10/8/2009
New Burn Laws
After over a year's pause and a few key changes, the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
has set new restrictions on the open burning of residential
waste effective Oct. 14. The open burning of residential
waste will be prohibited in all communities statewide,
regardless of population, with exceptions for burning
tree limbs and branches at limited times and other certain
circumstances. Previously, the ban applied only in towns
with populations of 20,000 or more but was changed in
light of new evidence about the incidence of long diseases,
as well as concerns related to new climate change science.
As a result of public comments from a series of hearings
last summer, modifications were made to the original proposal
to include an exemption for burning of tree limbs and
branches in smaller municipalities during certain times
of the year. As now stands, on-site burning of limbs and
branches can only occur between May 15th and the following
March 15th. In addition, on-site burning of organic agricultural
wastes, but not pesticides, plastics or other non-organic
material, along with liquid petroleum fueled smudge pots
to prevent frost damage to crops will be allowed, along
with ceremonial or celebratory bonfires and prescribed
burns performed according to state regulations.
Towns totally or partially within the boundaries of the
Adirondack and Catskill Parks are designated fire towns
under Environmental Conservation Law. The law prohibits
open burning without a written permit from the DEC, including
for on-site open burning of limbs and branches allowed
under the new regulation .
County Budget
County Executive Michael Hein presented a 2010 budget
to county legislators last week that increases the tax
levy by just under 3.5 percent via a total budget just
under $350 million and 100 positions being eliminated.
The latter will occur through 30 layoffs, effective January
1, 22 early retirement positions to be left unfilled and
48 currently vacant positions tobe eliminated.
Another move to balance the budget is using almost $13
million from the capital reserve, bringing that down to
five percent.
"Consider that the fund balance is supposed to be
for a rainy day; in reality, its taxpayer money",
said Ways and Means Chairman Alan Lomita, a Democrat.
"If you notice, it's not only raining, it's pouring,
and a lot of people are hurting out there, as you well
know. So, taking money from the fund balance now, to relieve
some of the pain of property taxes, I think, is something
that's justified."
Republican Minority Leader Glenn Noonan said even a seemingly
modest 3.5 percent tax hike may be too much pain, echoing
what seems to be the national GOP playbook these days.
At Belleayre...
It's time, once again, to start thinking in terms of the
state's ski center in our midst... Belleayre Mountain.
This coming Columbus Day weekend, October 10 and 11, the
ski center will be hosting its 30th Annual Fall Festival,
with loads of traditional fun and German food, ski lift
rides to take in the foliage, and a newly expanded Entertainment
Village featuring a host of top local bands and other
musical entertainment. For outdoor sports enthusiasts,
Catskill Outback Adventures will be hosting an outdoor
expo center with a zip line and ropes course, plus mountain
bike rentals. Festival Gates will open at 10am on Saturday
and Sunday, closing after the Entertainment Village quiets
in the dark hours. Also on hand will be pre-season sales
for the upcoming Ski Time. Visit www.belleayre.com for
more info..
On the following Saturday, October 17, the Catskills German-American
Club will be hosting its 10th Annual Oktoberfest, also
at Belleayre, with more traditional German music and more
of the German food. Hours will be from 11:00 AM to 6:30
PM.
In between the two events, the Catskill Watershed Corporation
will be hosting the region's Ninth Annual Catskills Local
Government Day on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Belleayre Mountain
Ski Center, with the timely theme of "Climate Change
Made Local." Elected and appointed government officials
and employees, economic and environmental planners, and
interested community members are welcome to attend and
discuss matters ranging from local flood preparations
and planning changes to just what might happen to long-held
economic development planning that put added emphasis
on Belleayre's role as a winter ski destination - a future
that's grown more cloudy in the past few years as climate
change science has grown. Examples of area municipalities
that have already taken steps to address flooding hazards
and insurance costs, reduce energy use and minimize their
carbon footprints will be highlighted.
