Car crashes in Beach Lake

BEACH LAKE, PA — A woman lost control of her car along Route 652 on August 31, but walked away from the scene of the crash with assistance from passersby. The car came to rest among shrubbery after damaging a section of guardrail replaced earlier this year following a motor vehicle accident that occurred at the same location. Pennsylvania state police were not releasing information about the accident as of September 4.

High-speed chase leads police across county

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Police, Sullivan County sheriff’s deputies and state police engaged in a high-speed chase on Friday, August 31, pursuing a Woodbourne man who had been stopped by Liberty police for not dimming his high beams.

According to the Liberty police, the car, driven by Glynn Spencer, 50, was stopped on Mill Street at about 12:45 a.m. Spencer stepped on the gas and attempted to hit the officer who approached the car before taking off. He led the police on a chase through the Town of Bethel and into the Town of Tusten, reportedly exceeding 100 mph on County Route 115. Liberty village policemen stopped pursuing at Route 97, but Sullivan County sheriff’s deputies and state police who had been called in followed Spencer into Narrowsburg, where he was cornered at a cul-de-sac at the end of Oak Street.

Liberty police charged Spencer with felony reckless endangerment, five misdemeanors and 10 traffic infractions. State police charged him with misdemeanor criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, and the sheriff’s office issued traffic tickets.

Spencer is under parole supervision for a 2005 attempted robbery conviction. He was arraigned and sent to Sullivan County Jail without bail, pending an appearance Tuesday in Liberty Village Court.

FSA pressured to keep offices open

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and 15 U.S. House members from New York State have called on U.S. Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Teresa M. Lasseter to cease all office closure activities in New York. The House members were responding to a recently announced FSA plan to close eight of the state’s 43 county offices, including the one in Sullivan County.

The FSA is currently in the process of holding public hearings on its proposal to close county offices around the country. The closure plan was set forward by Congress two years ago. However, Hinchey and his New York colleagues noted to Lasseter that Congress is working on several pieces of legislation that would halt the closure process. In light of that pending legislation in Congress, the New York House members asked Lasseter to put the closure process on hold for the time being.

In addition, Congress learned about significant technological problems FSA employees have encountered in attempting to help farmers. FSA officials informed Congress that the agency’s 1980s-era mainframe computer is insufficient to handle the demands of 45,000 FSA computer workstations across the country. In their letter, the Congressmen noted that the technology problems would make it harder to assist farmers put out of reach of local offices by closures.

Forestburgh hit by series of burglaries

FORESTBURGH, NY — Three houses in Forestburgh were hit by burglaries in late August, including the house belonging to New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther. Items stolen include a laptop and a five-gallon jar of coins from Gunther’s house, another laptop and a plasma TV from the house of businessman Robert Berman, and an ATV, two VCRs, a black powder revolver and a .22-caliber rifle from another home in the area.

Police speculate that the burglaries may be related to daylight burglaries that occurred earlier in August in Mount Hope in Orange County. Police departments from Sullivan County and Mount Hope police are sharing information about the incidents.

The description of a suspect in the Mount Hope case is that of a man 18 to 25 years old with long, dark floppy hair and sideburns, in a small, late-model silver car, possibly a Nissan or Honda.

Ellenville to host Rally New York

ELLENVILLE, NY — Ellenville will host International Rally New York this year for the first time, from Thursday, September 6 through Saturday, September 8.

The official start will be on Canal Street on September 6, with the cars setting out on the morning of September 7. The day will feature special stages (races against the clock) on smooth, paved roads near Ellenville, Wawarsing and Monticello, all of which are new to this event.

On Saturday, rally competitors will tour the roads of Ulster and Sullivan Counties. The special stages will be on dirt and gravel roads near Narrowsburg and Wawarsing. The Narrowsburg sections are generally winding, one-lane roads, many of which have been re-graded in time for this event. Those in Wawarsing are winding, smooth-surfaced roads, and are being used in the rally for the first time.

A spectator point will be set up on Saturday on the grounds of the Ten Mile River Reservation in Narrowsburg.