5/20/2010

Memorial Day!
On Monday, May 31 at 9:30AM there will be a Memorial Day Parade and ceremony to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend the honor and principals of our great nation. The parade will begin at the West Shokan Post Office and proceed to the Veterans Memorial on Watson Hollow Road, where the ceremony will be held. Music will be provided by the the Onteora High School Marching Band. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held under the pavilion at Davis Park, which is adjacent to the Town Hall.
Gas Drilling?
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has launched an expanded Marcellus Shale web feature on its website which outlines in detail the basis for the City's position that natural gas drilling cannot be permitted in the upstate watersheds through a process known as hydraulic fracturing. The site contains a number of new tools, including a reader-friendly overview of Marcellus Shale with maps and photos of natural gas drilling; a new "Get Involved" page that will direct people to the appropriate State and Federal agencies and local elected officials to help them have their voices heard on the issue; and a "Stay Informed" page, which will enable interested members of the public to receive weekly updates on the most recent Marcellus Shale news.
The information and interactive features can be viewed by visiting www.nyc.gov/dep.
Hydraulic fracturing-also known as hydrofracking-poses a significant risk to the quality of New York City's water supply. As part of the drilling process, millions of gallons of proprietary chemicals and pressurized water could be injected into thousands of gas wells throughout the State to break up and capture natural gas from a rock formation known as the Marcellus Shale. These chemicals could potentially contaminate New York City's drinking water, and the heavy industrialization that hydrofracking requires would result in millions of truck trips that could further impact the water supply. In addition to the risk to public health, gas drilling could also force the City to construct a filtration plant at a cost of $10 billion to $20 billion, which would translate into a minimum 30 percent increase in water rates.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement to develop regulations on hydraulic fracturing in 2009 and is currently reviewing public comments. Recently, DEC announced that, at a minimum, any proposal to conduct hydrofracking in the watershed of an unfiltered water supply like New York City's would require a case-by-case environmental review. This is a step in the right direction, and the City expects that the State will ultimately agree with its conclusion that hydrofracking cannot safely be permitted in New York City's watersheds.
The website now offers an easy-to-read description of the Marcellus Shale and the process of hydraulic fracturing, and other background and scientific information, including a photo tour of a gas drilling website in Pennsylvania and maps which highlight where the Marcellus Shale is found and its proximity to New York City's watersheds.
Check it out!
OCS Bomb Scare
The Onteora High School staff responded to a message found the morning of Thursday, May 13 that mentioned a potential bomb threat. Under the guidance of the building crisis team, students were evacuated in an orderly manner. The building was inspected thoroughly by troopers and trained dogs, and nothing was found.
With continued support of troopers, Olive police, DEP and the Sheriff's department, students later returned to the building and instruction has resumed, according to OCS administrators.
Teacher Funds?
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent Congress a request last week to pass a $26 billion emergency supplemental to fund up to 300,000 teachers' jobs that he says will otherwise be lost in the fall. Administration officials want to add the teacher funding to a $60 billion supplemental request sent to Congress to pay for ongoing military operations in Afghanistan as well as Haiti relief and money for the Federal Emergency Agency. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed that measure on but Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, has said he is reluctant to load the bill with additional spending goodies.
The request comes just a year after $100 billion in federal stimulus money was allocated to school districts as part of the $863 billion recovery act. Of that amount, $48 billion was designated for saving teachers' jobs and investing in educational programs. Another $31 billion in stimulus funds were sent to school districts to use as they see fit.
An additional $21 billion in stimulus money is still available but not yet obligated for district expenses, according to the U.S. Education Department.
An Education Department spokesman acknowledged that the stimulus funds have already saved roughly 300,000 teachers' jobs once, but an additional $23 billion more is needed to preserve education jobs, along with $1 billion in funds to save early childhood education jobs and an additional $2 billion to support public safety.
"We are gravely concerned that ongoing state and local budget challenges are threatening hundreds of thousands of teacher jobs for the upcoming school year, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 education jobs at risk," Duncan wrote in his letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Tourism Save?
With the price of gasoline expected to peak well above $3 this summer, Ulster County is aggressively advertising its tourism opportunities to people in the New York City area and looking for new ways to attract those from nearby metro areas not wanting to spend as much on long trips over the coming year.
