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The real officers of Greene County

By Lissa Harris
2/3/12 - 9:59 pm

Looks like the Greene County village of Coxsackie is seeking a better claim to fame than "that place that got a nasty virus named after it": The village police force may soon be the subject of a reality show.

Last month, the Daily Mail reports, film crews were in Coxsackie to film the pilot for a show tentatively dubbed "Comedy Cops." Daily Mail reporter Melanie Lekocevic writes that the cameras are in town thanks to a fresh rookie on the village police force, 52-year-old John Mulrooney.

Producers Joel Raatz and Alex Landolina brought their crew to town to interview police officers and local officials. The idea for the show was inspired by the recent hire by the Coxsackie Police Department of 52-year-old rookie John Mulrooney, who also happens to be a veteran of another sort - Mulrooney is a nationally recognized comedian.  Read more

See video

Fatal car accident in Esopus

By Lissa Harris
2/3/12 - 10:17 am

21-year-old Daniel Hughes of Highland was killed yesterday in a one-car accident on Route 9W in Esopus.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Hughes was the son of an Ulster County sheriff's deputy.

A press release from the New York State Police:  Read more

Kingston man arrested for assault

By Lissa Harris
2/2/12 - 11:37 pm

Ulster County sheriff's deputies arrested 39-year-old Kingston resident Christoforos Christoforou on second-degree assault and other charges this afternoon, after being called to investigate a report of a woman screaming for help at the Lake Motel in Ulster Park.

A press release from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office reports:

The arrest of Christoforos Christoforou age 39 of Madison Avenue in Kingston for the charges of Felony Assault 2nd, and the Misdemeanors of Coercion 2nd, Unlawful Imprisonment 2nd, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th and Obstruction of Governmental Administration.  Read more

History puzzle: The case of the missing thumb

By Lissa Harris
2/1/12 - 3:41 pm

The good folks at the Kingston Library are on Twitter -- and today, they tweeted about a cryptic little article found in the vaults of the Kingston Daily Freeman, circa 1912.

The headline: "An Odd Accident." The rest you can read above.

Shavertown, as longtime locals will no doubt know (or perhaps remember), was one of the little towns along the East Branch in Delaware County that were acquired by New York City in the 1940s and flooded to form the Pepacton Reservoir.

Even today, it would be a long drive from the Shavertown area to Kingston. The O'Connor Hospital in Delhi would have been closer -- except that it wouldn't be founded until a decade later, in 1922. The Margaretville Hospital wasn't founded until 1931.  Read more

The cost of local food: A Schoharie County farmer defends her prices

By Lissa Harris
2/1/12 - 11:34 am

Photo: Jacob Heymann Butcher Shop, 345 Sixth Avenue, New York City. Taken in 1938 by WPA photographer Berenice Abbott. Source: Flickr.

Local farmer Shannon Hayes, who raises grass-fed pigs, cows, sheep and chickens at Sap Bush Hollow Farm in West Fulton, has an essay in Yes Magazine this week about why she charges $7.50 a pound for ground beef -- and why that's just fine.

Every week, we meet someone who tells us the prices are too high.

In fact, at those prices, the average net income for our family members has maxed out at $10 per hour. But part of our job is to hold our chins up and accept weekly admonishment for our inability to produce food as cheaply as it can be found in the grocery store.  Read more

Remembering Vincent

By Tom Rinaldo
1/31/12 - 11:04 am

The late Vincent, a formerly-feral Phoenicia cat who adopted columnist Tom Rinaldo when he moved into the neighborhood.

Vincent arrived at our new property pretty much the same time we did. At least it seems that way now looking back. When we moved into our new Phoenicia house, it wasn’t long before we spotted him; a black shadow behind our home, usually in motion.

We didn’t think much of it at the time. It was just a neighborhood cat, no doubt exploring some new territory that had finally opened up now that the dogs that lived with the former owner were gone. We had two cats of our own that were free to go outside during daylight hours.

One of our cats, Squeak, had no problem with Vincent coming round, but her sister Amanda did. Amanda was territorial. We would head out to find Amanda acting menacing toward this black intruder. Vincent, on the other hand, would lie still in the grass about ten yards away from Amanda, hoping the whole thing would somehow blow over.  Read more

Church treasurer charged with stealing over $100,000

By Lissa Harris
1/30/12 - 2:56 pm

54-year-old Emma Maxwell was arrested last week, on charges of stealing over $100,000 from the Breakabeen/North Blenheim Presbyterian Church, where she was the treasurer. Several news outlets report that Maxwell turned herself in.

The Times-Union reports:

Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of Emma Maxwell, 54, of Fulton on at least one count of second-degree grand larceny.

But details about how the theft occurred and over what period of time were not immediately available. Officials said they planned to hold a press conference on the arrest Monday.

ABC News 10 spoke with a neighbor:  Read more

Hunter Mountain employee dies in fall

By Lissa Harris
1/19/12 - 9:28 am

A tragic accident claimed the life of a Hunter Mountain employee on the mountain yesterday morning: 41-year-old Brian Mattice of Gilboa.

Police say Mattice slipped on ice and fell down a steep slope while working with snow-making equipment, and died on the scene.

From the New York State Police:  Read more

Matchmaker, matchmaker, find me a farm

By Bethany Lyttle
1/18/12 - 8:19 pm

Above: A Flickr slideshow of photos from Catskills FarmLink landowners and farmers. The first photo is of Michelle Premura, a landowner who has listed 13 acres between Delhi and Stamford on the FarmLink website. Click on individual photos to see the captions.

After graduating from West Point Academy and serving in the army for five years, Julie Zavage pursued a degree in organic agriculture from Colorado State University. Two internships and an apprenticeship later, the 30-year-old is ready to start her own vegetable farm. But Zavage doesn't own land, nor does she have the money to buy it. Leasing land is her only option.

So she turned to Catskills FarmLink, a new local website aimed at connecting would-be farmers with landowners, for help.

“I'm typical of many farmers of my generation,” she said. “We have the desire and ability to do the work and do it sustainably, but we don't have the money to buy the land we need.”  Read more

Construction worker injured at Gilboa Dam

By Lissa Harris
1/18/12 - 1:55 pm

CBS Channel 6 reports that a construction rig tipped over at the Gilboa Dam this morning, injuring a worker.

A statement via email from Michael Saucier, spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which owns and operates the dam:

There was a minor incident of equipment tipping over; no one was seriously  injured and that this will not likely impact the timeline of the project.  The operator of the rig was walking around after the incident but is going to hospital for evaluation. There is no damage to the dam itself.

Another article from the Times-Union.

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