Turmoil in Tusten
If you’ve been to a Town of Tusten board meeting recently, you know they have been rife with arguments and shouting matches. Read more
Email this pageBody found in river identified
The body of a man located in the Upper Delaware River by a group of canoeists on May 4, has been positively identified through dental records.
On May 4, State Police at Liberty responded to the Delaware River in the Town of Tusten, approximately 5 miles south of Narrowsburg for a report of a body being located by a group of canoeists.
An autopsy was conducted by Dr. Margaret Prial on May 5, 2013. Read more
Sullivan chair backs Cuomo’s casino plan
The chair of the Sullivan County Legislature says he is pleased with Governor Cuomo’s plan that would bring a casino to the county. On May 12, Scott Samuelson issued a press release saying, “While I am still evaluating the details of the governor’s proposal, clearly this presents an opportunity for a real discussion and debate to occur ... I remain hopeful that Sullivan County will benefit greatly from this endeavor.” Read more
Kadampa center donates $6,900 to town
LUMBERLAND, NY — The Manjushri Kadampa Buddhist Center has contributed $6,900 to various organizations within the town, it was announced on May 7 at the town meeting. Read more
Callicoon adopts frack-friendly comp plan; Move to form committee abandoned
After promising to appoint a committee to examine the issue of fracking in the proposed town comprehensive plan, the board did an about-face and adopted the plan at the town meeting on May 13. Read more
Delaware Valley school approves abatement
The Delaware Valley School District and Pike County commissioners have voted to support Shohola Township’s real-estate tax abatement program. As reported in our May 9 issue, the commissioners had already approved the program, the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act (LERTA) plan for the entire county. However, in order to go into effect in any given locality, the plan must also be approved by the township in question and the affected school district. This has now happened in Shohola. Read more
Over 100,000 campaign finance violations; Who must file with NYS BOE?
NEW YORK STATE — The laws in New York State regulating campaigns and elections are voluminous and complex, and they run to many hundreds of pages. On the website of New York State Board of Elections (BOE), there is a 132-page election handbook that attempts to boil them all down, but even so, it is dense reading. Read more
PPL closes island to protect bald eagles
LAKE WALLLENPAUPACK, PA — Kipp Island will be unavailable for recreational activities through the end of July to protect a bald eagle nesting area. Read more
New Liberty Elementary School principal
The Liberty Central School District Board of Education unanimously approved the selection of Scott Brown as the new principal of the Liberty Elementary School at the Board of Education meeting on May 7. Brown will replace long-time principal Jeri Finnegan, who will retire in June. Read more
Hawley man sentenced to prison
Christopher Castellano, 22, has been sentenced to three to six months for trespass, breaking and entering, and driving under the influence (DUI). According to the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office, the sentencing involved two separate incidents. Read more
Gibson introduces FRAC Act
WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Chris Gibson joined with his colleague Representative Diana DeGette on May 10 to introduce the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act), a bipartisan bill that the representatives say establishes common sense safeguards to protect groundwater from risks associated with the oil and gas drilling technique “hydraulic fracturing,” better known as “fracking.” The FRAC Act would require disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking fluids and would remove the oil and gas industry’s exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act. DeGette has introduced the FRAC Act in each Congress since 2008, but today marks the first time it has been introduced on a bipartisan basis. Read more
Resident calls Eldred budget a ‘gimmick’
After a brief respite, the budget was once again a bone of contention as one resident labeled the board’s handling of Albany’s cuts as a “gimmick.” Read more
County chair lauds travel guide
Scott Samuelson, chair of the Sullivan County Legislature, took a minute to let his colleagues know he was pleased with the way the Sullivan County Visitors Association handled the cover of the new travel guide. Read more
Beer for the community
“This is a true American project, hot dogs, baseball, old Ford truck and a good American beer. All of our products are made in the USA, we support our community, that’s what we will always be about,” said Phil Vallone, one of the investors in the Roscoe Beer Company. Read more
Fracking bans okay in New York; Court rules against drillers in Dryden, Middlefield
ALBANY, NY — In an important victory for residents opposed to hydraulic fracturing in New York, the Third Appellate Division in Albany on May 3 ruled that municipalities have the right to adopt zoning laws that prohibit fracking. Read more
UDC opposes PA DEP septic plan
NARROWSBURG, NY — The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) shares the sentiments of its Pennsylvania representatives about the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) proposed policy for on-lot sewage systems in high quality and exceptional value watersheds. The UDC and its members in Wayne and Pike counties say the implementation of the policy would likely decrease land values because the most valuable land—adjacent to lakes and streams—would become unbuildable, undevelopable and unusable for most purposes. Read more
Pike commissioners adopt tax abatement program
With the unemployment rate spiking to a hefty 12.1% nationwide, the Pike County Commissioners took a step that could help the county alleviate unemployment by voting to adopt a tax incentive program to help attract businesses to the county. The action was taken at the commissioners’ meeting on April 30. Read more
Animal advocates turn out for Lexi; Urge jail time for dog abuser
About half a dozen turned out in front of the Pike County District Court to urge Judge Jay Rose to sentence a Greentown man to the maximum penalty under the law for allegedly abusing his dog “Lexi.” On March 29, Lexi was found muzzled and bound with duct tape. The owner, Russell Seese, who is a resource conservationist with the Pike County Conservation District, has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty. Read more
Head-gnawing man sentenced
A Bucks County man who had been accused of gnawing on a woman’s head while naked and covered with blood was sentenced on May 3 to time in Wayne County Prison. Richard Cimino appeared in Wayne County Court, and will spend from 90 days to 23.5 months in prison. Read more
Greater Pike Community Foundation announces directors and officers
The Greater Pike Community Foundation (GPCF) announced its executive officers and committee chairs in April. Legally incorporated late in 2012, the GPCF was created to maximize charitable donations from individuals, families and local businesses through organized targeted community philanthropy. Read more
