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Sunday headlines
Apr 10, 2011 9:34 am
Farmers market to stay on Main, but look will change
Doron Tyler Antrim reports on the latest iteration of the Catskill’s farmers market, which now seems poised to will remain on Main Street with traffic flowing through it. The decision — which is not finalized, but was generally agreed to during a discussion among village officials and several business owners on Saturday, April 8, — will see vendors moved to the parking spots on the west side of the road with traffic cones or barriers placed in the road. Board action is expected at an official village meeting on Monday evening, April 11.
More charges for alleged burglar
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star reports that the case of an alleged Columbia County burglar keeps growing, with new charges being added to those already filed against the HIllsdale man behind bars since October. Authorities now believe Samuel Sampson, 39, is responsible for as many as 50 area break-ins, going back to 2009. He was originally arrested by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 29, the result of a two-year investigation with the New York State Police in Livingston into a series of break-ins in Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Philmont, Claverack and across the border in Massachusetts. Sampson was initially charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree assault, both class D felonies. Amongst his loot were four long guns, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Making food available for bears will lead to problems, state warns
The Daily Freeman is running a state Department of Environmental Conservation reminder discouraging human encounters with black bears. “Typically, black bears are timid and will avoid all contact with humans,” said Willie Janeway, the agency’s Region 3 director who lives in Columbia County. “However, bears will become a nuisance and can cause significant damage if they believe they can obtain an easy meal from bird feeders, garbage cans, Dumpsters, barbecue grills, tents, vehicles, out-buildings or houses. Taking preventative action early and consistently is crucial to avoid chronic bear problems.”
South Bay Dumping Update
Carole Osterink updates her own Gossips of Rivertown report by noting that the trucks seen dumping leftover cement in South Bay Friday were located, then reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Hudson Police Department. At about 5:30 on Friday afternoon, April 8, Gossips received a report that "two men with pickup trucks, pickaxes, and shovels" were removing the cement from the marsh. Way to go!
Hudson Valley farmers face development pressure
Bill Fallon of HV Biz writes about a new study that reveals that the Hudson Valley is faced with intense development pressure that is pressuring its agricultural heritage. "Farming endures, according to the data, despite a 10 percent loss of farmland in a five-year period, with a corresponding 21 percent increase in the cost of food production," Fallon writes about “The State of Agriculture in the Hudson Valley," a report by Glynwood, a Cold Spring-based organization devoted to saving Hudson Valley farming. "Perhaps the greatest impediment to small- and mid-size farm viability is the absence of processing and distribution infrastructure necessary for farmers to get their products to market, according to the report. It also documents how the industry is changing as farmers adapt to a shifting economy and to different market opportunities." Yet there are some bright lights on the horizon, according to Glynwood, notably the diversity of markets in the region and the region’s proximity to major urban areas:
Doron Tyler Antrim reports on the latest iteration of the Catskill’s farmers market, which now seems poised to will remain on Main Street with traffic flowing through it. The decision — which is not finalized, but was generally agreed to during a discussion among village officials and several business owners on Saturday, April 8, — will see vendors moved to the parking spots on the west side of the road with traffic cones or barriers placed in the road. Board action is expected at an official village meeting on Monday evening, April 11.
More charges for alleged burglar
Andrew Amelinckx of the Register-Star reports that the case of an alleged Columbia County burglar keeps growing, with new charges being added to those already filed against the HIllsdale man behind bars since October. Authorities now believe Samuel Sampson, 39, is responsible for as many as 50 area break-ins, going back to 2009. He was originally arrested by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 29, the result of a two-year investigation with the New York State Police in Livingston into a series of break-ins in Hillsdale, Austerlitz, Philmont, Claverack and across the border in Massachusetts. Sampson was initially charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree assault, both class D felonies. Amongst his loot were four long guns, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Making food available for bears will lead to problems, state warns
The Daily Freeman is running a state Department of Environmental Conservation reminder discouraging human encounters with black bears. “Typically, black bears are timid and will avoid all contact with humans,” said Willie Janeway, the agency’s Region 3 director who lives in Columbia County. “However, bears will become a nuisance and can cause significant damage if they believe they can obtain an easy meal from bird feeders, garbage cans, Dumpsters, barbecue grills, tents, vehicles, out-buildings or houses. Taking preventative action early and consistently is crucial to avoid chronic bear problems.”
South Bay Dumping Update
Carole Osterink updates her own Gossips of Rivertown report by noting that the trucks seen dumping leftover cement in South Bay Friday were located, then reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Hudson Police Department. At about 5:30 on Friday afternoon, April 8, Gossips received a report that "two men with pickup trucks, pickaxes, and shovels" were removing the cement from the marsh. Way to go!
Hudson Valley farmers face development pressure
Bill Fallon of HV Biz writes about a new study that reveals that the Hudson Valley is faced with intense development pressure that is pressuring its agricultural heritage. "Farming endures, according to the data, despite a 10 percent loss of farmland in a five-year period, with a corresponding 21 percent increase in the cost of food production," Fallon writes about “The State of Agriculture in the Hudson Valley," a report by Glynwood, a Cold Spring-based organization devoted to saving Hudson Valley farming. "Perhaps the greatest impediment to small- and mid-size farm viability is the absence of processing and distribution infrastructure necessary for farmers to get their products to market, according to the report. It also documents how the industry is changing as farmers adapt to a shifting economy and to different market opportunities." Yet there are some bright lights on the horizon, according to Glynwood, notably the diversity of markets in the region and the region’s proximity to major urban areas: