Newsbriefs
Trial Credit?
Within a few weeks the court system plans to begin a six month
trial period, no pun intended, for credit card payments of court
fines and bail postings. If the system, arranged through the
New York State Office of Court Administration, solves more fine
collection problems than it creates during that period, it would,
presumably, remain in place afterwards.
The OCA program, however, has contracts with only the Visa and
MasterCard companies and other charge plates, like American
Express, will not be
accepted.
Snug 'n' Secure
Olive's first Child Safety Seat Clinic on May 16th at the Shokan
firehouse was pronounced a resounding success at the town board
meeting.
In four hours that afternoon, 32 safety seats were checked by
technicians
certified for the inspection and only one was found to have
been properly installed. All of the drivers left with their
child seats correctly adjusted and ten seats deemed unsafe or
outmoded were replaced on the spot.
The next safety seat clinic will be announced.
Dam Cheap!
Deputy supervisor Bruce LaMonda, who ran this month's town board
meeting in the absence of town supervisor Brendt Leifeld, observed
dryly that the
"annual complaint" from New York City concerning the
tentative assessment of
the City's local lands in 2004 has been received.
By the City's own calculations, LaMonda noted, the entire value
of the reservoir, including all of it dams and structures, weighs
in at $115,930,000.
"If anybody wants to buy a dam and sell bottled water out
on (Route) 28, that's a heck of a deal," LaMonda quipped.
"You should call (NYC DEP) Commissioner Ward and see if
he's interested in selling at that price." Someone else
suggested a swap for the county's new jail.
"We've also gotten our new apportionment rate from ORPS
(NYS Office of Real Property Service), which has to do with
the Large Parcel Bill, and their estimate increases the value
of the reservoir by approximately 7% of the total land value,"
LaMonda continued, "which, if the figure still coincides
with what ORPS told us in the Spring when Brendt and I met with
them in Albany, would be around $3 million."
In an ironic and weary tone, LaMonda said that, in contrast
to the town's
assessment of the properties at $490,774,648, "we seem
to be closing the
gap. Instead of being roughly $375 million apart, we're only
$372 million apart. So, that's a big help... We've already started
the process of appealing the apportionment rate."
LaMonda said that the town should probably put a notice in the
papers in the
event the Large Parcel option was enacted by the school board
to advise irate residents not to call the town tax assessor
but, instead, to direct their complaints to the school's tax
collector and school board members. He said that there was a
perception that Olive's tax collector sends out the school tax
bill and receives complaints about a situation over which she
has no control.
Whose Home?
The board passed resolutions to support the "home rule"
argument against the NYC DEP's environmental concerns over the
proposed Crossroads Ventures Resort project in neighboring Shandaken
and to approve further exploration of the prospect of building
a waste water facility in Boiceville.
Among other topics discussed at Olive's board meeting this month
were reports of chicken and goose fatalities in the West Shokan
area which have been attributed to marauding bears. While the
DEC is the agency to contact in regard to wild life problems
in the areas, it was noted that when immediate public safety
issues are concerned, it was advisable for residents to contact
the state police.
The board agreed to send a letter of thanks to Andrew Silvestri
of Powered Up Web Design, thanking him for his volunteer work
on the town's website.
Town Clerk Sylvia Rozzelle remarked upon the puzzling absence
of obvious flood areas in Olive on the new Ulster County Emergency
Management charts and noted that, in their Hazards index, tornadoes
had a higher local rating
than the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Ants!!!!
If an army of black ants has invaded your home, chomping your
trash, plundering your pantry, covering your countertop and
generally running amuck under foot and overhead, you are not
alone. The Ants have come out of the woodwork,(literally) this
season and are finding their way into the domiciles of Shandakenites
and Olivians in search of food.
You can call an exterminator if need be, but others have found
ways to combat the creatures that are worth a shot before you
call out the big pesticide laden guns.
Carpenter ants are destructive pests of wood. The most common
variety is black, a quarter-inch to more than a half-inch long.
The winged ants are the reproductive males and females. Carpenter
ants attack wherever excessive moisture accumulates in buildings,
power poles and fence posts. Porches, roofing and areas near
kitchens and bathrooms where water leakage or condensation occur
are vulnerable. Untreated poles and building foundation timbers
that are in contact with the ground absorb large amounts of
moisture from the soil and are susceptible. Ants enter through
cracks, under siding or between flooring and sub-flooring. Unexplained
coarse sawdust indicates carpenter ants at work. Do not take
this lightly. Wood can become structurally unsafe as the ants
continue to enlarge the nest and the wood rots.