"We're less than a full gas tank away," Rick Remsnyder, director of Ulster County's tourism office, said of the basic principle behind the new campaign kicked off with a recent conference hosted by the Ulster County Tourism Department and the Ulster County Development Corp. "We'd like people to come from New York City and stay the night, stay the weekend, but we also need to entice some of the local people to come out and see the fairs, the festivals."
Meanwhile, the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) has launched a new website to promote the Catskill region as a place to visit, relocate and do business. The site can be found at www.thecatskillregion.com and showcases "The Catskills, Best of Both Worlds," exemplifying both rural serenity and proximity to urban amenities.
The new website, while providing a geographic, demographic and cultural overview of the region (Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster Counties), funnels visitors to municipal, tourism promotion, and economic development offices of individual county websites, and to several Chambers of Commerce. There they can obtain information on business incentives and assistance, utilities and infrastructure, conference and wedding facilities as well as special events and attractions specific to those counties.
Links are also provided to hospitals, schools, colleges, and to many government agencies and regional organizations. A regional map is provided, as is an outdoor recreation GIS map which is being expanded to include attractions, environmental centers and other sites of interest to both residents and visitors.
Current and forecast weather conditions at six locations are updated daily. There is a photo gallery, and submissions of Catskills photos are welcome. Site visitors may also sign up for a forthcoming electronic newsletter, or send comments to a regional blog.
The Best of Both Worlds site will be maintained by the CWC, whose programs and projects are explained at www.cwconline.org.

Driveway Scams
The Ulster County Sheriff's office has set active arrest warrants for Rodney Cooper, 48, Rodney T. Cooper, 28, and James Lambert, 45 for grand larceny charges resulting from their involvement in a driveway sealing scam whereby they preyed upon an elderly homeowner offering to seal the driveway for a reduced price due to the homeowner's age. They advised the homeowner that the job would be only a few hundred dollars. When they were finished, though, the cost had jumped into the thousands of dollars. The homeowner did not have the money they were asking for and they drove the homeowner to the bank to remove the funds for payment. An alert bank employee stopped the transaction before it could be completed and alerted authorities.
Several other homeowners have been targeted in a similar way by the same crew, and others.
Should anyone have any information as to the whereabouts of Rodney Cooper, Rodney T. Cooper and James Lambert, or if anyone has any similar incidents with these individuals or other similar scams, please call the Ulster County Sheriff's Office at 338-3640.
Ken's Cleared...
The National Adjudicatory Council of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued a ruling this Spring dismissing charges that Kenneth Pasternak, former CEO of Knight Securities and a principle investor in the controversial Belleayre resort project, as well as the former head of the firm's Institutional Sales Desk, John Leighton, were responsible for supervisory failures in connection with alleged fraudulent sales to institutional customers. The ruling reverses an earlier FINRA Hearing Panel decision that found that Pasternak and Leighton had violated FINRA's supervision rule in their roles as supervisors of Knight Securities' leading institutional sales trader.
The Hearing Panel's decision fined each respondent $100,000, barred Leighton in all supervisory capacities and suspended Pasternak in all supervisory capacities for two years. Those sanctions are vacated by the NAC's ruling.
The NAC concluded that FINRA failed to satisfy its burden of proof concerning allegations set forth in a March 4, 2005, complaint, which alleged that Pasternak and Leighton did not take reasonable steps to ensure that Knight Securities' leading institutional sales trader adhered to "industry standards" when executing orders for institutional customers. The NAC found that FINRA staff did not establish that the sales trader contravened any market or regulatory standards when providing execution services to institutional customers. The NAC further found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support the allegation that Pasternak and Leighton failed to supervise reasonably the sales trader's practices. Finally, the NAC decided that the evidence did not support allegations that Pasternak failed to respond appropriately to certain "red flags" that were raised concerning the manner in which the leading institutional sales trader executed institutional customer orders.
FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States.
Stop Knotweed!
