Welcome to the Latest  Sullivan County eNews Roundup Blast!
A Weekly Roundup of News, Happenings & Events in Sullivan County, 
the Catskills  & New York State - Issue #38 - September 11, 2016
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Attend 9/11 Service at Monticello Fire House in Monticello 
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The project was explained by Kelly Kircher of Creighton Manning Engineering, who said the purpose was to improve the capacity and performance of the intersection. She said the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) assigns grades to intersections, and after several studies they determined that during off-peak times, in the fall, winter and spring, the grade for the intersection is an A through C. But in the summertime and during times when there are events at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the grade "can be an F."
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Michael Sussman, well known figure on legal activist issues and the Democratic Alliance's spokesperson on the recent debate night, kicked off the proceedings Tuesday promptly at 7:30 p.m. while noting the absence of Senator Bonacic. Sussman said that Bonacic had represented the district for eighteen years and has very rarely been questioned in public. This opened the floor to candidate Pramilla Malick, who responded to questions from Sussman and then the public. Malick, a mother of four, is a former small business owner who is now an activist with Protect Orange County who has been fighting the Minisink Compression Plant for some time.
Introducing herself, Malick hammered on Bonacic's role as an obstructing force in the state senate. Again and again, Malick noted, legislation passed by the assembly "went to die" in the senate. She accused Bonacic of being much more eager to respond to demands from big corporations than to the needs of the people of the 42nd district. He "springs into action," she said, for large companies, but remains indifferent to ordinary people. Malick questioned whether the senator has a moral compass at all.

On the eve of the September 13 primary, New York State Republican Senator John Bonacic is urging Democrats to write in his name on their party's ballot. The senator is already assured of the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines on the November ballot but he wants to take no chances. If he succeeds in getting his name on the Democratic line as well, he will not face an opponent in the general election. Bonacic has held same Senate seat for nearly two decades and has a history to bullying his opponents out of the race. "Voters are entitled to a choice on Election Day," says Democrat Pramilla Malick, the senate candidate endorsed by the Democratic committees of Delaware, Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties. She terms the letter from her Republican opponent, "nothing less than an attempt to short circuit the democratic process."

"The board of Fire Commissioners and the members of the Loch Sheldrake Fire department want to thank Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Todd Felter (Service Rep for Congressman Chris Gibson) for their help in the award for a grant, to furnish and install a diesel exhaust system for our firehouse. This system will remove and help eliminate unhealthy fumes from the fire apparatus, making a healthier environment for our firefighters and the public," said Ben Campanaro, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners Loch Sheldrake Fire District.
The Village of Bloomingburg Board has voted unanimously to bring back the village planning and zoning boards. The return of the two boards will give the village control over future developments, including Chestnut Ridge.  
"You have a village, I believe the taxpayers will have the most interest in the village and for it to be local to get things done better, to get thing done faster," said Aaron Rabiner, a Bloomingburg village trustee. 
Critics have accused developers of Chestnut Ridge of misleading people on their intentions for the project. That's why many residents at the meeting didn't buy into the village's reason for bringing back the planning and zoning boards. Instead, they asked for the town of Mamakating to remain in control. 
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In an effort to prevent underage drinking in and around the SUNY Sullivan campus in Loch Sheldrake, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office on Friday conducted a check of nearby retail establishments in Loch Sheldrake, Hurleyville and Liberty. 
In three cases, store clerks were seen by sheriff's deputies selling alcohol to an underage person. 
At Loch Sheldrake Wine and Liquors on Route 52, Jitendraprasad Patel, 74, was arrested after an underage student bought a bottle of whiskey.  At the Loch Sheldrake Exxon on Route 52, Manishaben Patel, 39, was arrested after an underage person purchased a six-pack of beer.  At the Mobil gas station on Main Street in Hurleyville, Niraliben Patel, 30, was arrested when he sold beer to an underage person.  It was unknown if the three men arrested in this latest check are related.
In all three cases, the underage person was never asked to provide ID proving his age.  All three men who were arrested were charged with prohibited sale of alcoholic beverages and they were issued appearance tickets to town court.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to modernize New York's archaic 80-year-old Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, which included provisions prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages at on-premises establishments before noon on Sunday. The comprehensive legislation allows alcohol to be sold earlier on Sundays, adds common sense provisions to broaden retail sales by producers, and reduces burdensome fees for wineries, distilleries, breweries and cideries statewide.
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Attorney General  Eric T. Schneiderman on Wednesday took a large step toward making New York one of several states to allow late-term abortions in cases where the mother's health is in jeopardy or the fetus suffers a fatal complication, relying on  Supreme Court rulings he said overrode existing law. 
In a new legal opinion, Mr. Schneiderman said the 1970 state law, which criminalizes  abortion past 24 weeks of  pregnancyunless the mother's life is endangered, did not square with the later Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and other cases. 
The 6,000 square miles in southeastern New York known as the Catskills are home to six major river systems, thirty-five mountain peaks over 3,500 feet, and the famed Woodstock festival. A year-round destination, the Catskills are at their most vibrant in the fall when yellows, oranges, and reds electrify the thickly wooded hillsides. Locals and visitors alike savor the fall harvest, when many of the region's historic villages host festivals and craft fairs alongside the bountiful farmers' markets and pick-your-own orchards.
Just a two hour drive from Brooklyn is the mountainous region best known for its hippie music festivals and as the place where Patrick Swayze fell for Jennifer Grey in 1987's hit film, Dirty Dancing.  However, decades after it was first made famous, the quaint hamlets that dot the scenic highways remain as artistic and charming as ever.  The area has been rejuvenated by the next generation of filmmakers, writers and actors all looking for a beautiful place to go incognito.  And whether you're looking to try your hand at fly-fishing, embark on one of the area's countless hiking trails, or indulge in a bit of vintage shopping, there's a tiny town with your name on it.
They remembered him as a principled man, a Renaissance man, a gifted lawyer, a dogged advocate and a consummate hippie. That was Ira Cohen. The Sullivan County Bar Association held a memorial service Thursday afternoon, in a packed courtroom at the county courthouse, to pay tribute to Cohen, who served as county treasurer at the time of his death in October 2014.
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" The true question is not whether Trump should debate or not, but whether the upcoming presidential debates carry any significance at all."
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