Witchy wares at Palenville's Pagan Pride Day.

Need something to do this weekend? Lucky you -- the Catskills are hosting the biggest mountain-biking event in the world this week, as well as a bunch of fairs, festivals, and exhibits. (Peruse them at your leisure in our calendar.) Here's our picks for the best of the weekend's events:

Mountain Bike World Cup Festival  Read more

A tractor-trailer killed 83-year-old Vera Un and 86-year-old George Un of Shandaken as they stopped on Rte. 28 to make a left turn in Boiceville this afternoon.

According to a press release issued by the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, 59-year-old William J. Watters of New Kingston was driving a tractor-trailer eastbound on Rte. 28 when he rear-ended the Uns' 2004 Honda Civic at 12:18pm. The Honda was idling as it waited to make a left turn into the side street that leads to the Boiceville Inn and the Bread Alone bakery. The force of the crash sent the Honda 100 feet down the road.

Vera Un was airlifted to the Albany Medical Center, where she died. Geroge Un, who was riding with her in the rear passenger seat, died at the scene. They both lived on Woodland Clove Rd.

As we reported earlier, this is the second fatal car accident to happen near this intersection this month.

The Times Herald-Record reports how Michael O'Dell, a 22-year-old, got in the way of a shotgun blast fired by Jeremy Rakin, his 27-year-old friend, last night in Roscoe. (O'Dell, miraculously, is in critical but stable condition, the paper reports): 

The two men were hanging out in Rakin’s apartment on Old 17. Both men apparently work together and left work around 10 and went back to Rakin’s home. While troopers are still trying to figure out just what happened, both men had been handling a loaded 9 mm rifle in a small office room in the apartment. O’Dell was right in front of Rakin, who had hold of the gun. It discharged.

So far, the state police say it looks like an accident.

Greene County legislators aren't the only ones asking questions about IDAs lately. Just released: A damning report on state Industrial Development Agencies, a team effort by NY Jobs With Justice and Urban Agenda. The report, un-subtly titled "No Return On Our Investment," blasts IDAs for playing shell games with taxpayer money, investing in businesses that cut jobs instead of creating them, and failing to deliver on promises of economic development.

Naturally, IDA directors aren't too happy about the report. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports:

"This is a very broad tarring of IDAs," said Lance Matteson, CEO of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency. "I think that it is objectively clear that this a skewed, distorted, one-sided but very slick report."

Want to judge for yourself? Here's the report:  Read more