Members of planning and zoning boards may wish to take
advantage of a two-hour training session on "Promoting
Climate Protection Through Land Use Tools." A workshop
for town board members, highway department heads and other
municipal officials will focus on examining the vulnerability
of community infrastructure - from buildings and parks
to sewer plants, water systems and street lights. "Green
Means Business" will look at how businesses can save
money using sustainable practices, and the potential for
jobs in the renewable energy field.
The featured lunchtime speaker, Mimi Katzenbach, will
explain the Transition Movement by which communities work
towards locally-based energy, economic and social systems
- not unlike the Catskills of the pre-World War II era
-- as a strategy for meeting a future of weather extremes,
fossil fuel depletion and other challenges.
To see the agenda and register electronically, go to www.cwconline.org.
Registration materials may also be obtained by calling
toll free 877-WAT-SHED, or 845-586-1400.
Parting Ways
Lisa Rainwater last week resigned her position as Executive
Director of the Arkville based Catskill Center for Conservation
and Development.
"This was a difficult decision for me, " said
Rainwater, who'd served in the position for 16 months.
"I came in with a skill set based on strategic planning,
outreach, policy, and administration, but the focus of
my work has been primarily administrative, which is not
where my passion is.
The organization needs to grow, she said, "and I
think I'm leaving it stronger than when I got there. I'm
very proud of that and hope that whoever comes in will
continue to work at rebuilding community ties, diversifying
funding sources, and some of the other projects I've been
involved with."
Rainwater was hired after several months of searching,
following the resignation of longtime CCCD Director Tom
Alworth, who moved on to a state Parks Department job
after completion of the Spitzer AIP negotiations regarding
the Belleayre Resort project in 2007. In between, longstanding
Catskill Watershed Corporation environmental community
board representative Debra Dewan, now at the Ashokan Center,
served as Interim Director.
In similar news, it appears that Phoenicia Library Director
Regina Johnson has also departed, on mutual terms with
her board of directors, after a half decade's employment.
According to sources, the reasons for her departure had
to do with the library board's wishes for a different
approach to library organizing and ordering than had been
the case under Johnson's tenure.
Calls for comment to the library board went unanswered
as of press time.
Library staff, meanwhile, noted in their own release that,
“Any statements made on behalf of the ‘Phoenicia
Library’ were made without the knowledge or consultation
of the Phoenicia Library staff.”
Sentence Upheld
The conviction of a Phoenicia woman who pleaded guilty
in March 2008 to charges related to a head-on crash on
Route 28 that left a 78-year-old Roxbury man dead was
upheld by a state appellate court, according to the Ulster
County District Attorney's Office.
Carol A. Williams, 50, was sentenced in Ulster County
Court to 1 to 3 years in state prison on May 23, 2008,
after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter, a felony,
and drunken driving, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors said that
around midnight on Aug. 7, 2007, Williams had several
drinks at a tavern in the town of Hurley then drove west
on state Route 28. At 12:19 a.m., Williams' vehicle crossed
into the oncoming traffic lane in Boiceville in the town
of Olive and struck the car driven by Jose Hurtado Sr.,
head-on.
Prosecutors said Williams' blood alcohol level was 0.14
percent, nearly twice the legal limit, after the crash.
Hurtado was taken to Benedictine Hospital in Kingston
but died while being transferred to Westchester Medical
Center in Valhalla.
At her sentencing last year, Judge Paul Czajka said he
needed to balance several factors including the trauma
inflicted upon the victim and the effect on the community
at large to deter others from like conduct. The maximum
sentence would have been 2-1/3 to seven years in state
prison.
While Prosecutors did not offer any specific sentencing
recommendation, William's attorney asked that she only
receive five years probation. Hurtado's son, also named
Jose, asked that Williams receive the maximum sentence.
Subway Ads!
Talk about getting new converts where it matters most...
Ulster County has launched a new tourism initiative that
is placing billboard ads inside the New York City subways
system as part of a new effort to draw visitors to the
many attractions the county has to offer as daytrippers.
County Executive Michael Hein announced the county's new
branding of "Ulster County Alive" this week,
along with a new tourism website at www.UlsterCountyAlive.com.
The branding is meant to convey that no matter what a
potential visitor's interests are, the county is vibrant
and alive with possibilities.
