Observant teen ends 30-hour ordeal for injured man in Fremont

FREMONT, NY — A man who was unable to get help after his car rolled down an embankment along Route 97 was rescued after his car was sighted and reported by a student riding the Sullivan West school bus.

Christopher Drake, who drives a specially equipped car due to paralysis, had gone off the road at about 11:00 a.m. on Thursday when he accidentally jerked the wheel of his car while reaching for something that had fallen from the passenger seat. His car came to a rest some 30 feet down an embankment, and could not be seen by passing motorists.

Although he was able to escape the car and pull himself to the top of the embankment with his arms, he slipped and fell down to the bottom again.

Police say Drake was too tired to try to pull himself to the top of the embankment again, so he took shelter in his car to try to protect himself from the cold.

On Friday, 14-year-old Thomas Conklin saw Drake’s car on his bus ride home and alerted his mother India Conklin, who called emergency workers after locating the car and Drake, still alive, at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Drake was taken to Albany Medical Center to be treated for exposure to the cold and internal bleeding.

Public sessions to be held on farmland protection

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — The Sullivan County Division of Planning, in conjunction with the towns of Bethel, Liberty, Callicoon and Delaware, is seeking public comment on their recently drafted Farmland Protection Plans, which were made possible through a grant from New York State Agriculture and Markets.

All town residents are invited to join in discussions of the plans at two upcoming public information sessions. The plans are currently in draft form, and members of the public, especially farmers and agri-businesses, are urged to give their input before the plans are finalized and adopted by the town boards.

At each session, Nan Stolzenburg, a consultant with Community Planning and Environmental Associates, will give a brief presentation on the plans, which advocate for a variety of economic, educational, governmental, regulatory, and other actions that the Towns can take to protect farms and farmland, and promote agriculture as a critical part of local life. Following this presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer their thoughts on the plans.

The towns of Bethel and Liberty will hold their session on Tuesday, November 17 at the Liberty Middle School Cafeteria at 7:30 p.m. The towns of Callicoon and Delaware will hold their session on Thursday, November 19 at the Town of Callicoon Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

Each Town’s plan is available for view at its town hall and main library, and all four plans are available at the Sullivan County Planning Division Office and online at co.sullivan.ny.us and planningbetterplaces.com.

31,968 acres of PA state forest offered for gas leasing

HARRISBURG, PA — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will open six tracts of state land, totaling approximately 31,968 acres, for a lease sale of subsurface oil and gas rights. The tracts are located in the Elk, Moshannon, Sproul, Susquehannock and Tioga state forests in Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Potter and Tioga counties. There are 2.1 million acres of state-owned forest land.

Acting Secretary John Quigley said DCNR chose the tracts of land after extensive environmental reviews to protect the health of the forest, to allow for gas and timber extraction and public recreation and to keep ecosystems intact that support a diversity of wildlife and plants. The tracts represent a little more than 1.5 percent of total state forest lands, according to Quigley.

Prospective bidders must provide proof of registration to DCNR to do business in Pennsylvania before 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. Pre-qualified bidders may submit sealed bids for leases on each of the six tracts to DCNR until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at which time the bids will be opened publicly. A list of bidders and the award decisions will be posted on the DCNR Web site within 24 hours.

The lease sale requires a minimum bid of $2,000 per acre and royalties of 18 percent. Revenues generated from the lease sale go to the Oil and Gas Lease Fund. The fiscal year 2009-10 budget requires DCNR to raise $60 million from a lease sale on state forest lands. Since 1947, the department has held 73 lease sales, the last of which was in 2008. Currently, about 660,000 acres of state forest are under lease for gas production, with about 750 wells in production.

Libraries become career centers

NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA — Through a partnership with Pike County public libraries, the Pike/Wayne Business Education Partnership, which is facilitated by Workforce Wayne, is setting up Community Career & Training Sites. Grand openings will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17 at the Milford branch, on Wednesday, November 18 at the Dingman Township branch and on Friday, November 20 at the Lackawaxen branch in Greeley.

At the sites, the public will find new computers, new electronic and print resources and a centralized location for all of the books that the libraries offer on careers, career testing, resumes, cover letters and occupational guidance. Starting the week of November 30, there will also be a workforce support person available to provide one-on-one assistance for those who need it.

Other resources available will include Career Cruising, which allows individuals to create a user account through careercruising.com and offers online career guidance; exploration of education and training options and career assessment tools; real-time online job interview practice; WinWay Resume Software and more.

For more information visit workforcewayne.org or call 570/253-5334.