Explaining the unexplainable

I found a ring two nights ago in the First Avenue subway station on my way home. It was the middle of the night and the station was deserted. The ring lay on the dirty concrete, catching the reflection of the dim flickering lights. I picked it up and looked around for the owner, there was no one in sight. I slipped it into my pocket and sat down.

I have a tendency to create stories in my mind to explain the unexplainable. Waiting for the train my mind started to spin the tale of the ring. Perhaps this ring was important, perhaps it meant the world to someone...

...Margaret gave John her ring before she left for Thanksgiving. She was from Seattle and was going home for five whole days. They stood in his cramped East Village apartment and wondered how they would handle the separation.

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“Better Models for Development” scores a hit

On November 30, 70 people, many of them local municipal officials, county and state officials, business people and concerned residents attended a forum that featured the research and findings of Ed McMahon of the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC.

For five hours—interrupted by a buffet dinner—McMahon kept the audience fascinated by his knowledge and his presentation about best models for development that are working in communities in Pennsylvania and other states.

Mixing incisive comments with graphic slides and his brand of wry humor, McMahon showed what a community could do to preserve its beauty, its main assets and its history while it develops and grows.

Following are comments by people who attended:

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First love

Josh Setren has a soul for music

MONTICELLO, NY—It is commonly thought that a person may find solace within the confines of a church; no one said anything about discovering a tenor in love with his craft.

But that is what you find when you meet Josh Setren. Setren has participated in the Sullivan County Community Chorus at the Presbyterian Church of Monticello for the past three years. The chorus performs several times a year under the direction of David Trombley, choral director of Ellenville High School.

For an 18 year old, Setren has a lot on his plate.

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