New Paltz

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This Memorial Day, bike the Catskills

By Andrea Girolamo
5/18/12 - 6:26 pm

Above: Cycling on some Catskills roads. Photo via the Catskill Mountain Cycling Club Facebook page.

Cyclists who ride the Catskills know this is a perfect place to get on the bike for a quick 20-miler. And what better time to do it than this Memorial Day weekend, when two of our local cycling clubs are offering planned rides for cycling enthusiasts?

'Tour de Pepacton'

Billy Allison, of the Catskill Mountain Cycling Club, is the organizing brains behind this year’s Tour de Pepacton, a ride to benefit Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care, on Sunday, May 27. Read more

New Paltz pair arrested for Esopus burglary

By Lissa Harris
5/18/12 - 3:08 pm

The Ulster County Sheriff's Office reports that on Thursday afternoon, 34-year-old Jason C. Franklin and 22-year-old Julia Lacon, both of New Paltz, were arrested and charged with the burglary of an abandoned house on Union Center Road in Esopus.

Police say they expect additional arrests to be made in the case.

Sheriff's deputies report that they went to the house on a tip of a burglary in progress around 3:40pm and found Franklin at the house, in possession of cutting tools for removing copper wire. Franklin broke a window and attempted to flee the scene, but was taken into custody.

Lacon was found driving in the area. Police say she intended to pick Franklin up after the theft was carried out.

Franklin faces charges of third-degree burglary, possession of burglar's tools, attempted petit larceny, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and fifth-degree conspiracy. Lacon was charged with fourth-degree criminal facilitation and fifth-degree conspiracy.

Both were arraigned in the Town of Esopus Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond for each. The investigation is continuing.

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.

An Open Letter to the Community from Members of RDAF (Rochester Defense Against Fracking)

By WP Newsroom
5/10/12 - 4:15 pm

We are writing in response to the information we have received from our town board and from other neighboring towns. We are very happy to hear that the towns of Rochester, New Paltz, Marbletown and others are working to pass zoning bans to prohibit fracking in our towns. We appreciate the efforts being made to protect us all and will be present at a public hearing on June 7 at 7pm to discuss the proposed
Town of Rochester Local Law #2 of 2012 regarding “Exploration for or Extraction of Natural Gas and/or Petroleum” as presented at the Town Board meeting on May 3rd.

We know that home rule is currently recognized in NY State, so it is urgent to pass these laws now. We also urge the passing of a community bill of rights ordinance, in addition to a zoning ban, to provide greater protection. We have learned that the zoning bans passed in the towns of Dryden and Middlefield are being appealed by the gas
corporations, despite the appeal time having expired. Read more

Thousands of rural post offices to reduce hours under new USPS plan

By Lissa Harris
5/10/12 - 11:33 am

Above: A Google map of New York State post offices that will have reduced hours under the new plan. Click on a red dot to get information about a post office's current hours and their planned reduced daily hours. Use the controls on the left to zoom in or out, or click and drag the map with your mouse. For a larger view, click here. Data from the United States Postal Service. Read more

Ulster County seeks to buy state-owned property for veteran housing

By Lissa Harris
5/9/12 - 12:56 pm

A state-owned property at 67 Wurts Street in Kingston that Ulster County executive Mike Hein wants to convert to county-owned veterans' housing. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Ulster County Executive.

At a lofty price of $1, it won't be the biggest item in Ulster County's budget. But the purchase of a state-owned property at 67 Wurts Street in Kingston to provide veterans' housing is a big priority for Ulster County executive Mike Hein.

Hein announced today that state Senator Bill Larkin will be sponsoring a bill at the county's request. The bill will authorize the state Commissioner of the Office of General Services to transfer the ownership of the property, which was previously used as an Ulster-Greene ARC group home for people with developmental disabilities, to the county for $1. Read more

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