Latest Articles

News

Spring into Summer, Parade to Highlight Memorial Day Weekend in Cherry Valley

CHERRY VALLEY - The Spring into Summer festival will be one of the highlights for Memorial Day weekend in Cherry Valley. The last weekend in May will be a busy one in the village as garage sales, a parade, a Memorial Day ceremony in the cemetery, a barbecue, and other events are being planned. The events will begin on Friday, May 24 and run through Monday, May 27. Events include: Friday, May 24: * Opening Party – Red Shed Ale House 6-8pm live music. Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, 10-5pm: * Food: NBT parking Lot: Food trucks: Gaige’s – Burgers, Fries, Desserts (Saturday and Sunday) and Plated Palette- Tacos (Sunday only), lemonade and donut stand (Saturday and Sunday). Park next to 25 Main Street: Hot dog cart. Rose & Kettle Restaurant: Lunch Saturday, noon-3pm. Red Shed Ale House: Open at 1pm, light fare. The Tryon Inn and Backdoor Bar: Lunch on Saturday 11:30am-1:30pm. * Vendors: Located in NBT parking Lot and in the Memorial Park, both Saturday and Sunday. * Music: At the Gazebo, both Saturday and Sunday. * Kid's events: On the Limestone Mansion Lawn, Main Street. Games, activities, crafts-all ages. * Garage sales: All weekend. Village wide, run by American Legion and Auxiliary (map available). * Cherry Valley Businesses hosted events: 25 Main Collective: Artist led Workshops. Cherry Valley Bookstore: Tax Free all weekend. Cherry Valley Lilac Farm: Classes, tours and Lilac sales 10am-4pm all weekend. Cherry Valley Museum: Open for the Season. Hawk Circle: Forest Perfumery open. Plaide Palette: programs on the porch, Saturday and Sunday. The Telegraph School: Spring/Summer Clothing Swap Straw House Herbs: Opening Weekend. The Tepee, Route 20: sale all weekend. * Community events: Firemen’s Auxiliary Pancake Breakfast at Firehouse on Sunday. St Thomas Catholic Church Basket Raffle at Old School on Sunday. Monday, May 27: 10am Parade. Memorial Service at Cemetery Chicken BBQ at Tryon.

May 19, 2024 • 122 views

News

Summer Events at the Iroquois Museum

HOWES CAVE — The Iroquois Museum at 324 Caverns Road announced a series of summer events open to the public. • Saturday, July 6 - ONOTA’A:KA (ONEIDA NATION DANCERS) from the Haudenosaunee community of Oneida in central New York. Dance times approximately: 11 & 2 • Sat., July 13 - 2pm - Artist Talk with Lauren Ashley Jiles/ Lou Lou la Duchesse de Riere. Lauren is a renowned neo-burlesque dancer, teacher, and mom from Kahnawake and a featured artist in Outside the Box. • Sat. & Sun. July 20 & 21 – Metalsmithing & Steel Sculpture demonstration with Margaret Jacobs. Margaret is Akwesasne Mohawk and known for her bold steel sculpture and powder-coated jewelry. • Friday & Saturday, July 26 & 27 – Welding and Steel Sculpture Workshop. Metalsmith Margaret Jacobs will offer 3 hour participatory AM & PM workshops (by preregistration) for those looking for an immersive and unusual hands-on experience. Ages 16 to elders. Limit 6 individuals per session. Experienced welders or metalworkers may register for full day. No Charge. • Friday, August 2 from 5 to 9 - Roots, Rhythm & Ale. Join us for a Cajun, Zydeco, and Bluegrass bash with The Rubber Band,The Red Wagon & Zydeco dance lesson with Ron Bruschi. Hot food available for purchase. Admission is $10 for adults, kids under 18 free. For a $20 ticket you receive a commemorative cup for a free beer. Rain or shine! Saturday, August 3 – Stone Carving Workshop with Tom Huff. Easy to learn basics using soapstone, rasps, chisels, and other hand tools. Open to adults and children ages 10 and up. Class will be held outdoors. Preregistration. Cost: $70 members/ $75 non-members includes materials. • Saturday August 10 – ALLEGANY RIVER INDIAN DANCERS. Founded in 1979, the Allegany River Indian Dancers have become one of the best-known Native dance groups in the United States and Canada. Dance times approx: 11 & 2 • Saturday & Sunday August 17 & 18 – Guitar Making demonstration with Glenn Hill, Jr. Glenn is an Akwesasne Mohawk luthier who has been hand crafting acoustic and electric guitars for approximately a decade. • Sat. & Sun., Aug. 31 & Sept. 1 – 41st Annual Iroquois Arts Festival • Sun., Oct. 6 - 2pm - Opening Reception for Unique & Individual: A Portrait of Autism by Mohawk Photographer Angel Horn. Exhibition runs Oct 5 – November 30. • Sat & Sun., Oct. 12 & 13 – Porcupine QuillEmbroidery Workshop with Seneca artist Jamie Jacobs. This is a 2-day class and includes all materials. Class size - Min. 10. Max 12. Cost: $75 members/$85 non members • Sat., Oct. 12 - 3pm - Artist Talk by Hannah Claus. Hannah Claus is a multi-disciplinary artist whose ancestry includes the Tyendinaga Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and a featured artist in Outside the Box. • Sat., Oct.19 from 10-4 - Early Technology Day. Visitors can watch and participate in the process of flint knapping (the ancient art of making chipped stone tools), fire making, cordage making, atlatl spear throwing and early archery. These events are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities NY Action grant; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America grant; and friends and members of the Iroquois Museum. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

