Firehouse Chat on chief executive

BETHEL, NY — The Sullivan County Executive Research Committee invites the public to the White Lake Firehouse on Tuesday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. for a firehouse chat on the possibility of changing Sullivan County to a county executive form of government.

“We strongly urge the public to attend and participate in this forum,” said Sean Rieber, chair of the committee. “The comments from the public are imperative to the full research project being done, as it is the residents of Sullivan County who should ultimately decide who their leader will be.”

The meeting will begin with a brief presentation describing the research process, and then consist mainly of open discussion of the issue with members of the public.

For more information contact Sean Rieber at sean@rieberappraisal.com or at 845/794-1532.

Malhame Vestment to stay in Pike

MILFORD, PA — Malhame Vestment Company, which has been planning for some time to move from its facility on John Street in Milford to reduce costs, has made a decision to stay in Pike County. Its new location is on the border of Westfall and Milford townships, in a portion of the Luhrs Hardware building on Route 6/209.

Other locations considered were in New York and New Jersey. The decision to stay in Pike was facilitated by the Pike County Economic Development Agency (EDA), which sought out cost-saving opportunities with the staff of Westfall and Milford townships and local realtors and landlords. Costs will be lower at the new location, and the company will be able to retain its current workforce.

The company sews clergy garments, and has been in business since 1947. It was sold to Family of Brands in 1996.

Teen dies following ride at fair

HONESDALE, PA — An 18-year-old girl died after a ride on the free-fall ride at the Wayne County Fair on Saturday, August 14.

Nicole Phillips was a graduate of Western Wayne High School and a student at Lackawanna College. Eyewitnesses reported that she appeared to be motionless after the ride, with her head hanging limply. According to one observer, she was treated first by an off-duty EMT before official medical help got to her. Honesdale EMS director Sharon Gumpper said Nicole was treated at the fair before being life flighted to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, where she died after a few hours on life support equipment.

According to one fairgoer, Timothy Emick of Scranton, and to Nicole’s mother Laurie Sears Phillips, medical personnel had difficulty getting through to Nicole because of the crush of people on the ramp. Emick also felt that the situation would have been improved by more reliable wireless communication and has written a letter to the fair committee in which he proposes that cell phone service at the fair be ensured in the future.

Parts of PA under drought watch

PENNSYLVANIA — The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Pennsylvania Water Science Center has reported that the number of counties in drought watch condition doubled from 10 to 20 in the last two weeks. The criterion used is the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which uses temperature and rainfall information in a formula to determine dryness. One county, Carbon, is in drought emergency condition for groundwater sources as determined by the Palmer index. However, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency charged with officially declaring a drought watch or emergency and it has not yet declared any drought watches, warnings or emergencies.

The 20 counties with watch conditions include Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Susquehanna.

Monroe man arrested for forgery

MONTICELLO, NY — Detectives from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Julian Arvelo, 48, of Monroe, on charges that he altered and or forged numerous checks that were intended for his employer, Hudson News. Arvelo has been charged with Forgery in the Second Degree, Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, all class “D” Felonies.

Arvelo is a paper carrier for Hudson News, which is the company that supplies NYC metro area newspapers like The Daily News and The New York Times to gas stations and convenience stores in Sullivan County. As part of his route, Arvelo is supposed to collect checks as payment for the newspapers from the various stores. It is alleged that over the past few months, Arvelo altered the checks intended for Hudson News, and deposited them into his own personal account. According to Detective Sergeant Don Starner, who is leading the investigation, “the theft is in excess of $3,000 dollars and we are still counting.”

Arvelo was arraigned before Town of Bethel Justice Kevin Rhyne and sent to the Sullivan County Jail without bail pending a future court appearance. The investigation is continuing.

NYC Council holds meeting on EPA study

NEW YORK, NY — The NYC Council, an advocacy group that has been focusing on the impacts of natural gas drilling activity on the New York City watershed, will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 24 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The college is located at 199 Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan.

The aim of the meeting is to give residents the opportunity to comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) official study examining the potential health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing. In scheduling the meeting, the group noted that the EPA has not propopsed any meetings for New York City, as well as the fact that it has postponed and not yet rescheduled its public hearing originally set for August.

Registration is requested at 212/788-6871 or events@council.nyc.gov by Friday, August 20.