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This weekend: The holiday bazaar season begins

Above: Image by Allison McDonald via Flickr.

If you’re living in or passing through the Catskills and plan to give gifts to loved ones this holiday season, you have absolutely zero excuse for wrapping up a six-pack of sweat socks. (Unless, of course, that’s your loved one’s dearest wish.)

Makers, crafters and artisans across the region are gearing up for two solid months of holiday bazaars showcasing locally-made gifts. The first craft shows are this weekend, Nov. 7 and 8. Here's where to find them.

DELAWARE COUNTY

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GOP challengers win key races in Schoharie County

Above: Republican Chris Tague, shown above in a campaign image from his website, raised almost $20,000 in his successful bid to beat Schoharie County Town Supervisor Gene Milone on Nov. 3.

The political dynamics of Schoharie County were significantly altered when voters ousted a pair of Democratic town supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 3, leaving the county GOP firmly in control of the county board by an almost five-to-one weighted vote margin.

Buzon upset by political newcomer

In the upset of the evening, incumbent Middleburgh Supervisor Jim Buzon was defeated by political newcomer, Gerald "Pete" Coppolo, 359 to 326 despite Coppolo leading an under-the-radar campaign that began when he nominated himself for the Republican nomination in August.

Elected as supervisor in the aftermath of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011, Buzon has served as an influential player on the county board, from his advocacy for the controversial and costly stream bank project to his support for the recently-created position of county administrator.

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Schoharie County

Schoharie County Board of Supervisors

Gary Rosa wins Delaware County Family Court Judge race

Above: Gary Rosa celebrates his election to the position of Delaware County Family Court Judge. Photo via the Vote for Gary Rosa Facebook page.

Gary Rosa has won a heated race for Delaware County's new family court judge position over county attorney Porter Kirkwood 5,150 to 4,662, according to unofficial election night results published by the Delaware County Board of Elections on Nov. 3, 2015.

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Gary Rosa

Delaware County Family Court

Porter Kirkwood

Catskills election night reporting 2015

The polls are closed across the Catskills, and we're following the returns as they come in using our Storify widget, below.

You can stalk your own results right along with us. Raw election results are being posted on the board of election websites for Delaware County, Greene County, Schoharie County, Sullivan County and Ulster County.

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Catskills elections 2015: Railroads, ecstasy and flaming campaign signs

It’s town and county election day in the Catskills, and incumbents and would-be elected officials are squaring off in over 100 local races spanning Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties.

Many town supervisors, town councilors and county legislators serving two or four-year terms are up for re-election, making for a dizzying array of races throughout the region.

Polls are open until 9 p.m. tonight. You can find sample ballots for each town in Delaware, Schoharie and Ulster counties online, and a list of candidates and ballot propositions for Sullivan County online. If you live in Greene County, you’re out of luck: There’s no online election information about candidates available from that county’s board of elections.

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Walton's Kraft factory likely to close, taking 150 jobs

Above: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Photo by Mike Mozart, via Flickr.

The Kraft Heinz Company, a giant food corporation that formed last summer when H. J. Heinz merged with Kraft Foods Group in a mammoth deal backed by Warren Buffett, will likely close a factory in the Delaware County town of Walton that employs 150 Catskills residents.

The Walton factory, which produces sour cream and cottage cheese, is one of Delaware County’s largest employers, according to Glenn Nealis, the county’s Economic Development Director.

“This is a potential major impact to the village of Walton, and for the county as a whole,” Nealis said.

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Quietly, Delaware Supervisors update county ethics policy

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors, without much fanfare, has updated the county's ethics policy, which has been the subject of much controversy this year.

The board, at a Wednesday Oct. 28 meeting, passed a resolution adopting “The 2016 Ethics and Disclosure Policy for Delaware County.” The document lists “standards of conduct” regarding gifts, confidential information and conflicts of interest.

All employees of the county will be required to sign a form stating that they have read the policy.

All members of the board, as well as department heads and several other administrators, will be required to file disclosure forms each year that state private employment and business interests for both the signee and his or her spouse.

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delaware county board of supervisors

Delaware County supervisors delay bed tax vote, tweak law to cover AirBnB rentals

Above: Leigh Melander, owner of a lodge in Fleischmanns, argued against a proposed bed tax during a public hearing on Oct. 28. Photo by Robert Cairns.

After a run-up of weeks and a public hearing held on Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Delaware County Board of Supervisors withdrew a local law that would have created a two percent tax on hotel and motel occupancy.

As the resolution to adopt the tax came up on the agenda at the Wednesday, Oct. 28 meeting of the board, Stamford Supervisor Mike Triolo, who chairs the board's economic development committee, withdrew it.

“There are some substantive changes we'd like to make to it,” he said.

Triolo said that comments received at the pubic hearing, as well as at three previous informational meetings, led his committee to change the language in the law so that it will apply not only to traditional hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast businesses, but also to vacation rentals booked through online services such as AirBnB and casual rentals advertised through services such as Craigslist.

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Phoenicia's KeyBank celebrates reopening with gifts to community

Above: KeyBank officials Charles Larsen and Jacquelyn Kahrs present a $2,000 check to Phoenicia Fire Chief Gary Carr. Photos contributed by Robin Kirk.

The staff of the KeyBank building that was gutted by fire in the Ulster County hamlet of Phoenicia on February 16 thanked the firefighters who worked through the icy night to save the structure with a $2,000 check at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The bank, which reopened for business last month after extensive repairs, also presented a $500 check to the Phoenicia Business Association.

Above: Larsen and Kahrs present a check to Robin Kirk and David Pillard of the Phoenicia Business Association.

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How to spend Halloween in the Catskills

Above: One of the many creepy scenes at Night Terrors Haunted Farm in Schoharie.

Halloween is this Saturday, Oct. 31, and the Catskills are celebrating with costume bashes, trick-or-treat events, zombies, witches and more. Here’s our five county guide to the best spooky events of the weekend.

DELAWARE COUNTY

In Andes, the annual Harvest Moon Ball is a Halloween tradition featuring a potluck, costume-contest and kid-friendly dance party that takes over the back room of the Andes Hotel every year. Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.

O’Neill’s Shire Pub in Delhi is hosting its Spook-Tacular Halloween Party on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. They’ll have DJ Pat hosting a costume contest with prizes for scariest, sexiest, best Couple, and funniest costumes.

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