Tourism in Ulster generates as much as $471 million to
the local economy and 8,000 jobs. The county will be spending
tens of thousands of dollars on tourism promotion under
the new branding, Hein said.
And we thought it was a joke that the Route 28 corridor
was the new ultra-hip Brooklyn of Upstate!
Farm Standoff
It appears the ongoing farm stand flap is in a stalemate.
A proposed farm stand law remains in limbo, and in the
meantime the man that stands to be most affected by the
law made a last ditch effort to get the town board to
scrap it altogether and start fresh.
Al Higley, the high profile operator of the Hanover Farms
produce stand on Route 28 in Mount Tremper, made an appeal
to the board at the town board’s monthly meeting
on October 5, saying that it would be a bad idea for the
board to pass the law as proposed.
“We are not against a farm stand bill, we are against
this bill….we will fight you till the blood flows.
This is lawyer heaven,” he said. “Lets take
this in another direction. I am asking you to do this.”
To support his plea, Higley accused Town Supervisor Peter
DiSclafani of “extortion” and suggested that
the proposed law, as is, might not hold water legally.
DiSclafani, who warned Higley to “be careful”
with his allegations in public, replied that Higley’s
notion of an “agricultural district” won’t
fly because according to the Ulster County Planning Board,
there needs to be a farm in order for there to be such
a district.
Higley then held up a map supplied by the New York City
Department of Environmental Protection that shows the
borders of the hamlet, a designation that was created
to show areas in which the City would not be allowed to
buy property. In the mid 1990’s, when this map was
developed it was part of the deal between the City and
the communities that make up the vast watershed.
While Higley interpreted the intent of the MOA’s
hamlet designations as meaning such lands are supposed
to be zoned commercial, DiSclafani said such was definitely
not the case. The Supervisor then went further, saying
that he would not support a commercial designation just
so Higley could be allowed to build a grocery store.
Councilman Rob Stanley jumped in, saying that even though
the area was not zoned commercial it has been used for
commercial ventures for decades.
Food Costs...
The weekly cost of feeding a family of four in Ulster
County is $193.98 for the week ended October 2. The decrease
of $5.86 is a decline of three percent from the previous
survey during the week ended September 18.
The Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau said that is due
primarily to a decrease in the cost of grain products.
The marketbasket survey is intended to provide consumers
with information regarding fluctuations in the local cost
of retail foods. The survey is conducted twice each month
in three local chain-type supermarkets.
The items surveyed are within the categories of grain
products; meats and fish; dairy; fresh fruits and vegetables;
processed fruits and vegetables; and beverages.
More School?
Summer vacations are being considered for partial elimination
as the Obama Administration starts looking seriously at
means of increasing America's academic competitiveness
on a global basis beyond the punitive means of No Child
Left Behind and other methods of changing test scores.
President Barack Obama has said that American kids spend
too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage
with other students around the world.
"Now, I know longer school days and school years
are not wildly popular ideas," the president said
earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not
in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges
of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader,
wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late
and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place
to go.
"Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy
and not too many of our kids are working the fields today,"
Education Secretary Arne Duncan has added. "Young
people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent
longer than our students here. I want to just level the
playing field."
Early results of schools undertaking a 3-year-old initiative
in Maryland to add 300 hours of school time in nearly
two dozen schools have been positive.
Researcher Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institution looked
at math scores in countries that added math instruction
time. Scores rose significantly, especially in countries
that added minutes to the day, rather than days to the
year.
"Ten minutes sounds trivial to a school day, but
don't forget, these math periods in the U.S. average 45
minutes," Loveless said. "Percentage-wise, that's
a pretty healthy increase."
Currently, charter schools are known for having longer
school days or weeks or years. For example, kids in the
KIPP network of 82 charter schools across the country
go to school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., more than three
hours longer than the typical day. They go to school every
other Saturday and for three weeks in the summer. KIPP
eighth-grade classes exceed their school district averages
on state tests.
