Caruso gets life without parole

MONTICELLO — Standing before Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda on May 6, Ronald Caruso was sentenced to life imprisonment without hope of parole for the August, 2001 murder of his step-uncle Gary Kays of Hortonville.

The 19-year-old Callicoon man still faces murder charges in upstate Essex County related to the shooting death of a Canadian man at a Northway rest area, while Caruso was fleeing the Kays shooting.

Many of Kays’ family and friends were on hand for the Monday sentencing, at which Caruso chose not to speak.

Narrowsburg Lumber gets
protection and more financing

NARROWSBURG — Narrowsburg Lumber has officially received protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The company has retained KMR Management, Inc. as interim manager/consultant who will serve the company in the conduct of the Chapter 11 proceedings. KMR also announced that General Electric Capital Corporation has agreed to finance the company with post-petition financing.

The financing will give the company the ability to conduct business in the ordinary course and satisfy its customers. “We have every reason to look forward to the revitalization of the company,” said Wendell Barnes, President of Narrowsburg Lumber.

Goldstein will seek
Pomeroy’s legislative seat

MONTICELLO — Sullivan County Republicans are taking their best shot at picking up the district 3 county legislative seat being vacated by Rusty Pomeroy.

Republican Party County chairman Greg Goldstein in a letter earlier this month to Pomeroy announced that he would be a fall candidate for the position, and that he was seeking the Legislature’s consideration for the interim appointment.

An interim appointment is unlikely with the Democratic majority replacing a Democratic seat.But Democrats apparently have not sorted out their options for the seat either as Pomeroy admitted last Thursday that he has no current applications

Old and new farmers markets
to open soon

LIBERTY — Joe Walsh of Cornell Cooperative Extension announced two new farmers markets that will open this season along with the two existing markets.

The new ones are: the Roscoe Market, opening Sunday, June 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. located on Highland Avenue, and the Wurtsboro Market, opening Thursday, June 6 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. located at the fire house parking lot.

The other established markets are: Liberty market opening Friday, May 17 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Darbee Lane, and the Callicoon Market, opening Sunday May 19, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Dorrer Lane.

NY recoups record $ in assistance payments from lottery winners

ALBANY — State officials announced May 7 that they had recouped a record $3.6 million in outstanding child support payments and public assistance repayments from lottery winners during the state’s 2001- 2002 fiscal year that ended March 31.

“We want the children to be winners, not the deadbeats,” Governor George Pataki said. “Our message to deadbeats is that we’ll take aggressive steps that include taking your driver’s license, your personal assets or your lottery winnings to make sure you live up to your responsibilities.”

In Fiscal Year 2001, there were 789 intercepts for child support totaling $553,782, and 3,760 intercepts for public assistance totaling $3.1 million. Child support collections in New York State topped $1.2 billion in 2001, a 109 percent increase over collections in 1994 and the seventh consecutive year of record collections during the Pataki administration.

Two anglers rescued after
they capsize in Shohola Lake

SHOHOLA FALLS — Two Dallas-area anglers came up lucky after their boat capsized in Shohola Lake last month.

Three Pennsylvania Game Commission maintenance workers happened to be on hand at the remote lake, making preparations for the waterfowl nesting season.

According to the game commission, employees Lenny Boyer, Chuck Campfield and Joe Loughney rescued the unidentified men who had been in the 50-degree lake water for about 20 minutes.

The boat’s anchor had become fouled in the April 10 incident and the men were otherwise unable to get closer to shore. “There wasn’t another soul on the lake and I don’t know how much longer they could have lasted out there,” Boyer said.