| Watershed Post

Fresh: liveLIVE! at Backstage Studio Productions

The liveLIVE! crew: Nate Roberts, Daniel Sternstein, Trevor Dunworth, Dan Votke. Photo courtesy of liveLIVE!

Backstage Studio Productions has been one of Uptown Kingston's coolest spots for years: an indoor space the size of a city block devoted to arts and entertainment. Lately, the Lounge at BSP, a performance space equipped with bar and wifi, has a fresh look and feel. The director of Loose Change came by to screen and discuss his latest film, there are Occupy Kingston meetings, and a Vaudeville Circus and Masquerade Ball is on tap for this weekend. Then there are the cutting-edge bands several nights a week. It's all the work of liveLIVE!, a foursome from Oneonta who've taken over the Lounge at BSP.

We spoke with liveLIVE!'s Daniel Sternstein about their vision for the space, and Kingston's burgeoning local music and culture scene.

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Bennett PTA petitions Onteora board to close an elementary school

The Daily Freeman reports that the PTA of Bennett Elementary School, one of three in the Onteora district, is circulating petitions calling on the school board to reject the only reconfiguration plan on the table that would allow Phoenicia Elementary to remain open.

While many in Phoenicia -- parents and community members alike -- worry that closing the school would be devastating to the town, Onteora parents in general are divided on the issue, the Freeman reports:

Some were excited about the academic potential of the grade-clustering approach, known as The Princeton Plan; others were concerned about transportation issues associated with the plans, including putting fourth-graders on the same buses as secondary students; and others said closing a neighborhood school would hurt its community.

Some speakers at the meeting criticized the Bennett PTA for circulating the petition, saying the move is divisive and pits one school against another.

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education

Phoenicia Elementary

Onteora Central School District

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Sick deer found in Adirondacks has DEC worried

A dying deer found last month in Thurman, a town in Warren County, has biologists at the state Department of Environmental Conservation doing some detective work to see if the animal's infection is a symptom of a larger problem.

The agency is asking the public to report any sick or dead animals they find, the Albany Times-Union reports:

The "uncommon" bacterial illness surfaced when hunters last month found a dying deer in Thurman, near Stony Creek, that had an abnormally swollen head, was drooling and discharging nasal mucus, said Steve Hurst, leader of DEC's Biological Survey Unit.

DEC wants anyone who sees a deer dead from unknown causes to contact DEC, Hurst said. "This was a very unusual presentation and we want to know if there are other cases," he said.

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NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

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Government

Pine Hill pop-up store raises funds for flooded families

Left to right: Ann Epner, director of the Pine Hill Community Center; Dr. Alison O’Brien, thrift store volunteer; Kent Brown, deputy director of the MARK Project. Photo by Rusty Mae Moore.

The Pine Hill Community Center donated $ 618.64, the proceeds of their flood relief “Pop Up” thrift store, to the MARK Project in Arkville yesterday. The thrift store was operated on Saturdays for eight weeks in retail space made available by Bernie and Florence Hamling in the Zephyr Building on Pine Hill’s Main Street. The store was a joint effort of volunteers from Pine Hill and the Hispanic community of Fleischmanns, according to Alison O’Brien, who managed the store. Peg Ellsworth, director of the MARK Project, said that the money raised will go to $25 gas cards and $75 grocery cards for six families in need. The donated clothing not sold was donated to the Salvation Army.

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Pine Hill Community Center

Hurricane Irene

Recovery

relief

Living in small-town America

Above: Vintage postcard of Main Street, Phoenicia. From the collection of local resident Stephen Bernstein; shared by the Woodland Valley View blog.

Small towns have some big advantages. They also have serious drawbacks. I came for the advantages and deal with the drawbacks. Mostly it’s a fair exchange, but it does fluctuate.

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Dispatches From Shandaken

Man's body recovered from Hudson

On Wednesday, we reported that a man had jumped into the Hudson River from the pedestrian walkway along the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

The Register-Star is reporting that a man's body has been recovered from an area of the river north of the bridge.

State Police issued a press release Thursday stating the body had been recovered about a quarter mile north of the bridge at approximately 1:30 p.m. Members of the state police dive team, assisted by the Greenport Rescue Squad, discovered the submerged body.

A car identified as belonging to the victim was discovered at the pull-off for the bridge on the Columbia County side. The Columbia County Coroner has planned an autopsy for the victim, whose name has not been released.

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suicide

Rip Van Winkle Bridge

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Greene County

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People

Kingston's Pirate Invasion

Among Irene's many losses were the supplies that food activist Diane Reeder of Kingston had assembled for her snow day lunch program for area children. Reeder, executive director of the Queens Galley, strives to make sure that no one in the area goes hungry, least of all children on snowy days, and she was pretty sure she knew a few people who would agree.

Of this need was born the Shiver Me Timbers Pirate Invasion Online Auction and Treasure Hunt, a fundraiser for Queens Galley that runs through Sunday, January 15.

The "treasure hunt" part of the auction is rather ingenious: Bid sheets for the auction are posted in stores and restaurants throughout Kingston, with QR codes that can be read by a smartphone. Scanning the code reveals hidden local discounts and deals.

It wasn't a hard sell to the business community, says Reeder's co-conspirator Holly Christiana of Kerhonkson.

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DEC gets "unprecedented" number of comments on gas drilling report

The public comment period for the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) about hydraulic fracturing in New York State closed yesterday with more comments than any other state environmental issue ever.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens issued a statement yesterday about the high volume of comments about high volume hydro-fracking that hinted that the public's input will be reflected in the final version of the document:

There has been an unprecedented response to this issue with tens of thousands of comments submitted. All comments are being carefully considered as we develop the final rules and conditions for high-volume hydraulic fracturing ... We expect additional improvements will be made to the 2011 draft based on the comments submitted during this comment period.

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New York Department of Environmental Conservation

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Energy

Water

Man jumps from Rip Van Winkle Bridge

East-bound on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, which connects Greene and Columbia Counties. Photo by Flickr user Karen Blumberg. Used under Creative Commons license.

A disturbing story is unfolding tonight surrounding the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, where a man apparently jumped into the Hudson River around 11:20 this morning. Authorities in Columbia County were alerted to a possible jump from the pedestrian walkway on the bridge's south side by multiple 911 calls from drivers and pedestrians.

The man's identity is unknown at this time. According to the Register-Star:

A black winter coat was found near the middle of the bridge, on the Columbia County side. It's unclear whether the coat belonged to the victim. Police searched it for clues and also interviewed witnesses.

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Rip Van Winkle Bridge

Local activist Gale McGovern dies

Gale McGovern, 1938-2011Prominent activist Gale McGovern, who played a leading role in dozens of Hudson Valley causes and campaigns, died suddenly on Tuesday, December 27 at her home in Olivebridge. She was 73.

An obituary published recently by the Mid-Hudson News recounts her early activism in the 1960s:

The sixties were just beginning, and McGovern embraced them with zest and a fierce intellect, working on Bella Abzug's first congressional campaign, protesting Vietnam, and becoming a driving force in both the Gay Activists Alliance and the Daughters of Bilitis.

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