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Coping with drought at the Hanford Mills Museum

Above: The Mill Pond at the Hanford Mills Museum looking pretty dry. Last week, the level of the water in the pond was about three feet lower than it normally is at this time of year.

This morning's thunderstorms must have been welcome at the Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith, where the water was so low last week that the huge Fitz Overshot waterwheel that powers the mill's machinery was shut down for the first time in over a decade.

This season's dry weather is undoubtedly a bummer for Hanford Mills, but with modern electricity at their convenience, the museum is still giving demonstrations of the old sawmill and woodworking equipment for visitors. Over a century ago, when the mill was run solely on waterpower, a drought like this would have brought the machinery to a halt.

But at this time of year, a Hanford Mills blogger writes, sawmill owner D.J. Hanford would have been thinking more of his farm fields than his sawmill during a bad drought:

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Around the blogshed: slightly parched edition

Above: A heron stretching its legs near Monticello. Photo by Catskills Photography in the Watershed Post Flickr pool.

As I write this, it's pouring rain. Hallelujah! We're in the beginning stages of a drought, so let's hope it keeps raining for a bit. Here's what's been going on around the Catskills this weekend.

Slogans: it what's for Twitter.
Hello, little turtle! An endangered Blanding's turtle made an appearance on Main Street in Middleburgh this week.

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Woodstock bans gas drilling

On Tuesday, Woodstock's town board voted to adopt zoning law changes banning natural gas drilling and other petroleum exploration activities within town borders. The move was applauded by residents at a public hearing held before the vote, the Daily Freeman reports.

At the hearing, which was scheduled to allow residents to weigh in on the proposed amendments to the zoning law, many commenters spoke in favor of the ban, according to The Freeman.

“No, we’re not going to be fracked, not here in Woodstock, not now at least,” resident Linda Leeds told The Freeman.

Under the amendments, the exploration, storage, treatment and disposal of natural gas and petroleum explorations is prohibited.

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For Fleischmanns immigrant family, cancer forces heartbreaking choices

Above and below: Rosa Isela De Los Santos, right, and her family. Photos by Julia Reischel.

Last August, Rosa Isela De Los Santos felt some pain in her stomach. When she went to the doctor, she discovered that she had gastric cancer.

Since then, De Los Santos has had surgery to remove a tumor from her stomach and has undergone chemotherapy. But the cancer has spread to her ovaries and throughout her abdomen. Last month, her doctor told her that she likely has only a year to live.

De Los Santos is 29 years old, and has three children. Her youngest, Alexa, is only three.

On Wednesday, De Los Santos met with a Watershed Post reporter at Mi Lupita, a Fleischmanns restaurant run by her brother-in-law, Martin Morales. De Los Santos was calm.

"Estoy triste...pero yo tengo mucho fe," she said. "Un milagro es posible."

["I am sad, but I have a lot of faith," she said. "A miracle is possible."]

She gestured towards her children. She worries about how they will do without her.

The diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy De Los Santos has endured are an enormous burden. But this is not all De Los Santos and her family must face.

De Los Santos and her husband, 33-year-old Angel Sarabia, are part of the thriving Mexican community in Fleischmanns. They came to Fleischmanns nine years ago, but despite working for local businesses (he for a hotel, she for a bottled water company), they have no health insurance. They also have no U.S. citizenship.

Two of their children -- 14-year-old Hugo and 8-year-old Angeles -- were born in Mexico but have lived in the US all their lives. They attend Margaretville Central School, and they speak English. But they aren't U.S. citizens. (The third child, Alexa, was born in the U.S., and is therefore an American citizen.)

To cope with De Los Santos' terminal illness, the family has decided to move back to Mexico City to be near her family. They leave at the end of July.

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Rosa Ismela De Los Santos

Letter to the Editor: Delaware County sheriff Tom Mills responds to "chain gang" story

Editor's note: Recently, I wrote about a press release sent by Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills's office, concerning a voluntary inmate work program at the county jail. Our story -- entitled "Delaware County sheriff nostalgic for chain gangs" -- pointed out a couple of paragraphs that Watershed Post publisher Julia Reischel and I thought were inflammatory.

I don't often make personal comments on stories, but since our story has now become part of the story, I'd like to say that I think that the discussion in the comments -- which was overall quite thoughtful and respectful -- has been good for everybody. I know it has for me.

"It is never “uncool” to look for the good in others, because when you do, you’ll usually find it," Sheriff Mills writes below. Very true. And I'd like to commend Sheriff Mills for being so forthcoming and willing to engage with the discussion. Bravo. --Lissa Harris

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SUNY Delhi culinary team chops competition

Above: The SUNY Delhi culinary team posing after winning the American Culinary Federation National Championship. Left to right: Stephanie Wickert, Leonard Messina, Edward Maley, team captain Matthew Howard, and James Russell. Photo Courtesy of SUNY Delhi's Facebook page.

On Tuesday, SUNY Delhi's Hot Food Team was declared the American Culinary Federation Student Team National Champions in Orlando, Florida. The ACF's website has a video about the student competition, which involved cooking a four-course menu for 24 people. Check it out below.

SUNY Delhi is a heavyweight in the national culinary scene -- it took gold at the the ACF's national convention in 2010, and has won the ACF's Northeast Region Student Team Championship six times.

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This Weekend: first annual FireFest in Delhi

Above: Maple Shade Farm.

This weekend, the Bloomville and Delhi fire departments are joining together for the first annual FireFest fundraiser to benefit both departments. Among the events planned for the fest are skills competitions where firemen will compete against each other, an old timey baseball game featuring the Bovina Dairymen, live music, and fireworks at dusk. For more information, see the listing in our calendar. -- Andrea Girolamo

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Severe thunderstorm warning for eastern Ulster County

This just in from the National Weather Service: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for Ulster and Dutchess Counties until 2:15pm.

Watch out for quarter-sized hail, high winds, and cloud-to-ground lightning,, Northern Dutchess and East Central Ulster County:

At 135 PM EDT...National Weather Service Doppler Radar Continued To Indicate A Severe Thunderstorm Capable Of Producing Quarter Size Hail...And Damaging Winds In Excess Of 60 Mph. This Storm Was Located Near Willow Brook...Or 9 Miles Southeast Of Rhinebeck... Moving East At 20 Mph. The Severe Thunderstorm Will Be Near... Bangall...Stissing...Attlebury And Millbrook By 145 PM EDT... Mabbettsville And 6 Miles North Of Littlerest By 150 PM EDT... Smithfield...Lithgow And Shekomeko By 155 PM EDT...

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Driver of Monticello crash pronounced dead

The driver of a Jeep Cherokee that collided with a ShortLine bus on Route 42 in Monticello yesterday has been pronounced dead, a New York State Police press release said.

Yesterday afternoon, according to the press release, the driver of the Jeep clipped a vehicle in the northbound lane of Route 42 while attempting to pass another car, which caused the Jeep to swerve and slide sideways into the southbound lane of Route 42 where he hit the ShortLine bus. At the time, the bus was stopped, according to the press release.

The driver of the Jeep was transported to Catskill Regional Medical Center after the crash and was later pronounced dead. The identification of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the driver's next of kin, the press release said.

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