Kidney transplant seems successful

NEW YORK, NY – Sue Muller of Lava, NY has survived an operation in which a kidney was transplanted from the body of her husband, Ted.

Speaking on a cell phone at Mount Sinai Hospital on Tuesday, July 19, Angela Daley, Sue’s sister, conveyed the good news.

Ted’s surgery finished at 3:00 p.m., and he left the operating room at 6:00, Daley said. He will be confined to the hospital for a few days. Sue will be held for a week.

“We haven’t seen Sue, but we’ve heard so far so good,” Daley said.

Sue, 42,has had diabetes since she was a teenager. She lived with it all her life, more or less well. But last year her doctors said she should put her name in for a donor.

To everyone’s surprise her husband, Ted, was a direct match in blood type—an unusual circumstance for a husband and wife who have had children together.

Vote on veterans’ exemption proposal postponed

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Several veterans were present at the July 14 Cochecton Town Board meeting to question the board’s decision in June to table a proposed increase in tax exemptions available to veterans.

Supervisor Salvatore Indelicato said a vote on the proposal would take place at the board’s January 2006 meeting, when all 2006 budget figures are confirmed and the impact on local taxpayers can be assessed. Indelicato said the board could wait until March 1, 2006 to make the final decision. If the board approves the increase, it would take effect in January 2007.

In other business, Cochecton resident Ed Grund read a letter from resident Ralph Calkin, stating that Corduroy Road, which borders Cochecton Estates, was designated as a recreational trail for public use by the town board in the late 1980s. The letter stated that a landowner had placed a gate across the road, preventing access. Indelicato reported that he and Town Clerk Hollye Schulman searched records and found nothing in the records or minutes to indicate that the road had been designated. The search did indicate, however, that in May of 1977, the town legally abandoned the road.

Also, Tom Shepstone spoke about proposed zoning changes for Route 17B in Fosterdale and Lake Huntington. The proposed changes will be discussed at next month’s board meeting, which is scheduled for August 10.

Finally, Robert C. White was awarded a posthumous Proclamation of Appreciation, commending White’s 45-plus years of community service in the Town of Cochecton. The proclamation was presented to White’s widow, Mary Ann White.

Paulene Johnson

Unknown Soldier to be honored at Lackawaxen

LACKAWAXEN, PA — The Ecker Haupt and Mountain Laurel posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Pike County Commissioners and the Lackawaxen Township Supervisors will sponsor a graveside ceremony honoring the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War on Friday, July 22 at 4:00 p.m.

The Unknown Soldier, who lies in a grave recognized by the U.S. government as that of an Unknown, died in the Minisink Battle on July 22, 1779. After a raid on what is now Port Jervis, NY, the American militia mobilized from as far away as Goshen, and followed the enemy up along the Delaware River. They finally met on a hill opposite Lackawaxen, where a three-hour battle took place with tragic consequences for the militia.

Because of the rough country and lack of roads in the era, the bodies of the dead remained on the battlefield for 40 years. Even then, not all were recovered. In 1847, the body of a soldier, identified as a militiaman by the remains of his uniform, was discovered under a rock ledge. He was brought to Lackawaxen, then a major railroad and canal center, and buried there on the bank of the Delaware. His grave, a Pike County Historic Site, is under the care of the above-mentioned VFW posts.

Court rules motocross track illegal

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — The Sullivan County Supreme Court has ruled that the motocross track constructed on a rural-zone property in the Town of Callicoon was illegal. The decision turned on the question whether the track, built in 2004 by Jeffrey and Michelle Rossier on their property on East Hill Road, ought to be considered a part of a “customary” recreational use of a type that goes along with an ordinary residence. The court ruled that the fact that the defendants brought in professional help and earthmoving machinery to construct the course took it out of that category. Ron Litchman, a neighbor and co-counsel for the plaintiffs, said, “The rule is that one can use their property as they wish—so long as they don’t harm their neighbors. In this case, as the court declared, this dirt bike track crossed the line.”

The Rossiers had sold the property before the court made its ruling.

Hotline set up for information on sex offenders

GLEN SPEY, NY — The Eldred Central School District and the Town of Lumberland are setting up procedures to handle the dissemination of information on level 3 sex offenders. As part of these procedures, a hotline to be used for non-emergency purposes has been set up to take information from callers who have seen known sex offenders or suspicious individuals around the school area or in any other area where children gather. The hotline number is 866/395-TOWN (8696). If no operator is available to take the call, information will be left in a mailbox and informant will be called back within a day. An informational packet on sex offenders is also available at the Town of Lumberland Town Hall.

For more information call 845/856-4777.