Jean Craighead George, author of "My Side of the Mountain," dies

By Lissa Harris
5/17/12 - 12:40 am

Jean Craighead George, a Newbery Medal-winning children's book author who made the Catskills wilderness famous in her 1959 book "My Side of the Mountain," died Tuesday at the age of 92.

In a recent obituary, New York Times writer Margalit Fox writes that the natural world was as much a part of George's everyday life as it was of her books:

In 1944 she married John George, an ornithologist, and settled into a domestic routine that included writing, motherhood and wildlife management. Over time, as she recounted in her memoir for children, “The Tarantula in My Purse” (1996), the household grew to include 173 pets, not counting cats and dogs.

Among them were a crow that gathered coins and deposited them in the rainspout of the local bank and an owl that adored taking showers in the family tub. (Overnight guests at the George home were met with a cautionary sign: “Please remove owl after showering.”)  Read more

Four arrested in Greene County cocaine investigation

By Julia Reischel
5/16/12 - 3:15 pm

A joint team of state and village police arrested four people suspected of selling cocaine and crack cocaine across Greene County early this morning.

According to a press release from the New York State Police, the bust was the result of a month-long investigation into drug sales in Greene County.

At 5am this morning, police raided three apartments, one in Athens and two in Catskill, and reportedly found 200 grams of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, $30,000 in cash, a pistol, and items that could be traced to a recent area burglary.

The dragnet caught four suspects: 35-year-old Anthony Beau and 29-year-old Carmen Cruzado of Athens; and 21-year-old Vanessa Ridley and 37-year-old Clifford Robinson of Catskill.

Read the full press release from the New York State Police:

Four Greene County Residents Arrested after a Month Long Investigation into Illegal Drug Sales  Read more

Police: After car crash, Roscoe man fell off roof

By Julia Reischel
5/16/12 - 2:46 pm

A 41-year-old man was arrested by the New York State Police in Roscoe yesterday after he allegedly crashed his car, broke into a house, and fell off a roof.

According to a State Police press release, David Teipelke was under the influence of drugs when he ran his Honda off Riverside Drive in Roscoe. Teipelke allegedly reacted to the crash by breaking into a nearby home and climbing onto its roof.

When state troopers arrived, Teipelke reportedly fell off the roof and into, metaphorically if not literally, the hands of the police.

Read the full New York State Police press release below:

Roscoe Man Arrested for Burglary  Read more

Onteora school election results show a deeply divided district

By Lissa Harris
5/16/12 - 12:53 pm
  Tony Fletcher Cybele Nielsen Rebecca Balzac Laurie Osmond
Shandaken/Lexington 346 56 55 332
Olive/Marlboro 131 399 410 134
Woodstock 281 146 102 273
Hurley 149 223 195 133

Table of results in the May 15 Onteora school board election, broken down by town. Top vote-getters in each town highlighted in yellow. Data from the Onteora Central School District's website.

If you're a parent in the massive Onteora school district, there's a good chance that how you feel about today's election results reflects where you live.  Read more

DEP still looking for source of Pepacton oil spill

By Lissa Harris
5/16/12 - 12:05 pm

Photo of a small tugboat and an oil spill surrounded by yellow booms on the Pepacton Reservoir. Taken on Tuesday, May 15 from Route 30, near the pump station for the East Delaware Tunnel. Photos by Lissa Harris.

The source of a small oil spill in New York City's Pepacton Reservoir, which was discovered on April 29, had still not been found over two weeks later.

From a photo taken of the spill yesterday, the affected area looks somewhat larger than the New York City Department of Environmental Protection's initial estimate of about 100 square feet.

DEP spokesman Chris Gilbride told the Watershed Post that divers were in the reservoir on Tuesday, May 15 searching for the source of the spill.

Gilbride said that no water was currently being drawn from the Pepacton into the city's drinking water.

"We're not currently drawing water from that reservoir, not because of the oil spill, just because of natural operations," he said.  Read more

Shandaken to ask NYC for more time on Phoenicia sewer project

By Lissa Harris
5/15/12 - 5:57 pm

Facing a looming August 6 deadline to form a sewer district in Phoenicia, uncertainty about the scope of the proposed sewer plant, and public outcry against the project, the Shandaken town board has opted to ask New York City for an extension on the project rather than proceed with plans to hold a public referendum.

In a special meeting held today, the town board voted unanimously to draft a letter by the end of the week to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), asking that the August 6 deadline be extended.

The deadline is included in contracts between the town of Shandaken, the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC), and the DEP, written to govern the awarding of a block grant to the town that would cover most of the costs of designing and building a sewer plant to serve Phoenicia.

In their most recent action, the town appears to be taking the CWC's advice. Shortly before the meeting, CWC executive director Alan Rosa sent a letter to Shandaken supervisor Rob Stanley. In it, Rosa writes that he believes there is no way for the town to meet the August 6 deadline, and that the town should ask for an extension:  Read more

After parent outcry, Onteora backs off plan to take music out of the school day

By Lynn Sloneker
5/15/12 - 4:36 pm

As voters head to the polls for school elections today, parents in the Onteora Central School District are still upset over the district's abrupt about-face on a plan to move the elementary music program from the school day to the early morning hours before school begins.

After months of sustained protests, and with an already controversial school board election looming, district administrators recently decided to back away from the plan. Many parents say the changes would have significantly undermined the school's music program.

The proposal to move music to the early mornings was based on a concern over the loss of instructional time during the school day, superintendent Phyllis McGill said. She said parents expressed a desire for both meaningful instruction with challenging content, and music. The plan was “certainly a hot issue for the parents in the shared decision-making meeting, but they understood what we were trying to do and how hard it is to do,” McGill said.  Read more

Flood warning in effect for the Beaverkill

By Lissa Harris
5/15/12 - 3:06 pm

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls, near the border between Delaware and Sullivan County, until this evening.

Data from the stream gauge at the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls show that the river is already at the minor flooding stage. At 2pm, the river had risen to 10.11 feet, with a predicted crest of 11.3 feet.

Below: An NWS hydrograph showing current conditions at the stream gauge.

Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls

 

School elections today

By Lissa Harris
5/15/12 - 9:57 am

A reminder: New Yorkers go to the polls today to vote for school budgets and board members. To find your local polling place, check your school district's website.

Problems at the polls? Let us know at editor@watershedpost.com.

22-year-old Josh Turan killed in Delhi motorcycle accident

By Lissa Harris
5/14/12 - 5:18 pm

Josh Turan. Photo courtesy of David Turan.

To his friends, 22-year-old Josh Turan was a thrill-seeker: A goofy, fearless kid who liked snowboarding, motocross racing, and parkour, and would rather spend the night outdoors than under a roof.

But when he was killed in a motorcycle accident on Route 10 in Delhi on Saturday, May 12, Turan wasn't doing anything particularly daredevilish. He was driving to Meredith, on his way to see a community-theater production of "James and the Giant Peach" directed by his uncle.

State police said that around 5:30 on Saturday afternoon, Turan's 2001 Triumph was hit by a 2005 Subaru making a left-hand turn from Falls Mills Road onto Route 10. The driver was 48-year-old Betsy Clark of Delhi. Turan had severe injuries from the collision, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are investigating the crash.

The news of Turan's death has been a devastating blow to his family, and to the close-knit community where he was involved in theater and had many friends.  Read more