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PODCAST

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen

A twenty-something armchair policy wonk born and raised in the Catskills is heading out into the world, and he"s got a lot of questions. In this podcast from WJFF Radio Catskill, we"ll take a deep dive into the institutions in upstate New York that are at the foundation of our community and explore how they work (and how they sometimes don"t). We"ll sit down with educators, farmers, public servants, artists, business owners, and all-around do-gooders to learn what it means to be a part of rural

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

34:13

COVID Education: A Conversation with SUNY Sullivan...

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/10/11

SUNY Sullivan President Jay Quaintance talks about the challenges and difficult decisions at Sullivan County's community college that have resulted from the last year and a half of the pandemic. He considers some of the broader issues faced by community colleges and their students across New York State, and suggests a few policy solutions for a struggling higher education sector.

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20:38

COVID Education: Checking in with a Sullivan County...

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/09/29

Sullivan West Central School District Superintendent Stephen Walker drops back in to give an update on how his district is faring amid changing state COVID guidelines, a raging Delta Variant, and a team of faculty, staff, and students that has little interest in locking back down again.

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15:00

The Fire Towers

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/09/22

Olivia Bernard from the Catskill Center drops in to give us the lowdown on the Catskills Fire Towers. Whether you've hiked them dozens of times or not at all, you might just learn something new about these local legends.

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55:56

The Electrical Grid

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/09/04

SUNY Albany Professor Bill Saxonis and New York State energy expert Peter Savio discuss how our electrical grid works, and the major changes in progress both to our energy sources and the overall design of the grid. Coming off of one of the hottest and most meteorologically-turbulent summers in recorded history, we consider additional improvements to the energy sector that can help fend off the existential threat of climate change.

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32:18

Sullivan County COVID Update

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/08/17

With the Delta variant looming and national cases on the rise, Sullivan County Public Health Director Nancy McGraw drops in to talk about the latest on the local COVID front.

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47:50

Public Libraries

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/08/14

Ramapo Catskill Library System Executive Director Grace Riario and Mamakating Library Director Peggy Johansen (Leif's mom) talk about the role of the local library in a community. They discuss how the unusual circumstances of COVID have impacted the present and future operations of libraries, and Peggy gives some quick tips on avoiding misinformation in our democratized media landscape.

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31:14

Business Feature: Jerry's Collision Center

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/07/31

We're wrapping up our series on rural transportation infrastructure with a conversation with Carol Gillen, the Office Manager for Jerry's Collision Center in Wurtsboro, NY. (She's also Jerry's wife.) Carol talks about the challenges of the auto repair industry during the pandemic, the future of local auto shops, and the story of how Jerry's Collision Center came to be a Sullivan Street staple in Wurtsboro.

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18:05

Cities and Villages and Towns, Oh My!

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/07/23

Leif takes a solo trip through the bizarre world of administrative divisions in the United States. Who would have guessed that local government could be convoluted? (Yep, everyone.)

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24:37

Gas Prices

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/07/11

SUNY Albany Professor Bill Saxonis talks about how gas prices work--and why they're so high right now. (Spoiler: they're not.)

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25:25

Move Sullivan: A Rural Public Transit Project

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/06/29

Establishing a public transit system is historically tough. Establishing a rural public transit system is historically a non-starter. Until recently. In this episode, Sullivan County Division of Community Resources Commissioner Laura Quigley talks about Move Sullivan, a public bus program that launched shortly before COVID hit, and ended up being a critical resource for essential workers across the county.To learn more about Move Sullivan and see the daily bus schedule, go to:

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35:42

Rail Trails

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/06/24

Sullivan County Commissioner of Planning and Community Development Freda Eisenberg talks about the latest work on the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail, designed to connect the disparate sections of existing rail trails across the county into a single, 50-mile walking and biking route spanning from Livingston Manor to the border of Orange County. We consider the economics of rail trails, and their significance to various aspects of local communities.Check out the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail website here:

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38:11

Business Feature: Java Love

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/06/07

"Recovering" journalist (as she puts it) Kristine-Ellis Petrik talks about her journey co-founding the Java Love Coffee Roasting Company with her partner, clinical psychologist Jodie Dawson, just in time for Java Love's 10th anniversary. We consider what makes the ultimate cup of joe, and the importance of embracing change and trying new things.

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38:28

Community Schools

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/05/31

In a follow-up to our "Wraparound Services" episode, we hear from community school director and education policy scholar Abel McDaniels about the case for community schools in rural America. We think about the question, "whose job is it to innovate in public education?" (Spoiler: it might be everyone's.)

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21:57

Business Feature: The Herbal Scoop

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/05/26

On our first of many business features that we'll do from time to time on Close to Home, we hear from farmer and herbalist Kendra Payne about the development and growth of her business, The Herbal Scoop, in Callicoon, New York. We also learn about a few herbal remedies that might just do the trick when it comes to decreasing stress and improving energy.

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61:22

Local News

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/05/14

In this episode, we hear from four Catskills newsmakers about why local news matters amidst a turbulent, partisan, and nationally-focused media landscape, and we consider what the future of community journalism looks like. Special thanks to Joseph Abraham from the Sullivan County Democrat, Paul Ciliberto from Thunder 102, Lissa Harris from The River (and previously the Watershed Post), and Amberly Jane Campbell from the Shawangunk Journal for sharing their thoughts about their work.

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0:30

Wraparound Services

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/04/30

The Enlarged City School District of Middletown Superintendent Richard Del Moro discusses how his team, including the previous superintendent, Dr. Ken Eastwood, brought the school from a 54% graduation rate in 2004 to an 86% graduation rate last year through a systematic change in how the district viewed the scope of education. We consider the implications for more rural school districts in Sullivan County.

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58:51

The Opioid Epidemic

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/04/19

New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Dynamic Youth Community Fallsburg Program Director Jennifer Reinhardt, and recovering addict and local fly fishing expert Stas Borowski talk about the opioid epidemic in Sullivan County, and consider how to improve the dire local overdose statistics. Read Stas's article about his addiction and recovery story here: https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/fly-fishing-addiction-and-one-mans-road-to-recovery

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46:08

Talking Trash (...and Recycling...and Composting)

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/04/09

Sullivan County Recycling Coordinator Bill Cutler talks about where we stand with how our region handles solid waste, the uncertain future of recycling and garbage, and a possible county-wide composting program.

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31:35

Sullivan County's Broadband Initiative

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/03/28

Lorne Green talks about Sullivan County's Wireless Broadband Access Project, a groundbreaking, county-run program that is slated to offer fast, affordable, and reliable high speed internet to county residents by 2023. The program is slated to go into its initial testing phase this spring and offer service packages to some areas by the end of 2021. It is one of the first initiatives of its kind in the nation.

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56:29

Dairy Farming Part 2

WJFF - Close to Home with Leif Johansen ·

2021/03/21

New York State Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball and Sullivan County Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture Educator Michelle Proscia discuss policy solutions to a struggling dairy industry in upstate New York.

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67 results

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