In Massachusetts' expanded learning time initiative, early
results indicate that kids in do better on state tests
than do kids at regular public schools. The extra time,
which schools can add as hours or days, is for three things:
core academics -- kids struggling in English, for example,
get an extra English class; more time for teachers; and
enrichment time for kids.
Most states set the minimum number of school days at 180
days, though a few require 175 to 179 days. Several schools
are going year-round by shortening summer vacation and
lengthening other breaks.
It has also been pointed out that summer is a crucial
time for poorer kids, because poverty is linked to problems
that interfere with learning, such as hunger and less
involvement by their parents. That makes poor children
almost totally dependent on their learning experience
at school and some studies suggesting they actually fall
back. Wealthier kids have parents who read to them, have
strong language skills and go to great lengths to give
them learning opportunities such as computers, summer
camp, vacations, music lessons, or playing on sports teams.
Pizza Burglar?
State Police have charged an Olive man with trying to
burglarize Cancelliere's Pizzeria on Route 209 in Kerhonkson
in the overnight hours on September 30 and they say he
may have been involved in other commercial burglaries
in the area during the same timeframe.
William Monarch, 38, has been charged with third-degree
attempted burglary, a felony, and criminal mischief in
the fourth degree, a misdemeanor. Police said Monarch
allegedly attempted to burglarize the pizzeria and in
the process damaged store property. Troopers also received
several reports of commercial burglaries during the same
overnight hours and police said Monarch is considered
a suspect. All of those burglaries were of commercial
establishments where damage occurred to property and money
and product were stolen. The investigation is continuing
in an effort to tie Monarch to those burglaries, police
said.
He was arraigned and remanded to the Ulster County Jail
without bail.
Fleischmanns?
Ah, Fleischmanns. Consider heading up to the former resort
center of the Central Catskills this Sunday, October 11,
for the community's 2nd Annual Fleischmanns First Floors
Historic House & Garden Tour from 11:00 AM to 3:00
PM, followed by an old-time baseball game and children's
activity's from 3:30 PM on. The Historic House tours features
some of this historic village's most interesting and grand
properties from its early 20th century heyday, when the
community gained its new name after selling its Griffin
Corners moniker for baseball uniforms and a marching band.
Everything'll be centered at Wagner Avenue Village Park.
For more information, call the newly community-centering
M-ARK Project at 586-3500.
In other local news, the new documentary Bienvenidos a
Fleischmanns, recently won the Special Jury Award at the
Orlando Hispanic Film Fest! The film is an intimate portrait
of the challenges and successes of the local Hispanic
immigrant community that first came to Fleischmanns in
1986, looking for a more tranquil way of life, from more
urban Newburgh to the south. Now, 20 years later, the
Hispanic community in Fleischmanns accounts for 30% of
the village's population.
The film is by Delaware County resident Jessica Vecchione,
whose production company, Vecc Videography specializes
in videos for local businesses and events.
Deer Meetups
NYS DEC is holding public meetings statewide this fall
to get input from hunters and the public on how to manage
New York State's deer population. To date, meetings have
been scheduled for October 8 at Orange County Community
College, Bio-Tech Building, Room 207 115 South Street,
Middletown, NY (Orange County) and October 14 at the Town
of Bedford Court House, 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills
(Westchester County). Both meetings are scheduled from
7:00-9:00 PM. The DEC is interested in changes to the
deer program that will enhance the ability to manage deer
considering the many differences in regional deer populations,
habitat conditions and social interests. DEC recognizes
the many stakeholders interested in New York's white tailed
deer resource and that the State faces many challenges
to successful deer management. DEC is asking for help
with prioritizing the issues that are most important to
NYS deer hunters and the public. Additional public input
include sending a letter to: Deer Management Program,
NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750 or going online
at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57795.html. All comments
are due by November 6.
Paid Back!
The owner of the shuttered Nevele Grande Resort and Country
Club has paid the back taxes it owed to Ulster County
on the hotel property in Ellenville, according to County
Executive Michael Hein. Stratford Business Corp. wired
$342,687.22 to the county late last month to settle all
claims by the county against the resort, Hein said. The
payment satisfies all general county taxes, town of Wawarsing
taxes and hotel/motel taxes owed by Nevele Grande for
2008 and 2009, plus interest and full reimbursement for
litigation costs and attorneys' fees incurred by the county.
