This Saturday: Frank Serpico appears on stage and screen to showcase local food
Above: Chef Noah Sheetz and Frank Serpico (yes, that Serpico) make gnocchi. Photo courtesy of Green Peas TV.
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Otsego County planning department weighs in against Milford drilling ban
Earlier this week, we reported that the Delaware County Planning Board is seeking to prevent a proposed gas ban in the town of Sidney from being enacted.
The Otsego County Planning Department told town officials that their proposed gas drilling ban conflicts with the town's own comprehensive plan:
When Milford sent its paperwork on the proposed drilling ban for review, the planning department noticed that the document was at odds with what the agency believed was the town's comprehensive plan, Otsego County Planner Terry Bliss said.
"The thing that troubled us was that the comprehensive plan was open-minded towards heavy industry, and the law before us was not consistent with that," Bliss said.
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RIP Boom Boom: Famous Catskill Game Farm alum dies in Arizona park
Above: A video of Boom Boom the rhino getting some TLC from a keeper at the Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. Filmed in 2010.
One of the now-defunct Catskill Game Farm's most famous animals, Boom Boom the white rhino, died of cancer this week at his home in the Out Of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. He was 41.
In six years at the Arizona park, Boom Boom made a big impression, the local Verde Independent writes:
"He made everyone feel special. The visitors, the staff, they all loved him because he seemed to have unconditional love for everyone he met," says Dean Harrison, owner of Out of Africa Wildlife Park and the man who in 2006, offered Boom Boom refuge from certain death.
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Dry weather fuels fires around Catskills
Above: WNYT's report on the fire at the Red Barn Restaurant in Summit on Monday.
Today's forecast for the Catskills region is looking pretty soggy -- but earlier this week, dry weather and high winds were a recipe for increased risk of fires.
Several fires destroyed buildings in the area earlier this week.
In a cruel twist of fate, Summit's only restaurant, the Red Barn, was destroyed by fire Monday. The Times-Journal reports:
Josh Gaida, first assistant chief of the Summit Fire Department, said the kitchen in the rear of the building was in flames when firefighters arrived at 9:15.
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Treadwell post office to close
Above: Photo of Treadwell Post Office sign taken in July 2011 by Flickr user Carolyn Simmons of West Laurens, NY. Reproduced by permission.
Treadwell resident Linda Norris got a nasty shock while picking up her mail this week: This Saturday, March 31, will be the last day her post office will be open.
"I went to get my mail yesterday and they said, 'Next Monday, you won't get your mail here,'" Norris said.
Unlike several other rural post offices in the area -- like Chichester and Fishs Eddy -- Treadwell's wasn't on a list released last year by the U.S. Postal Service of offices that may be closed soon. The closing, the result of a failed negotiation between the U.S. Postal Service and the owners of the small business that runs the post office, comes as a surprise to local residents.
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Morning light over Bovina
No, that's not the Shire -- it's the sun over Bovina Center this morning, illuminating farm fields that are already turning from gold to green in earnest. Photo by Christopher Mooney, shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr group pool.
For a larger view, see the photo's Flickr page.
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Michigan murder trial yields hot tip on a cold Sullivan County murder case
The wife of a man on trial for murder in Kalamazoo, Michigan has testified in court that her husband confessed to her that he committed the unsolved 1996 slaying of Demetrius Carter in a North Branch boarding house.
Besham Brian Sugrim, a former Sullivan County resident whose parents ran the boarding house Carter was killed in, was convicted last month of the gruesome murder of 39-year-old Linda Kay Gibson, a prostitute.
As part of their coverage of the trial, the Kalamazoo Gazette ran a dramatic five-part series on allegations made by Sugrim's wife, Bernadette Sugrim. In part 2, Bernadette describes her husband's alleged confession to the Carter murder:
"He actually pointed out where he did it. 'This was where I killed that guy. I shot him in the head, wrapped him up,'" Bernadette said her husband told her. "His reason — it staggered — but the first time he said it was meant to be his father and then he said he knew this guy had AIDS, no life, and it didn't matter if he lived or died. I think he just wanted to kill somebody."
The Times Herald-Record reports that although Bernadette Sugrim is a compelling witness, New York State law will not allow her to testify against her husband:
...Prosecuting Sugrim for the Carter murder is more difficult in New York where state law bars Bernadette from testifying about what her husband allegedly told her of the Carter killing. Sullivan County sheriff's detectives traveled to Michigan and interviewed her. "She was a very compelling witness out there, she is believable and compelling," Sullivan County Patrol Chief Blake Muthig said. "Love to use her. New York just won't permit it."
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From the Publisher: Still using smoke signals?
Above: Clouds? Smoke signals? A viral guerilla marketing campaign? Photo by Flickr user Sundve.
On Thursday, I'll be speaking at a workshop about building a marketing plan for your business (and getting the best bang for your buck out of it) in Stamford.
Dubbed "Still using smoke signals?", it's a nice line-up of experts in all kinds of media from around the region, including WRIP 97.9, WIOX 91.3, The Mountain Eagle, CMS Internet Solutions, and Creative Connections in Sidney.
We'll be giving mini-consulting interviews to anyone who wants to pick our brains, speed-dating style. And there will be snacks.
The whole thing is sponsored by the Greater Stamford Area Chamber of Commerce. It's $5 at the door -- the cheapest consulting fee you'll ever see. Come by and learn a few tricks for getting your message out there.
Delaware County Planning Board seeks to squash local gas moratoriums
So far, the "home rule" legal debate over whether towns have the authority to ban gas drilling has focused on two levels of government: The town and the state.
But county governments are increasingly concerned with the issue. A standoff between Delaware County and the town of Sidney is raising questions about how much authority counties have over gas drilling and over the local bans more and more New York State towns are seeking to pass.
On March 7, the Delaware County Planning Board voted to recommend disapproval of a local gas drilling moratorium from the town of Sidney, which has not been passed by the town and is still in its draft form. In a letter to the town (embedded below) the planning board cited four reasons for disapproval, writing that the law was not timely, was "cumbersome and difficult to read or understand," would have negative regional economic impacts, and could impose costs on town taxpayers.
The planning board also wrote that Sidney cannot pass the moratorium without a supermajority, or at least four votes from the town council.
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Belleayre to be transferred to ORDA, Bonacic announces
Photo from Belleayre's Facebook page.
With an April 1 budget deadline looming, the New York State legislature and governor's office are close to finalizing a $132.5 billion budget, the AP reports.
Part of that budget deal, state senator John Bonacic's office announced yesterday, is the transfer of the state-run Belleayre Ski Center to the Olympic Regional Development Authority.
The plan for a Belleayre transfer looks very similar to one included in the state Senate's budget proposal earlier this month.
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