been reported this year from measles but three deaths were reported in 2025.

A major environmental fight is unfolding in New York over the future of the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls — the largest landfill in the state.

The landfill, originally expected to close in 2025, is now seeking state approval to remain open and expand operations through 2040. For environmental advocates, the proposal is about far more than one community. They argue it is a test of whether New York will continue relying on mega-landfills or move toward a different model of waste management.

To discuss the issue, Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke with Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian.

Taylor described Seneca Meadows as a massive facility that already takes in about 6,000 tons of waste a day from 47 counties in New York, along with trash from other states and Canada. If approved, she said, the landfill would grow another seven stories higher and expand by 47 acres — becoming even more dominant over the surrounding landscape.

“This is already an enormous mountain of garbage,” Taylor said. “The proposal would make it even bigger, even taller, and keep it operating for another 15 years.”

For people living nearby, Taylor said the impacts are immediate and constant. Residents have long complained about overpowering odors, and she said schools located within a few miles of the landfill are sometimes forced to deal with the smell both outside and inside classrooms. She said families, teachers and students have reported headaches, nausea and difficulty concentrating.

But Taylor said the concerns do not stop at Seneca Falls.

She pointed to the landfill’s production of leachate — contaminated liquid created when rainwater filters through garbage. That leachate can contain PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” along with other pollutants. According to Taylor, millions of gallons are shipped to wastewater treatment plants around New York, even though those facilities are not designed to remove many of those contaminants.

“This waste doesn’t just stay in one place,” Taylor said. “It moves through communities and into waterways across the state.”

She also argued the landfill’s methane emissions make it a broader climate issue. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and Taylor said large landfills like Seneca Meadows undermine New York’s climate goals while prolonging dependence on a throwaway waste system.

The proposed expansion is now being reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the state environmental review process. Taylor said the agency has sent the application back for more information multiple times, but a final public comment period has still not yet begun.

When it does, advocates expect the fight to intensify.

Taylor said opponents want the landfill to close when it reaches capacity, not be allowed to expand again. She argues New York already has the framework for a different path, pointing to the state’s solid waste management plan, which calls for stronger recycling, waste diversion and a move toward a more circular economy.

“This is really a question about what kind of future New York wants,” Taylor said. “Do we keep expanding mega-landfills, or do we finally start reducing the waste stream and building a better system?”

For communities like Sullivan County, where trash is hauled long distances to disposal sites like Seneca Meadows, the outcome could carry consequences far beyond the Finger Lakes.

A new archival exhibit opening in Kingston will highlight the women who helped shape civic life in Ulster County, from some of the first women to register to vote to generations of local advocates who organized around issues affecting their communities.

The exhibit, “Women Shaping Democracy in Ulster County,” opens Wednesday at the Nina Postupack Archives Gallery on the second floor of the Ulster County Office Building at 244 Fair Street in Kingston. The event is free and open to the public.

The display features original voter registration books from the first elections after women gained the right to vote in New York in 1918, along with historical materials from the League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Region and the Ulster County Archives.

Ashley Torres, commissioner of the Ulster County Board of Elections, said the idea for the exhibit grew out of a long-standing interest in preserving historical records that had remained largely out of public view.

“These are books that I’ve looked at for years,” Torres said. “They’ve been in our office for a long time, and I’ve always been interested in them.”

Torres said she began examining the records more closely around 2020 during the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote nationally. While reviewing one of the early registration books, she counted the names of the women who had signed up to vote in 1918.

Seeing those early records, she said, offered a powerful glimpse into the moment when women first began participating in elections in Ulster County.

The exhibit is also part of a broader effort to move older materials from the Board of Elections into the Ulster County Archives, where they can be preserved in a climate-controlled environment and made more accessible to the public.

Torres said the archives are better equipped to protect historic documents while also making them available to researchers and residents interested in local history.

Among the items on display are books documenting the first women voters in the county and materials tracing the work of the League of Women Voters in the Mid-Hudson region from the 1950s through today.

Torres said what she finds most compelling about the exhibit is that it highlights the role of everyday citizens in shaping democracy, not just elected officials.

“It’s about everyday citizens who took part in democracy, who voted, who worked together on a grassroots level to make the issues they cared about part of public life,” she said.

The exhibit also touches on how local women organized around issues such as environmental protection and child welfare, helping bring those concerns into the public sphere.

For Torres, the records also revealed a personal connection. While reviewing the voter books, she discovered the name of her own great-grandmother among the first women registered to vote in Ulster County.

“That made me really proud,” she said. “I think a lot of people would be interested in researching their own family ties if these records are digitized.”

County officials have discussed eventually digitizing the records, which could allow residents to search the historical documents online and explore their family histories.

Torres also pointed to a detail in the early voter books that she found especially meaningful: women were listed under their own names.

“When you look at our records, it is those women’s names,” she said. “Not Mrs. John Smith. It was their first name, their last name.”

That, she said, reflects the significance of the moment and the courage it may have taken for those women to register and vote for the first time.

“Being first is never easy,” Torres said. “It probably took a lot of courage to go and register and cast those first ballots.”

The exhibit opening will include remarks from Torres and Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack. Organizers say they hope the display will encourage residents to reflect on the history of civic participation and the ongoing role local communities play in shaping democracy.

The exhibit will remain on display at the Nina Postupack Archives Gallery following the opening event.