A good report card for Fallsburg

FALLSBURG, NY — The New York State Education Department has removed Fallsburg Junior High School from its list of Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI) on the latest New York State School Report Card released on March 17. Dr. Ivan Katz informed the Board of Education and the staff of the district as soon as official word came out. He acknowledged the strong support and effort generated by the entire staff, the students, and the parents, saying, “This is a collaborative effort of many, many people.”

Katz thanked staff and the professional learning teams established two years ago for spearheading continuing annual academic progress in all schools in the district.

While there is cause to celebrate for being removed from the School In Need of Improvement status, Katz indicated that there is a lot of work yet to be done to address Fallsburg’s low graduation rates and performance of students classed as “Limited English Proficient” on state assessments.

Designer of Woodstock Monument dies

MIDDLETOWN, NY — Wayne “Woodstock” Saward, who designed and built the Woodstock Monument on display at the sight of the Woodstock Festival in Bethel, NY, died on Monday, March 23, 2009, at ORMC Horton Campus following a long illness. He was 52.

Saward had been a resident of Bloomingburg for most of his life and was a graduate of Pine Bush High School. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a welder and later as a supervisor for the NYS Thruway Authority on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

A memorial service to celebrate Saward’s life was held on Saturday, March 28, at 2:00 p.m. at Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home in Middletown. Cremation will be private.

Bonacic Twitters

NEW YORK STATE — State Senator John J. Bonacic (42nd State Senate District) has launched a Twitter.com website where constituents and others can be updated on the Senator’s legislation, meetings, and perspective on New York State and other matters.

Twitter is a messaging system that allows people to provide real-time updates about issues they are working on or their observations on issues of the day.

“Twitter is a great way to instantly share and receive thoughts on what is happening in our community. The internet revolution is still taking shape, and Twitter is one way we can stay connected,” Senator Bonacic said.

There are two ways to follow comments made by someone on Twitter. The easiest is to go to www.twitter.com/johnbonacic for Twitter updates sent out by the senator. Those who have their own Twitter home pages can sign up as “followers” of other participants, meaning that whenever the person being followed sends out a new message it automatically appears on the follower’s Twitter home page.

Hinchey bill would cap loan rates

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has introduced legislation, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, that would cap interest rates on credit cards and all other loans at 15 percent. U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) authored the bill and are sponsoring it in the Senate.

The Federal Reserve could allow higher interest rates, but only under special circumstances when it determines that the 15 percent cap would threaten the safety and soundness of lenders and if money market interest rates have risen over the prior six months.

These are the same rules that currently apply to credit unions, which have been forbidden from charging usurious interest rates on credit cards and other loans to their members for nearly 30 years. Credit unions have been able to stay afloat throughout the credit crisis and have not received one dime of taxpayer assistance.

Legislature opposes grocery wine sales

MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature has voted unanimously to formally oppose the sale of wine in grocery, convenience and drug stores, as proposed by New York State Governor David A. Paterson.

While acknowledging the state’s tough financial situation, the legislature finds the impact on the local economy unacceptable. Legislature Chairman Jonathan F. Rouis said, “It is obvious that this change would decrease the volume of sales made in our locally owned businesses and would increase sales for larger, corporate-owned grocery, convenience and drug stores. This loss of sales and revenue would detrimentally impact our locally owned businesses and the county as a whole, because the corporate-owned stores send their profits to other counties and states where the corporate headquarters are located.”

Raw milk for sale

YOUNGSVILLE, NY — Dairy farmer Richard Dirie and his wife Mary Ann, owners of a farm on Shandalee Road in Youngsville, have obtained a license to sell raw milk, milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reservations about the safety of raw milk, which is why a special license is required. The state tests the licensed raw milk once a month to ensure that it doesn’t contain any harmful pathogens.

Raw milk devotees prefer the taste to processed milk, and say raw milk is more nutritious because the heating involved in the pasteurization process also neutralizes some nutrients.

Dirie said he already has a few steady customers who stop by regularly to buy the milk, which is the only way they can get it. The license does not allow sales through grocery stores or restaurants.

Currently there are 30 states in the United States that allow the sale of raw milk. In most of those states, it must be bought directly from farmers.