The money was owed under a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or
PILOT, agreement between the Nevele's owner and the Ulster
County Industrial Development Agency.
The resort owner, however, still owes the Ellenville school
district more than $250,000 in back taxes, according to
Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach
The payment to the county clears the way for the sale
of the property, which for decades was a mainstay in both
the Ellenville-Wawarsing area and the broader Catskills.
The Nevele Grande, comprising the former Nevele and Fallsview
hotels, shut down unexpectedly in July, putting about
100 people out of work. Stratford, which has owned the
property since 2000, then hired Auction America Realty,
a New York City real estate company, to sell the closed
hotel at a public auction. The auction was canceled when
a deal was struck for the sale of the property.
The sale was halted, however, by acting state Supreme
Court Justice Richard Platkin, who ruled, in a lawsuit
filed by Ulster County, that the Nevele Grande could not
change hands before all outstanding tax debts were paid.
The name of the potential buyer has not been made public.
All eyes now turn to other county IDA loans and PILOT
programs, along with other failing developments throughout
the region...
Climate Security
The campaign to salvage the climate bill now has a new
buzzword, "climate security," and a new ally,
the Pentagon, whose security planners have started pointing
out that climate change will loom large in the national
security strategy they're working on.
The military has begun studying, and taking seriously,
the scenarios of climate-induced water and food shortages
precipitating violent conflicts on a global scale. The
message embedded none too deeply in these studies: Unless
these scenarios can be changed, our forces will be overwhelmed.
Either stem rising global temperatures, or prepare to
grow the military. A lot.
The question is whether financial planning is going to
back up their strategic planning; that is, whether this
new strategic direction will be underwritten by the budget.
The timing of this climate security hype is no accident.
President Dwight Eisenhower learned long ago that his
plans to build a national network of highways sold much
better when he called it the National Security Highway
System. The climate bill is in trouble, squeezed by charges
that it is too ambitious, and that it's not ambitious
enough. Time to play the national security card.
So what will this climate security strategy entail? In
addition to providing a potent rationale for strong legislation
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Pentagon planners
will do what they're mostly paid to do, which is figure
out, based on these assessments of the threat, what size
and shape of military forces will be required to confront
it.
Beyond that, the military has also begun taking seriously
its own status as the world's largest institutional emitter
of greenhouse gases. Solar panels and electric vehicle
charging stations are beginning to spring up on military
bases across the country.
Locally, $754,400 in federal economic recovery funding
has been approved for Ulster County to use for a variety
of energy efficiency and conservation projects. The funds
were released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and
were made available through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The funds are part of the DOE's Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Block Grant program, which is designed to
help implement programs that lower energy use, reduce
carbon pollution, and create green jobs locally. Ulster
County and all grantees have specific measures they must
take before spending the full amount of awarded funding,
such as ensuring oversight and transparency, submitting
a conservation strategy to the Department of Energy, and
complying with environmental regulations.
Yay, 4Hers!
Several members of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster
County's 4-H Youth Program gathered together at the Ulster
County Fair Grounds on Monday, September 28, to donate
over 200 pounds of fresh pork and poultry to the Food
Bank of the Hudson Valley. The meats were donated from
the 4-H Livestock Auction which was held in August at
the Ulster County Fair.
The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley collects large donations
and distributes it to charitable agencies feeding hungry
people in a six county region. In 2002, the Food Bank
provided more than 6 million pounds of food to over 350
member agencies in Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland,
Sullivan, and Putnam counties.
In other ag-related news, a recent federal House-Senate
agreement will deliver $350 million in aid to dairy farmers
across the country. The funds are included in the fiscal
year 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which the House
and Senate will both vote on this week and subsequently
send to the White House where the president will sign
the funding into law.
