Tree falls on home in Mellenville
A photo on the front page of the Register=Star captures all our fears... and hopefully an occurrence that won't be reoccurring as the high winds of February 19 and 20 now abate.


County to settle tar drum dispute
Two residents filed suit against Greene County for illegally burying 72 55-gallon drums of road tar on their property. Colin DeVries of the Daily Mail reports that Greene County Attorney Carol Stevens worked out a deal to pay the landowners, and New York State, $3,000 each for the offenses after a six year investigation. The settlement was unanimously approved by the county legislature at its February 16 meeting.


Power back on at Windham Mountain ski area
The Times Union has a brief follow-up piece about how the popular ski area got its power back an hour and a half after losing it on Saturday. No one was harmed, it seems, and there's been no mention yet of what happened on the ski lifts, which we assume weren't running because of the high winds.

Proposal to close two elementary schools in Kingston meets opposition
The education funding woes have popped up again with a Daily Freeman story about city board of ed discussions in the Ulster County seat, now bubbling over into local politics beyond the school board as neighborhoods and communities fight to keep their schools, and all parents work to keep class sizes low and kindergarten available on a full day basis.

Hudson in 1969: The Intrusion of Outsiders
Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown has another look back at earlier preservation battles, back when her city was less friendly to those making new homes in our area. Unfortunately, the historic General Worth Hotel wasn't saved...

Halfway through the great Backyard Bird Count
Talk about easy fun at the window... just tally up what you see and get your data in by March 1... it's one of many ways of charting our earth's healthiness.