May 19, 2024 • 161 views

News

Terenzio Honored as Woman of Distinction

ALBANY — State Senator Peter Oberacker honored SUNY Cobleskill President Dr. Marion Terenzio as the 2024 New York State Senate “Woman of Distinction” from the 51st Senate District. “We are fortunate to have so many trailblazing women in the 51st Senate District who inspire us all on a daily basis,” said Senator Peter Oberacker. “Marion Terenzio is dedicated to educating our next generation and growing our state’s rural economy with an innovative vision. Marion’s commitment, compassion, and forward thinking are vital, and I am truly honored to recognize her as a New York State Senate Woman of Distinction.” Dr. Marion Terenzio is a dedicated education professional who has worked tirelessly to grow the SUNY system while also contributing greatly to the regional economy. She is the President of the SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, co-chair of the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council, and a member of the New York Department of Health Rural EMS Task Force. Dr. Terenzio’s community engagement and advocacy for rights of students includes her current service on the NYS Blue Ribbon Commission on K-12 reform and her most recent work as the co-chair for SUNY’s Task Force on Empowering Students with disabilities. She has worked to create a robust international curriculum at SUNY Cobleskill and has worked with the National Governor’s Association initiative on Rural Resurgence. “I am profoundly grateful and humbled to receive this honor. Recognition as a 'Woman of Distinction' represents the collective dedication and shared values that drive our community's progress, highlighting not just a personal achievement but also our commitment to education, innovation, and inclusivity,” said Dr. Terenzio. “Standing among remarkable women, I am inspired to further our efforts in shaping a future of opportunity and growth.” Along with honoring the 2024 Women of Distinction during a special ceremony at the Capitol, the senate adopted a special resolution congratulating the honorees. The senate's “Women of Distinction” program was created in 1998 to honor New York women who exemplify personal excellence, or whose professional achievements or acts of courage, selflessness, integrity or perseverance serve as an example to all New Yorkers. “The Senate Women of Distinction program is an ideal way to celebrate the contributions of all women and recognize their positive impact on our communities. Marion Terenzio is an amazing role model and I look forward to continuing to partner with her moving forward,” added Senator Oberacker.

May 19, 2024 • 162 views

News

Woodcock Search and Sneak-up at Landis May 24

ESPERANCE — The American Woodcock is a shorebird that has adapted to upland habitats. In the spring males return to open fields to sing and do an aerial flight display to attract females. Join nature educator extraordinaire George Steele from 8:30 - 10:00 PM when we will search for and try to sneak up on singing males and learn about this once in the year behavior. Partial funding for this class provided through a grant from Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program. Date: May 24, 2024 Time: 8:30 PM Location: The Nicholas J. Juried Meeting House at Landis Arboretum, 174 Lape Road, Esperance Registration: Members: $5/person, $15/family; non-members: $15/person, $25/family

