8/27/2009
Settlement!
Following the advice of Catskill Watershed Corporation
officials, the Shandaken town board agreed to a settlement
of the dispute over the assessed value of the Pine Hill
Waste Treatment Plant on Monday, August 24.
The specific details of the settlement are complicated,
but as town Councilman Vincent Bernstein said, it means
that the city would pay $74,625 less in taxes to the town.
That same amount,, Bernstein noted, would now have to
be paid by the rest of the taxpayers. Still unclear is
how the settlement will affect School taxes and county
taxes.
But it also means, Supervisor Peter DiSclafani noted,
that the town would save between $50,000 and $200,000
in further legal fees... and no assurance of a win in
the case.
Tax Assessor Heidi Clark worked up some examples of how
the settlement would impact individual taxpayers. A property
in town with an assessed value of $30,000, she said, would
pay an extra $12.30 to pick up the slack. But those in
Pine Hill can expect to pay more than twice that amount,
and taxpayers in Big Indian and Oliverea will pay an extra
$17.10/
Prior to the settlement, town officials thought the plant
was worth about $70 million. The City’s Department
of Environmental Protection figured it at more like $30
million
The settlement, prepared by the attorneys involved, meets
near the middle and results from a lawsuit filed against
Shandaken by the City in 2007 that claimed the property
was over assessed. The settlement covers the years 2006,
2007 and 2008, but does not require any repayment to the
city for those years. It does reduce the City’s
tax responsibility for the Pine Hill plant from now through
2011, but also prevents the city from bringing any legal
challenge during that time as well.
CWC and town officials hope the deal also prevents lawsuits
further in the future, but admit there are no guarantees.
Explaining his support for the settlement, Supervisor
Peter DiSclafani said that CWC has already spent $140,000
in this legal dispute, and that has depleted its funds.
To go to the next level against the City, which has greater
legal resources and way more money, would cost just as
much, only this time the town taxpayers would have to
pay for it.
“We have to be pragmatic,” he said
CWC Executive Director Alan Rosa told the board that he
felt the town would actually lose if they continued the
battle in the courts. CWC Attorney Tim Cox said that settling
was the best way to go.
“Nobody wins when you try to fight it,” he
said.
DiSclafani and board members Bernstein, Tim Malloy and
Doris Bartlett voted to accept the settlement. Only Councilman
Rob Stanley opposed the measure.
Stanley, who said, “I don’t think this is
a horribly bad deal,” voted no because he wanted
to send a message to the City that the town was not satisfied
with the arrangement.
OCS Arrest
State police have arrested an Onteora High School employee
and charged her with felony grand larceny and related
charges, alleging that she stole over $9000 that school
groups accumulated by holding fundraisers. Elizabeth Sopata,
45, of Kingston, was charged on August 4. In addition
to the grand larceny charge, Sopata was also charged with
forgery and falsifying business records, police said.
According to State Police at Ulster, Sopata, who is secretary
to the High School Principal, was in charge of collecting
and depositing proceeds from fundraisers held by school
groups. Between July 2008 and March 2009, Police allege
Sopata stole $9,200 while handling the funds. She was
arrested following an investigation brought on by an audit
that turned up discrepancies.
On Monday, August 24, School board officials had no comment
on the matter.
Each year students and parent groups hold fund raising
events like car washes and bake sales to pay for extracurricular
activities not covered by taxpayer funds in the school
districts budget.
District Superintendent Dr. Leslie Ford said Tuesday that
Sopata, a long term employee, is currently on administrative
leave.
County Cuts…
In an effort to streamline the Ulster County budget, County
Executive Michael Hein has said he would offer an early
retirement package to any of the county’s 1,550
CSEA employees who are eligible. In recent weeks, he made
the offer to 31 county employees. Now, he said anyone
who may be eligible may apply for the program and each
person will be considered on a case by case basis.
“We recognize the realities that are facing all
municipalities around New York State. In Ulster County
in particular, we are facing upwards of an $8 million
shortfall in sales tax as well as an additional $4 million
increase in retirement system payments to New York State,”
Hein said.
There are 376 employees who are 55 or older and are vested,
making them potentially eligible for the program. Decisions
as to an applicant’s eligibility to retire under
the program will be based on criteria such as the overall
needs of the county and the necessity to backfill the
position.
Byway Kickoff...
