Above: Image from a Fox13 newscast that aired Wednesday in Salt Lake City, where Grandpa and Grandma Woodstock -- two legendary characters from our own Woodstock, NY -- were stranded in an airport for a few hours, along with their dog Hector. The problem? Grandma Woodstock had no ID. "She forgot where she put it, probably 10 years ago," Grandpa told a Fox13 reporter.
Peace, Catskills. (It's too hot for anything else.)
The heat wave continues, with temperatures hovering in the 90s in most of the Catskills, and tomorrow may be even hotter. Look for a break in the weather by Friday night or Saturday -- but that break may involve heavy storms and possibly hail. Keep an eye on the weather.
Ulster County has cooling stations open during the day in Kingston, New Paltz, Woodstock, Plattekill, Lloyd, Wawarsing and Rosendale. Check the Ulster County Emergency blog for locations.
Junkyard owner William Hrazanek, who we've been writing about a lot lately, tells the Catskill Mountain News that he's sure to get FEMA buyout money for his two Fleischmanns junkyards. FEMA says its buyout program doesn't apply to properties in foreclosure. Hmmm.
An important bridge on Route 30 in Colchester needs to be replaced. A planned traffic detour is deeply unpopular with locals, who turned out en masse at a recent meeting to give the state Department of Transportation their $0.02 on the topic.
Lexington needs a sewer plant. A landowner who owns a critical piece of the proposed site won't budge. The town is getting ready to bust out those two big scary words: Eminent domain.
What's the life of an ash tree worth? At least $183.60, apparently. The town of Woodstock is spending $918 to inoculate five ash trees against the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that is spreading in the Catskills region and threatens to decimate local ash populations in both backyards and forests.
Who wants a bigger, better Belleayre Ski Center? Not Greene County legislators, who worry that the state-owned ski center will compete unfairly with Hunter and Windham if it gets a $74 million cash infusion from the state. Here's Larry Gardner, legislator from Hunter, on the proposed upgrade:
"There’s no more justification for this than opening a state-owned and operated store next to a Shop Rite or a Price Chopper."
(Note to the Daily Mail: Greene County hasn't missed the public comment period for the Belleayre project. The state Department of Environmental Conservation extended it an extra month, to July 24.)
The hills are alive with the sound of banjos: The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival is on in Oak Hill through the weekend.
An ongoing crackdown on, er, crack has yielded three more arrests in the village of Catskill.
Speaking of Catskill: The village's biggest brownfield remediation project, at the former Union Mills site near the waterfront, is finished at last.
At least one savvy NYC mayoral candidate is doing some campaigning upstate this summer: Sal Albanese, who hopes to win over voters among Sullivan County's seasonal Jewish population.
No, you can't have goats in Cobleskill, no matter how nice they are.
Monticello's code enforcement officer has been accused by town officials of -- wait for it -- code violations at his house.
Greene County wants to build a new emergency communications tower in Jewett, but they'll have to get a zoning exemption from the town first.
Sullivan County doesn't have enough local homes for all its foster kids. This year, more Sullivan County children are being fostered outside the county than in it.
Still dragging on: Legal wrangling between the town of Jefferson and Oorah, a Jewish educational nonprofit that runs children's camps in the town. Last year, Oorah -- the town's largest taxpayer -- sought to have its Schoharie County property declared tax-exempt. Jefferson begged to differ.
Wanna buy a grand old Catskills hotel? The heartbreakingly gorgeous Rexmere, a.k.a. the Cyr Center, is for sale in Stamford. For somebody with a vision -- and deep pockets -- this could be something pretty special.
NewsShed, our snappy little weekday digest of news, weather and hot bloggy goodness from around the Catskills, is a new item here at the WP. Got a hot tip for the NewsShed? Send it to [email protected].
