By Jay Braman Jr.
Belleayre supporters reacted swiftly to the state legislature authorizing the creation of a commission that will evaluate whether state-owned recreational facilities constitute unfair competition to privately run golf courses, ski centers and camping sites.
With the idea coming from Greene County ski centers Hunter and Windham, whose operators say state-owned Belleayre gets to sell cheap tickets because taxpayers pick up the slack, there’s now a county vs. county battle brewing between Greene and Ulster, with the latter’s legislative chairman calling for a boycott of Hunter and Windham.

By Julia Green
Beneath an American flag flying at half-mast and a solemn gathering of his fellow state troopers, family members and friends, a dedication ceremony was held Sunday afternoon unveiling a memorial to slain New York State Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff, who was shot to death in the line of duty in Margaretville last April.
The memorial, a five-foot tall jet-black granite stone from India, features Brinkerhoff’s likeness as well as a passage about his life and the events that led to his death. It is located in front of the Middletown Town Hall building on Route 28.

By Brian Sweeney
The new Margaretville constable has been put on a leave of absence until the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services reviews the paperwork for his hiring.
Harold Fox began part-time work as Margaretville constable on June 2, but was placed on leave June 24 after a complaint was made questioning the steps followed in his hiring.

Peg Ellsworth, Roxbury’s community resources director, has been named executive director of the MARK Group, said MARK Board President Ernest Steiglehner on Friday.
“It was a consensus decision for all of us on the search committee and affirmed unanimously by our board,” said Steiglehner. “Peg has great experience working with communities. What really sold us was her detailed plan for how to move the organization forward in the next six months and how to interact closely with all the communities we serve, because that community work is MARK’s strong suit and central to our mission.”

By Julia Green
The saga of the wandering buffalo calf ended happily Sunday afternoon when the young orphan was captured near New Kingston and will now live out her life in the company of other buffalo on a farm near Walton.
The calf was captured Sunday afternoon and transported to a foster facility, where she was impounded, placed under quarantine and ear-tagged. From there, she will be transported to her intended adoptive home, where she will be able to mature in a no-kill environment. State police are also aware of the impound of the animal.

By Matthew J. Perry
Joe Moskowitz, owner of Casey Joe’s Coffee in Arkville, says that business has been steady through the week. But he notices a difference when Saturday rolls around.
“On the weekends I’m seeing plenty of second home-owners,” he said. “But not locals. People are staying home. If they don’t have to drive, they don’t.”
With gasoline prices still north of $4 a gallon, Delaware County, like rural communities across the nation, is already feeling the squeeze of record prices for crude oil.

By Julia Green
“What has 1,000 legs, rolls, and is green from start to finish? It’s the Catskills Aqueduct Tour: the proposed bike race that will launch a five-year plan to turn New York State – and, more specifically, the Catskills Watershed Area – into the cycling capital of our nation.”
That was the lead-in at a meeting held last Tuesday about the prospect of starting a bike race in the Catskill watershed area that could, “rival the Tour de France.”

A memorial dedication ceremony in honor of the late New York State Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Town of Middletown Town Hall at 42339 State Highway in Margaretville. Trooper Brinkerhoff was killed in the line of duty on April 25, 2007 in a gun battle with fugitive Travis Trim during which Trim and Trooper Brinkerhoff both lost their lives and another trooper, David Mattson, was seriously wounded.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Demolition of the Phoenicia Hotel resumed briefly this month, when crews and equipment chopped away more of the burned and rotted remains that were left behind from a suspicious fire that destroyed the old building almost one year ago. This phase, which has now halted, follows an initial effort to remove the debris earlier this spring.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The New York State Legislature on Thursday authorized the creation of a commission that will evaluate whether state-owned recreational facilities constitute unfair competition to privately run golf courses, ski centers and camping sites.