Catskills counties deemed sickly

Dick May at Seeing Greene bemoans Greene County's dismal ranking in a recent list of New York State counties ranked by health: 59 out of 62.

GreeneLand’s score on health “factors” got pushed down chiefly by the habits and traits of its inhabitants, rather than by its physical environment or the availability and quality of health care facilities. Compared with their neighbors and with residents of a lot of other counties, GreeneLanders are poor (41st among NYS counties), ill-educated (62nd!), under-employed (38th in rate of adult employment), and still addicted to tobacco.

A small consolation: Greene beat Sullivan County, which ranked 61st overall.

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New plate special

New York is going blue and gold again after all. Sort of.

Under a revised license plate plan, the Daily Mail says, New Yorkers will be issued blue-and-gold plates for new vehicles come April 1, but can keep their old white Liberty license plates when renewing registrations.

[Greene County clerk Michael] Flynn explained that beginning in April, New York State will — for an open-ended duration — essentially have two types of license plates on the road, and suggested it is not improbable that once a sufficient majority of the plates on the road are Empire Gold, the state may determine that it is then time to become a one-plate state again, and require all Liberty plates to be replaced.

The original plan for replacing all plates in 2010 (and soaking all car owners for a $25 plate fee) drew so much heat that it was abandoned late last year.

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Unhappy anniversary in New Paltz

Traditionally, No. 6 is the Iron Anniversary. Last weekend marked the sixth anniversary of the gay weddings in New Paltz, and the mood was appropriately grim for the couples joining former mayor Jason West to mark the occasion.

As a member of one of the couples who were married under an umbrella of controversy in 2004, High Falls resident Jay Blotcher celebrated what he dubbed an “unhappy anniversary” at Saturday’s rally saying, “I will continue to tell my personal story to anyone who feels that they can deny me my rights as an American, as a taxpayer, and a Hudson Valley resident.”

Blotcher's marriage, like all those performed by West in Peace Park on Feb. 27, 2004, was later annulled by the state. In a bizarre twist of New York State law, if Blotcher had been married in another state that recognizes gay marriage, New York State would now consider him married; the state does not conduct its own gay marriages, but recognizes those of other states.

NYT visits the Falcon

New York Times jazz critic Nate Chinen recently spent an evening at the Falcon, an Ulster County venue he describes as an "unlikely jazz haven."

I began hearing about the Falcon four or five years ago, from musicians who had played there. It sounded like a model of small but sturdy local activity, in a community far (but not too far) from the feverish metabolism of the city. Yet Mr. Falco’s operation isn’t on the radar of the average New York jazz fan; why would it be, with so many options closer to home?

It may have been a bit off his beaten track, but Chinen had a great night at the Falcon, recently relocated to the site of a former button factory on Route 9W. Along the way, he made a few pit stops at other local attractions: chainsaw carver Bruce Bayard's workshop, Benmarl Winery, the Raccoon Saloon, Stoutridge Vineyard, Buttermilk Falls Inn and Hidden Cellar.

Here's a clip of the Falcon in action: John Riley, Rich Perry, Kevin Hays, and Doug Weiss performing at the venue last summer.

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The rabbit eaters

Ulster County farmer John Fazio has been getting plenty of attention from the Internet lately, thanks to a couple of media mentions: a Food Curated video of his rabbits, and an article in the New York Times on rabbits-as-dinner. The video, which features plenty of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed rabbits in what is clearly a commercial operation, has become a touchstone for debate over whether an indoor rabbit farm is humane.

 

Farming & Breeding Fresh Rabbits for NYC Restaurants *food curated* from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

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Fresh: Cha Cha Hut

Little Catskills towns have a funny way of messing with your plans. Five years ago, staunch Brooklynites Frank and Cherie Davis settled in Roxbury (population: 2,509), thinking it would be a cozy spot from which to run their web design business. Somewhere along the line, they learned to chop wood, and were seized with a passion for brisket. These days, the Davises can usually be found behind the counter or in the smokehouse of the Cha Cha Hut, Roxbury's newest eatery. Since its debut in January, it's been a safe haven for Texas-style barbecue in a world drowning in high-fructose corn syrup. The Watershed Post caught up with them recently as they were trying to get a smoker delivered in the middle of a snowstorm.

Watershed Post: There are probably more ways to make barbecue than there are people in Roxbury. Which side are you on in the barbecue wars?

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Dairy savior: Domino's?

According to Dairy Herd Management, bright prospects for Domino's could be driving up dairy prices nationwide.

Increased pizza consumption may help trim excess cheese supplies and provide a lift for beleaguered dairy producers still reeling from a milk-price crash. Pizza generates about $32.5 billion in annual restaurant and grocery store revenue, and about a quarter of all cheese sold is used to make pizza, according to Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff program.

Amazing facts: Almost half of U.S. milk production goes to cheese. A quarter of all cheese ends up on a pizza. And one in ten pizzas are from Domino's.

While dairy farmers have been decimated over the last year, Domino's is doing fine. The article says its sales grew throughout 2009.

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Saving the Rosendale Theatre

The Chronogram's Sari Botton profiles the Rosendale Theater Collective, the group that's seeking to buy the Rosendale Theatre from its longtime owner/operators, the Cacchio family. The collective has a lot of fundraising to do to meet their $600,000 goal, but it sounds like they're well on their way. 

Meanwhile, the Cacchios are thrilled not to be throwing their family business to the sharks.

“There was one New York City developer who came in with a few people,” [Michael] Cacchio recalls, “and they had their heads cocked in this way—like they viewed it as just a piece of real estate. None of us wanted a business that my family put their blood, sweat, and tears into viewed as a piece of real estate.”

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Can an axe thrash something?

That's what Ulster County comptroller Elliot Auerbach claims the proposed budget axe is going to do to Ulster County tourism revenue.

(Ask not for whom the axe tolls: It tolls for Minnewaska State Park, the Kingston Senate House and the Walkway Over the Hudson.)

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