The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) Stream Stewards program has set a "Knotweed Pull" and information session on Saturday, May 22. Stream Stewards will demonstrate how to eradicate this invasive plant which infests the streamside, roadsides and gardens located in the Ashokan Watershed. Participants will meet at 10:00am at the AWSMP Office located at 6375 Route 28 in Phoenicia, then carpool to the site. The project will end at 12:00pm.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County Educator, Michael Courtney will conduct a brief educational talk and a stem count monitoring demonstration then the group will proceed to remove Japanese Knotweed from a select site in the Watershed. AWSMP will provide drinking water, garbage bags and some tools. Participants are encouraged to bring their own labeled tools and are asked to dress appropriately.
Stream Stewards are full and part time residents of the Ashokan Watershed who participate in a myriad of important and beneficial activities. The purpose of the program is for volunteers to get involved in stream-based projects in the community as a way to visibly model positive stream stewardship practices and assist AWSMP in carrying out a wide range of community activities. In addition to the Knotweed Pull some of the other future activities available are: stream clean-ups, stream education, streamside plantings, stream monitoring, outreach to local communities, invasive species control, and organizing local events.
Japanese Knotweed is a large, herbaceous perennial plant, native to eastern Asia in Japan, China and Korea. In North America and Europe the species is very successful and has been classified as invasive in several countries.
For more information, please contact 688-3047 or email cas55@cornell.edu.
Casino Watch?
The New York Gaming Summit moves to the Hudson River Valley for its ninth annual edition, June 21-22 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown. The event is a forum to discuss state and regional gaming issues, and nearly 200 gaming executives from more than a dozen jurisdictions attended last year's event. Presented by BNP Media Gaming Group, the conference lineup this year includes extra attention to the crisis currently facing the state's horse racing industry.
The opening conference session will examine the political, legal and regulatory issues that will impact New York gaming in the coming years. Within a few short months, the Empire State will elect a new governor who will confront a more difficult set of political and economic problems than any governor-elect in recent memory. And leadership changes in the National Indian Gaming Commission will continue to impact the relationship between tribes and states.
Summit attendees will also get an update on the regional gaming market, as Pennsylvania adds table games and Massachusetts gets serious about casino gaming. How is New York weathering the regional changes and what should be done to keep the state's gaming properties competitive?
For more info visit www.nysummit.com. We'll let you know if the Catskills comes up in any discussions...
Drug Theft!
Matthew C. Galunas, 42 of West Hurley, was convicted Thursday, May 6, , in Ulster County Court of two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. The verdict followed a four day jury trial with the jury deliberating for approximately one hour. The charges stem from sales made in the presence of members of the Ulster County URGENT Task Force on February 4, 2008 and again on February 25, 2008, in West Hurley. According to District Attorney Holley Carnright, the defendant first sold two hundred morphine pills and then on February 25th three hundred pills. The morphine sold were 100 milligram, pharmaceutical grade narcotics. Once the drugs were in police possession, URGENT tracked them to a burglary at the CVS Pharmacy in Margaretville. It was learned that five weeks before the sales the Delaware County Pharmacy had been broken into by the security system being disabled and the defendant entering into the secured area of the pharmacy through the ceiling. Over $27,000 worth of narcotic drugs including hydrocodone, oxycontin, and morphine were taken.
Galunas pled guilty to those charges and is currently serving a State Prison sentence for those convictions. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24.
College Or Not?
The notion that a four-year degree is essential for real success is being challenged by a growing number of economists, policy analysts and academics. They say more Americans should consider other options such as technical training or two-year schools, which have been embraced in Europe for decades. As evidence, experts cite rising student debt, stagnant graduation rates and a struggling job market flooded with overqualified degree-holders. They pose a fundamental question: Do too many students go to college?
"College is what every parent wants for their child," said Martin Scaglione, president and chief operating officer of work force development for ACT, the Iowa-based not-for-profit best known for its college entrance exam. "The reality is, they may not be ready for college."
President Barack Obama wants to restore the country's status as the world leader in the proportion of citizens with college degrees. The U.S. now ranks 10th among industrial nations, behind Canada, Japan, Korea and several European countries.
But federal statistics show that just 36 percent of full-time students starting college in 2001 earned a four-year degree within that allotted time. Even with an extra two years to finish, that group's graduation rate increased only to 57 percent.
Spending more time in school also means greater overall student debt. The average student debt load in 2008 was $23,200 - a nearly $5,000 increase over five years. Two-thirds of students graduating from four-year schools owe money on student loans.
