The Catch Up

Radio Free Rhinecliff
  • 0.0 (0)
  • News
  • Updated Biweekly

The Catch Up is a podcast produced by The Daily Catch in conjunction with Radio Free Rhinecliff. The Daily Catch is the local newspaper for the towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook in New York's Hudson Valley region. In the podcast we discuss recent stories that have appeared in The Daily Catch. We take listeners "inside the news" to help them understand how we report stories for our paper.

  1. 4 hrs ago

    Red Hook neighbors push back on a major expansion to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

    Daily Catch reporter Athan Yanos has been covering the growing controversy surrounding a proposed expansion at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, and he joins Walter Mullin this week to discuss. The aerodrome, a beloved Hudson Valley institution that has drawn aviation enthusiasts from around the world for nearly seven decades, is seeking approval from the Red Hook Planning Board to nearly double its building footprint — replacing 11 existing structures with six new, modern ones. Director Tara Grieb insists the project is purely about preserving and sustaining what the aerodrome already does, just with better facilities. But at a packed planning board meeting, close to 30 residents submitted letters in opposition, with concerns ranging from traffic on the area's narrow residential roads to noise, light pollution, and the visual impact of large modern buildings on a quiet rural neighborhood. Critics also pointed to language in earlier versions of the master plan, references to maximizing "other site uses," hosting weddings and galas, and renting hangar space to private aircraft. That disappeared from later drafts, raising questions about the aerodrome's true intentions. Yanos and Mullin break down what's being proposed, why the planning board declined to vote, and what comes next — including a continuation of the public hearing on June 15th and the possibility of legal challenges on the horizon. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    27 min

  2. May 29

    Following the money in the Rhinebeck supervisor primary

    The Daily Catch reviewed the latest campaign finance filings in the Rhinebeck Democratic primary for town supervisor, and reporter Claire Greenberger joins Emily Sacker to explain what the records show heading into the June 23rd primary. Amanda Miller reported a little over $15,000 in contributions to Debbie Hecht's roughly $8,700, but Miller is largely self-funding through herself, her husband, and her law firm. Narrow it to registered Rhinebeck Democrats who can actually vote in June, and Hecht holds the edge, about $1,800 to Miller's $850, with more small-dollar local donors. Greenberger also explains the $5,000 donation to Hecht from artist and philanthropist Carolyn Marks Blackwood, which exceeded New York's $1,000 individual limit by $4,000. Hecht's treasurer had told her there were no limits; once Greenberger confirmed the rule, Hecht returned the excess within the hour and hand-delivered the check. Miller's campaign called it a leadership and experience problem, Hecht pushed back on Miller's spending, and the exchange marked the first real edge in a race that had stayed civil. Plus: where the out-of-town money is coming from, what the donors care about, and why fundraising totals is not likely to predict the winner. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    22 min

  3. May 22 ·  Bonus

    Rhinebeck Town Supervisor Democratic Forum 2026, Full Audio

    The complete audio of the Rhinebeck Town Supervisor Democratic forum, recorded live Sunday, May 17 at Rhinebeck High School in partnership with the Rhinebeck High School Student Council. Editor Emily Sachar moderates a two-hour conversation with the two Democratic candidates, Debbie Hecht and Amanda Miller. Topics include housing and the proposed community housing fund, Rhinebeck schools, tourism and hospitality growth, the Six Senses lawsuit, the future of Linwood, the Starr Library shortfall and the recusal debate, conflicts of interest, development along the 9G corridor, full-time versus part-time supervision, village-town relations, the Amtrak Rhinecliff station, property assessments, and the 2009 comprehensive plan. Plus a lightning round on books, dogs, hobbies, and favorite places, and three-minute closing statements from each candidate. For a recap with analysis, see episode 56 of The Catch Up Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    1h 54m

  4. May 22

    Forum Recap: Hecht and Miller on Where They Agree and Where They Don't

    Some 280 people packed Rhinebeck High School Sunday afternoon for the first forum between Debbie Hecht and Amanda Miller, the two Democrats running for Rhinebeck Town Supervisor. Emily Sachar, who moderated, joins Walter Mullin in the studio for a recap: tourism and hospitality growth, the Six Senses lawsuit, the future of Linwood, two very different housing proposals, the Starr Library funding shortfall and recusal debate, village-town relations, the Amtrak station, and questions of temperament and qualifications. There are also areas the candidates agreed. The full forum audio is available as a separate bonus episode, 57. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    31 min

