Current Events Episodes

The Catskill Park's most visited corridor — Kaaterskill Falls and the Kaaterskill Clove area along Route 23A — may be heading for a major management overhaul. In this extra edition, host Brett Barry sits down with Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center, to dig into a newly released Visitor Use Management report that recommends capping daily visitors at 1,000, implementing timed entry and advance reservations, and evaluating a public shuttle service to replace the recently shut...

In this episode, Captain Drewski of the Delhi Polecats , formerly known as the Delhi Vintage Baseball Club, joins us to discuss the revival of vintage baseball in Delaware County, New York. Drewski shares the historical significance of a 200-year-old baseball challenge documented in an 1825 edition of the Delaware Gazette , marking the earliest recorded organized game of baseball in the United States . The Hamden 9, as part of the town's bicentennial celebrations, continue the tradition of pl...

Kaatscast spoke with Cornell University researchers about their latest investigations into New York State bobcat population abundance and the discovery of avian influenza (bird flu) in these wild felines. Featuring Jenny Bloodgood, a wildlife veterinarian, and Haley Turner, a Cornell graduate student, the podcast explores their collaborative efforts to assess bobcat abundance and health using GPS collar tagging and camera trap stations. The discussion highlights various diseases affecting bob...

In a new effort to enhance communications in the Catskills, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is partnering with New York's ConnectALL initiative to expand wireless and broadband access throughout the New York City watershed. The initiative was motivated by operational challenges faced by DEP staff due to poor cell coverage, and a recent Request for Information (RFI) seeks input from telecommunications providers and other stakeholders on how to eliminate cell phon...

When we spoke with Michael DiBenedetto for our special Ukraine report in August, 2023, he mentioned he'd consider returning in winter, when the volunteer pool was likely to thin. Well, Michael's a man of his word, and we caught up with him this week in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city just about 20 miles from the Russian border. He's volunteering at Hell's Kitchen, where borscht, bread, and other foods are prepared daily for soldiers on the front lines. Liuda is a cofounder of the or...

Late last year, and 20 episodes ago, Michael DiBenedetto joined us in the studio and made a convincing case for copper bullets over lead, citing collateral damage to our Catskills bald eagles. On today's show, we reconnected with Michael -- in Ukraine -- where he's volunteering as a driver with an organization called Road to Relief. Michael drives a truck in the Catskills, too, making deliveries for his company, Vly Mountain Spring Water. That's given him some preparation for the mission at hand...

On March 19th, 2022, a Pierogi and Borscht fundraiser at the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jewett, NY, brought in thousands of dollars for the people of Ukraine. We spent some time in the kitchen with organizer Switlana Breigle, parishioners, and volunteers with deep connections to Ukraine. This fundraiser supports the efforts of the Ukrainian American Freedom Coalition, "providing material and logistic assistance to the Ukrainian people in need of help with humanitarian supplies." There are alre...

John Lyons is a transportation professional, sustainability leader, solar entrepreneur, and business developer with a passion for addressing the climate crisis and creating a clean energy future. He's been incorporating remote work into his career for decades, and he shares his insights on working remotely from both employee and employer perspectives. Plus, suggestions for translating what we've learned this year into a post-pandemic strategy for workplace adaptability moving forward. Thanks ...

Thousands infected, businesses shuttered, social distancing, and closed schools. In this special, unscheduled episode, listen in on 5 interviews on the pandemic, and how the Catskills are responding. • Lissa Harris, reporter for The River Hudson Valley Newsroom • "Rachel," a recent college grad who's battling COVID-19 head-on • Ulster County Economic Development director, Lisa Berger • Local restaurateur Mike Cioffi • Onteora school superintendent Victoria McLaren Thanks to our interviewee...