And while the unemployment rate for college graduates still trails the rate for high school graduates (4.9 percent versus 10.8 percent), the figure has more than doubled in less than two years.
Ohio University economics professor Richard Vedder blames the cultural notion of "credential inflation" for the stream of unqualified students into four-year colleges. His research has found that the number of new jobs requiring college degrees is less than the number of college graduates.
Vedder's work also yielded something surprising: The more money states spend on higher education, the less the economy grows - the reverse of long-held assumptions.
Margaret Spellings, former federal education secretary under George W. Bush, remains a strong proponent of increased college access. She points to research showing that college graduates will on average earn $1 million more over a lifetime than those with only high school degrees.
Some academics are suggesting that nothing short of a new definition for educational success is needed to diminish the public bias toward four-year degrees, advocating"certification as the new education currency - documentation of skills as opposed to mastering curriculum."
Chemical ADHD
A new analysis of U.S. health data links children's attention-deficit disorder with exposure to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables. While the study couldn't prove that pesticides used in agriculture contribute to childhood learning problems, experts said the research is persuasive.
"I would take it quite seriously," said Virginia Rauh of Columbia University, who has studied prenatal exposure to pesticides and wasn't involved in the new study.
More research will be needed to confirm the tie, she said.
Children may be especially prone to the health risks of pesticides because they're still growing and they may consume more pesticide residue than adults relative to their body weight.
In the body, pesticides break down into compounds that can be measured in urine. Almost universally, the study found detectable levels: The compounds turned up in the urine of 94 percent of the children.
The kids with higher levels had increased chances of having ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a common problem that causes students to have trouble in school. The children may have eaten food treated with pesticides, breathed it in the air or swallowed it in their drinking water. The study didn't determine how they were exposed. Experts said it's likely children who don't live near farms are exposed through what they eat.
People can limit their exposure by eating organic produce. Frozen blueberries, strawberries and celery had more pesticide residue than other foods in one government report.
A 2008 Emory University study found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels.
Because of known dangers of pesticides in humans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits how much residue can stay on food. But the new study shows it's possible even tiny, allowable amounts of pesticide may affect brain chemistry.
Belleayre Lineup
Bluegrass master Ricky Skaggs, Broadway superstar Patti LuPone, country rock legends the Charlie Daniels Band and π70s hit-makers America are among the 2010 Belleayre Music Festival headliners.
The season kicks off on Saturday, July 3 at 8 p.m. with "Red, White and Bluegrass," featuring Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. The holiday weekend show will be capped off by a huge fireworks display.
Broadway Superstar Patti LuPone, one of the most award-winning actors on Broadway, appears on Saturday, July 10 at 8 p.m. "Two Hip Singer-Songwriters" will feature acclaimed rocker Joseph Arthur and actor/singer Meghan Wolf on Friday, July 16 in the cozy atmosphere of the Belleayre Music Club. Conductor and soloist John Covelli will be featured when the Belleayre Festival Plays Romantic Classics on Saturday, July 17 at 8 p.m, performing Tchaikovskyπs Piano Concerto #1..
On Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m, the Charlie Daniels Band rolls into town frsh off their recent appearance at the boisterous NRA convention.
The Catskill Mountain Jazz Series then kicks off on Friday, July 30 at 8 p.m. when tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson brings his signature smooth jazz sound to the Belleayre Jazz Club, leading his quintet. Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and maestro jazz guitar virtuoso John Scofield have reunited for the first time in 20 years for a concert in the Jazz Club on Friday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. Patti Austin will cap the Catskill Mountain Jazz Series on Saturday, Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. with show featuring her Grammy nominated album "For Ella."
America's 40th Anniversary Tour will hit the mountain on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m, featuring their hits "A Horse with No Name," and "Ventura Highway." On Saturday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m., a 50s Dance Party: "The Day the Music Died" will present hits by Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens.
The Belleayre Festival Opera presents the classic Cinderella (La Cenerentola), from Rossini, on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. Artistic Director and Producer Donald Westwood will bring his unique comic visions to Rossiniπs timeless tale. The Childrenπs Opera Theater presents "Three Little Pigs" on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m in a free, interactive performance featuring music from great opera composers.
