Hospital auxiliary donates tractor

CALLICOON, NY — Members of the Grover Hermann Hospital Auxiliary pose around a $12,500 New Holland tractor, which they donated to the hospital because the old one was falling apart. “The hospital is in fairly good shape with regard to medical equipment just now, but they said they really needed the tractor for snow plowing, grass cutting and other essential functions,” said Dorothy Schlegel, president of the auxiliary.

Seated in the driver’s seat is 100-year-old Marie Zalesky, a longtime member of the auxiliary. The new CEO of the Catskill Regional Hospital, Steven Ruwoldt, stands behind her.

Hunter shot in face in Tusten

NARROWSBURG, NY — New York State Police arrested a Long Island man on charges of reckless endangerment after investigating a shooting in the Town of Tusten.

Officers said Philip Simone, 74, was hunting off Stump Pond Road in Narrowsburg on November 12, when another Long Island man, Mitchell Amerbach, approached Simone’s tree stand. A statement from the police said, “Amerbach was mistaken for a turkey and shot by Simone using his 16 gauge shotgun.” One of the pellets from the gun lodged in the left side of Amerbach’s face.

The injured man was taken to Grover Hermann Hospital division of Catskill Regional Medical Center in Callicoon, where he was treated and released. Simone was processed at the Narrowsburg State Police facility, and issued an appearance ticket for a misdemeanor charge of second-degree reckless endangerment.

Consumers can monitor electricity use

REGION — PPL Electric Utilities in Pennsylvania now tracks daily electricity use information for all of its customers and displays it on line at www.pplelectric.com. The information is made possible by advanced meters installed by the company in recent years. Customers may access the tool by clicking on the green “e” in the bottom right-hand corner of the home page.

“With daily usage information, you can see the difference a day of laundry or baking for the holidays makes on your electric bill,” said David G. DeCampli, president of PPL Electric Utilities. “You can experiment with changes, like adjusting your thermostat, to see the effect on usage within days.”

Although electricity customers on the New York side of the river do not yet have this option, NYSEG hopes to get approval from the New York State Public Service Commission to deploy similar advanced meters in December. They aim to test the system in mid-2008 and start installing it late next year. Once the meters are in place, New York electricity consumers should have similar information available to them as that now being provided by PPL.

Public comment on Concord Brownfield being accepted

TOWN OF THOMPSON, NY — The public is invited to submit comments on the clean-up plan for the Brownfield site located on the lands of the Concord Hotel and Resort in the Town of Thompson. Concord Associates, the company that plans to open a hotel and townhouses at the site, has submitted a remedial investigation work plan to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Department of Health, which is now being reviewed by the agencies.

The site was accepted into the state’s Brownfield cleanup program in May 2005. A Brownfield is any real estate that is difficult to reuse or redevelop because of the presence or potential presence of contamination or hazardous waste.

The DEC is accepting written public comments regarding the work plan from November 12, 2007 through December 12, 2007. Comments should be sent to Ms. Michelle Tipple, Project Manager, NYSDEC Region 3, Division of Environmental Remediation, 21 South Putt Corners Rd, New Paltz, NY 12561.

Visit www.dec.ny.gov for more information.

Empire Resorts losing money

MONTICELLO, NY — Empire Resorts’ net revenue for the third quarter was $22.5 million, down 22 percent from the third quarter of 2006. Revenue from racing declined by approximately $2.1 million, or 49 percent, while revenue from the company’s video gaming machine (VGM) business declined by approximately $3.9 million, or 17 percent. According to the company, the decline in VGM revenue is primarily due to increased competition from new VGM facilities in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

However, CEO and president David Hanlon said, “Our Monticello operations are starting to show some positive results from expanded marketing initiatives.” He also said the company is pleased that the St. Regis Mohawks have filed suit to compel the Department of the Interior to make a decision about the tribe’s land-into-trust application that will allow Empire to open a full-scale casino.

Published comments from senior vice president Charlie Degliomini, however, indicated that the company might take measures to cut losses that could include layoffs and shortening the racing season at the racetrack.

Alfalfa disease found in NY, PA

NORTHEAST — A disease that leaves alfalfa plants with brown lesions has been found in fields in Pennsylvanis, New York and three other states in the Northeast, according to a report issued by researchers at Cornell University and published in the October issue of Plant Disease.

The report said the fungus that causes a condition called “brown root rot” was detected in eight out of 10 fields that were tested in New York, and is thought to be widespread throughout the Northeast.

It’s not clear how serious the problem is. Some researchers said the disease might shorten the life of alfalfa stands and other infected plants, but it’s not considered an epidemic.

Some scientists suspect that the fungus has existed for years, but has escaped detection until recently.

Peter Gregg, a spokesman for the New York Farm Bureau, said last year his agency convinced New York lawmakers to spend $300,000 to study the disease, which he said can also infect Christmas Trees and vegetables.