WSKG Public Media

07/25/2025

Two previously rejected natural gas pipelines are getting a second look by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The prospect of new pipelines has revived opponents of fracking who fought against it for decades. New York banned the gas extraction method in 2014.

Opponents say if the pipelines are allowed this time they would harm water quality across the state. Both were previously denied permits by the DEC.

The Constitution pipeline would span 125 miles from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania into Schoharie County, New York. Williams Companies, the company spearheading the project, says it would tap into the Marcellus Shale and provide enough natural gas to fulfill the needs of about 3 million homes in the Northeast.

The Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline would run about 24 miles under New York Harbor with construction in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

According to Williams Co., it would connect two parts of existing pipelines to bring more natural gas to New York City.

The NESE pipeline received a federal permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2019. The company website says they expect construction to begin later this year.

Local legislators and environmental advocates spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. They want New York Governor Hochul to publicly oppose the projects. Among them was Binghamton City Councilman Nate Hotchkiss (District 4).

“This isn’t just a policy debate, it’s extremely personal. We get our drinking water directly from the Susquehanna River," Hotchkiss said. "If that river is put at risk, so is our city. So is every household, every school, every family that depends on clean water every day. We can’t gamble on that."

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Celia Clarke/WSKG News
Photo from office of State Senator Lea Webb

07/25/2025

🎉 Join us TODAY at the George F. Johnson Memorial Library for a WILD time with WSKG Kids! 🐾

🐊 We’ll be watching an exciting Wild Kratts episode, getting creative with themed activities, and sparking imagination through hands-on fun! Perfect for kids and families — and it’s totally FREE! 🎨✨

📍 Where: GFJ Memorial Library
🕚 When: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📺 What: PBS KIDS fun, crafts, and more!

Don’t miss out — it’s going to be a blast! 💚💙

07/25/2025

Chemung County was awarded nearly $250,000 this month for the Chemung Canal Connector Trail project.

A federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) will fund a portion of a bicycle and pedestrian path between the village of Elmira Heights and the city of Elmira.

It is expected to help bridge a 7-mile gap between both the Lackawanna Rail Trail, which runs 8 miles between Eldridge Park and the town of Ashland, and the Catharine Valley Trail, which currently runs from Watkins Glen to Pine Valley.

The project is expected to take several phases for construction, according to an Elmira Chemung Transportation Council (ECTC) press release. The project is being overseen by the Chemung County Planning Department.

It is the first phase of a project to create a network of trails in the county that will eventually become a 29-mile continuous trail corridor.

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News
Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP

07/24/2025

A Steuben County train manufacturer will build hundreds of commuter rail cars for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), according to a company press release .

Hornell-based Alstom will produce the train car bodies and assemble them in its new facility Plant 4. Additional parts of the trains will be assembled in Alstom’s facility in Plattsburgh.

The full contract is $2.3 billion and the company says it will create hundreds of jobs, including union jobs with the International Association of Machinists.

The MTA is replacing 40-year-old passenger M-3 cars with M-9A cars on two commuter lines: the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.

In a press release earlier this month, Alstom said that the M-9A train car bodies will be built in the company’s newly opened 135,000 square foot facility. The new plant allowed the company to bring its manufacturing of stainless steel train car shells that are used to produce passenger trains back to Hornell from Brazil.

Alstom received a $3.4-million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2021 to help with construction costs of the Plant 4 facility.

Alstom’s Hornell location is nearly 200 years old and is the largest passenger rail manufacturer in the U.S.

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News
Photo by Kathy Willens/AP

07/24/2025

A federal program known as 287(g) allows local law enforcement agencies to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agencies can opt to carry out immigration enforcement activities in their jurisdictions and detain people in local jails.

Local law enforcement cooperation with ICE is controversial in many communities, including in Broome County.

Broome County Legislator Mary Kaminsky resigned from the sheriff’s Reentry Reform Advisory Group last week. Kaminsky said her resignation was because of Sheriff Fred Akshar’s decision to detain people in the county jail for ICE.

The advisory group is not involved with immigration issues. Akshar said that detention of people in Broome County’s jail on behalf of several federal agencies is nothing new and has been done “for decades.”

WSKG's Celia Clarke spoke with Kaminsky about her decision.

Read more at wskg.org
Story by Celia Clarke/WSKG News
Photo from Broome county legislature

07/24/2025

A typical Friday for Alana Byrd and Ryan Dudek is characterized by packing. Lots of it.

There’s a cooler, a backpack, and two totes, and that’s not counting what's already been stuffed into their van.

The reason for all that packing is their son, Marian.

Marian is 11 months old and the couple’s first child. They have another baby on the way who is due in December. The new baby will join them in their farm home in the Hamlet of King Ferry in Cayuga County.

Both Dudek and Byrd work remotely so they have some flexibility to spend time with baby Marian. At the same time, they are also adults with full time jobs that require full time attention.

That means, like most parents, they need childcare. Byrd said that is when King Ferry suddenly becomes “the wild west.”

“I have a subscription to care.com and I felt like 90 percent of the people who I contacted, like, didn't even respond,” she said. “The ones who did, 50 percent of them were like, ‘Oh, actually, my availability has changed.’ Or ‘I'm no longer available.’”