May 19, 2024 • 158 views

News

THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS

A Day of Doing Art: Part Two Last week we traveled back to 1858 and caught up with German landscape artist Paul Weber. That was in Kaaterskill Clove, above Fawn’s Leap and below Wildcat Ravine. He and a second artist, his student Harriet Cany Peale, found beauty there and went to work capturing that beauty on canvases. Harriet was the second wife of renowned artist Rembrandt Peale so she had a strong background in art. On this day Weber and Peale were both practicing landscape art. They are listed among those of the Hudson River School of Art. As we saw last week, Paul Weber found a remarkable boulder and began sketching it and its picturesque surroundings. Harriet climbed another 50 yards upstream. She found a ledge to sit on and, looking downstream, sketched another very different image. See our two illustrations. A full 162 years later another man and another woman came to the same location. That was the two of us. We stood at the very same spots they stood but we saw very different images, and a very different beauty. Take another look at our first picture. Harriet’s painting is quite remarkable. It was a featured painting in a 2010 Cedar Grove exhibit entitled “Remember the ladies.” Not only is it a gem of a canvas, but it speaks of an ice age history. The two of us spotted them as being a cluster of glacial erratics. They had all been dragged from the Hudson Valley below by advancing ice. That glacier and those boulders had gotten this far when the climate began warming. The ice melted away leaving the erratics behind. They had been waiting here for many thousands of years. They waited for Weber, Peale and then they waited for us. They had different stories to tell: one for Paul Weber, another for Harriet Peale and a very different one for us: May 10, 13,076 BC – We have traveled back in time but are located right exactly where Harriet Peale would someday be sketching. Our day in the distant past is a cool and overcast one, with off-and-on snow flurries. It had been warming in recent decades, and that had triggered powerful flows of meltwater. The canyon hereabouts had been scoured clean by these flows. That left a lot of bare bedrock all around. As geologists we couldn’t help looking deeply into all of that. We don’t see much real biology here, just a few mosses and lichens. Nature has been trying to stage a post-glacial comeback but that will be a futile effort. In fact, right now, the seasons have actually been starting to get colder again. A new cycle of glaciation has begun. Those mosses and lichens are thinning out and will soon be disappearing. We are the mind’s eyes; we can go anywhere; we can do anything. We rise up high into the air and look east. Ice in the form of the Hudson Valley glacier is once again pushing to the south. Shoved from behind, a lot of it turns west and rises up the clove, heading towards us. We remain hanging high up in the air and watch as the ice approaches us. But now the climate does what climate’s do. Once again it begins to warm up and the advancing glacier grinds to a halt. For a moment we can reach out and just barely touch it. But then it begins to melt and retreat back down the clove. We look down and watch that retreat. Below us, masses of sediment are being left behind by the melting ice. Several very large boulders are poking through those heaps of earth. We continue to remain suspended in the air as centuries pass by beneath us. Our mind’s eyes are very patient; they can do that! Slowly, the flows of a restored Kaaterskill Creek wash away some, but not all, of the sand, silt, and clay down below us. Those boulders and a few more of them emerge from the earth and settle into the locations that would someday so very much captivate Harriet Cany Peale. She saw their beauty; we saw their ice age history. Contact the authors at randjtitus@prodigy.net . Join their facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.com.”

