The clock is ticking for the federal government to avoid a government shutdown tonight.

Senate enate leaders reached a deal with the White House on Thursday on the massive spending package after Democrats pushed for reforms to ICE following national outrage over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Both were U.S. citizens killed by federal ICE agents.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke to New York’s 19th Congressional District Representative Josh Riley this morning about where the federal package is and the impact Minneapolis’s escalating immigration raids are having locally.

Agnes Van Put, a beloved fixture of Livingston Manor’s fly-fishing community and a longtime presence at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum, died January 21, 2026. She was 109 years old.

For decades, Van Put welcomed anglers, visitors, and neighbors with warmth, humor, and homemade food — becoming as much a part of the Catskills fly-fishing experience as the Beaverkill itself.

Her daughter-in-law, Judy Van Put, said Agnes lived with uncommon energy and generosity.

“I was fortunate to have gotten to know Agnes when I was in my early 20s,” Judy said. “I fell in love with her son Ed Van Put, and we married — and I had Agnes in my life for 48 years.”

Agnes, she said, defied easy description.

“She was an enigma,” Judy said. “She was tough and fair and kind and just filled with love.”

Much of that love came through food. Agnes was known for her baked goods, preserves, and the soup she made each year for opening day of trout season at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center — a tradition remembered fondly by generations of anglers.

“She gave love in so many ways,” Judy said. “So often it was with food. But if you were in Agnes’ net — which extended very wide — you certainly felt the warmth of her love.”

Agnes worked at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum well into her 100s, greeting visitors in the gift shop and attending community events across the region.

“She just had this incredible will to keep going,” Judy said. “She enjoyed life. She had a real joie de vivre.”

When asked about the secret to her longevity, Agnes kept it simple.

“She’d say, ‘I do whatever I like whenever I like, and I eat whatever I like whenever I like,’” Judy recalled.

That philosophy included a legendary sweet tooth.

“She’d say, ‘I didn’t feel like making dinner, so I had a banana split,’” Judy said, laughing.

The Van Put family is planning a public celebration of life in August at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum. Details will be announced at a later date.

Memorial contributions in Agnes Van Put’s name may be made to the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

Roscoe, N.Y. — This Saturday, Roscoe Mountain Club is embracing winter with Winterfest, a full afternoon of ice skating, snowshoeing, live music, and craft beer, hosted in partnership with Roscoe Beer Company. The festival runs from noon to 5 p.m., with an after-party until 8 p.m.

“Winterfest is kind of like our love letter to the Catskills,” said Tiffany Conklin of Roscoe Mountain Club. “It’s about leaning into the season instead of hiding from it. Adults and kids can just relax and have some good outdoor fun.”

Visitors can enjoy ice carving, horse-drawn carriage rides, sledding, bonfires with free s’mores, and a snowman-building contest. “The ice skating rink and live music is the most lively and festive part of the day,” Conklin said. “Snowshoeing and carriage rides offer a quieter way to enjoy the landscape.”

Live music starts at 12:30 p.m. with Far Beyond Gone at Wolf Lodge, followed by BJ Hendrickson at the barn at 1 p.m. The festival also features local artisans, pop-ups, fire pits, and indoor crafts for kids, plus dog-friendly areas.

“This is the 12th annual festival from Roscoe Beer Company,” Conklin said. “It’s a great way to support local artists, connect with the community, and show off everything the Catskills have to offer.”

For details, visit roscoemountainclub.com or follow their social media channels.

As a cold snap grips the region, many households are bracing for higher gas bills—even if they’re doing everything they can to conserve. A recent analysis shows that the culprit isn’t higher gas consumption, but the rising cost of maintaining and expanding gas pipelines across New York.

Jamie Van Nostrand, policy director at the Future of Heat Initiative and former chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, explained the disconnect in a recent interview.

“It's helpful to point out that the price of gas really hasn't changed much over the last decade or so,” Van Nostrand said. “It's the cost of delivering that gas that's driving up bills.”

According to the analysis, about three-quarters of a typical New York gas bill comes from delivery charges—not the gas itself. “The cost of the gas itself is only about one quarter of the bill,” Van Nostrand said.

Why Delivery Charges Are So High

These delivery charges largely reflect the money gas companies spend replacing pipelines—the primary way they earn profits. “They don’t make any money on the gas itself,” Van Nostrand explained. “The asset base for gas companies has increased from $17 billion to $37 billion over the last 10 years, and most of that is replacing pipes. Then there are profits and financing costs associated with that work.”

