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Weekend in review
Feb 18, 2013 12:05 am
Some of the stories that made the news, Feb. 15 to Feb. 18:
Ariel Zangla reported in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature will vote on a resolution Tues., Feb. 19, expressing opposition to the recently enacted SAFE Act. Legislature chairman Wayne Speenburgh said at a press conference Fri., Feb. 15, many county residents have expressed outrage over the passage of the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act and a state Assembly bill that would, if approved, require gun owners to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance. Speenburgh said many Greene County residents feel the SAFE Act infringes on their constitutional rights, and he agrees. He also said the SAFE Act gives the state leverage to erode the people’s right to bear arms. Speenburgh was joined at the press conference by county Legislature Majority Leader Kevin Lewis, Minority Leader James Van Slyke, Greene County Sheriff Gregory Seeley and Legislator William Lawrence, chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
An excerpt from the press conference (2:45):
Minority Leader Van Slyke on the SAFE legislation (1:23):
William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the Olive Town Board in Ulster County, recently adopted a ban on hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas drilling method commonly known or fracking. Town Supervisor Berndt Leifeld said the ban is largely symbolic because it unlikely drilling will take place in the town and the ban could be overridden if the state Department of Environmental Conservation approves the practice. Leifeld said having the New York City-owned Ashokan Reservoir within the town’s borders should keep gas drilling from occurring locally. Activities prohibited under the ban include fracking-related drilling, storage, treatment, processing, disposal and exploration. The law also bars companies from establishing ponds, gathering areas, venting stations or compressors associated with natural gas or petroleum extraction. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.
The Daily Mail reported an early morning fire at Sunrise Farm, Sun., Feb. 17, is under investigation by fire officials. Firefighters responded to the scene on Cauterskill Road in Catskill around 2 a.m. One of nearly a dozen henhouses on the farm was completely destroyed in the fire that was propelled by strong winds. Between 6,000 and 8,000 chickens are believed to have perished in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials say its origin does not appear to be suspicious. Sunrise Farm produces eggs for scientific testing by the United States government.
Kyle Adams reported in The Daily Mail a group of parents and other members of the Cairo-Durham community met outside the Cairo Elementary School Fri., Feb. 15, to protest the school’s decision to realign the elementary grades between the two schools. Armed with signs denouncing the Princeton plan, about 20 to 30 protesters stood just across the street from the school, drawing honks from passing cars and collecting signatures on a pledge that vows, “I will not vote ‘Yes’ on any budget that includes the Princeton Plan.” The plan calls for housing Kindergarten to second grade in the Durham building and grades three through five in the Cairo building beginning in Sept. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Ariel Zangla reported in the Daily Freeman the Greene County Legislature will vote on a resolution Tues., Feb. 19, expressing opposition to the recently enacted SAFE Act. Legislature chairman Wayne Speenburgh said at a press conference Fri., Feb. 15, many county residents have expressed outrage over the passage of the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act and a state Assembly bill that would, if approved, require gun owners to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance. Speenburgh said many Greene County residents feel the SAFE Act infringes on their constitutional rights, and he agrees. He also said the SAFE Act gives the state leverage to erode the people’s right to bear arms. Speenburgh was joined at the press conference by county Legislature Majority Leader Kevin Lewis, Minority Leader James Van Slyke, Greene County Sheriff Gregory Seeley and Legislator William Lawrence, chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
An excerpt from the press conference (2:45):
Minority Leader Van Slyke on the SAFE legislation (1:23):
William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the Olive Town Board in Ulster County, recently adopted a ban on hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas drilling method commonly known or fracking. Town Supervisor Berndt Leifeld said the ban is largely symbolic because it unlikely drilling will take place in the town and the ban could be overridden if the state Department of Environmental Conservation approves the practice. Leifeld said having the New York City-owned Ashokan Reservoir within the town’s borders should keep gas drilling from occurring locally. Activities prohibited under the ban include fracking-related drilling, storage, treatment, processing, disposal and exploration. The law also bars companies from establishing ponds, gathering areas, venting stations or compressors associated with natural gas or petroleum extraction. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.
The Daily Mail reported an early morning fire at Sunrise Farm, Sun., Feb. 17, is under investigation by fire officials. Firefighters responded to the scene on Cauterskill Road in Catskill around 2 a.m. One of nearly a dozen henhouses on the farm was completely destroyed in the fire that was propelled by strong winds. Between 6,000 and 8,000 chickens are believed to have perished in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials say its origin does not appear to be suspicious. Sunrise Farm produces eggs for scientific testing by the United States government.
Kyle Adams reported in The Daily Mail a group of parents and other members of the Cairo-Durham community met outside the Cairo Elementary School Fri., Feb. 15, to protest the school’s decision to realign the elementary grades between the two schools. Armed with signs denouncing the Princeton plan, about 20 to 30 protesters stood just across the street from the school, drawing honks from passing cars and collecting signatures on a pledge that vows, “I will not vote ‘Yes’ on any budget that includes the Princeton Plan.” The plan calls for housing Kindergarten to second grade in the Durham building and grades three through five in the Cairo building beginning in Sept. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.