May 19, 2024 • 180 views

News

Outdoors with Larry DiDonato

2024 Spring Turkey Season in Full Swing Mike and Mike "tag-out." Mike Brennan, of Saugerties, "tagged-out" bagging his second gobbler while hunting with good friend and hunting partner, Mike Dodig, also of Saugerties. Brennan shot this mature three-year-old tom to close out his 2024 spring turkey season; "tagging-out" by the third day on May 3rd. Mike Dodig got his limit harvesting his second gobbler one week later on May 11th. It's been a great start to the spring season confirming expectations. Turkey harvests are up seventeen percent over the past three years. We are smack in the middle of the 2024 regular spring turkey hunting season and if the current trend continues, it looks to be a good year for NY turkey hunters. The regular spring turkey season opened on May 1 st in Upstate NY and in Suffolk County and closes on May 31 st . During spring turkey seasons, hunters can harvest two bearded birds for the season, but only one on any given day. Estimates are the spring turkey harvest this year is up approximately 17 percent over the past three years. This is in-line with anecdotal observations where a number of local hunters are sending in reports of already having “tagging out”, by harvesting their second mature gobbler. The earlier youth turkey hunting weekend in late April also enjoyed similar success. Wild Turkey Population Trends DEC uses harvest data and surveys as indices of population size and trends. They currently estimate a statewide population of between 160,000-180,000 birds. “After reaching their peak around 2001, wild turkey populations declined gradually over the next decade. This was followed by a more severe decline since 2009. There are several reasons for this, including a natural population contraction as turkey populations settled down to levels more in line with local environmental conditions. Other factors include density dependence, poor production, and changing habitats and predator communities.” DEC says reasons for declines in turkey numbers include cold wet spring weather, tough winters, and changes in habitat quantity and quality. Predation can play a role in limiting turkey populations but it’s more likely poor habitat quality makes birds, their nests, and broods more vulnerable to predation. “…in highly fragmented landscapes predators may be more efficient in finding turkeys and their nests. This is particularly true for nest predators such as raccoons, skunks, and opossums. In areas with poor brood habitat quality, such as low stem densities or poor overhead cover, turkeys and poults may be more vulnerable to predation.” The good news is while overall NY turkey populations are lower currently than in the early 2000s, for the past eight or nine years, they have been stable across the state. Spring turkey harvests in NY average between 16,000 to 18,000 birds. Biologists anticipated improved turkey harvest this year and the birds are definitely cooperating. Lots of gobbling especially early in the month made it easier to locate and set-up for wary toms. Spring Turkey Harvest Data Dashboard In both the spring and fall, DEC uses extensive hunter surveys to reliably estimate turkey harvest. Data from these surveys help biologists understand trends in populations around the state and are used to help guide management. DEC recently released a new interactive online dashboard for the public to explore historic spring turkey harvest. The dashboard allows hunters to select Wildlife Management Unit aggregates near where they hunt or where they are considering hunting to understand trends in turkey harvest success. For more information or to explore the data, visit DEC’s website . DEC reminds everyone to hunt safe and hunt smart by following these guidelines to support hunter safety: Hunting is permitted in most areas of the state, except for New York City and Nassau County. Hunters must have a turkey hunting permit in addition to a hunting license. Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day. Hunters may take two bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only one bird per day and no more than one bird per season in Wildlife Management Unit 1C (Suffolk County). Hunters may not use rifles or handguns firing a bullet. Hunters may hunt with a shotgun or handgun loaded with shot sizes no larger than No. 2 or smaller than No. 9, or with a bow or crossbow. Crossbows may not be used in Westchester or Suffolk counties. Successful hunters must fill out the tag that comes with a turkey permit and immediately attach it to any turkey harvested. Successful hunters must report harvests within seven days of taking a bird. Report harvests online at DEC's Game Harvest Reporting website or call 1-866-426-3778 (1-866 GAMERPT). For more information about turkey hunting in New York, see the 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit the Turkey Hunting pages of DEC's website. Tips for a Successful and Safe Turkey Hunting Season Don't stalk. More than half of turkey hunting injuries happen when a hunter stalks another. Wear hunter orange when going in or out of the woods and when walking around. When sitting still waiting for a turkey, put hunter orange on a nearby tree. When calling, sit still with against a tree to break-up any silhouette. Wrap any takes or decoys in hunter orange. Never wear turkey colors – red, white, or blue. Always assume any call or footsteps are from another hunter. Don't shoot until the whole turkey can be observed and its sex identified. When encountering another hunter, speak clearly and don't move. Never wave or use a turkey call to alert another hunter. Turkeys are tough, and 30 yards or less is the best distance for a clear head or neck shot. Do not try to shoot turkeys in the body or while they are flying. Smaller shot, no. 4, 5, and 6, work better than larger shot, due to denser shot patterns. New shotshell technologies allow for shot sizes as small as 8 and 9 to be effective for turkeys. Do research and pattern shotguns to learn what works for each setup. Happy Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping until next time! News and Notes… The New York Bowhunters Banquet in Greenville is Saturday, May 18 th New York Bowhunters will hold their 33 rd Annual Banquet and Rendezvous on Saturday, May 18 th 2023 at the Sunny Hill Resort and golf course at 352 Sunny Hill Road in Greenville, NY. For early birds arriving the day before, there will be a BBQ on Friday night at 6:00 pm with a 50/50 raffle. Discounted rooms that include breakfast at Sunny Hill are available. Go to www.sunnyhill.com or call them at 518-634-7642 to make your discounted room reservation. Registration for the day’s activities start at 9:00 am with their General Meeting scheduled for 1:00 pm, cocktail hour at 5:00 pm, and dinner and silent auction at 6:00 pm. The keynote speaker this year is Colorado big game hunter and guide, John Gardner. The event includes 3D archery and novelty shoots, antler scoring, contests, prizes, and free golf for NY Bowhunter members. Genesis bows will be provided for participants. There will be vendor tables, raffles and plenty of fun things to do. Tickets are $55.00 for individuals with kids under 12 are free. To purchase tickets and for more information, contact Annie Jacobs via email at nyboffice@newyorkbowhunters.com , or by regular mail: 5937 County Road 33 Canandaigua, NY 14424. You can also give Annie a call at 585-229-7468 for more information. Local NY Bowhunters representative Ed Gorch reminds all attending to bring a gift box for their “Camo to Camo” program supporting our veterans. Norton Hill Wildlife Club’s First 2024 Trap Shooting Event Will be Held on May 12 th Trap shooting at Norton Hill Wildlife Club at 946 Big Woods Road in Greenville begins at 10:00 am on Sunday, May 12 th and continues at the same time on June 9 th and 16 th , July 14 th and 28 th , August 4 th and 25 th , and on September 15 th and 29 th . Cost is just $5.00 per round. Bring your own ammo. Trap shooting is open to all; you don’t have to be a member to take advantage of this opportunity. Remember to report poaching violations by calling 1-844-DEC-ECOS.