Under the agreement, $290 million will be allocated in
direct payments to dairy farmers while an additional $60
million will be directed towards the purchasing of cheese
products for food banks and other nutritional programs.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will determine
which farmers will receive the aid. As a member of the
subcommittee that oversees agriculture spending, U.S.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey will work to ensure that New York
dairy farmers, particularly family farmers, receive the
support they need.
"While the price paid to dairy farmers for their
milk has dropped dramatically, the price of milk at grocery
stores has remained the same because dairy corporations
that distribute the milk to stores for farmers are exploiting
the system," Hinchey said. "Those corporations
are taking in a greater profit for themselves at the expense
of both dairy farmers who are being paid lower amounts
for their product and customers who purchase milk and
other dairy products at their local stores."
In the midst of the economic recession, the price paid
to New York dairy farmers for milk has plummeted by more
than 40 percent since last September. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a short-term
increase in the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP)
to help bolster dairy prices. While that step will help
dairy farmers, additional aid is needed to help farmers
stay in business as they weather the current dairy price
crisis.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has forecasted
that net farm income nationwide will be one-third less
than last year. Also, according to the USDA, dairy farmers
in New York are receiving approximately $7 less per hundredweight
of milk than it costs them to produce that milk.
On the food front, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern
New York, which has a satellite office in Cornwall-on-Hudson,
is estimating an 18 percent increase in need for emergency
food assistance to its 370 plus member agencies in six
counties, including Ulster, particularly driven by first-time
users of the emergency food assistance system and people
who have recently lost their jobs.
A new survey released by Feeding America, the nation's
largest domestic hunger relief charity, shows the increase
in demand is nearly universal, with 99 percent of all
participating food banks reporting a significant surge
in demand for emergency food assistance over the past
year. More than half, or 56 percent, of food banks reported
seeing more children as clients.
For more information on Feeding America's Economic Impact
Survey, visit http://feedingamerica.org/newsroom/local-impact-study.aspx
Yo, Seniors!
All interested members of the public are invited to attend
the County's Office for the Aging Annual Public Hearing
on Wednesday, October 14, beginning at 9:00am, at the
Rosendale Recreation Center, Rt. 32, Rosendale. The event
provides seniors the opportunity to comment on current
programs, offer suggestions for improving services and
share ideas for additional programs that would be valuable
to Ulster County seniors. For those seniors who cannot
attend the Hearing but would like to share their ideas
and comments, please call the Office for the Aging and
speak directly to the Director, Anne Cardinale at 340-3456.
Albany $$$?
Who's bringing home the bacon from Albany these days,
now that the state Senate is Democratic for the first
time in years?
First off, it seems that the ascension of state Assemblyman
Kevin Cahill to a committee chairmanship has translated
to a more than $1 million increase this year in the amount
of state funding the Kingston Democrat has been able to
spread around the 101st Assembly District, which encompasses
most of Ulster County.
State "member item" funding is doled out by
individual lawmakers to municipalities, school districts,
community organizations and nonprofit agencies in their
legislative districts, allowing hundreds of projects large
and small to be funded... under the idea that local legislators
know best what needs money in their district, and how
it will spread once there.
And while "pork-barrel" money has become increasingly
controversial over recent years, state lawmakers in the
Mid-Hudson Valley say it helps provide needed money for
important projects in their districts that would otherwise
have to be funded from the pockets of local property taxpayers.
Among the most vocal critics of the process, which critics
charge is overly political, is the New York Public Interest
Group, which for years has spoken out against both the
method used to determine the level of funding awarded
to individual lawmakers and that used to determine which
projects ultimately get funding. They have termed it all,
"a political spoils system."
Nevertheless, Cahill brought home the most bacon of any
state lawmaker in the Mid-Hudson region, receiving $1,343,778
for 37 projects in his district. That amount is up a whopping
83 percent from the $733,000 he was awarded in 2008-09.
Republican assemblymen, who are in the minority in their
chamber, brought home significantly less money to their
districts: Clifford Crouch, who covers much of Delaware
County, was allocated $137,300; while Peter Lopez, who
covers Greene County, was allocated a mere $48,892.
In the State Senate, where Republicans lost control this
year, area lawmakers saw their funding allocations cut
by as much as 87 percent.