The Central Catskills Collaborative (CCC) will meet this
Thursday, August 27. and begin the development of the
Corridor Management Plan for the nomination of a 50-mile
stretch of Route 28 as a Scenic Byway. The meeting will
feature an overview of the Scenic Byway nomination process,
the steps in completing the plan, and the opportunities
for community involvement. An open discussion will follow.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, which will
be held at the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
on Route 28 in Arkville on Thursday, August 27 from 6-8
PM. Refreshments will be provided. To learn more about
Catskill Regional Planning, please contact Peter Manning
at (845) 586-2611 or visit www.catskillcenter.org. For
more about the Central Catskill Collaborative, please
visit www.centralcatskills.org/ccc.
Bussing Safety
The management and drivers at Arthur F. Mulligan, one
of Onteora School District’s transportation contractors,
will be directly addressing school bus safety issues at
the upcoming Olive Day taking place in West Shokan on
September 12. One of their key issues: Parents seem to
feel that their obligation is to get the child to the
bus on time, regardless of any cuts to safety that may
ensue.
In a recent press release, the company has announced that
it, “has decided to become pro active in dealing
with this growing problem and has started the AFM S.A.F.E
Team.” This is a group of volunteers organized to
provide education in preventive measures and evacuation
training involving accidents, fire and emergencies along
with providing general safety instructions regarding daily
transportation of students. Dave Croswell is the team
leader and says he wants to address the public’s
impatience with school buses, and student behavior while
riding the bus. The goal of the S.A.F.E Team, Croswell
said, is to help parents understand that they play an
important role in their child’s safety while riding
the school bus.
“We would appreciate it if parents would remind
their children that any distraction can be disastrous.”
He said, singling out such things as seat hopping and
camera flashes. “The driver is only human and although
they are fully trained and qualified a distraction cannot
be ignored all of the time. All it takes is a split second.”
Visit myyellowschoolbus.com for more information.
And be sure and drive safely…
Housing Help
A $500,000 grant recently announced by Governor David
Paterson’s office brings total home buying and home
repair resources currently available in Ulster County
to $1.6 million in direct spending for the purchase and
post purchase re-habilitation of Ulster County homes.
Rural Ulster Preservation Company officials, who will
be administering the funds, believe that the latest grant
announcement plus other resources in-house will help them
top last year’s total investments of $1.8 million
spent for 34 new homeowners and 75 rehabilitated homes.
The Affordable Housing Corporation grant will provide
an average of $20,000 each to approximately 25 homeowners
to help cover down payments, closing costs and post-purchase
rehabilitation projects that might be essential on the
homes they are able to afford. RUCPO Executive Director
Kevin O’Connor noted that “at least 51% of
the grant must be spent on the rehabilitation portion
of the equation, which is good not just for the buyers
but for everyone in the county. This helps to keep our
overall housing stock habitable,” he added. “Something
that isn’t always easy in this economy.”
Kathy Germain, Director of RUPCO’s Neighbor Works
Home Ownership Center, agreed with O’Connor and
said that the latest grant would be leveraged with other
resources already available at the center to provide maximum
benefit possible to clients and to the county and with
mortgage financing from private lenders.
Because all of the RUPCO grant programs have different
eligibility requirements, Germain urged everyone who might
be interested to contact RUPCO to review their circumstances.
Call 331-9860 or visit www.rupco.org.
Redistricting?
The Onteora school board will be taking a long hard look
at the problem of class sizes in the district over the
next few months, and acknowledge that one solution may
be redistricting. At an August 18th meeting, many board
members as well as some administrators agreed that the
best class size for the district would between 18 and
22 students. It was noted however, that in some cases,
such as the fifth grade at the Phoenicia School, there
would be 28 come the start of classes next month.
Trustee Dan Spencer pointed out that recent elections
have shown the community wants to keep the three elementary
schools open rather than consolidate students in two schools.
One way to accomplish the goals of reducing class sizes
and keeping all the schools open, he and fellow trustees
discussed, is to redraw district lines through population
clusters instead of municipal borders.
“We seem to have the right amount of kids and the
right amount of buildings,” Spencer said.
It was agreed that the Board would begin taking a look
at possibilities by first accumulating information on
district lines and population, expecting that Dave Moraca,
the District’s director of transportation, will
provide the board with maps and grids so they can start
at the September 22nd meeting.
