Wappingers Falls: State Closes Dumpsite
The state Department of Environmental Conservation on Feb. 5 shut down a dumpsite that was hiding in plain sight.
The DEC alleges that a landlord allowed contractors to dump construction and demolition debris from a renovation project from the road onto a slope that ended at Wappingers Creek. He was charged with operating a solid-waste management facility without a permit and ordered to clean up the mess or face a fine of up to $15,000 per day or imprisonment.
Newburgh: Teacher Faces Charges
The Newburgh school district wants to fire a special education teacher who it claims touched students inappropriately, although not sexually, according to the Mid Hudson News.
At hearings on Feb. 9 and Feb. 14, teachers and administrators testified that they had seen elementary students sitting on Richard Desiderio’s lap. But another teacher and the mother of a student said they saw no problem with the interactions. The most recent incident occurred on May 5; the teacher was suspended with pay on Sept. 5.
Desiderio said he is being targeted by the district in retaliation for revealing discrepancies in attendance and grading for student-athletes in 2016. He asked that the hearings be open to the public. A third hearing is scheduled for March 7, after which an arbiter will rule.
Wurtsboro: Chicken Guts Close Highway
A tractor-trailer transporting chicken entrails overturned on Feb. 14 in Sullivan County while attempting a turn, closing Route 209 in both directions for hours, according to the Mid Hudson News.
The Wurtsboro Fire Department and New York state troopers were on the scene.
Albany: Comptroller Issues Housing Report
Nearly 3 million households in New York are “cost-burdened” by housing, according to a report released Feb. 14 by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Thirty-nine percent of households in the state spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, and 20 percent spend more than 50 percent, according to the most recent data, from 2022. In the Mid-Hudson region, 30 percent of owners and 50 percent of renters are considered cost-burdened.
The report noted that, between 2012 and 2022, New York added 462,000 housing units, an increase of 5.7 percent but below the growth in 31 other states. It also noted that the state’s rate of homelessness, about 5 per 1,000 people, is the highest in the nation and more than double the national rate.
DiNapoli called for more federal assistance, including an increase in the number of public housing units, Section 8 vouchers, rental assistance and tax credits. He noted that the waiting list for public housing and vouchers averages more than 2½ years.
Saugerties: Clerk Arrested for Allegedly Fixing Tickets
New York state troopers on Feb. 13 arrested a Town of Saugerties court clerk for allegedly dismissing traffic tickets for acquaintances.
Haley Whalen, 25, of Ulster Park, was charged with eight felony and eight misdemeanor charges, including falsifying records and official misconduct. After being arraigned, she was remanded to the Ulster County Jail.
The ticket-fixing allegedly occurred in October 2022, police told Hudson Valley 1. Haley was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 6, when the state police began their investigation.
