News

Delhi — The Delaware County Democratic Committee has selected a lifelong Democrat as its “Peg Pandick Woman of the Year” for 2013. Katherine “Kathy” Mario of Delhi has served as chair of her town committee, as a vice chair of the county committee, and is now a member of both the New York State Democratic committee from the 101st Assembly District, and the state’s Democratic Rural Caucus.

By Brian Sweeney
The Halcottsville Cemetery is receiving some much-needed restoration work, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers.

The historic cemetery, which dates back to the late 1700s, had become overgrown with grass and a various intrusive plants after several years of neglect. Dismayed by the appearance of the grounds, Halcottsville native Bob Eignor decided to take matters into his own hands.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The towns of Andes, Middletown, and Roxbury and the villages of Fleischmanns and Margaretville in Delaware County and the towns of Olive and Shandaken in Ulster County have collaborated with the MARK Project and the Catskill Center to prepare an economic revitalization strategy.
Now they want to hear from the public on it.

Margaretville — Students from the Catskills and the Bronx met recently to experience a new, high-tech way to learn about and appreciate a shared resource: water.

“Flo: The Watershed Project” is a video exploration of the New York City watershed and water system. Game design and graphic arts students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) created the unique venture. Eighth-grade students from Onteora Central School and Bronx Academy of Letters provided input to the game while learning about water all year long.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Times are tough these at all levels of government, and things are no different in Fleischmanns, where the tentative budget not only strips the mayor of his salary but also cuts programs such as recreation and others.

At 6 p.m. on Monday, April 15 in the Skene Memorial Library on Main Street, the Fleischmanns Village Board will hold a public hearing on the village’s proposed 2013-’14 budget.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Todd Pascarella said the tentative budget he prepared contains no tax increase, but the plan still comes at a cost.

By Geoff Samuels
Walk into the American Legion Post 216 Hall in Margaretville right now and what you’ll see are concrete walls and bare studs. Don’t let that fool you. Don Kearney, the Legion’s finance director, says he hopes to start the Legion’s popular fund-raising Bingo game night back up at the hall sometime this May. He certainly has his work cut out.

By Jay Braman Jr.
After several weeks of being in charge at the Phoenicia Elementary School following the suspension of Principal Linda Sella, the district’s superintendant now says that an interim principal must hired to manage the Phoenicia school through to the end of the year.

Sella, principal of the Phoenicia Elementary School since 201, was placed on administrative leave in mid-February.

By Joe Moskowitz
Chicken, and rice pilaf with a side of politics were the order of the day at Roxbury Central School. New York State Senator James Seward stopped by for lunch at RCS on Thursday. He was already going to speak to two classes, but Superintendent Tom O’Brien decided that since Senator Seward was coming to town anyway, he would ask him to share a meal with some senior citizens. It wasn’t just any meal. It was the annual senior citizens lunch prepared by the RCS family/consumer service class.

By Brian Sweeney
“We Are What We Are,” a horror film shot last year in the Catskill Region, was picked up by eOne Distribution after screening at Sundance.

The Hollywood Reporter indicated that the U.S. rights to the film were acquired by eOne Distribution in a deal estimated to be in the low seven-figure range. eOne was reportedly one of several companies bidding on rights for the film.

By Jay Braman Jr.
With the ski season all but over, the staff at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center is already looking ahead to the 2013-14 season and they want your input.

Belleayre, which was run by New York State from the time it was built in 1949, underwent a management change last fall when that responsibility was handed to the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) which runs the state’s two other ski centers in the Adirondacks.