Board president Laurie Osmond said the issue should be
examined from a point of view that puts students first.
“It’s very important that we approach this
from an educational standpoint and how class size affects
our kids and which kids it affects,” she said.
Join On Up!
The Board of Education of the Onteora Central School District
is seeking committee members for the following committees/task
forces: Arts Task Force (created to further interaction
between community members in the arts and our students),
Audit (state-mandated, seeking persons with financial
backgrounds), Communications, Facilities, Green, Policy,
as well as the District Health and Wellness Committee
and the District Technology Committee.
Committees generally meet monthly, (the Green Committee
has been meeting twice-monthly), and are task-driven.
Committee members from the 2008/2009 school year are encouraged
to re-join for 2009/2010.
Interested persons are asked to contact the District Clerk:
districtclerk@onteora.k12.ny.us or 845.657.6383 x264
Dam Safety…
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
has adopted new dam safety regulations following an 18-month
review and revision process, emphasizing and detailing
the responsibilities of dam owners to keep structures
in a safe condition and, to be consistent with the statute,
enhance NYS DEC’s authority to help ensure the responsibilities
are fulfilled. The statutory amendments explicitly authorize
NYS DEC to adopt regulations requiring dam owners to prepare
safety programs including inspections, monitoring, maintenance
and operation, and emergency plans, where failure of the
dam could cause personal injury, substantial property
damage or substantial natural resource damage.
A single paper copy of the regulations, or a single CD
of the entire rule adoption package, are available for
free upon request by writing damsregs@gw.dec.state.ny.us
or calling (518) 402-8151.
Local Laptops
Fred Waring of West Shokan first got the idea for his
great new foundation during a trip to Cambodia with his
wife Tracey, in 2001, when they witnessed the needs at
one of the troubled nation’s orphanages. Upon his
return Fred began his grassroots campaign to help the
children he saw by soliciting in-kind and cash donations.
In 2005, he then incorporated The Fred Waring Foundation,
Inc., allowing him to expand his vision to include the
construction of a new center and manufacturing facility
using Cambodia’s natural resources to create products
for export. The plan is to offer to employ orphanage children
when they are forced to leave their orphanages at age
18, so that they can learn a trade, earn wages, have decent
housing and hope for a great future.
Since 2001, Waring, the grandson of the big band-leader,
Congressional Gold Medal recipient, and inventor of the
Waring Blender, has made 3 to 4 trips per year to Cambodia
and each time brings donations of vitamins from GNC and
medicines from New York doctors. The Waring Family has
been donating toys, sporting goods, school supplies, and
crafts.
They are currently looking for old laptops to be used
in the classrooms of three different orphanages that house
over 500 children and young adults, and in the midst of
a fundraising raffle whose cut-off date is September 21,
and whose prizes include a trip for two to Angkor Wat.
For further information, visit www.fredwaringfoundation.org
28 Repaving
Construction has begun on a $1.5 million project to pave
3.5 miles of state Route 28. The project will include
milling and resurfacing state Route 28, beginning at the
west side of the bridge over the Esopus Creek at the state
Route 212 intersection, to the east side beyond the bridge
over the Esopus Creek at the state Route 214 intersection.
Daily lane closures are expected with restrictions in
place during peak travel hours.
The contract was awarded to Callanan Industries Inc. of
Schenectady and is being funded under the federal economic
stimulus program, formally known as the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The state Department of
Transportation has received $1.1 billion for highway and
bridge projects under the stimulus program, with $167
million of the funding expected to be certified for Hudson
Valley communities.
Construction of this project is expected to be completed
in late December 2009.
A USPS Arrest
Mona A. Senecal, 42, of Shokan, , who worked as a clerk
at the U.S. Post Office in Shokan, was arrested on Aug.
11 and charged with grand larceny and falsifying business
records, both felonies, according to state police at Ulster.
Senecal is accused of taking $3,895.19 from proceeds she
pocketed while selling money orders at the post office.
End of Season
The Belleayre Music Festival at Belleayre Mountain Ski
Center is closing out its somewhat soggy but still boisterous
2009 season with a pair of upcoming concerts sure to pull
a certain type. On Saturday, August 29, Mary Wilson of
The Supremes will be on hand to sing Motown favorites;
while on the following Saturday, September 5, an ABBA
tribute band will capture the same feeling caught in last
year’s film hit, Mamma Mia.
