Brewster: School District Investigates Residency

An annual audit identified 526 children who may not be legal residents of the school district.

According to Mid Hudson News, the school board was told that the children live in residences where the leases are expired or will expire in December. At least 48 students are enrolled at addresses where leases expired in 2023.

Superintendent Michelle Gosh said the numbers “ballooned” because the district did not have a residency officer for four months following a resignation.

Sullivan County: Schools Want to Merge

Voters rejected an attempt in 2022 by the Livingston Manor and Roscoe school districts to merge, so officials will try again by circulating a petition to get the issue on a December ballot.

Livingston Manor has 383 students and Roscoe has 208. John Evans, the superintendent of both districts, said the merger would bring in state aid of $30.7 million, compared to $7 million in 2022.

Putnam Valley: Legislators Seek Septic Funds

State Sen. Rob Rolison and Assembly Member Matt Slater have asked the state Department of Environmental Conservation to expand its Septic System Replacement Fund to include some parts of Putnam Valley.

The legislators said at a news conference that they are concerned about the number of systems failing and the expense of replacing them. They met with residents earlier this month.

Ulster County: Sheriff Removes False Sign

The Sheriff’s Office removed a sign on Oct. 20 that falsely claimed an ID is required to vote. Under state law, identities are verified by matching signatures.

“The Ulster County Board of Elections emphasizes that such disinformation poses a threat to the democratic process and is being taken seriously,” the board said.

Kingston: Newburgh Woman Sentenced for Deaths

An Ulster County judge sentenced a Newburgh woman to six months in the county jail for a hit-and-run crash that killed two people.

Angela Jennie Fischl, 26, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to two felony counts in the deaths of Donna Cristallo, 72, and Stephen Celuch, 75. Cristallo was pushing Celuch, who used a wheelchair, across Route 9W in Marlborough.

The district attorney said it offered Fischl a plea deal because she was not impaired or reckless. Frischl was stopped by police 7 miles from the scene.

Wappingers Falls: Central Hudson Blamed for Explosion

The Public Service Commission on Oct. 16 released a preliminary report on the cause of a Nov. 2 gas explosion that seriously injured one person.

It concluded that Central Hudson failed to provide a contractor installing gas lines on Brick Row with an accurate map of existing lines, and an excavator struck a live line. Central Hudson has a Nov. 15 deadline to respond.

Canandaigua: Unlicensed Dealer Fined $8.4 Million

New York State on Oct. 23 announced it had secured a $9.5 million judgment against the owner of an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in Ontario County.

The attorney general said George West of Jaydega 7.0 ignored an order from the Office of Cannabis Management to shut down. The judgment represents $1 million in illegal profits and $8.4 million in penalties.

According to the state, Jaydega 7.0 had nearly $2.4 million in sales over 16 months before it was closed in November with a court order.

Clinton: Woman and Daughter Die in Fire

A woman and her 1-year-old daughter died after an Oct. 13 fire at an Airbnb rental in Oneida County.

Shannon Hubbard, 35, a teacher from Brewster, Massachusetts, and her two children were rescued by firefighters from the second floor during the Sunday night blaze but she and her daughter died at hospitals. Her husband, John Hubbard, 39, a police officer, and their 3-year-old son survived.

Red Hook: Aerodrome Cancels Season After Crash

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome canceled the last two weekends of its 2024 air shows following a plane crash on Oct. 5 that killed a pilot.

Brian Coughlin, an Aerodrome board member, died when the replica of the Fokker D-VIII from World War I he was flying crashed and caught fire.

Ulster: Town Hit by Cyber Attack

Supervisor James Quigley said the town was hit with a cyberattack in September but the criminals did not provide any way to pay a ransom. “We were unable to communicate with them,” Quigley told Mid Hudson News.

The attack was detected on Sept. 11. Quigley said he was not optimistic that all the town’s data could be recovered.

Bethel: Message Tree Comes Down

The Message ​Tree, a communications hub just off the main stage at the​1969 Woodstock Music Festival, was cut down on Sept. 25.

message tree
The message tree (Photo by Paul Gerry/Bethel Woods Collection)

“We have been working for the last 10 years to prolong its life and prepare for its afterlife,” Ne​al Hitch, senior ​curator for the Museum at Bethel Woods​, told the Sullivan County Democrat. “We monitored it until the end of the season​.”

The center is growing saplings from the tree.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.

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