May 19, 2024 • 175 views

News

A Conversation About: My Aching Back

By Jean Thomas It’s not just my back that’s aching. It’s my front and sides and all my corners. I managed to put in a five hour work session in my gardens the other day. Although I’ve been gradually increasing my daily exposure to what will become a normal garden workday, this one went lots farther. I am probably comical to watch while tending to my garden. I can be seen doing everything from tossing a bag of mulch over my shoulder and hiking across the lawn to sitting in the grass like a two-year-old and reaching to pull as many weeds as possible without relocating my backside. I also have a set of kneelers that I use on rotation, flipping the first one to follow the last in a relay to travel the longest distance without having to constantly repeat the torture of getting to my feet and then descending to my knees. I dig and plant and weed and carry and rake and hoe, seemingly without end. My mental process may be to blame here. While I make lists in good faith, once I go out the door all bets are off. In order to accomplish task number one, I must first move or clear or locate something. In achieving the preparation, the original task loses importance and I drift into a totally different direction. I have come to terms with this behavior by calling it Organic Drift. That sounds better than admitting to being a scatterbrain, much like this conversation. I started talking about aches, so let’s get back to the topic. I am well educated on the art and science of ergonomic gardening from talking with my friend Madeline Hooper. Madeline is a former dance instructor and currently hosts a show on PBS called “GardenFit”. She has made a career by using her body correctly and has much excellent advice. Posture is important, and there are correct ways to lift and bend. It turns out that my scattered approach to garden chores is actually a good idea. Madeline says that dividing gardening up into half-hour segments provides the chance to work different parts of the body more evenly. So when I dug the trench for the Hydrangeas and then wandered off to rake the perennial meadow for a while and then repotted a batch of seedlings and then drove the rider mower around the lawn , I was behaving in an ergonomically correct fashion. Take that, you who finish an entire project in a single session! You can hear Madeline at: https://ccecolumbiagreene.org/gardening/nature-calls-conversations-from-the-hudson-valley/episode-97-what-is-gardenfit . You can also find her travelog/ fitness show, called “GardenFit” on your local PBS station. There are two seasons available now. There is even a featured episode in the second season with a visit to a Greene County artist at her Athens home and studio. And, returning to my personal aches and pains; In retrospect, I should have realized that another factor was weighing in on my great big tiring day in the garden, namely that the temperature sneaked up to eighty degrees when I wasn’t looking. Good thing I hydrate a lot… and I have a secret gardening weapon. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s always a good habit to follow the shade when you work. It buys you a little more comfort, and it makes you look smart.

May 19, 2024 • 148 views

News

Whittling Away with Dick Brooks

Cowless Beef The world as we know it may just have ended and I don’t think I’m going to stand for it. There was a report on the tube about this guy who has just grown a hamburger in a Petri dish. He took some stem cells, got them growing in some culture in the lab, mixed in some sawdust and spices and for a mere $350,000 produced something that looked like a typical fast food restaurant burger which bears little resemblance to a real hamburger to start with. Do these people have no shame? I think they are probably the same ones who killed milk. When I was a kid, one of my multiple jobs was to take the gallon milk pail and walk to the neighbor’s farm a half a mile down the road every day after supper. Since this was in the real upstate New York within spitting distance of Canada, the sun went down about 1:30 in the afternoon in the winter. The road was through some spooky pine woods and paved with about six inches of sand. There were always unidentified sounds coming out of the dark and I’m sure that a lesser child would have never been able to summon up the resolve it took to make that trip. Thinking about it now, that might explain why I chewed my fingernails down to the quick into my early thirties. Anyway I made that trip every night faithfully because we needed the milk and that milk was delicious enough to make risking life and limb seen worth it. It was fresh raw milk, the kind that kids and calves had been drinking for centuries. You had to shake the bottle or stir it well because the cream floated to the top. I do now admit to not shaking or stirring the milk before putting it on my morning oatmeal. Oatmeal, fresh cream and brown sugar is the closest thing to dessert that a kid can get away with at breakfast. Modern day whole milk tastes nothing like the real thing. It’s been irradiated and beaten within an inch of its life so that not a single cream droplet would dare to separate itself from the herd and float to the top. They’ve ever got some milk that’s been so altered that you can keep a carton of it in the pantry for months without spoiling. I bought some of it for our cat once. She wouldn’t eat it. She’s always been a smart little animal. Cowless beef will probably catch on then they’ll start on chickenless chicken and pigless pork. Farms will be replaced by labs. Cowboys will be replaced by the guys from the Big Bang Theory. No more cowboy hats, spurs or saddles, all replaced by lab coats, vinyl gloves and computers. Markets will start carrying different kinds of stem cells so you can grow your own meat at home, making it as tender or tough as you want. There would be a demand for cupcake tins in the shape of the meat you’d like to grow; drumstick shapes, round nugget shapes, pork chop shaped. There could be big round tins for roasts or some shaped like turkeys or hams for the holidays. Farm animals will no longer be necessary and since there would be no profit in raising them, they will go wild or be kept as pets. Nursing homes for old animals will appear and be paid for by Farm aid concerts given by Willie Nelson. Real food like we have today will disappear. I guess I better enjoy it before it goes. I’m going to make a BLT. I have some fresh turkey bacon and hydroponic tomatoes and lettuce grown without dirt or natural sunlight. They’re organic so they must be good. Thought for the week—The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same sized bucket. Until next week, may you and yours be happy and well. Whittle12124@yahoo.com