Visit www.belleayre.org for more info. And start counting
down to Octoberfest and more...
Shot In Groin
An early morning struggle on Sunday, August 16 ended in
a gunshot to the groin for one man inside a home on Route
214 in the Shandaken hamlet of Phoenicia. Kyle Manny,
25, was being treated at Kingston Hospital for his injury,
according to state police at Ulster. Police said Manny
was struck in the groin by one bullet fired from a 9mm
semiautomatic handgun after getting into a fight with
another person inside the residence at state Route 214
in Phoenicia.
During the altercation, the owner of the home, John S.
Rymer, 68, armed himself with the handgun, which police
said is a legally registered weapon.
A prepared statement by police states that in the course
of the ensuing altercation one round was discharged and
struck alleged assailant Manny in the groin.
Police said the investigation led to the arrest of Richard
Manny, 27, who had been staying at the residence with
Kyle Manny. The older Manny was charged with criminal
mischief and endangering the welfare of a child, misdemeanors.
Police said the criminal mischief charge comes due to
Manny doing considerable damage to the home. Further charges
against Manny may occur. As for the endangering the welfare
of a child charge, a child was present in the home at
the time of the incident, police said.
The Manny’s were friends of Rymer’s daughter…
The suspect was arraigned in Town of Kingston Court. He
was released without bail. The investigation surrounding
the firing of the weapon by Rymer and the actions of Kyle
Manny is continuing, police said. Should the District
Attorney’s office convene a grand jury and that
jury decides that Rymer should be charged, police said,
then charges would be leveled against Rymer.
Flu, Round 2
The global spread of swine flu will endanger more lives
as it speeds up in coming months and governments must
boost preparations for a swift response, the World Health
Organization said last week. There will soon be a period
of further global spread of the virus, and most countries
may see swine flu cases double every three to four days
for several months until peak transmission is reached,
said WHO’s Western Pacific director, Shin Young-soo.
“At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion
in case numbers,” Shin told a symposium of health
officials and experts in Beijing. “It is certain
there will be more cases and more deaths.”
WHO has declared the swine flu strain a pandemic, and
it has killed almost 1,800 people worldwide through last
week. International attention has focused on how the pandemic
is progressing in southern hemisphere countries such as
Australia, which are experiencing winter and their flu
season. But it is in developing countries where the accelerated
spread of swine flu poses the greatest threat as it places
underequipped and underfunded health systems under severe
strain, Shin said.
WHO earlier estimated that as many as 2 billion people
could become infected over the next two years - nearly
one-third of the world’s population.
Health officials and drug makers are looking into ways
to speed up production of a vaccine before the northern
hemisphere enters its flu season in coming months. Estimates
for when a vaccine will be available range from September
to December.
Job Losses?
The Hudson Valley took another hit between July 2008 and
July 2009 with the loss of 17,900 jobs. The state Labor
Department released the latest figures recently, showing
a 2.3 percent loss in jobs bringing the total number of
unemployed to 745,100.
The greatest loss of jobs was in trade, transportation
and utilities, which lost 5,500 jobs, while professional
and business services lost 4,200 and manufacturing shrunk
by 4,100 jobs. The government sector also declined by
400 jobs.
Employment gains were in education and health services,
which picked up 3,700 jobs.
The report noted that the July jobless rate for the region
increased to 7.6 percent from 5.2 percent a year ago,
the largest July over the year increase on record since
1991.
At the same time, reports are also out noting that the
weekly cost of feeding a family of four in Ulster County
in the past weeks was $200.64. That was an increase of
$1.65, or one percent, above the previous survey week,
ending August 7.
The Ulster County Consumer Fraud Bureau, which conducts
the surveys, said prices increased primarily because of
fewer sale items in the meat and fish category.
New GI Bill!
SUNY Ulster has been recognized for its policies and outreach
to recruit military veterans and facilitating access to
new Post 9/11 GI bill benefits by G.I. Jobs magazine with
the “Military Friendly School” designation
in 2010. The local college was ranked among the top 15
percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools
nationwide for embracing America’s veterans as students
based on a survey that reviewed policies, efforts and
results of military recruitment. SUNY Ulster will be listed
in the magazine’s “Guide to Military Friendly
Schools” that publishes in September 2009.
