A long-time New Paltz judge resigned last week while under two disciplinary charges by the state for a conflict of interest between his judgeship and his law practice in a criminal case. Judge Jonathan Katz, who has served as a New Paltz Town Justice since 1995, signed the arrest warrant of a man for allegedly…
Kingston became the first community in New York to pursue rent stabilization under a new state law when it requested a study last month to determine how many of its rental properties are vacant. The city of 23,000 must prove less than 5 percent of certain rentals are vacant for the law, the Emergency Tenant’s…
Only a handful of musicians from Tin Horn Uprising were visible as I strode up the sidewalk to Kingston City Hall. The musicians greeted each other warmly and chatted while preparing their instruments on the edge of the wide lawn as the clock ticked down to the start of their latest protest. The gaggle tooted…
Estimates for repairing the Tillson Lake Dam came back millions of dollars lower than originally predicted, bringing saving the lake significantly closer to reality. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) announced plans in March 2018 to deconstruct the worn dam and de-water the lake, which is part of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, for safety…
Rent Stabilization – long limited to New York City and certain communities in bordering counties – will be an option for Upstate New York municipalities after the democratic-led state legislature passed an omnibus bill dramatically changing how renting works throughout the state. Several Hudson Valley communities expressed interest in rent stabilization prior to the bill…
I perused the nuts aisle in New Paltz’s Mobil On-The-Go while mentally flipping through potential titles for the adventure I was about to embark on. “Walking the Razor’s Edge” seemed a little bombastic, I thought while squinting at the nutrition facts on a bag of Planters. Plus it was too close to the W. Somerset…
“Alright,” I muttered with deep concentration. “Everyone keep their eyes peeled.” It was the third time Morgan, Ellen and I had driven down Peekamoose Road in Olivebridge looking for the DEC trailhead sign for Ashokan High Point, slowly passing residences while staring out the car windows like we were devising a burglary. Oh, we had…
Plans to protect the New York City Harbor from another Hurricane Sandy by constructing onshore barriers and giant seawalls reached a milestone in February as the government released the last report before a plan is selected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with New York and New Jersey are considering six different options,…