Camper hospitalized
after car-pedestrian accident

POND EDDY, NY — State police say a 26 year-old female camper was seriously injured last Friday morning when she was struck by a car while crossing Route 97 near the Lander’s Knights Eddy camp ground.

Trooper Tim Dowling said state police have not confirmed the identity of the Ridgewood, NY woman, who was said to be a Polish native.

The woman and a companion were attempting to cross Route 97 toward the river at about 10:30 a.m., when a southbound car approached. Her companion bolted for the other side of the road, but the victim retreated into the path of the vehicle, which had swerved into the northbound lane to avoid them. The woman was thrown into the sedan’s windshield, over the roof and also broke through the rear glass.

Dowling said she was subsequently transferred from Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis to the trauma unit of the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY, where she was said to be in stable condition, suffering from head, leg, arm and other internal injuries.

Police closed the highway for 90 minutes following the accident to conduct their investigation. Dowling said the accident was determined to be pedestrian initiated and the uninjured motorist was not ticketed.

Pataki administration
announces job-killing taxes

ALBANY, NY — Unable to repay federal loans taken to make unemployment insurance payments, the Pataki administration now has interest charges due on the loans and has told employers they will need to pay a retroactive .06 percent surcharge on 2001-02 wages paid in order to fund those interest charges.

Additionally, the state’s insurance commissioner is recommending an 11 percent increase in workmen’s compensation insurance rates, the first since 1996.

Government shares blame
for gambling addiction crimes

OTTAWA, CANADA — A Canadian judge has ruled that the government allowing legalized gambling is partially responsible for the fraud that a gambling addict committed to support his habit.

Ontario Court Justice Paul Belanger said governments that make money from gambling must accept some responsibility for the “monsters” they’ve created.

Ottawa resident Boyd Dulmage defrauded the Canadian Forces to support a gambling habit and the state prosecutor asked for 12 to 18 months’ jail time upon his conviction.

But the judge said he couldn’t jail a man who started committing crimes to support an addiction to something the government is selling.

Instead, Belanger gave Dulmage an 18-month conditional sentence to be served in the community, plus another three years’ probation. He was also ordered to pay back $91,300 he had defrauded.

Wayne jobless rate declines

HONESDALE, PA — Labor Department unemployment figures showed that joblessness in Wayne County fell for a third consecutive month in May, dropping to 5.2 percent, down a full percentage point from April.

However, the improvement still left the county’s jobless rate .5 percent higher than it was in May of 2002.

Neighboring counties did not fare as well. Unemployment was up slightly in Pike and Monroe counties, to 4.7 percent and 7.6 percent respectively.

The seasonally adjusted state unemployment rate stood at 5.8 percent in May compared to the nation’s 6.1 percent.

Iroquois mobilizing against Pataki’s
land for casino policy

ONEIDA, NY — The old Iroquois Confederation is stirring in opposition to Governor Pataki’s ongoing policy to trade compact agreements for casino gaming only to tribes willing to concede or compromise on outstanding land claims within the state.

According to an Oneida press release, native people from every Iroquois community in the Northeast will assemble on July 12, for the first time since 1948, to organize in opposition to the termination of their aboriginal land rights by New York State.

The statement claims that there has been increasing tension within every Iroquois community as the pro-casino faction has moved to compromise the native land claims for gambling compacts with Govenor George Pataki.

The result has been tension, turmoil and conflict among the Iroquois as the pro-gamblers, many of whom are convicted felons, have tried to undermine Iroquois laws and customs with the full knowledge and support of the Pataki administration.

The Iroquois maintain they have lawful rights to over 26,000,000 acres within New York State and the Oneidas have the largest claim.

Police seeking car that fled fatal
Tuesday accident

MONTICELLO, NY — Cops are trying to locate a car that may have pulled out onto Route 17B, cutting off another and causing a noontime, July 8 accident that killed one woman and critically injured the driver and another female passenger. The victims’ names were not released.

According to witnesses the car being sought is a white domestic-made sedan, possibly with Florida license tags, driven by a male. This car reportedly pulled out of the Monticello Farm Home and Garden Showroom causing a westbound sedan to swerve into the oncoming lane where it was struck by a truck.

Anyone who has information is asked to contact The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department at 845/794-7100.