SUNY Ulster has been conducting informational sessions
on the Post 9/11 GI Bill that went into effect Aug. 1
and provides financial support for education and housing
to eligible veterans. The bill expands benefits and provides
tuition, housing and book stipends, and tutoring.
SUNY Ulster will conduct workshops on the Post 9/11 GI
Bill on Sept. 14 and Oct. 19, both starting at 10 a.m.
at the Dewitt Library on the Stone Ridge campus; and Nov.
16 at 5 p.m. at the Business Resource Center in Kingston.
College representatives will be available to discuss programs
of study, transfer credits, VA tuition benefits and campus
support services. These events are free and open to the
public.
Meanwhile, it turns out that the successful RISE program
at SUNY Ulster may be going statewide. The collaboration
between the college and the Department of Social Services
has been successful at taking candidates that are eligible
for high school diplomas or GED diplomas and getting them
out of the cycle of dependency in social services and
moving them on into the college format,” he said.
Funding for the students in the program comes from state
and federal grants.
For more information, call 687-5022 or visit www.sunyulster.edu.
Annual Meeting
The annual picnic and general meeting for The Neversink
Association will be Sunday, August 30, at noon on the
Meadow across from Lake Cole at Frost Valley YMCA. The
featured speaker is Lisa Rainwater, Executive Director
of The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development,
who will discuss four invasive species, such as didymo,
that threaten the health of the Neversink River and Valley.
The purpose of the organization is to protect the Neversink
River watershed and the conservation of the flora and
fauna of the Upper Neversink Valley. All are welcome to
attend.
Rights For All!
A California-based federal judge being asked to declare
gay marriage a fundamental constitutional right has set
a January 2010 trial date and denied attempts by gay and
conservative advocacy groups to join the case, already
top-heavy with high profile lawyers.
About 30 lawyers crowded into a San Francisco courtroom
hearing the challenge to California’s Proposition
8 same-sex marriage ban recently, a high-risk venture
that will set court policy for years, if it reaches the
U.S. Supreme court. Ted Olson, the lawyer whose Supreme
Court arguments put President George W. Bush in the White
House, and David Boies, his opponent in the 2000 case,
joined forces to overturn Prop. 8, arguing precedents
showed they could win.
Gay rights groups had avoided federal court in favor of
a state-by-state battle for fear conservative Supreme
Court justices would deny their cause. A handful of U.S.
states, mostly in the northeast, have allowed same-sex
marriage, but the overwhelming majority forbid it.
In respectful tones, Olson told federal district Judge
Vaughn Walker participation by gay groups and social conservatives
would only slow the case. Walker, clearly eager to focus
and speed arguments, denied the groups’ motions
but added the city and county of San Francisco to the
case as a government representative. Calif. Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has signaled his administration will not
actively join the case.
“I am surprised by the governor’s position
in this case,” Walker told a state lawyer, telling
him to urge Schwarzenegger, who personally favours gay
marriage, to get involved. “This is a matter of
some importance to the people.”
Walker set a January 11, 2010 date to start the trial,
an aggressive schedule. Two same-sex couples represented
by Olson and Boies say marriage is a federal constitutional
right which they are being denied.
Social conservatives led by lawyer Charles Cooper say
the people of California had the right to limit marriage
to a man and a woman, since it is in the state’s
interest to limit marriage to couples of opposite sex.
Casino Watch
Assistant Secretary of the Interior Larry EchoHawk was
set to come to Sullivan County and the Catskills to meet
with people on both sides of the casino issue as this
issue was going to bed. EchoHawk, who heads the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, will be in town at the invitation of
Congressman Maurice Hinchey, who said the secretary has
no preconceived opinion about whether there should be
Native American Gaming.
Under the previous administration in Washington, the BIA
refused to approve placing land in trust which would have
paved the way for Indian gaming. Supporters are hoping
to pursuade EchoHawk to reverse that and allow for land
in trust.
Three Native American tribes want to build gaming casinos
in Sullivan County.
Meanwhile. the Seneca Nation, which has been eyeing Sullivan
County for development of a Native American gaming casino,
said last week that it may purchase the entire Concord
Hotel property from Louis Cappelli, who had planned to
redevlop the site for a hotel-resort conference center
with a racetrack and video lottery machine gaming operation
with Empire Resorts.
Payback…
Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach personally
delivered a check for $61,486.90 to Town of Wawarsing
Officials Thursday evening. The check represents monies
owed to the town from a 2007 Payment in Lieu of Taxes
(PILOT) from the Nevele Grande Hotel.