  5. May 16

    Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Red Hook: A Forum, a Hotel, and a Bard Reset

    Walter Mullin and Emily Sachar cover three stories. The Daily Catch hosts its first candidates forum Sunday, May 17, at Rhinebeck High School, with Debbie Hecht and Amanda Miller facing questions ahead of the June 23 Democratic primary for town supervisor. The historic Rhinecliff Hotel signs a 10-year lease with Michaela Carpenter and Barry Dobesh, who plan to open this summer and reopen the renovated rooms in spring 2027. At Bard College, the board lays out a two-year transition plan to replace retiring president Leon Botstein, longtime chairman James Cox Chambers steps down from the board of trustees, and CNN's Fareed Zakaria is named commencement speaker for May 23. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    18 min

  6. May 8

    Botstein Steps Down

    Leon Botstein is leaving Bard. After almost 51 years as president, he announced his retirement one day after the board got WilmerHale's review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Walter Mullin and Daily Catch editor Emily Sachar talk through what the report says, what Botstein had told the public before, and why those two stories no longer match. The report includes a line Botstein gave investigators that the board chose to highlight: "I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God's work." It also says he visited Epstein's townhouse 25 times, made a two-day trip to Little St. James, and was around women later identified as Epstein's victims. The Daily Catch had already reported on the 2013 helicopter visit to Bard, when Epstein arrived with several young women and Botstein walked them around campus. Emily walks through what the board did and did not know, including the 2014 Leon Black donation that came at Epstein's direction. She talks about the senior faculty member who warned Botstein off, the level three sex offender designation that anyone could have looked up in 2012, and the consulting fees Botstein took from an Epstein entity in 2016. She and Walter weigh the Bard that Botstein built against the choices he made, and look at what comes next: an interim leader, a national search, and whatever role Leon Botstein still holds at the college he ran for half a century. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    32 min

  7. May 1

    Voters Approved It. The Town Didn't Collect It. Inside Starr Library's $82K Shortfall

    This week, editor Emily Sachar takes you inside Monday night's Rhinebeck Town Board meeting, where a discussion about Starr Library's budget turned into a shouting match between Town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia, library leaders, and a packed room of more than 40 residents. Beat reporter Eloise Goldsmith joins Emily to explain how voters approved an $82,000 tax increase for the library on Election Day, only to have the higher amount left out of the Town's budget documents, leaving Starr $82K short. Eloise walks through the timing rules under state education law, the conflicting accounts of who dropped the ball, and the divided vote that ended with the Town loaning, not gifting, $72,000 to the library over three years, interest-free. To close the show, publisher Walter Mullin joins Emily with some good news: The Daily Catch took home five first-place awards from the New York Press Association, including first place for this podcast and for investigative reporting on the Red Hook wastewater treatment plant by Claire Greenburger and Jack Whitman. The paper finished third in the state overall, going up against the largest newsrooms in New York. Walter and Emily talk about the work behind the wins, and the pressure of doing it again next year. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    30 min

  8. Apr 24

    Back in the Pews: A Hudson Valley Catholic Revival

    The Catch-Up host Walter Mullin sits down with Daily Catch reporter Athan Yanos to unpack his in-depth feature on a quiet but striking reversal: Catholic churches in Red Hook and Rhinebeck are filling up. Yanos spent weeks embedded in the parish community at St. Christopher's and Good Shepherd, interviewing seven congregants whose returns to faith trace back not to headlines or trends, but to grief, dislocation, and a search for something solid. The conversation ranges from local parking-lot overflow to global forces, from Pope Leo to the legacy of the clergy abuse crisis, and from CYO basketball to the role TikTok may be playing in a new Catholic revival. Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

    35 min
See All (59)

About

The Catch Up is a podcast produced by The Daily Catch in conjunction with Radio Free Rhinecliff. The Daily Catch is the local newspaper for the towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook in New York's Hudson Valley region. In the podcast we discuss recent stories that have appeared in The Daily Catch. We take listeners "inside the news" to help them understand how we report stories for our paper.

Information

More From Radio Free Rhinecliff

You Might Also Like