May 19, 2024 • 191 views

News

2023-24 Cairo-Durham Middle School Third Quarter Honor Rolls Announced

CAIRO – The Cairo-Durham Central School District is excited to announce its Middle School Principal’s Honor Roll, High Honor Roll and Honor Roll members for the third quarter of the 2023-24 school year. To qualify for Principal’s Honor Roll, students must record a grade point average of 95 or higher throughout the quarter. To qualify for High Honor Roll, students must record a grade point average between 90 and 94. To qualify for Honor Roll, students must record a grade point average between 85 and 89. Principal's Honor Roll 6th Grade Leslie Cruz, Brayden Herdman, Hunter Lee, Dylan Mulligan, Natalie Olivett, Ruby Palmer, Nadav Saad, Reagan VanDenburgh and Aubree Walz. 7th Grade Zoey Choinsky, Lucy Palmer, Grace Plank and Abigail Pritchard. 8th Grade Brooke DeFrancesco, Tyler Little, Lucas Lounsbury, Lauren Musong, Patrick Panyan, Alexandra Richers, Alesiana Roeber, Sadye Schneider, Abigail Wright and Michaela Wright. High Honor Roll 6th Grade Marco Alvarado, Francis Baxter, Nicholas Dyer, Luke Hulbert, Felicity Lendin, Brielle Lewis, Daniel Lopez, Giavanna Massaro, Hailee Myers, Aryssa Ortiz, Joseph Parks, Gianna Race, Kaylee Relyea, April Rooney, James Sasso, Kassidy Schrull, Jocelyn Shook, Thomas Slater Jr., Silas Smith, Sophia Sternbach, Thomas Sylvester, Anthony Tritto, Brayden Vetter, Aislinn Wilber, Ryan Young, Lily Zeun and Logan Zeun. 7th Grade Kasandra Backenroth, Naylor Cooper, Sophia Cuti, Xavier James, John Kiley, Rebecca Mahler, John Mirandona and Francesca Porter. 8th Grade Vincenzo Alvarado, Hanna Baxter, Allie Byrne, Luis Cruz, Evangeline Finnegan, Isabel Haigh, Khodyn Laga, Sebastian Miller, Payton Neubauer, Michael Pernice and Austin Sperano. Honor Roll 6th Grade Anastasa Amlong, Kaleb Avelar, Jasmine Bucao, Owen Chapman, Madelyn Dedrick, Hannah Faulkner, Nyelle Grayton, Jano Guiragossian, Brendan Hasenkopf-Massaro, Sofia Hernandez Merino, Annabelle Holbrook, Dayyan Lalgee, Kashlyn LaRose, Calvin Lewis, Gianna Lewis, Brandon Mackle, Aiden McGovern, Jayden Morey, Autumn Nielsen, Anthony Rende, Jennifer Ruiz Yatz, Aiden Smith and Logan Thorne. 7th Grade Travis Barbosa, Darien Barris, Aleaha Brousseau, Jaedyn DeLong, Mya DeRose, Hannah DuHart, Seamus Gavin, Amelia Hammond, Michael Houston Jr., Rojer James Jr., Baylee Kastner, Grace LaRose, Lexi Maderic, Michael Parks Jr., Wynter Plank, Maya Powers, William Pugsley, Skylar Racano, Karlie Sickler, Trinity Smith, Bella Snedeker, Alana Torres, Joseph Tritto III and Teagan Watkins. 8th Grade Korin Beatty-Brust, Aidan Cody, Brianna Dennis, Meaghan Hammond, William Hernandez Merino, Zuri Hewson, Lukas Higgins Jr., Ziva Homeyer, Jozlyn Jones, James Kuhn, Nataylia LaRose, Jakob Magsitza, Adrianna Massaro, Kourtney Matice, Zoey Mickle, Ethan Searing-Burke, Olivia Soto, Julie Speenburgh and Leo Vittoz.

