As inmate populations in New York state decline, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed legislation last week that would allow for more state prisons to be closed. In other words, Cuomo would have largely unchallenged power to close prisons. The idea is good. The method is not.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to legalize and regulate adult marijuana use will predictably lead to a confrontation with the state Legislature. In his State of the State and budget addresses, Cuomo vowed this would be the year the state would pass the legislation.
A good friend recently told me to stay in touch with my feminine side. I don’t think I want oo, too much stress! I am very thankful that the Big Guy arranged for me to be male, probably because He realized what a rotten female I’d be. I revel in my maleness and try to do it without any chauv…
To start off, I hope you have all had a joyous and prosperous holiday season. Having been rather busy both personally (with my full already full family environment being blessed with my first grandchild), and professionally (with the reset of our filing and computing systems for the New Year…
Last week I wrote about feeding birds, which is a favorite winter pastime for many local residents. This week I will write about some of the problems that are often encountered.
A funny thing happened on the way to completing construction of the new Greene County jail. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday proposed legislation that would allow neighboring counties to share jail services on the condition that they form mutual cooperative agreements.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s annual budget proposals have a way of hitting on important and even urgent topics with dramatic effect, but imprinting question marks on the little details that provoke politically charged debates in Albany.
PRATTSVILLE — Want to start the column with a big “get well” shout out to Hank Oliver. Got our Hank mixed up with another Hank, who also is not doing well. Hank Oliver was hospitalized for one week with pneumonia and the flu. He is now home and under the care of wife Ann. Not to let him suff…
Bette Knapp, Pat Findholt and Lorraine Banks enjoyed their monthly breakfast outing at Woodnotes at the Emerson on Jan. 17. The ladies always have a good time together.
Welcome to the big storm that really didn’t happen.
This article covers additional graduation years from the Hunter Tannersville Central School – THE CREST, the student’s yearbooks and the dedications they wrote.
For the last five years, elected officials at all levels in New York state have pleaded their case that rural areas have little or no access to broadband on which internet users depend. Today the officials are responding to another slap in the face from the federal government, and their mess…
To the editor:
Societies and Associations. That’s the title of a section in the 1917 Greene County Directory for Catskill.
The objective of the looming U.S. Census is to count every man, woman and child in the nation. That is an undeniably lofty goal but here are the treasures waiting at the end of the quest: Congressional representation and billions of federal dollars. Now here is the challenge confronting us: …
The Healthcare Consortium is excited to announce a new program to help you get and stay healthy called Helpers for Health. The Helpers for Health Project was formed in April 2019 and represents a transition of the SUNY Women’s Health Projectably — led for many years by our friends and collea…
To the editor:
Could you survive a no-spend month?
To the editor:
The anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., like previous observances, will be used as both measuring stick and lightning rod. How far has America come since King’s life was snuffed out by an assassin? How far must the country still go to realize his vision of justice and equality?
To the editor:
Before I begin this week’s column I want to pass on a suggestion from a reader. I have learned that many people who need to utilize local food pantries also have pets and pets must be fed too! If your local food pantry allows it, consider donating some pet food along with groceries. Most pri…
The evening news today had an article about school lunches and how they are being made healthier — less fat, less sodium, fruits, fresh veggies. It sounds like the stuff they keep trying to get senior citizens to eat.
To the editor:
To the editor:
Reporters meet a lot of people. That’s our stock in trade, after all. Yet the number of people a reporter meets that make a really deep impression, who remain fresh in your memory years later, is small.
Emotions over the state’s new bail reform laws simmered to a boil Wednesday as the Legislature’s Republicans and Democrats squared off in a duel of press conferences at the state Capitol. Until something is done to reconcile the two sides, this battle is likely to be a long one.
With the second year of a Democratic-controlled state Legislature underway, it’s understandable that the majority is optimistic about the prospects for passing the bills on its agenda, and some Democratic lawmakers Tuesday were confident the Protect Our Courts Act would be one such bill.
Wow! What weather this past week! It proves the saying about weather in the Catskills: If you don’t like it, wait an hour and it will be different.
Carol Constable and I were driving on Route 23A and we counted five eagles in basically the same spot along the Schoharie. Later I was speaking to Bette Knapp and she couldn’t wait to tell me she saw seven eagles and it was the same area where Carol and I saw them.
PRATTSVILLE – Kudos to Kathy Sherman, Anita Creazzo and Debbie Wandursky. These ladies have had some health issues during the holiday season and before and after, but they all have a good attitude for brighter days.
To the editor:
To the editor:
The internet and the popularity of audiobooks have given rise to a new slogan: Listening is the new reading. That kind of thinking is short on imagination and long on the promise of an illiterate future that suggests Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.”
This week I am pleased to present Part II of a guest column by Jonathan Palmer about the burning of the steamship Henry Clay and a family from Oak Hill that perished as a result. Jonathan Palmer is the capable archivist at the Vedder Research Library in Coxsackie and Deputy Greene County His…
Greene County Legislator William B. Lawrence, R-Cairo, is calling for a countywide ban on polystyrene, the ubiquitous, near-indestructible plastic foam used in drinking cups, food trays and many, many other things. At the same time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a statewide ban on the landf…
We all have a love-hate relationship with the scale: one day you love it, the next day you want to toss it out the window. And even though you know the scale is unreliable, you still use it (sometimes every day) and allow it to have the power to dictate your mood for the day. Good number — g…
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the early evening Monday, the Greene County Legislature took a quick vote that, in the overall scheme of things, would likely not mean much to our readers, but it was by no means trivial. That vote was a short, sharp blow to transparency in county government.
Last week, the three amigos, Ota, the Toyota, Telly, my BFF (Big Furry Friend) and The Old Poop — me, were out early on our daily search for adventure. We usually look for wrongs that need righting, maidens in distress, evil scientists on the loose or stray dragons that may have made the mis…
I’m sitting here after our last nor’easter, thinking about this beautiful, joyful, spirit-filled time of the year. Though we who live in the Northeast must often do battle with that staunchest of souls, “Old Man Winter,” our wonder and delight at the falling snow, crystal-capped branches, an…
Well, the shortest days of the year have passed and day length is getting slightly longer each day. It still seems like it is dark far too long in January. Part of the problem is that it is not only dark, but it is cold and dark. Sometimes, in the dark times of winter, it seems like it would…
To the editor:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo talked a lot about destiny and hope, tempests and superstorms in his 10th State of the State Address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Wednesday. He also called for unity and equality in New York state in 2020.
To the editor:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed bail reform legislation into law in 2019, but did he leave enough time for police, judges and district attorneys to acclimate themselves?
Good news. With the completion of the 2018 annual internal audit commissioned by the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, we have learned that — for the sixth consecutive year — the county has shown a budget surplus.
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