Toddler killed in hunting accident by stray bullet in Bethel

SWAN LAKE, NY — A 16-month-old baby was killed after being struck by a hunter’s bullet in Swan Lake.

New York State Police say 45-year-old Edward Taibi was hunting from a tree stand on the afternoon of November 16 about 400 feet away from a trailer in which the child, Charly Skala, was standing. The trailer, located on Horseshoe Lake Road, belongs to Skala’s grandparents. Skala’s parents were in the trailer at the time.

At about 4:00 p.m., Tiabi fired his .30 caliber high-powered rifle and struck a deer, but the second shot pierced the skin of the trailer and struck Skala in the upper torso. She was driven to Catskill Regional Medical Center and from there flown to Westchester Medical Center, where she later died of her wounds.

According to state police Lt. Pierce Gallagher, Taibi was a friend of the man who owns the property next to the trailer and had hunted on the land before. Police also said that Tiabi was extremely remorseful.

The charge against Taibi involves reckless endangerment, but there might also be an additional infraction because of his distance from the trailer when the rifle was fired. State law prohibits firing a gun within 500 feet of a residence without permission from the owner.

It is also against the law to hunt over bait, which Taibi was doing; he was reportedly using salt licks and corn.

Sullivan legislature to consider high-powered rifle ban

MONTICELLO, NY — In the wake of a hunting accident in Swan Lake in which a toddler was accidentally shot by a hunter (see above), the Sullivan County Legislature will consider the possibility of a ban on high-powered hunting rifles, according to Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Rouis.

Rouis said in light of the county’s history of being a sportman’s haven, legislators should carefully examine the arguments on both sides of a ban.

If the county legislature should decide in favor of such a ban it would not be implemented unless the state legislature were to approve it, however.

Some other counties in the state have banned some hunting firearms. In Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland counties, hunting with guns is limited to firearms with shorter ranges than regular rifles, shotguns and muzzle-loading rifles.

In Westchester County, hunting with firearms is completely prohibited.

Lumberland adopts budget

GLEN SPEY, NY — The Lumberland Town Board adopted its 2009 budget on November 12, with an increase of less than $700 to the budget.

Supervisor John LiGreci recognized the board for its dedication to the challenge of keeping increases to a minimum.

“The new budget will have zero impact, percentage-wise, to the town,” said LiGreci.

Enrollment at SCCC highest since 2005

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) has announced that its total enrollment for fall 2008, 1,684 students, represents an increase of 4.5 percent over the previous year, making it the highest enrollment numbers the college has seen in the past three years.

SCCC experienced a 9.2 percent increase in full-time students, going from 967 in fall 2007 to 1,056 this year. In addition, Sullivan County residents continue to account for two-thirds of the student population. In particular, there was a 25 percent increase in the number of new, full-time freshmen from Sullivan County attending SCCC this fall.

The college launched a Green Building Maintenance and Management (GBMM) program this fall. There are 24 students enrolled in the two introductory GBMM classes being offered this semester, with 16 of those students having declared that program as their major.

Farmers: cuts unfairly target agriculture

ALBANY, NY — The New York Farm Bureau has criticized the proposed budget cuts by Governor Paterson, saying they disproportionately target agriculture compared to many other programs. The group expressed particular concern about cuts in the Environmental Protection Fund programs for agriculture, along with critical initiatives that support and increase farm profitability.

The governor is proposing to cut 33 percent, $5 million, out of a water quality program that helps protect lakes, rivers and streams from manure runoff, and 39 percent, $10 million, from the Farmland Protection Program, which helps preserve open space and working landscapes in high-pressure development areas. In contrast, the bureau pointed out that an inner city waterfront development program and a $3 million birthday party for the Hudson River saw no funding losses.

“We’re the biggest sector of the upstate economy. We cannot understand why agriculture has been targeted so disproportionately,” said John Lincoln, president of the New York Farm Bureau.

Port schools face privatized busing

PORT JERVIS, NY — Faced with prohibitive expenses for maintenance facilities it has been forced to rent in the wake of destructive floods in 2005, the Port Jervis School District plans to privatize its bus system by the end of 2010.

Damage suffered by the old bus facility in the 2005 flooding was so severe that New York State required the school district to move its operations. A proposal to purchase land for a new facility was defeated overwhelmingly in a vote taken in 2006, and as a result the district is currently renting maintenance bays at a cost of $96,000 per year.

Superintendent John Xanthis says that long-term leaves and absenteeism are also having a negative impact on bus service, leaving the bus system unable to cover six to 10 of its daily runs.

Forty-five union members, plus an estimated 35 other employees, are likely to be affected by the move. Many of the existing drivers may be able to get jobs with the private company that replaces the public service, but they are unlikely to have pay and benefits as good as the union jobs.