May 19, 2024 • 145 views

News

Friends of the Library Book Donation

On Friday May 10th, The Friends of the Mountain Top Library donated books to the Hunter Elementary School students. Their gift of literacy enables our pre-k and kindergarten students to build a love of reading. The Friends gifted one hard-cover book to each student and teacher along with reading the book aloud with each class. In its fifteenth year of giving, this year’s book donation program provided Flip-flop and the Bffs written by Janice Levy. FlipFlop is hungry, but there is nothing in the pantry except flies. She decides to invite her friends to a party to bake a fly pie. When her friends are too lazy to help, FlipFlop makes the pie herself. She bakes the pie, puts on her party clothes and plays some music. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Will FlipFlop let her BFF's join the party? The Friends of the Mountain Top Library is a non-profit, community-based organization composed solely of volunteers dedicated to supplementing library services, raising public awareness, helping to expand programs, and promoting the use of the library. The entire Elementary School would like to thank the Friends group for their generous gifts and continued support of reading and literacy in the community.

May 19, 2024 • 22 views

News

BETTER THAN HEARSAY

Take Me Out to the Ballgame By Michael Ryan WINDHAM - There seems to be only one question needing answering after the intense community conversation that took place, the other night, about creating two little league fields at the Windham Path. Stiff resistance is being offered to the plan by a group called Friends of the Windham Path who have presented a petition to the Windham town council, wanting the fields built elsewhere. A related story appears in our newspaper, this week, giving background on why the town council is moving toward doing the project and why the Friends of the Windham Path don’t want it done. The lingering question, after everything was said and done, is this - is there a viable alternative? If yes, why isn’t the town pursing it? If no, what is all the accusatory fuss and furor about? Many opinions were expressed, the other night. There were moments it felt like the town council was seen as the enemies of the Windham Path, but overall the highly emotional gathering was civil and respectful. A couple of things stood out, starting with the odd aspect of town supervisor Thomas Hoyt doing virtually all of the talking for the town council, thereby becoming the brunt of everyone’s displeasure. The council has five members and over the past several months, as this project has come to light, all five have voted in favor of moving forward. Maybe letting the supervisor publicly represent the council is the way they always conduct business and they simply kept doing it that way. But the talks might have gone very differently if the full council, under the circumstances, had made it known it isn’t a lone guy mob-bossing everybody, unless it is which would be a fun tale to write. It was plainly clear a lot of people are passionate about the Windham Path, and they say it will be ruined by the presence of the fields which would serve as a new home base for the Mountaintop Little League. The landscape will change, for sure. Stopping by the Path, the day after the council session, it was difficult to envision how much the fields will impact the intangible thing that makes the Windham Path so beloved. Many petitioners remarked about the possible loss of the visual expanse of the Path and the disappearance of the natural peace and quiet. “My father designed the bridge,” said local resident and business owner Natasha Shuster, referring to the amazing covered bridge spanning the Batavia Kill, on the westernmost side of the Path. Emphasizing that many local people were involved in building that bridge and the Path, Shuster ardently urged council members to leave the Path untouched AND keep Mountaintop Little League based in Windham. “I believe it should stay in Windham. All three of our children played at Mountaintop Little League. It is an asset to the town,” Shuster said. Shuster, along with other people who spoke, think C.D Lane Park, outside the hamlet of Maplecrest, should instead be adapted for the fields. A ball field exists there already, with a backstop, causing people to wonder what is preventing the town from expanding on that option. “It behooves our town board to do their due diligence and to fully look at all [possible] places. We can have two wonderful, unique places; one as a natural preserve and one as a town park,” Shuster said. “What is really important here,” Shuster said, “is that all constituents are listened to. It behooves the town board not to just do what they feel.” Hoyt said regulations at the park, which is primarily a flood control dam, don’t permit the new facility, an issue expected to be delved into more deeply over the coming weeks by the petitioners. Town officials voice satisfaction that all options have been and are being examined, leaving no stone unturned, wondering why the Friends of the Windham Path apparently think the council is out to wreck the Path. Meanwhile, a strange twist has emerged surrounding Prattsville and the possible use of the ballfield at their town park. Back in February, the Windham town council was visited by local business owners Nick Bove and Drew Shuster, having learned of the proposal to construct the fields at the Path, and as part of the discussion, Hoyt agreed to broach the subject with supervisors in neighboring towns. Hoyt says he did so, at a Mountaintop Supervisors and Mayors Association meeting, an informal monthly sitdown between hilltown leaders, schmoozing about common issues. During the Windham talks, last Wednesday night, Hoyt said he brought it up, saying the town of Ashland couldn’t help and that Prattsville could possibly squeeze Windham in for practices and whatnot. In other words, Prattsville couldn’t make a full commitment. Prattsville town supervisor Greg Cross, however, says that is not the case, and that his town would be happy to welcome the Mountaintop Little League. Cross says Hoyt knew that prior to the big Windham meeting, also said he would tell a men's softball league using the Prattsville field that they would need to take a back seat to the Mountaintop Little League. Hoyt says that’s news to him, that beyond mentioning it at the Supervisors meeting, he never spoke directly to Cross about moving there. A reporter from a local newspaper was apparently at the Windham meeting, talking to Hoyt afterwards, and then getting in touch with Cross. Hoyt attended Opening Day games for the little league on Saturday where I asked him why Cross would be saying what he is saying, that basically Hoyt is not being transparent. Hoyt said he wouldn’t try to guess.

