Cohen named vice-chair
of state gaming panel

ALBANY, NY — Sullivan’s County Attorney Ira J. Cohen has been named vice-chair of the Native American Affairs Committee for the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).

Cohen, who has been a member of the committee since its inception in 1999 will serve with Madison County Board of Supervisors chair, Rocco J. DiVeronica, who was appointed chair of the committee. DiVeronica is also a member of the NYSAC Board of Directors.

The mission of the Native American Affairs Committee is to foster improved intergovernmental relations between Native American nations and county governments. According to NYSAC, nearly 20 counties across the state are confronting issues of land claims, Indian gaming, tax collection on tribal sales to non-Indians and legal and environmental issues.

Cohen has served as county attorney since the inception of the county legislature in 1996.

Missing New Jersey boater is recovered

WESTFALL, PA — After a week-long weather-hindered search, divers on June 10 recovered the body of a 17-year-old Union, NJ youth who drowned on June 2 during an afternoon high school outing on the rain-swollen Delaware River.

According to the National Park Service on the Upper Delaware, the body of Obinna Okoro was spotted in the water by passing canoeists near the Delaware Valley Middle School. The location is some four miles south of Butler’s Rift in Mongaup where a commercial raft had capsized, spilling Okoro and three others into the water. The others were not injured.

Westfall and Matamoras fire department divers, who were already out searching for Okoro, quickly recovered the body at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Pike County Coroner Kevin Stroyhan said that Okoro’s body would be transported to Allentown for a Wednesday autopsy.

According to reports during the week, Okoro’s father was concerned about the trip’s safety and refused to sign a permission slip.

Barryville car wash planned

ELDRED, NY — The Town of Highland Planning Board has scheduled a July public hearing to consider a proposed self-service car wash in Barryville.

Property owner, Alan Hochhauser, on June 4 told planners that the three-bay structure, similar to one near Peck’s Market in Narrowsburg, would be placed on a 14,000 square-foot corner lot off County Road 21, adjoining Mail Road and the Barryville Post Office, which Hochhauser also owns.

The car wash would use re-circulated water from a self-contained system on the lot; no wastewater would be created, he said.

Access to the car wash would be from the county road. The hearing is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on July 9, the night of the board’s rescheduled July meeting.

Crandall makes it official

NARROWSBURG, NY —Tusten Supervisor Richard Crandall went on the record last week announcing that he will not seek a fourth term in the office this November.

After his retirement from the state police, Crandall put in 13 years with Tusten, seven as town justice and six as supervisor.

With his wife’s recent retirement from the Postal Service, he’s now looking forward to taking some time off and traveling.

One candidate ready to run for the open slot is recently retired state trooper Ben Johnson. Johnson spent most of his 20 years with the New York State Police at the Narrowsburg satellite office and is now the parts manager at Narrowsburg Motors.

Water Gap drowning victim sought

BUSHKILL, PA — Rangers at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are trying to recover the body of a 19-year-old man who drowned in the Raymondskill Creek on the afternoon of June 5.

Ralph Magliani of New City, NY was swimming above the 40-foot high waterfall at a closed recreation site, when he was apparently caught in the current of the rain swollen creek and swept over the falls.

The current has also stymied divers, and search dogs have yet to confirm the location of Magliani’s body.

Libraries hit by budget cut

HONESDALE, PA — If a proposed 50 percent cut in state library funding stands up to an ongoing challenge in the state House of Representatives, Wayne County libraries are going to lose about $153,000. That is a 20 percent budget shortfall for the nine-member county library authority.

Wayne County librarians last week joined about 600 representatives of other libraries statewide in a Harrisburg demonstration to get the money restored.

Wayne County provides $188,000 annually for the authority, and officials say that community fundraising cannot be expected to make up the loss in state money.

REAP has run out of payroll

MONTICELLO, NY — The Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) program has some $200,000 in federal money to distribute to worthwhile projects, but as of July 1, REAP will not have any payroll money to pay for the program’s administration.

Coordinator Lori Rubenstein-Fleck said the four-year-old US Department of Agriculture program was supposed to have become self-sustaining by now, but has not. Rubenstein-Fleck said she planned to continue serving without pay for the immediate future and hoped that grant funding could be found. About $50,000 is needed to fund the full-time position, she said.

Representative Maurice Hinchey developed and won funding for the pilot economic assistance program for Sullivan County and the Ulster County Town of Wawarsing in 1999.