September 2012
Hawley zombie attacker faces charges
A man who, according to a police report, “gnawed” on a woman’s head while naked and covered with blood, was released from a Scranton hospital on September 16, and charged with various crimes including assault and indecent exposure. He was being held on $100,000 bail as of the next day. Read more
Email this pagePA voter ID law punted back to lower court
HARRISBURG, PA — In a four-to-two decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on September 17 threw the case against the Voter ID law back to the lower court, and told the judge, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson, that in order for the law, which is also known as Act 18, to be implemented, the court must make a couple of determinations. Read more
Gas well fees to be distributed in block grants
PENNSYLVANIA — Block grant distribution of the funds from Pennsylvania’s gas well fees will be implemented by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission around December 1 to county conservation districts, according to Peter Tarby of the Department of Environmental Protection Water Management Program. Read more
New speed zones in Port
The Port Jervis Police Department and Port Jervis School District have implemented a new 20 mph school zone near the entrance to the schools located on Route 209, to help provide safer routes for children who walk to school.
The new school speed zone consists entirely of lower Hamilton Street from the city line, located at Cold Brook (entrance to high school property) at the base of Hamilton Street, to the traffic signal located on Hamilton Street at the Kingston Avenue intersection. Read more
School lunch nutrition to improve
New national lunch standards this year require schools to offer fruits and vegetables every school day, only fat-free and low-fat milk options, and more whole grains. Calorie limits for students will also be set based on grade level. Read more
PCCD questions new permit process; haste, prioritization and politics at issue
A new Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permit review process and the draft policy for implementing it met with criticism at the September 17 board of directors meeting of the Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) in Blooming Grove. Specific concerns were cited about the hasty process involved and the potential for “politicizing” the prioritization of permits. Read more
New face for a county landmark; The Sullivan debuts as boutique hotel in Rock Hill
Some of the top political and business leaders in the county turned out for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Sullivan, a facility that was purchased and renovated by developer Butch Resnick and is billed as the county’s only “boutique hotel.” Read more
Sullilvan legislature passes tax cap override; sustainable energy project in doubt
The Sullivan County Legislature voted on September 20 to approve an override of the 2% property tax increase imposed by Albany. The vote was six to three, a supermajority of the legislature, which is necessary for the override to go forward. Read more
Opponents to gas line hold another demonstration; emergency meeting cancelled
Opponents to the 6.1-mile loop pipeline around Milford, which is being pursued by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) Company to deliver Marcellus gas to markets in New York and New Jersey, held a demonstration on Saturday, September 15. The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations by residents and friends of the Cummins Hill Road community, where the pipe line will cut through the area. Read more
Echoes of 9/11 in Highland
The events of September 11, 2001 echoed in the Town of Highland Town Hall in two disparate ways at its September meeting, which this year fell on that date’s exact 11th anniversary. On a positive note was a discussion of the Heroes Park, a public space centered around a mounted fragment of the World Trade Center dedicated to all veterans and public safety providers. A more dubious legacy was some controversy regarding the maintenance and upgrading of emergency communications equipment around the county, generated by a national Homeland Security Department that may not be sufficiently sensitive to real local needs. Read more