May 19, 2024 • 176 views

News

LEGISLATURE STUFF

Bolstering the Public Defenders By Michael Ryan CATSKILL - A new Justice Center is currently under construction in Catskill even as the Greene County Legislature amends a longstanding policy related to hiring employees in the Public Defenders Office. Work is continuing on the Justice Center which will be connected to the existing county courthouse by an elevated walkway. The building will house the Public Defender and District Attorney offices as well as the local base for the State Office of Court Administration. Ground was broken in early April for what will be a 3-story structure including interior parking on the first floor for court personnel. Lawmakers, last November, accepted four separate construction bids and approved up to $25 million in serial bonds to finance the effort. That bottom line turned out to be an illusion, increasing a month later when officials were told an additional $3.8 million would be needed to cover the cost of bolstering the foundation, situated at the base of a steep hill. County administrator Shaun Groden emphasized no extra borrowing would be required to make up the difference, instead tapping Reserve Funds. The present plans call for laying finished sidewalks and blacktop in June of 2025, according to legislature chairman Patrick Linger, who shared very welcome dollars and cents information. Negotiations with the Office of Court Administration have resulted in the State “changing they way they are financing their part,” Linger said. The county had asked for a significant increase in the State’s annual lease payments, coming away with less but ending up with more. “They initially agreed to a higher dollar amount for rent but then said they didn’t want to be locked in for that amount,” Linger said. Instead, the State will pay $5 million up front with a $140,000 yearly lease, reaping $9.5 million over the life of the county’s 30-year payback period. “In the long run, we end up with more money than if we had stuck with the higher rent total and the $5 million is that much less we have to bond,” Linger said, noting the overall debt won’t add pain to taxpayers. County officials say the fresh debt merely replaces an already existing loan that is expiring. While it is still money going out, the impact will not be felt directly within upcoming budget cycles. Meanwhile, lawmakers, following a public hearing, approved a resolution allowing assistant public defenders to reside outside Greene County. The resolution states the legislature took the action, “in order to assure an adequate pool of qualified applicants for assistant public defender.” Change was also necessary to “retain such applicants if hired,” henceforth allowing personnel to reside in Greene County or any contiguous county. Those counties shall include Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Schoharie or Ulster. The modification does not apply to the position of First Assistant Public Defenders who could move up to the top spot. In other matters: —Lawmakers authorized the purchase of a new 2024 Ford F250 XLT crew cab 4 x 4 for the county Buildings and Grounds Department. The purchase will be made from Van Bortel Ford in East Rochester, New York, for $52,079.45, using a competitive mini-bid process. —Lawmakers reappointed Mary Ann Kordich as a member of the Greene County Civil Service Commission for a 6-year term at an annual salary of $4,544.02, with the term expiring at the end of May, 2030. —Lawmakers reappointed members to the Columbia-Greene Workforce Development Board for 3-year terms, expiring at the end of June, 2027. The members of Scott Brazie (representing ACCESS-VR), Rachel Puckett (representing business Mid-Hudson Cable), James Hannahs (representing Economic Development, Tourism and Planning); Stephanie Schleuderer (representing Greene County Department of Human Services, Youth), Patrick Brown (representing New York State Department of Labor): Katherine Nelson (representing The Bank of Greene County) and Florence Ohle (representing Community Action of Greene County). The Columbia-Greene Workforce Board and its membership were established to promote collaboration between business, economic development, education, labor and community organizations. Their collaborative mission is focused on advancing a local workforce development system that meets the needs of all workers and employers.

May 19, 2024 • 185 views