Last year, Senator John Bonacic, who represents most of
the Catskills and much of Ulster County, led the pack
among senators in member-item funding with $2.2 million.
This year his allocation dropped to $250,000.
To access information on who gets what, go to www.oag.state.ny.us,
then click on the "Project Sunlight" icon. From
there, click on "browse," then click on "member
items." From there, select the year you would like
to view (for the current year, select 2009-10) and enter
the last name of the legislator whose member items you
would like to view.
T he list also is available on the Web site of See Through
New York. To access that site, go to www.seethroughny.net.
Click on "expenditures," then click on "search
legislative pork barrel member items." In the "report
date" drop-down box, click on "2009-2010,"
and in the drop down-box for sponsor, click on the name
of the legislator whose member items you would like to
view.
$3 Million!
Paul Leone, Jr., the 52-year-old Woodstock resident who
owned Woodstock Wool in his town's old post office before
becoming a freelance graphics artist in recent years ,
was identified last month as the $3 million jackpot winner
in the state's Sept. 2 Lotto drawing. The winning ticket
was bought on Sept. 2 in the Stewart's Shop at 165 Main
St. in Saugerties, and played by Leone's mother.
Leone claimed his $3 million prize - which will be smaller
when taxes are taken out - on Sept. 14, according to the
Lottery Division.
The winner has said that he will utilize his winnings
to secure his future, replace his vehicle, and possibly
take his mother on a cruise.
He doesn't plan to play the Lottery again, but suspects
his mother will.
Reel Teens!
One of our favorite events each year, the annual Reel
Teens Film Festival of film and video work by high school
students (and younger), gets underway this coming weekend,
October 10 and 11, with a Friday night kickoff at the
Hunter Theater on Main Street in Hunter Friday night,
October 9, at 7:30 PM.
Among the highlights to be seen this year will be Sunday
night screenings of new works by Shandakenites Tessa Morelli
(starring former Kids Columnist Paloma Kopp), and Nicholas
Sveikauskas, whose black and white surrealist work, all
in French, will likely prove one of the crowd faves of
the fest (as well as one of the funniest things we've
seen anywhere in years). Also from Onteora will be the
great INDIE work, Candyland.
According to festival director Barry Kerr, who chooses
each year's 70 or so festival finalists from over 500
entries alongside a panel of film industry judges from
the Phoenicia and Olive area, this year's work was less
dark than previous years, with more wacky humor and also
more introspection on the part of kid filmmakers.
Among the highlights of the festival, he said, was the
work of a Chicago teenager from an abusive background
who will be attending the events all weekend, her first
visit away from her home city.
This is a great means of getting an idea of just where
our next generation may be taking us. And it's all good.
Plus funny and fun.
For more on Reel Teens, call 246-1598 or visit www.reelteens.org.
Or get yourselves up to Hunter for what SRO seats remain...
Kids R Future!
Ulster County 4-H Youth Development, through the Cornell
Cooperative Extension, will offer a 6-week series of classes
about the science and careers of wind energy, for youth
6th to 8th graders. The series will feature great hands-on
learning and visits by professionals in the wind industry,
and will culminate with a field trip to a wind energy
site at the end of the course. Topics to be covered include:
How wind energy works, residential-scale wind turbines,
utility-scale wind turbines, wind energy and New York
State, wind energy and the natural environment, the history
of wind energy, new developments in wind energy and careers
in wind energy.
Classes will be held Thursday evenings, from 6:00pm to
8:00pm, beginning October 22 and running through November
19, with a field trip on Saturday, November 21. The location
is SUNY Ulster (Ulster County Community College) room
HAS-201. The cost will be $30 per student ($20 if you
are an enrolled 4-H member). Registration and payment
is required no later than Friday, October 16. Registration
forms can be found at http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/ulster/
in the 4-H Youth Development section menu click on 4-H
Wind Energy Program.
The class will be taught by Todd Olinsky-Paul, an energy
policy analyst and wind energy specialist with Pace Energy
and Climate Center.
For more information by phone contact Jenny Burkins at
Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County at 340-3990.