New Orleans' favorites sons return to Belleayre when Aaron Neville leads his quintet, featuring Charles Neville in the season finale on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m.
Ticket for all shows in the 2010 summer concert season at the Belleayre Music Festival, are on sale via Ticketmaster. For additional information, please call 800 942-6904, ext. 1344 or visit: www.belleayremusic.org.
The Festival will kick off its 19th summer season with a BBQ Dinner Dance and Benefit Auction, featuring the music of Special Delivery, on Sunday, May 30. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with the silent auction viewing and a cocktail reception, wine and refreshments provided by the Board of Directors of the Belleayre Conservatory.
For tickets to this one of∫a-kind Memorial Weekend event call 254-5787.
BI Clean Up...
Following in the footsteps of last year's beautification efforts in the hamlet of Big Indian, the Big Indian/Oliverea Beautification Committee is planning its 2nd Annual Road Side Clean Up for Saturday, May 22. Volunteers are asked to gather at the Big Indian Fire Department at 10:00 a.m. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. The goal is to clean up trash along Route 28 and Route 47. Efforts will conclude at noon. All participants are then invited to lunch at the Peekamoose Restaurant. Questions can be directed to Martie Gailes, 254-5354.
Interlock?
A number of counties in New York, including Sullivan, have gone on record asking the state to reconsider the funding for the ignition interlock provision of Leandra's Law that requires a device installed on vehicles of persons conviction of drunk driving and prevents them from starting their car if they are intoxicated. Those counties believe the provision is a good idea, but they are concerned about the funding of it if a person cannot afford it. They feel counties would have to pick up the tab, but Michael Shultis, the Hurley-based New York program manager for National Interlock Service, who also serves on the catskill Watershed Corporation board of directors, has said that is not the case.
"We have to set out rates so that one in every 10 units is available to put into somebody who can't afford it," he said. "This program is totally offender paid for; no tax dollars are going to it."
Counties that are passing resolutions calling for the state to rethink their funding are using false information, said Shultis.
Greene County lawmakers are considering a resolution asking the state to delay enacting a portion of Leandra's Law until issues concerning implementation and funding are resolved.
"Unfortunately, it's a flawed law," Greene County Probation Director Alan Frisbee has said, countering Shultis' argument and calling it an unfunded mandate.
In addition to requiring ignition locks for any convicted drunken driver, Leandra's Law makes it a felony to drive drunk with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. The Child Passenger Protection Act, known as Leandra's Law, was passed last year in honor of 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed in a drunken driving accident.
New Bonding...
The Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (UCIDA) has formed a new Ulster Capital Resource Corporation (UCRC), which will benefit non-profit groups through the issuance of low-cost bonding. The Ulster County Legislature formally approved the creation of the UCRC last month.
The non-profit corporation, which is also a public authority, will issue low interest tax exempt bonds in an effort to promote community service, economic development, and job creation. For the past few years, the UCIDA has not been able to issue bonds to non-profits, which the agency acknowledges to be a major source of vital community services and employment in the County.
Applications for UCRC bonding are now be accepted via the Ulster County Development Corporation. For questions regarding the program, agency representatives can call Lance Matteson, CEO of the UCIDA and the UCRC at 338-8840 x214. For more information about the Ulster County IDA, please visit: www.ulstercountyida.com

Seniors!!!
William Paulus and Lucy Polacco were recognized on May 7 as the 2010 Ulster County Seniors of the Year by Ulster County Executive Mike Hein in a special celebration at the Hillside Manor in Kingston, The two exceptional seniors were thanked for their efforts to enhance the lives and well being of others in our community.
Paulus has a long history of giving his time for the betterment of our community. He is a member of the Kiwanis and Lions service organizations. As the Trip Coordinator of the local AARP, he plans interesting and exciting trips for seniors He is also on the board of the Ulster Performing Arts Center, one of our County's most valuable cultural resources.
Polacco is well known for lending a helping hand to others whenever needed. She is someone who always brings a smile to the faces of those around her. Her passion for spreading happiness is a quality well known amongst her peers.
The Ulster County Senior of the Year Award is a yearly recognition of two of Ulster County's outstanding senior citizens. Nominations are sent to Ulster County Office for the Aging Advisory Council from numerous groups in order to make selections. An Advisory Council Selection Committee chooses two senior citizens for the award based on the significance of their contributions to our community.
