Another Grand Gorge business was destroyed by fire when flames swept through Sundaes Restaurant & Dairy Freeze early Monday morning. The building, located on Route 23, and its contents, are a complete loss. Fire fighters from Grand Gorge, Roxbury, Prattsville and Stamford responded to the blaze, which was fully involved when the call came between 3 and 4 a.m.

Margaretville — The Catskill Watershed Corp. (CWC) Board of Directors has a new president.
He is Michael Triolo, supervisor of the Town of Stamford, and former economic development director on the staff of the CWC.
Triolo was unanimously elected to the position by fellow board members, including the outgoing President, Georgianna Lepke. The Sullivan County representative has sold her home in Neversink and is relocating to Florida.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Some taxpayers in Shandaken might like the tentative budget plan for next year that keeps taxes down. According to Supervisor/Budget Officer Rob Stanley, if you paid $2,000 in town property tax this year, you will pay $2,012 next year.
Good news for taxpayers yes. But good for town departments?
Some say no.

Last week the town board heard complaints that not enough is being spent to take care of problems.
Leading the way was Phoenicia water commissioner Ric Ricciardella, who warned that another pump was needed for the hamlet’s water system.

By Brian Sweeney
The building housing Becker’s Tires Service in Grand Gorge, one of the area’s best-known businesses, was destroyed in an early morning fire on Friday.

The blaze at the sprawling structure, located adjacent to Route 30 at the entrance to the hamlet, was called in to Delaware County 911 at 12:17 a.m. By the time firefighters began arriving, flames were sweeping through historic building that served as home to Becker’s Tires for more than 40 years.

For the past five years, the business has been owned by Rick and Machelle Haight.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Shandaken’s 2014 budget proposal calls for a small jump in the tax levy but a big jump in the salaries of the town’s top elected officials. Under the plan, which is still tentative and will be discussed on Monday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in town hall, taxes would go up only 0.3 percent.
The town supervisor’s salary would jump 16.67 percent and the highway superintendent’s salary would go up 7.11 percent.

By Joe Moskowitz
It is a scene that has become all too familiar of late; firefighters desperately trying to save a  structure that was already lost to flames before they could get there.

It was early Sunday morning and Hank McCann of Dunraven felt a little cold. He went into the basement of his Ben Meeker Road mobile home to add some wood to the fire. But when he got there he saw wires arcing and flames that had spread well beyond the furnace and were about to engulf his entire home.

By Brian Sweeney
“We Are What We Are,” a film shot in locally last year, opened in New York and Los Angeles over the weekend to excellent reviews.
Director Jim Mickle’s movie had its world premier at the Sundance Film Festival and then screened at 2013 Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight. The movie received award nominations at both venues. One of the film’s young stars, Julia Garner won the Best Actor prize at Fantastic Fest in Texas.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Since residents of the Village of Fleischmanns are Town of Middletown voters too, Fleischmanns First is hosting a Town Supervisor Candidate’s Forum following its regular meeting this Saturday morning at the La Cabanna Restaurant on Main Street. Town supervisor candidates, Marjorie Miller and Nelson Delameter, will attend and participate in the forum.

Each candidate will make a presentation of not more than 20 minutes and then field questions and answers. Fleischmanns Mayor Todd Pascarella will moderate. Delameter will present at 10 a.m. and Miller at 10:40 a.m.

A fire of undetermined origin broke out at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Friday morning, September 27 and totally destroyed Becker's Tire Service, located on Route 30 in Grand Gorge.

Firemen from Grand Gorge, Roxbury, Margaretville, Prattsville, and Stamford found the building totally involved when they arrived at the scene. Fighting the fire was complicated by hundreds of burning tires which were stored in the building. Fireman used foam to combat the burning rubber. Firemen were still at the scene at 8 a.m. Friday morning wetting down hot spots in the building.

By Joe Moskowitz
Middletown Supervisor Marge Miller won a decisive victory over challenger Nelson Delameter in last Tuesday’s Democratic primary, but both Miller and Delameter are aware that the big prize goes to the winner of their November showdown.
Miller easily won Tuesday’s balloting, 164 to 44. “I did what I always do. I worked hard and I didn’t take any voters for granted, Miller told the News. The supervisor said she was pleased with her margin of victory, but noted that it was “just a primary”, and the bigger contest lies ahead.

Turnout hurt challenger