While nest may be in your framework, it is more likely that
the nest is outside somewhere nearby and the ants are coming
and going from your home for food.To locate the nest, follow
the ants to see where they and come and go.
Some say cinnamon works very well for getting ants to move somewhere
else. It doesn't kill them, but they don't like it. It has been
used successfully around patios, sidewalks, etc. and can clear
out an entire colony if used correctly. If you buy cinnamon
in bulk it's economical, too. Just sprinkle it liberally around
areas you don't want the ants. Boric Acid is said to have success,
though it's tough on your soil, and orange oil poured
onto an ant colony can work as well.
A less humane way to remove ants involves a shovel and some
hard work. Like most folks, you probably have several anthills
nearby. Take a shovel full of ants and dirt from one hill, and
put on another anthill, swapping ants from one hill to another.
The ants have a huge ant fight, and kill each other out.
For many, the best method is plain cornmeal. Sprinkle it around
the nest area and place some in the spots where you see the
most any activity inside your home. The ants take it back to
their nest, they eat it and drink water and the cornmeal enlarges
in their stomach and they die. It works great indoors too. Because
it is safe around your pets as it is natural. If you use it
outside, of course, it must not rain.
And of course, there's always Raid, Combat, and an arsenal
of other over the counter chemical weapons in the fight against
ants.
Hospital Merger?
The Kingston Regional Health Care System, which owns Kingston
and Margaretville hospitals, is currently considering a potential
merger with Benedictine Hospital, a plan that failed in 1998
in the face of substantial community opposition because the
merged facility would be bound by the religious strictures of
the Roman Catholic Church. KRHCS has also been in discussions
for three months with Health Quest, the parent corporation of
Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Northern Dutchess Hospital and
Putnam Medical Center. Sources close to Kingston Hospital say
that affiliation with Health Quest is the most popular option,
at least with Kingston's physicians. Benedictine spokespeople
say that KRHCS initially approached Benedictine, noting that
Benedictine is not actively seeking a merger opportunity. Benedictine
is a member of the Catholic Health Care East system but continues
to be owned by the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth, New Jersey
and remains an independent hospital.
Community opposition to the past merger was based on the fact
that the unified hospital would have been forced to abide by
six religious directives of the Catholic Church: including bans
on elective abortions, sterilizations, in-vitro fertilization,
and euthanasia. Contraceptive counseling (including the distribution
of condoms and AIDS education other than abstinence), and emergency
contraception for victims of rape would also have been prohibited.
Kingston Hospital has made it clear that Margaretville Hospital
is part of the equation, but it is still uncertain how Ellenville
Hospital will factor into the merger negotiations. The Ellenville
Hospital building is owned by a corporation of Westchester Medical
Center but Westchester has pulled out of the ailing hospital
that currently has a management contract with Kingston Hospital
to operate it. On June 10, the Ulster County Legislature voted
to advance $200,000 to Ellenville Hospital for an eight-week
period during which Kingston Hospital will undertake a study
that will determine whether or not Ellenville is eligible for
a rural hospital designation that would mean additional Medicare
funding. If that designation is received and Kingston continues
to operate Ellenville, the legislature would appropriate an
additional $400,000 and assume ownership of the building and
the equipment, which Kingston would lease and purchase back
from the county over a period of time.
O'Connor Case...
The mother of Kevin O'Connor, the Onteora High School
freshman struck and killed two years ago by a school district
vehicle, has recently confirmed that information gathered in
the Olivebridge family's $6.5 million lawsuit against
the district was given to the Ulster County District Attorney's
Office and presented in recent weeks to the grand jury. Michael
Catalinotto Jr., the school district's attorney, said
presentations to the grand jury were expected to be completed
last week, but he did not expect charges to be filed.
Kevin O'Connor, 15, was working outside his parents'
business, Sheldon Hill Forestry Supplies on state Route 28 in
Shokan on June 18, 2002, when a 1990 Chevrolet station wagon,
owned by the school district and driven by district employee
Paul Bresciani of West Shokan, veered off the road and struck
the teenager. The Onteora ninth-grader, who was on the high
school football team and had played Babe Ruth baseball, was
pronounced dead at the scene. Police at the time said Bresciani,
who was working as a substitute bus driver, apparently passed
out at the wheel. A student riding with him was not injured.
The O'Connors' lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court
a few months after the accident, alleges the district "knew
or had notice of the dangerous (medical) condition ... for a
sufficient length of time prior to the accident." The
suit argued that "the defendant (the school district)
could and should have had knowledge" that Bresciani's
condition was a liability. Cindy O'Connor has further
said there was a lack of cooperation from school administrators
during private meetings following the accident.
Battle Stations!
