By August, news outlets around the country are reporting, the U.S. Postal Service will put a halt to Saturday mail delivery in an effort to cut costs at the struggling agency.
The USPS hasn't made an official announcement yet -- a press conference will be held later today -- but the Associated Press has gotten a sneak peek at the agency's news release. From an AP story published this morning:
Material prepared for the Wednesday press conference by Patrick R. Donahoe, postmaster general and CEO, says Postal Service market research and other research has indicated that nearly 7 in 10 Americans support the switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs. Read more
My wife and I are proud Shandaken residents going on eleven years. We chose to raise our son here. It is for him that I speak against the Shandaken Town Board’s resolution to protest and ultimately repeal Cuomo’s SAFE Act. The Board is sending a message as “the voice of Shandaken,” objecting to any new effort to control, prohibit, or monitor the sale of any type of guns or ammo. In this resolution, they do not speak for me or for my family. Read more
This morning, a joint legislative budget hearing was packed to the gills as Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Joe Martens testified to legislators about hydraulic fracturing.
Kid Stuff, the free series of children' s workshops at The Pine Hill Community Center, has been generously funded for 2013. The program, which offers free sessions in arts, dance, music and nature every Saturday morning from 10:30 - noon, has been running for nearly a year. However, for 2013, thanks to a $5.000 grant from Kids in the Kaatskills that was matched by the A, Lindsay and Olive B. Read more
On Thursday at 6:30pm, Ulster County executive Mike Hein delivered his annual "State of the County" address at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge. The event was originally scheduled for Monday, January 28, but was rescheduled due to weather.
National Weather Service forecasters are warning Catskills residents that high winds are expected to develop tonight and tomorrow, increasing the risk of downed trees and power outages across the region. The area is already under a flood watch, with heavy rains expected to fall later in the evening.
Southerly Winds Becoming West Thursday Morning At 20 To 35 Mph With Gusts To 65 Mph...With The Strongest Wind Gusts Expected Across Higher Elevations...And Across Portions Of The Western Mohawk Valley. Read more
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.
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
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.