Auerbach uncovered the money during an examination of
payments made to the county which revealed that $24,341.88
was owed to Wawarsing’s General Fund and $37,145.02
was owed to their Highway Fund.
The comptroller continues to pursue over $600,000 owed
by the Nevele to Ulster County, the Town of Wawarsing,
the Village of Ellenville, the Ellenville Central School
District and the Ellenville Library.
Stay tuned…
Food Fight…
Four inmates at the Ulster County Law Enforcement Center
have been charged with gang assault for allegedly beating
up another inmate because he refused to give them some
of his food. The incident occurred in the jail recreation
area of A-Pod on Friday, August 14. The four inmates attempted
to coerce the inmate into giving them some of his food
and when he refused, they attacked him, the sheriff’s
office reported. Once the assault was over, one of the
inmates then told the victim that he should tell corrections
personnel he received the injuries as the result of getting
elbowed during a basketball game.
The victim suffered contusions and lacerations to his
head, face, neck and chest.
Authorities have charged Tarrance Daniels, 17, of Kingston;
Devante Knox, 17, of Kingston; Shaquille Moore, 17, of
Poughkeepsie; and Lee Gray, 18, of Kingston, with gang
assault in the second degree and assault in the second
degree, both felonies. Gray was also charged with intimidating
a victim or witness in the third degree, also a felony.
Old Time Days
At the 10th annual “Turn of the Century Days”
in Roxbury, there's always something new coming to 1898.
This Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-6, a gala fireworks display
on Saturday evening will cap a full day of old-fashioned
base ball, mountain music, period fashion, children's
pastimes, history and architecture, horse drawn carriage
rides, beer garden and all the authentic country victuals
you can eat.
All Labor Day weekend, the Harry M. Keator vintage base
ball games will be afoot in Kirkside Park with the hometown
Roxbury Nine hosting the Mountain Athletic Club of Fleischmanns
and the Bovina Dairymen, and from the gritty city, the
Brooklyn Atlantics. Games start at 10 a.m. on Saturday,
Sept. 5 and at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
All weekend, you'll be serenaded by roving minstrels and
Roxbury Brass marches. The Children’s Tent will
be humming with hand crafts, old-fashioned activities
and toys like hoops and stilts. At the popular Teddy Bear
Tea on Saturday afternoon at the original Gould children's
playhouse, girls and boys can bring their teddies and
dolls on a high society date. There will even be demonstrations
of how to make Victorian woven-hair jewelry!
On Sunday afternoon, there will be a Fashion Parade of
19th century dress, from haute couture to work-a-day wear.
The decade-long Labor Day “Turn of the Century”
festivities helped Roxbury earn the prestigious “Preserve
America” designation by the White House in 2005,
for its ongoing commitment to preserving and revitalizing
its historic heritage and for bringing "all the agreeable
pursuits of 1898" to life with painstaking authenticity.
Call 607-326-3722 for more information.
Eat Smart!
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s
Eat Smart New York Program is pleased to announce a new
program “Healthy Nutrition Habits”, a free
six part series will run continuously every Monday, from
1:00pm to 2:00pm. Sessions will take place at the CCEUC
Extension Education Center located at 10 Westbrook Lane
in Kingston.
This program is open to all food stamp participants and
low to moderate income families and individuals residing
in Ulster County. Sessions will include various topics
including food budgeting, serving sizes, learning about
food groups, eating healthier by making better food choices,
food safety and more! Participants will gain valuable
kitchen skills through hands-on food demonstrations with
CCEUC Nutrition Program Educator, Danielle J. Garris.
One on one session’s in the home can be arranged
for those without transportation.
All participants who complete six sessions of the program
will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Cornell
Cooperative Extension Ulster County’s Eat Smart
New York Program.
For more information or to attend please call Barbara
Grumberg at 340-3990.
Boomers Bust
There aren’t just fewer jobs in a recession. There
are fewer babies, too. U.S. births fell in 2008, the first
full year of the recession, marking the first annual decline
in births since the start of the decade and ending an
American baby boomlet.
The downturn in the economy best explains the drop in
maternity, some experts believe. The Great Depression
and subsequent recessions all were accompanied by a decline
in births. And the numbers have never rebounded until
the economy pulled out of it, according to historians.