From the looks of the recently-held Ulster County Democratic
Convention at Hillside Manor Monday night, the nation's
Republicans, let alone those in the immediate vicinity, are
in for a ride come November 2. The June 7 gathering, featuring
fiery anti-Bush speeches from Congressman Maurice Hinchey and
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, was noteworthy as much for its surprisingly
sober talk about odds as much as its unbridled, maybe even cockeyed
optimism.
Party boss John Parete introduced and closed the event by recounting
how county Democrats saw their side of the aisle come within
one vote of gaining the county legislative majority for the
first time in decades last November. Later, Democratic Commissioner
of Elections Harry Castiglione reinforced the crowded room's
enthusiasm by noting that, as of last week, county Democratic
enrollment is currently only 27 shy of county Republicans-
something the assembled promised to change, "accentuating
the positive," by election day.
Amongst those speaking was Sullivan County's Sandra Oxford,
a former New Paltz resident taking on three-term incumbent state
Senator John Bonacic in the 42nd Senate District.
"I am an ex-urban person who intentionally lives in this
area," said Oxford, who owns a private mediation and consulting
firm and had a very loyal contingent of supporters roting for
her Monday night.. "I'm not a sacrificial lamb in
this race. I've been described as a pit bull in a skirt.
I'm comfortable with that."
Ulster County Republicans endorsed a slate of mostly incumbent
candidates for the state Assembly and Senate at their meeting
earlier in June, with no one set to chal;lenge either Cahill
or Hinchey. William Brenner, a Sullivan County attorney who
wants to run against Hinchey, addressed Ulster County Republicans
at their convention June 1 but did not immediately receive the
party's endorsement. Brenner has won the GOP endorsement
in Delaware, Orange and Sullivan counties.
Ulster County Public Defender Paul Gruner was nominated to run
for the Surrogate's Court against Ulster County Family
Court Judge Mary Work, a Democrat.
Why The Brown?
Have you wondered why the trees on the sides of the mountains
around Phoenicia are turning brown? According to State Department
of Environmental Conservation foresters in New Paltz,
it is caused not by gypsy moths or several species of tent caterpillars,
both of whom are active this year, but by canker worms which
are small inch worms. They defoliate leaves, but the trees will
survive. Recently, the DEC did an aerial survey of the extent
of the infestation, for later dissemination. The worms create
a brownout every 20 - 30 years and they will be gone in 2-3
weeks.
CWC Grants...
Twenty-one economic development grants totaling $310,136 were
approved by the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) Board of
Directors May 25. Most of the grants will help fund projects
planned by cultural and non-profit organizations.
Local grants include $12,183 to improve the façade of
the Lanesville General Store building, a project to be administered
by the Hunter Foundation, $17,550 to the Belleayre Conservatory
to purchase 300 chairs and to conduct a feasibility study on
establishing year-round programming, $10,000 to theCenter for
Creative Education/Stone Ridge Center for the Arts to purchase
and install sound and lighting equipment in the performance
center, which is being expanded and renovated, $4,888 to the
Village of Ellenville to conduct a 3-year strategic plan to
analyze programming needs, physical plant improvements, partnerships
and funding for the African American Men's Association,
which offers cultural, education and mentoring programs for
youth, $1,471 to the Town of Shandaken to purchase display cases
for the Town of Shandaken Museum in Pine Hill, $9,400 to the
Pine Hill Community Center to help establish and run a Farm
and Artisan's Market, $47,703 to purchase curtains, stage
equipment, an intercom system, stair carpeting and safety rails
at Shadowland Theatre in Ellenville, $21,250 to the Byrdcliffe
Theatre Company to help build a new stage for its outdoor Shakespeare
festival, and $22,000 to the Woodstock Arts Board to purchase
a dance floor and audio equipment for the Woodstock Playhouse
Following approval of the 2004 grants, the CWC Board of Directors
passed a resolution suspending the economic development grant
program for 2005. Low interest rates have reduced interest income
generated by the larger Catskill Fund for the Future, and such
income is utilized for the grant program. CWC Economic Development
and Finance Committees recommended that the 2005 grant program
be halted so as not to further reduce the grant fund, and to
allow time for previous grant projects to be completed and final
reports issued.
To learn more about the CWC and its economic development programs,
go to www.cwconline.org, or call toll-free, 1-877-WAT-SHED.
Go, Go, Daido!
Art in Nature: The Photographs of John Daido Loori, an
exhibition that explores the link between Buddhism and artistic
inspiration through more than 25 striking abstract photographs
taken by scientist, photographer, and Zen master John Daido
Loori, opens June 15, at the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City. On view through January 2005, the exhibition
features evocative, meditative photographs of Point Lobos State
Reserve, a rugged promontory on California's Monterey
Peninsula where state and federal authorities have set aside
some 1,280 acres as an ecological preserve. Loori says he entered
the spiritual life through the "back door of the arts."