Also involving seniors of late, senior citizen club leaders from around Ulster County attended a Senior Citizens' Summit on May 12th, 2010 at the County Office Building. Hein convened the group to provide them with useful information about County services, which they can take back to their members.
The 3rd Senior Citizens' Summit featured information on programs Ulster County Area Transit offers to seniors throughout the County; a discussion of recent changes in Medicare costs and other health-related topics; and an overview of the services offered to the County's Veterans.
Prior Summit topics have included the real property tax exemption, flu shots, and consumer fraud protection.
Trout Talk?
On Wednesday, May 26th, the Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter of Trout
Unlimited welcomes Bruce Miller, a licensed guide with thirty years experience fishing the Delaware River who will show slides and discuss the fish and aquatic life that he has encountered on the river.
The Chapter's monthly meeting begins at 6:30 pm with informal fly tying
(bring your own equipment), followed at 7:30 pm by a short business meeting. The presentation begins at 8 pm. The entire evening is open to the public at no charge.
For more information, please visit www.apwctu.org
Ward Stone...
New York's longtime wildlife pathologist, Ward Stone, who's long been one of the best known environmental officers in the state with his own radio program and speaking engagements over a career that's spanned more than 40 years, has found himself in some serious trouble. The state inspector general has begun an investigation into allegations that he violated regulations, including living at his office and using government resources for private purposes. The investigation began after the Albany Times Union published a story on May 2 detailing complaints made against the 71-year-old Stone by former and current employees of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Yancey Roy, a DEC spokesman, confirmed an ongoing disciplinary action against Stone, but said he couldn't discuss details. Department officials took actions to address potential issues when they became aware of them, Roy said. The allegations have been "distorted," Stone said. "There may be something to some of them, but not many of them and they're all distorted in the way they're presented." According to the report in the Times Union, Stone has escaped any serious disciplinary action during more than 40 years as the department's wildlife pathologist. The complaints against him include his moving into his office at the department's Wildlife Resources Center in Delmar and using state funds to feed and care for his pets. Stone has also been accused of being abusive to staff members. Stone, who earns $81,314 a year at the department, was relieved of his supervisory duties several years ago and told to stop using state cars, staff and equipment for outside work, the newspaper reported. "About all I have to say right now is (the newspaper article) really doesn't have criticisms of my science or my work ... over the years," Stone has said. "I stand by all that work and I stand by my science, and I think I've been a real bargain for the state of New York." Stone made headlines during his 41 years at the department by taking on state government over environmental issues. When then-Gov. Mario Cuomo tried to reduce the wildlife pathology unit's budget in 1988, Stone's supporters in Albany successfully blocked the cuts. Recently, Stone supporters have held a series of rallies in his support in Albany. WAMC-FM in Albany recently suspended Stone's show, "In Our Backyard."
Photovoltaic! Individuals seeking to become a certified photovoltaics (PV) or small wind turbine site assessor can take approved training courses at SUNY Ulster that can now be applied toward the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) designation. MREA Certified Site Assessors are renewable energy consultants who conduct site visits, complete load analysis and recommend site-specific renewable energy systems in a written report format. SUNY Ulster has received approval from MREA for its PV Installer's, PV Site Assessor, Small Wind Installer and Wind Site Assessor training courses as eligible training towards the MREA Residential PV Site Assessor Certification and Wind Site Assessor Certification. SUNY Ulster will offer the PV Installer's course the week of June 7. To register and for information, contact SUNY Ulster Continuing and Professional Education at 339-2025. All courses and exams are held locally at the Business Resource Center (BRC) in Kingston. Shared Services? With the Town of Woodstock appearing ready to get in the act and join with neighboring Saugerties and a handful of other local towns by joining in on the county's new Shared Services plan to plow and provide light maintennace on county roads, for payments whose amounts are currently in flux, we were recently reminded that Shandaken and Olive have long had share deals with their neighbors. Maybe their stalwart positions against the deal proposed by County Executive Michael Hein's office at meetings this past winter, now being pushed by longstanding members of the highway department, may end up having some legs in the long run. Then again, maybe what we're watching is not so much about sovereign rights as good old dealmaking... Stay tuned.