| Watershed Post

Joel Tyner campaign embroiled in drama

With the Democratic primary less than a week away, Congressional candidate Joel Tyner has suddenly found himself in the middle of an embarrassing dustup with former campaign treasurer Misha Fredericks.

On Tuesday, the day after the single debate between Tyner and fellow Democratic candidate Julian Schreibman, Fredricks resigned, claiming that Tyner's campaign bank account held about $5,200 less than he claimed in his federal election filings.

The Times Herald-Record broke the news:

Fredericks resigned her post following Monday's debate between Tyner and Schreibman.

She said Tyner's “atrocious” debate behavior convinced her to go public with the alleged financial mismanagement.

“I left ashamed that I was his treasurer,” she said.

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Ulster County gives DEC an earful at Esopus hearing

Above: Highlights from testimony at a June 19 hearing held by the state DEC on the topic of New York City's releases of muddy water into the Lower Esopus Creek. Video by Andrew Wyrich.

Ulster County residents and officials packed the largest lecture hall at SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday night to voice their concern over a draft consent order between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The consent order, if adopted, would govern the DEP's use of a release channel to send muddy water from the Ashokan Reservoir into the Lower Esopus Creek.

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NYC Department of Environmental Protection

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

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Voters approve New Paltz, Highland school budgets

Above: New Paltz Middle School in New Paltz. Photo by Robin Weinstein for The New Paltz Oracle.

For both New Paltz and Highland voters, the second time was the charm.

Voters from both towns approved their respective school budgets on Tuesday. Highland's budget contest was down to the wire, but New Paltz's budget passed by a landslide.

Highland passed its proposed $36.1 million budget with a tally of 1,362 to 893, just nine votes over the state-mandated 60% supermajority. The Times Herald Record was there to capture the mood:

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Heat warning in effect for Hudson Valley

Image by Flickr user molamoni. Published under Creative Commons license.

A swath of eastern New York, including Greene and Ulster counties, is under an excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service until 8pm tonight.

Temperatures in the mid-Hudson Valley are predicted to rise to the mid to upper 90s, and the heat index could go as high as 106.

Advice from NY-Alert:

An Excessive Heat Warning Means That A Prolonged Period Of Dangerously Hot Temperatures Will Occur. The Combination Of Hot Temperatures And High Humidity Will Combine To Create A Dangerous Situation In Which Heat Illnesses Are Likely.

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"Unwaveringly powerful:" Camille Zamora brings her one-woman breakup opera to VoiceFest

Today we're launching a guide to the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice, with coverage of the many vocal acts headed to the Catskills this August. This article is the first in a series. -- Julia Reische

Above and bottom: Camille Zamora performing "La Voix Humaine."

Who knew that when one of America's coolest small towns found its voice, it would sing like this? The Phoenicia Festival of the Voice has been one of those inspired creations that filled a void -- and an entire park full of folks who are willing to listen to opera in a downpour.

“Opera's not meant to be in some ivory tower,” says Camille Zamora, who will be performing "La Voix Humaine" on August 3. “This stuff was written by crazy rabble rousers. It's meant to be enjoyed sitting in a field with a glass of wine.”

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Phoenicia Festival of the Voice

Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice

Delaware County IDA to seize land for Amphenol plant

Above: A 2001 aerial photo of a 6.45 acre property on Delaware Avenue in Sidney that may soon be seized by the Delaware County Industrial Development Agency in an eminent domain proceeding. Source: Delaware County Community Online Mapping Tool. To see a more recent photo of the site, view the location in Google Maps.

For months, high-tech manufacturer Amphenol has had its eye on a stretch of vacant land on Delaware Avenue in Sidney, where the company plans to build its new factory. Delaware County economic development officials, who desperately want Amphenol to stay in the region, have taken it upon themselves to acquire the land and offer it to Amphenol as a shovel-ready site.

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From the Publisher: Advertise in the Fourth of July Guide

It's midsummer this Thursday, which means that the Fourth of July is coming up. (Yes -- already.)

We're publishing a Catskills Fourth of July Guide next week. (See its bones by clicking the link.) We'll be stocking it with fireworks, fairs, and a comprehensive calendar.

Our Memorial Day Guide was a big success last month -- it had 3,000 pageviews during its run and generated leads for local businesses. We know from experience that our coverage of Catskills fireworks is always a big draw, so we expect the Fourth of July Guide to do even better.

Advertise your event in the Fourth of July Guide to reach thousands of people planning their holiday weekend. Get in touch with me ([email protected], 845-481-0155) for info, or check out our rate sheet to get started.

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From the Publisher

Two men fall to their death in Plattekill skydiving accident

A prominent Manhattan real estate executive and his instructor died in a skydiving accident on Friday afternoon in the Ulster County town of Plattekill.

According to news accounts of the accident, David Winoker, a 49-year-old father of three, and his instructor, 25-year-old Alexander Chulsky, were jumping in tandem, as part of a 50th birthday celebration for a friend of Winoker's. But their dive spiraled out of control, and the two fell to their death near Hurd’s Farm on state Route 32 near Modena.

Plattekill Police Chief Joseph Ryan told The Daily Freeman that eyewitness accounts from fellow jumpers suggested Chulsky was injured and knocked unconscious when the parachute deployed.

“The chute pretty much spiraled out of control, causing them to hit the ground with some impact,” Ryan said.

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Church's Golden Jubilee celebration in Hunter announced

Above: St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church. Photo by Flickr user Greyhound Dad, used under a Creative Commons license.

St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church sits somewhat surreally on a hill on the north side of Route 23A, evoking a time and place other than Hunter, 2012. Constructed in 1962, the church is built in a modified traditional blockwork Ukrainian style. For a brief visual tour and lovingly written descriptions of the welcoming architectural details of the church, visit here.

The congregation will be kicking off its golden jubilee celebration on June 30th with a festival at the church including traditional folk dancing, music, folk food cooking demonstrations and more. For more information, visit the listing in our calendar.

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Congressional candidates Schreibman and Tyner face off in debate

Above: Video footage of the debate between Joel Tyner and Julian Schreibman, vying for the chance to run on the Democratic ticket for New York's new 19th Congressional District. Tyner and Schreibman will face each other in a Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 26.

Congressional candidates Julian Schreibman and Joel Tyner, both seeking to run on the Democratic ticket in this November's election for the new 19th Congressional District, held a debate yesterday at the Woodland Pond nursing home in New Paltz.

The Daily Freeman livestreamed the event via video and liveblogging -- though, alas, most of the the blogging consisted of reader gripes about the quality of the video stream. (An argument for better rural broadband, wrote a blogger from local radio station WGXC.)

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