It’s not clear that it’s the only explanation,
however. Another expert noted a recent decline in immigration
to the U.S. may also be a factor.
The nation recorded about 4,247,000 births last year,
down about 68,000 from 2007, according to a new report
from the National Center for Health Statistics.
This recession began in December 2007, and since then
the economy has lost almost 7 million jobs. Housing foreclosures
worsened in 2007 too, and fell into a state of crisis
in 2008.
The largest decline in births were in California and Florida,
two states hit hardest by the housing crisis.
Of course, 2007 was also a year in which more babies were
born in the United States than any other year in the nation’s
history. In the past, a fluctuation of births by 1 or
2 percent would not be seen as very significant, especially
from such an unusual year.
Climate Change
The cost of tackling climate change will be paid for by
benefits that would come from better energy security,
employment and health, Rajendra Pachauri, the head of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is saying.
Measures needed to tackle global warming could save economies
more money than they cost.
Until now, estimates of the price of preventing dangerous
climate change have all indicated significant costs. The
most authoritative study, the 2006 Stern report, concluded
that 1% of global GDP would be required, and he has since
said 2% is now more likely.
Funding for reducing and adapting to climate change is
one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations towards
a global deal at a UN summit in December in Copenhagen.
But Pachauri argues that if the costs are negative, then
“inertia and vested interests would be washed away.
As the Americans say, it would be like dollar bills lying
on the sidewalk.”
The associated benefits Pachauri pointed to include better
energy security, protecting consumers from oil price spikes,
new employment in green industries, more productive agriculture
and lower air pollution, and cutting health costs. He
said one good example was insulating draughty homes and
installing better energy control systems. “This
can yield very high rates of returns, with pay back in
one year.”
Meanwhile, photos from US spy satellites declassified
by the Obama White House provide the first graphic images
of how the polar ice sheets are retreating in the summer.
The effects on the world’s weather, environments
and wildlife could be devastating.
The pictures, kept secret by Washington during the presidency
of George W Bush, were declassified by the White House
this month. President Barack Obama is currently trying
to galvanize Congress and the American public to take
action to halt catastrophic climate change caused by rising
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
One particularly striking set of images - selected from
the 1,000 photographs released - includes views of the
Alaskan port of Barrow. One, taken in July 2006, shows
sea ice still nestling close to the shore. A second image
shows that by the following July the coastal waters were
entirely ice-free.
Disappearing summer sea ice poses considerable dangers,
scientists have warned. Ice shelves are used by animals
such as polar bears as platforms for hunting seals and
other sea creatures. Without them, they could starve.
In addition, ice reflects solar radiation. Without that
process, the Arctic sea could warm up even more. The phenomenon
threatens to set off runaway heating of the planet, say
climatologists.
The latest revelations have triggered warnings from scientists
that they no longer have the funds to keep a comprehensive
track of climate change. Last week the head of the US’s
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Professor Jane Lubchenco, warned that the gathering of
satellite data - crucial to predicting future climate
changes - was now at “great risk” because
America’s ageing satellite fleet was not being replaced.
The NOAA is under additional pressure to provide environmental
data because of the re-emergence of the El Niño
climate phenomenon, where warming of the tropical Pacific
causes heatwaves, droughts and flooding around the world.
June’s land and sea surface temperatures were the
second hottest on record, and scientists are predicting
this will be the warmest decade in recorded history. The
last major El Niño was in 1998, the hottest year
in recorded history.
Help The River
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance is accepting nominations
for the 2009 Watershed Stewardship Award, seeking individuals,
organizations, or government officials that exemplify
leadership through successful local watershed protection,
management and restoration of the Hudson River watershed.
The purpose of this award is to recognize the efforts
of local partners that contribute to the protection, conservation
and restoration of the water resources of the Hudson River
basin. The award will be presented at the State of the
Hudson River Watershed Conference, scheduled for September
29-30, at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Museum
and Library.
Nomination forms can be found online at http://www.hudsonwatershed.org
. Nominations submitted for last year’s award should
be re-submitted for the 2009 Watershed Steward Award.
For questions, call 486-1556.
Also, in response to the Quadricentennial Commission’s
call for a continuing dialogue to advance a vision for
the future of the Hudson Valley in the next 100 years,
the Hudson River Watershed Alliance is sponsoring an online
forum called OurHudson.org.
Talk about getting involved easily…
.