In 1980, Loori founded the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper,
considered one of the leading Zen training centers in the United
States.
Art in Nature coincides with the publication of Loori's
two latest books, The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your
Artistic Life (Ballantine Books) and Hearing with the Eye:
Point Lobos Photographs (Dharma Communications Press).
Both books will be available this summer in the Museum Shop.
In addition, Loori's Zen Mountain Monastery will host
"The Many Faces of Zen Master Dogen" international
conference from July 8-11. The symposium will examine
the life of the renowned 13th century Zen Master Eihei Dogen
and explore how his teachings have influenced the evolution
of Zen Buddhism in the West.
No Chatting
Police will monitor Internet chatrooms as part of a multinational
effort to bust pedophile rings. They will also seize the finances
of website owners who
sell and show child pornography on their websites, and freeze
the credit cards of their customers. Police from Britain, the
U.S, Canada and Australia will comprise the global task
force with the aim of preventing pedophiles from luring children
into offline meetings. The police are not patrolling online
"undercover", instead appearing in chatrooms periodically,
identified by a "cyber badge". The taskforce will
soon begin working with banks, credit card associations and
Internet Service Providers
to begin their efforts.
Roundtable...
The Catskill Business Roundtable will meet Thursday, June 24
at 10:30 a.m. at Catskill Watershed Corporation offices, 905
Main Street, Margaretville. The Roundtable consists of area
business people and economic development representatives who
have been working to improve the business climate in the five-county
Catskills region. Those interested in learning more about the
Roundtable's work, or in joining the effort to assist
area businesses, are most welcome to attend the June 24 meeting.
The agenda includes a report on web site development for the
First-Stop Shop, a referral service for businesses seeking help
with funding, marketing, planning and regulatory matters. The
Business Education Alliance committee will report on the business
and technology training courses offered this spring to more
than 400 people at SUNY Delhi and SUNY Cobleskill and coordinated
by the Roundtable and CWC. The Catalyst Catskills plan for regional
marketing will also be discussed.
Roundtable Chairman is Sam Kandel, a Certified Business Advisor
with the Small Business Development Center/Mid-Hudson Region
(SBDC). The SBDC maintains an office in Margaretville. To arrange
a free one-to-one counseling session, call 845-339-0025. To
learn more about the Roundtable, as well as the CWC and its
economic development programs, go to www.cwconline.org, or call
toll-free, 1-877-WAT-SHED.
Bush Church?
The Bush campaign is looking to gain the support of thousands
of religious
congregations around the country. The administration is urging
churches to distribute campaign information and register voters,
according to an e-mail sent out to clergy members in Pennsylvania.
Liberals criticize this effort, charging that it invites
violations of the separation of church and state, and could
endanger the tax-exempt status of churches that become involved.
Socially conservative church officials also warned that they
would advise against becoming involved in such a partisan project.
A Bush administration spokesman stated that "people of
faith have as much right to participate in the political process
as any other community." This effort by the Bush
campaign is the latest sign that Bush plans to rely heavily
on churchgoers in his reelection bid. Washington lawyer
Trevor Potter, who was former chairman of the Federal Election
Commission, said that the campaign solicitations could be problematic
for churches if they distribute campaign material. "If
the church is doing it, it is a legal problem for the church,"
said Potter. "In the past, the I.R.S. has sought to
revoke and has succeeded in revoking tax-exempt status of churches
for political activity."
No More Chimps
Chimpanzees may soon face extinction because of hunting, deforestation,
and disease, according to recent research. There are only 8,000
of the most
endangered chimpanzee subspecies, called Pan troglodytes vellerosus.
The study, coordinated by anthropologist Norm Rosen at the California
State University-Fullerton, found that this particular kind
of chimp could be extinct in two decades. The other three chimpanzee
subspecies groups face slightly better odds, but could still
be extinct in the next 41-53 years. A group called the Pan African
Sanctuaries Alliance has established sanctuaries throughout
Africa to protect chimps. The chimpanzee species is the closest
relative to the human species.
Bad Crawford
Despite the city of Crawford, Texas's vicinity to President
Bush's sprawling home ranch, Crawford's mayor supports
John Kerry. "I don't see where I'm better
off than I was four years ago," said mayor Robert Campbell.
"I don't see where the city is any better off."