This structure creates a strong incentive for utilities to overspend on infrastructure, which in turn drives up bills for customers. “One of the biggest things we can do to address affordability is to get gas company spending under control,” Van Nostrand said.

Future of Heat Initiative’s Role

The Future of Heat Initiative, a nonprofit focused on energy affordability, works with state regulators to address these issues. “Across the country, natural gas sales are going down, yet spending on the gas system is going up. It’s just simple math: less sales, fixed costs rising—delivery charges go up,” Van Nostrand said.

He emphasized that while safety is essential, utilities often choose the highest-profit options for pipeline work rather than the lowest-cost solutions for customers. “Rather than replacing the pipes, which is where they make the most money, you could repair or reline them and keep them in service longer,” he said.

A longer-term solution, according to Van Nostrand, is electrifying homes and decommissioning parts of the natural gas system. “As sales go down, we need to be shrinking the gas system, otherwise rates are going through the roof,” she said.

The Role of State Regulators

In New York, the Public Service Commission sets utility rates. Utilities must file cases to increase rates, which regulators review carefully. “This is where regulators can really ask the tough questions: Is this replacement necessary? Is there a lower-cost solution? Should you repair rather than replace?” Van Nostrand explained.

She stressed the importance of addressing delivery charges to help customers. “It’s a source of real frustration. People are reducing gas use, but the delivery portion of the bill doesn’t change much,” he said.

Looking Ahead

As more New Yorkers switch from gas to electric heating, Van Nostrand warns that the cost of maintaining an oversized gas system could fall on consumers. “If we can’t reduce the cost of the system itself, bills are going to be much higher,” he said.

Future of Heat is advocating for regulatory changes to allow utilities to substitute electric service for natural gas, which would enable pipeline decommissioning and reduce unnecessary spending. “The legislature could help by giving the commission the authority to authorize utilities to move customers off gas and onto electricity,” Van Nostrand said.

A new dance party is flipping the nightclub model on its head — no alcohol, no late nights, and no pressure to be “cool.”

It’s called Daytime Disco, a sober, midday dance experience created by Catskills DJ Mark Partridge, also known as Ambient Barn, host of Ambient Barn on Radio Catskill. The first event takes place Saturday in Narrowsburg, offering a joyful, low-stakes way to move, connect, and shake off the winter blues.

“I think something like this is more necessary than ever,” Partridge said. “There are so many people in this region who are creative and love to dance. And sometimes it’s difficult to get out at night.”

Partridge said many people want to dance but find nighttime events hard to attend — especially in winter.

“There are a lot of amazing nighttime DJ dance parties in this area,” he said. “I thought there was some space to do something during the day.”

The idea was inspired by Brooklyn’s Mr. Sunday parties — daytime, all-ages dance events known for their welcoming, judgment-free atmosphere.

“They were super inspiring and uplifting,” Partridge said. “No nightlife cool-guy energy. Just open, fun, communal space. I thought it would be really cool to bring that to the Catskills.”

Daytime Disco is intentionally alcohol-free. Instead of a bar, Partridge and collaborators are experimenting with what they call “hydration bars,” with plans to introduce mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages in the future.

“In wintertime, people shouldn’t be drinking and driving,” he said. “We’re trying to fill that space.”

The goal, he explained, is to take the joy of nightlife dancing and bring it into daylight hours.

“You can come and dance all afternoon, drive home, feel uplifted, have dinner, watch a movie, and go to bed,”
Partridge said. “It doesn’t have to be the other way around. No judgment — I love nightlife — but this felt like something new to try.”

Musically, the daytime setting changes the vibe behind the decks. Partridge describes the sound as upbeat and eclectic, designed for sunlight rather than strobe lights.

“We start with daytime vibes,” he said. “Uplifting, major-key, forward-progress music that creates a sense of wonder.”

Expect a blend of Italo disco, house music, pop favorites, and custom edits of well-known songs — lighter than his nighttime sets, but still dance-floor ready.

Since announcing the event, Partridge says interest has been strong.

“The response has been incredible,” he said. “I think people are really going to come out of the woodwork for this.”

He hopes Daytime Disco becomes a recurring pop-up series across the region.

“Activating interesting spaces around the county is something I really want to do,” he said. “Bringing dance to different places and creating a daytime disco space for this community.”

More than anything, Partridge wants the event to feel open and welcoming.

