WSKG Public Media

06/09/2025

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2025 -- U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss today recognized the independence of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) stating that “Congress intended to preclude the President (or any subordinate officials acting at his direction) from directing, supervising,...

06/07/2025

The Park Church is hosting its third annual Elmira Pride Festival downtown on Saturday.

“Our goal this year was to have a safe place for joy,” said Jenny Monroe, Chairperson for the Elmira Pride Festival.

The church has been at the forefront of social justice since its inception. It was started in 1846 by abolitionists who worked to safely provide passage for enslaved people through Elmira on their way to freedom.

“When we looked at what we should be doing as 21st century Americans, this was a natural thing for us to embrace,” said Monroe. “We've been an open and affirming congregation for over 20 years, and that means that we do not discriminate in any way. Who you love, that is your choice, and what you express as gender in your life.”

Monroe said a community gathering like the Pride festival offers an informal way to meet one another—those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those who support LGBTQ+ individuals. This year’s festival will have local artists, food vendors and community organizations in Wisner Park next door to the Park Church.

Additional Pride celebrations in the Southern Tier include both Corning and Ithaca hosting events beginning on June 13 with all-day festivities on June 14. Ithaca continues its activities through Sunday, June 15. The Valley Pride Picnic in Waverly is happening on June 28. The Binghamton Pride Coalition has festivities planned all month, including a Pride flag raising on June 7 at city hall and a festival at Otsiningo Park on June 14 that will be followed by a fireworks display at the Martin Luther King Promenade.

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News
Photo by Charles Sykes/AP

06/07/2025

Public broadcasting needs your vocal support. Call Congress and tell them to protect public media now.

06/06/2025

Big congratulations to our colleagues at the Ithaca Voice, who've earned a well-deserved grant for the work they do in our community.

A vibrant local journalism ecosystem is good for us all, and we're excited to see what comes next from the folks at the Ithaca Voice!

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca Voice has been awarded a $250,000 grant from The Online Journalism Project, a foundation dedicated to sustaining and expanding local journalism. This transformative grant is […]

06/06/2025

On Tuesday, President Trump's administration sent a rescission request to Congress. The proposal affects programs of the Department of State, the USAID, the United States Institute of Peace, as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Twenty-one percent of WSKG’s yearly budget comes from the CPB.

WSKG’s Phoebe Taylor-Vuolo spoke with WSKG CEO Natasha Thompson about what cuts could mean for public media stations like WSKG.

Read more at wskg.org

Story by Phoebe Taylor-Vuolo/WSKG News
Photo by Patrick Holmes

06/06/2025

Your support for public media has never been more critical. Call Congress today and tell them that public media is an essential part of America.

06/05/2025

06/05/2025

Guide your class through coding with Lyla and Stu's Snack Chase. Students will learn computer science concepts while creating their own digital game to share! (Grades: K-2)

This introduction video offers an overview for the tutorial Lyla and Stu's Snack Chase, created for Microsoft MakeCode Arcade. Through this coding interactive, kids will explore fundamental computer science concepts and practice Computational Thinking as they code their own video game featuring Lyla...

06/05/2025

Join us Tuesday June 10th at 7pm at Atomic Tom's in Binghamton for a night of competitive storytelling!

06/05/2025

The Corning city council adopted the city’s 2026 budget on Monday.

The $22.6 million budget comes with a nearly 5 percent tax levy, which exceeds the state tax cap. City council voted to override the tax levy limit with Local Law No. 2 of 2025.

It is the first time in the history of the city the tax levy exceeded the tax cap.

“We can tell our citizens that the city's being fiscally managed in a highly responsible way,” said Mayor Bill Boland. “We're going to retain the services that we know that they want and that we provide routinely as a matter of how we conduct the business in the city, and that we hope that they'll support this very modest tax increase.“

The tax rate is $10.77 per $1,000 assessed. That means the increase in the tax rate will be $40.80 per year—or $3.40 per month—over last year on homes assessed at $120,000.

Boland said the state’s unrestricted Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) funding has remained flat for nearly two decades, prompting the tax levy increase this year.

“Year after year, we're asking our city administration to do more with less, and that's exactly what they've done,” said Boland. “At some point, that path is not sustainable, and we're at that point this year. We simply must raise revenues in order to continue the level of services that our citizens want, need and demand.”

Read more at wskg.org

Story and Photo by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News

06/04/2025

The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful” bill last month, which calls for billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid.

If the cuts go through, healthcare systems in the Southern Tier would be at risk of shuttering and residents could struggle to access care.

The nonpartisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says the president’s budget bill contains “$800 billion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces over ten years.”

Peggy Clarkson works in the emergency department at Guthrie’s Corning Hospital and chairs the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union. She said that low-income families, children, homeless and mental health patients are all at-risk with any cuts to coverage.

“Every time dollars are slashed from Medicaid, you are risking patient lives and you are risking the potential of another rural community hospital closing,” said Clarkson.

Clarkson did not speak to WSKG on behalf of The Guthrie Clinic health system.

Health care staffing could also face reductions.

“That is our biggest fear, because we're already at a strain for being able to have all the nurses and other staff members that provide ancillary care,” Clarkson said. “Our respiratory therapists, our people that work in radiology, the care partners on the floor and housekeepers that keep our facility clean, and our dietary department that provides nourishment for our patients, all these things are impacted when Medicaid is reduced.”

The 1199SEIU recently negotiated a new 3-year labor contract with Corning Hospital for 450 staffers who are represented by the union.

Corning Hospital is a level three trauma center as well as a stroke center. These designations and services could be affected by any loss to funding resources.

Read more at wskg.org

Story and Photo by Natalie Abruzzo/WSKG News

06/03/2025

The Trump administration has officially asked Congress to claw back all funding for public broadcasting. Now is the moment to call your representatives and tell them to oppose this rescission bill. Go to Protect My Public Media to find resources to join us in this fight, or go to wskg.org/give to directly support our station today.

President Trump is asking lawmakers to claw back the $1.1 billion in federal subsidies for public broadcasting that Congress approved earlier this year. His request also includes cuts to foreign aid.