The Kerry campaign lists Campbell as one of 100 black mayors
across the country that endorse Kerry over President Bush. Seven
of these mayors are Texans like Campbell. Campbell, a Democrat,
has been mayor of Crawford since 1999. He voted for Al
Gore in 2000.
Diabetes?
A new Harvard study finds that drinking more than one sugar-sweetened
soft drink a day significantly increase's a woman's
chances of developing diabetes. The results found that women
who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink every day
were 85 percent more likely to get type 2 diabetes than
those who did not. The study conducted by the Harvard
School of Public Health was presented at the American Diabetes
Association's 64th scientific sessions. Aside from the
soda's
calories, their large amounts of rapidly absorbable sugars contribute
to both obesity and the heightened risk of diabetes. There were
18.2 million Americans with diabetes in 2002. This makes it
the nations fifth deadliest disease, afflicting 6.3
percent of the population. The study followed 91,000 women over
an eight year period.
Dog Recognition
German researchers have found a border collie named Rico who
is able to
understand more than 200 words and can learn new ones at a rate
comparable to a
human child. The researchers found that Rico knows the names
of dozens of toys and can find the one spoken by his owner.
His vocabulary is comparable to those of apes, dolphins
and parrots. The researchers say the dog can even figure out
what
new words mean. The researchers put several toys Rico
was familiar with in a room with a new toy. They then spoke
a new word. The dog was able to pick out the new toy,
seemingly picking the toy by process of elimination. The scientists
compared Rico's rate of learning to that of a three year
old human. Other scientists caution against such comparisons,
because the dog's comprehension is based solely on fetching
objects.
Fat Kids
A new study finds that obese children are more likely than previously
believed to develop several health conditions which lead
to heightened risk of diabetes
and cardiovascular disease. The researchers report that
overweight children are more likely to develop what is called
metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the name for
a group of symptoms including abdominal obesity, high levels
of blood fats, low levels of "good cholesterol"
or HDL, and high blood sugar and blood pressure. These problems
lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The study looked
at 439 obese children and teens, 20 of their non-obese siblings,
and 31 of their obese siblings. The researchers say that the
key to preventing metabolic syndrome lies in first preventing
childhood obesity.
Condemned
A new advertisement in which American spiritual leaders condemn
the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq will air next week
on Arabic television
networks al Jazeera and al Arabiya. The ad was created
by FaithfulAmerica.org, a month old nonprofit advocacy group.
The group raised around $36,000 from over 1,000 donors
to finance the production and broadcast costs for the ad.
FaithfulAmerica.org co-director Tom Perriello explains, "The
impetus for this ad was from the deep sense of moral regret
that we were hearing from people of faith across the country."
The 30 second bit features a Presbyterian, a Muslim, a
Jew and a Catholic. Each reads from a statement in English
accompanied by Arabic written translations. Aging
Researchers claim they have found a "genetic signature"
related to the
aging of the human brain. These changes in important genes
could be linked to failing mental function related to
increasing age. The findings suggest that some genes start to
become less active soon after the age of 40. The results from
the study do not prove that the changing genes cause mental
decline, but scientists believe they give important insight
into changes the brain undergoes with age. The study was
conducted by researchers from The Children's Hospital
and Harvard Medical School. In the study, researchers
examined and analyzed brain tissue from 30 deceased subjects
ranging in age from 26 to 106, and looked at approximately 11,000
genes. Above age 40, around 400 genes showed significant differences
in how hard they worked to instruct protein production
while the person was living. However, under half of the
genes were working at a lower level. These genes were mainly
related to learning and memory. The remainder of the genes
actually had increased productivity. These genes, related
to DNA repair, antioxidant defense and inflammatory response,
were found to actually be working harder. The scientists
suggested that this is perhaps in compensation for the decline
of the first set of genes. No Retirement
Army officials have announced that thousands of soldiers expecting
to
retire or leave the military will need to stay if their
units are deployed to Iraq or
Afghanistan. The decision is part of a program called
"stop-loss", and impacts units that are 90 days
or less from deploying. Soldiers affected by the decision
will not be able to depart the service until they return
to their home bases. The army is having trouble finding fresh
units to maintain the occupation of Iraq. Nearly every combat
unit has faced or will face duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Matters have been made more difficult following the additional
deployment of 20,000 troops to Iraq in response to escalating
violence. Critics have called the policy contrary to the idea
of America's military as an
all-volunteer force.
Art Bomb
An art professor has been subpoenaed to appear before a federal
grand jury because of laboratory equipment at his home. Agents
from the Joint Terrorism Task Force searched the
home and questioned the University of Buffalo art teacher.
The subpoena naming him says the FBI is seeking charges under
section 175 of the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism
Act of 1989, which was expanded by the Patriot Act.
