Hobart

Snow falling, schools closing

By Lissa Harris
1/28/13 - 11:30 am

A snowstorm that threatens to change over to ice and sleet later in the day is prompting school closings and other cancellations across the Catskills region. 

Ulster County executive Mike Hein's office announced this morning that the State of the County address scheduled for this evening will be postponed because of the weather. Hein's address is now scheduled for Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 6:30 PM in SUNY Ulster’s College Hall.

Below are a few links for more info on local weather-related cancellations.

School closings in Sullivan and Ulster Counties, via the Times Herald-Record.

School and community organization closings in Ulster and Greene Counties, via the Daily Freeman.  Read more

Coming Feb. 14: Handcrafted Harpersfield eternity scarves and pasture-raised chicken and pork

By GSACC
1/26/13 - 3:23 pm

These are just a few of the marvelous vendors you will see at the February 14 indoor holiday pop-up farmers’ market in Stamford:

Harpersfield Nanny – hand-crafted right in Harpersfield: heart decorated rice filled neck wraps, eternity scarves, flower petal pins and hair barrettes.  Read more

ORDA's Ted Blazer on Belleayre Mountain: "I apologize if it's not perfect, but we want to make it better"

By Julia Reischel
1/25/13 - 10:56 am
See video

Above: Video of Ted Blazer's comments to the Catskills at the Boiceville Inn last night. Apologies for the extremely fuzzy video quality. Video shot by Julia Reischel.

Ted Blazer, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, visited the Catskills last night to deliver an apology and a promise about the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, which ORDA took over in November. (For our previous coverage of the ORDA takeover, click here.)  Read more

Bonacic issues petition to repeal new state gun control law

By Lissa Harris
1/24/13 - 4:22 pm

Above: A screenshot from state senator John Bonacic's website, urging constituents in the 42nd District to sign a petition to repeal New York State's new gun control law.

With the ink hardly dry on New York State's new gun control law, New York state senator John Bonacic has already begun a petition drive to get the law repealed. Bonacic was one of 18 Republican state senators to vote against the bill.

Bonacic's district, the 42nd, includes all of Sullivan County as well as parts of Delaware, Ulster and Orange Counties.

On January 16, the day after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed New York State's gun control legislation into law, Bonacic urged his constituents to sign a petition in support of repealing the law:  Read more

Covidien employee charged with drug trafficking

By Lissa Harris
1/23/13 - 1:21 pm

A Davenport man who was employed at the Covidien pharmaceutical plant in Hobart has been arrested on felony drug trafficking charges, after a lengthy investigation linked him to two other recent arrests involving the trafficking of oxycodone powder diverted from pharmaceutical manufacture.

Jason Wilsey, 33, turned himself in at the Delaware County courthouse on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his attorney. Wilsey is charged with first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class A-I felony that carries a sentence of 8 to 20 years for first-time offenders.  Read more

Watch out for frostbite: Sub-zero wind chills in the forecast tonight

By Lissa Harris
1/22/13 - 6:07 pm

If you're going out tonight, the National Weather Service advises you to bundle up. Delaware and Sullivan Counties are under a wind chill advisory from midnight Tuesday through mid-morning Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to drop to between zero and five degrees, with a wind chill factor of around 15 below zero, thanks to gusting winds:

The Wind Chill Is Expected To Be Cold Enough To Cause Frostbite In About 30 Minutes Or Less...And Could Lead To Hypothermia If Precautions Are Not Taken. Those Planning To Venture Outdoors Should Use Common Sense And Dress Warmly...Making Sure That All Exposed Skin Is Covered.

A special weather statement issued by the NWS in Albany, which covers Ulster, Greene and Schoharie Counties, says we can expect frigid temperatures through the end of the week:  Read more

Blueberry wine and local yogurt at the next Pop-Up Market

By GSACC
1/18/13 - 5:39 pm

These are just a few of the marvelous vendors you will see at the February 14 indoor holiday pop-up farmers’ market in Stamford:  Read more

Heated Conversation Around the Maple Boiler

By Catskill Forest Association
1/16/13 - 12:47 pm

By Ryan Trapani

The maple sugaring season is knocking on the door – especially with all this mild weather we have been experiencing recently. When temperatures begin to rise above freezing during the day and fall below freezing at night – sap flow begins. Last year, this type of weather pattern occurred earlier than normal in late January and early February. Typically, maple producers throughout the Catskills tap in late February and early March.  Read more

Police trace local illegal drug trade to Covidien plant

By Lissa Harris
1/15/13 - 10:32 pm

The Daily Star is reporting that an employee at Covidien's Hobart plant, which manufactures pharmaceuticals, is suspected of smuggling oxycodone powder out of the plant. The employee, who is not named in the Daily Star article, is expected to face federal drug charges.

In December, Harpersfield resident Robert Wilsey was arrested and charged with drug possession after a search warrant turned up $50,000 worth of oxycodone powder in his possession. Delaware County sheriff's deputies did not announce Wilsey's arrest until January 11.

Police believe Wilsey got the powder from a Covidien employee, the Daily Star reports:

“We traced the oxycodone back to Covidien,” Delaware County Undersheriff Craig Dumond said.

A Covidien employee is suspected of stealing the drug from inside the plant and transfering it to Robert Willsey, 40, of Harpersfield.  Read more

Gun control bill signed into New York State law

By Lissa Harris
1/15/13 - 6:28 pm

After a five-hour debate, the Democratic-led New York State Assembly passed a new gun control bill Tuesday afternoon that includes stricter definitions of banned "assault weapons" and new reporting requirements for mental health professionals. In passing the bill, the Assembly joined the Republican-led Senate, which passed the bill late Monday night without debate.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo acted immediately to sign the bill, which has been dubbed the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, and is being discussed widely on Twitter under the hashtag #nysafe.

Since its hasty passage in the Senate on Monday -- after closed-door negotiations between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate leaders -- New York State's new gun law has spurred immediate and passionate reactions from New Yorkers of all stripes.  Read more

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