“We’re trying to create a communal, non-judgmental space,” he said. “Come express yourself. Movement is meditation — especially in winter.”

His invitation is simple: “Rummage through your closet. Find that outfit you have nowhere else to wear. Put it on and come dance.”

Daytime Disco runs Saturday, January 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Kraus Recital Hall in Narrowsburg as part of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Salon Series. More information is available at delawarevalleyartsalliance.org.

Gov. Kathy Hochul says her proposal to cut auto insurance rates is about affordability — cracking down on fraud and easing costs for New Yorkers.

But new reporting suggests powerful corporate interests, including Uber, may be playing a significant behind-the-scenes role.

Kevin Duggan, a reporter with Streetsblog NYC, says a little-known advocacy group has been lobbying aggressively in Albany in support of the governor’s proposal.

“One of the governor’s big proposals this year is to lower car insurance rates,” Duggan said. “She’s talking about going after fraud and regulations that she says allow for too much compensation for people involved in crashes.”

Duggan found that a group called Citizens for Affordable Rates has spent heavily on lobbying while keeping basic details about its leadership opaque.

“When we looked into this group, some information was available, but other things — like who’s in charge or even an address — were harder to find,” he said. “What we found is that this group is basically being led by Uber, with other car-focused companies attached.”

Those companies include trucking and coach bus interests, Duggan said, and they have been pushing similar policy changes for roughly a year.

The governor’s proposal includes narrowing the definition of “serious injury,” eliminating pain-and-suffering damages for people found mostly at fault in a crash, and capping damages for uninsured or impaired drivers.

“On paper, these sound like straightforward regulatory changes,” Duggan said. “But attorneys who represent crash victims warn this could drastically reduce how much someone can recover if they’re hit by a car.”

One provision would bar compensation entirely for anyone found even slightly more than 50 percent at fault.

“If you’re found just over half at fault, you would get no damages at all,” Duggan said. “Juries can be subjective, and small factors — like a cyclist not wearing a helmet, even if it’s legal — could tip the scale.”

Duggan said similar efforts backed by Uber have appeared in other states, including California and Florida, as part of a broader push to reshape liability and insurance rules.

Driver and safety advocates in New York remain skeptical. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance has not endorsed the proposal, warning that reduced coverage would also harm drivers injured in crashes.

Street safety groups argue the state should focus on preventing crashes in the first place.

“They’re urging the governor to focus on safer streets and cracking down on repeat speeders,” Duggan said. “That would reduce crashes — and insurance costs — without cutting victims’ rights.”

Hochul denies the proposal is being driven by Uber, saying it targets fraud such as staged crashes and inflated medical claims. But Duggan says it remains unclear whether the changes would significantly lower premiums.

“What we do know is that it would reduce the amount people can recover after a crash,” he said.

When Streetsblog asked the governor’s office about concerns raised by crash victims, Duggan said the response raised questions.

“The press office forwarded us a press release from Citizens for Affordable Rates that had been sent by an Uber spokesperson,” he said.

As budget negotiations continue ahead of a March deadline, Duggan says lawmakers should closely examine both the data behind the proposal and the influence shaping it.

“A lot of this will come together at the last minute in Albany,” he said. “We may not know the final outcome until the budget is released.”

HAWLEY, PA — Hawley is exploring how its rivers, trails, and open spaces can drive economic growth through the Outdoor Towns initiative, a community-driven planning program designed to enhance public access to nature.

“The Outdoor Towns initiative goes back to this toolkit created by the PA Environmental Council,” explained Liam Mayo of The River Reporter. “It helps towns figure out ways to better use their outdoor spaces and revitalize their natural economies.”

Hawley’s plan, guided by consultants from Eastwick Solutions, combines public input and an action team of local residents. Ideas include expanding trails, constructing a pedestrian bridge over the Lackawaxen River, updating trail maps, and promoting outdoor dining and events.

“The priorities people ranked highly were about creating more ways to access nature,” Mayo said. “Some projects, like adding Hawley’s trails to the AllTrails app, can happen quickly. Others, like the pedestrian bridge, will take longer and require planning and funding.”

The initiative emphasizes natural development as economic development, aiming to attract tourists who use local trails, rivers, and lakes while supporting small businesses. Outdoor recreation contributed $19 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy in 2023, showing the potential of nature-focused growth.

Residents interested in learning more or participating can visit visithawleypa.com. “It takes a village,” Mayo said.

Read Liam Mayo’s full reporting on Hawley’s outdoor revitalization at riverreporter.com.