Sixty-four percent of census tracts in the Finger Lakes region are designated child care deserts, according to a 2025 report from the New York Comptroller's Office.

In the Southern Tier, it’s even worse. Almost 70 percent of the region qualifies as a child care desert.

WSKG asked listeners to write about their experiences with child care. Some said they put their babies on waitlists for daycare before they were even born.

This story is part of WSKG's continuing coverage of child care. Read more at wskg.org.

Story and photos by Aurora Berry/WSKG News

07/23/2025

UPDATE: The city of Binghamton hired an attorney to conduct a third-party investigation after an altercation involving the police chief's girlfriend.

Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski was placed on administrative leave after a woman identified by the city as his girlfriend was charged following an altercation in Johnson City on Friday.

The village of Johnson City is about 2.5 miles from the city of Binghamton.

On Wednesday, the city hired an attorney to conduct a third-party independent investigation to determine if there were any violations of police department policies or misconduct occurred. The mayor's office said the final report will be made public.

Zikuski was present, but not involved in the incident. He was off-duty at the time.

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Celia Clarke/WSKG News
Photo from video posted to page of Kristina Montgomery

07/22/2025

Today marks the 112th anniversary of the Binghamton Clothing Factory fire. Learn more about this tragedy with the WSKG documentary THE DEVIL'S FIRE.

THE DEVIL'S FIRE is an original documentary from WSKG Public Television and filmmaker Brian Frey. Utilizing never-before-seen photographs and investigative a...

07/22/2025

Thank you, Phelps Mansion Museum for your thoughtful tribute to those who were lost in this tragic fire. The original documentary from WSKG Public Television and filmmaker Brian Frey is available to watch for free: https://youtu.be/ghEgjAzW27c?si=bsiXtzveBHet2QRC

Today we pause to remember the 112th anniversary of the Binghamton Clothing Company Fire.

Pictured are the factory , and the Monument located in Spring Forest Cemetery.

The monument reads " Sacred to the memory of those who lost their lives in the Binghamton Clothing Company Fire- July 22nd, 1913- Erected by the City of Binghamton."

On the plaque are the names:

Miss Nelli Theresa Connor
Mrs. Sarah Doran
Miss Emma D. Houghtaling
Mrs. Emma G. Reid
Mrs. Stella M. Clark
Miss Ruth A. Button
Miss Margaret Dimon
Miss Martha D. Burdick
Miss Lena Marie Kennedy
Mrs. Lou G. Shove
Mrs. Ella M. White
Miss Catherine Crowe
Miss Mary Josephine Creegan
Mrs. Nellie F. Gleason
Miss Mary T. Smith
Mrs. Lizzie Risley
Mrs. Mary Bianca
Mrs. Nellie Kison
Mrs. Ida G. Golden
Miss Edith M. Chernoff

These names represent the 20 names of ladies who were unidentified. The identified were buried elsewhere with private funeral arrangements.

To learn more about this tragic day watch "The Devil's Fire" by WSKG Public TV & Radio .

07/22/2025

This Thursday at 7pm, join us at the Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution for a special free screening of WALKING WITH DINOSAURS!

07/22/2025

Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski was placed on administrative leave after a woman identified by the city as his girlfriend was charged following an altercation in Johnson City on Friday.

Johnson City Village is about 2.5 miles from the City of Binghamton.

Zikuski was present, but not involved in the incident. He was off-duty at the time.

A video posted on Facebook shows Susan Rice arguing with a group of people including two teenagers, sitting on the porch.

At one point she asks the family, “What do you do, Section 8?”

A few moments later she tells them, “We are the police.” Rice then rushes onto the porch of the house and hits two people, identified by Johnson City police as a 16-year-old resident of the house and an 18-year-old friend who was visiting.

After Rice hits the two teenagers, she is hit by someone behind the camera on the porch. She falls to the floor at which point, police chief Zikuski comes onto the porch and tries to lift her up and carry her away.

Rice was not arrested at the time of the incident on Friday. She went to the Johnson City Police station on Monday where she was interviewed, arrested and charged.

Rice faces three charges: endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, and trespass in the second degree.

She was released with an appearance ticket for a later date.

In a statement made before her arrest, Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham said Rice is a “private citizen — not employed by… nor affiliated with the City in any official capacity.”

Zikuski has been police chief of Binghamton since 2008. He was previously placed on paid administrative leave for over 3 months following allegation of sexual harassment. The complaint was later dropped.

Read more at wskg.org

Story and Photo by Celia Clarke/WSKG News
video capture from page of Kristina Montgomery

07/21/2025

Regional airports in the Southern Tier recently received funding for upgrades in Broome, Chemung and Steuben counties.

The Greater Binghamton Airport and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced construction was completed for a project to upgrade its main terminal on July 11.

Funding for the improvements included $32 million from the Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition. The project received $15 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The federal infrastructure bill also recently awarded more than $2 million in funding for safety upgrades to the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport for its terminal roof and snow removal equipment.

The non-commercial, public-use Corning-Painted Post Airport was awarded $731,951 earlier this month for phase two in runway upgrades from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

Read more at wskg.org
Story by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News
Photo by David Becker/AP