Ram Singal was writing an email in the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, when the building shook. At first, he thought an earthquake had struck. Then the building shook again. Singal, a Port Authority project manager who had developed a structural integrity inspection program for the complex, knew […]
Connor Greco
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Planning Board Moves Forward With Mountain Club’s Luxury Hotel Plan
The three members of the Windham Planning Board eligible to vote on the Windham Mountain Club’s proposed 26-room luxury hotel unanimously moved the project forward last week despite continued concerns from area hoteliers. At a Planning Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 3, board Chair Lisa Jaeger, member Nate Holdridge, and alternate John O’Neill passed a […]
Posted inArt
Windham
In Maplecrest, Ceramicists Find Their Shape in Clay
Catskill-based artist Eileen Sackman has worked with ceramics for more than 25 years, making plates, cups, vases, and other pieces. Many prominently feature endangered animals. “It’s anywhere from near-threatened to endangered or extinct animals,” she said. “I take a percentage of the sales that I do and I donate them every month to a rhino […]
Posted inArt
Hunter
In Hunter, Artists Use Stone-Carving to Help Shape a Tradition
Kevin VanHentenryck was studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan when he saw a film that changed his life. “Savage Messiah,” released in 1972, traces the life of French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. For VanHentenryck, watching from a small theater around the corner from Carnegie Hall, the film helped awaken his own creative […]
Posted inCulture
Overlook
Irish Dance Steps Into the Next Generation At an East Durham Feis
On Feis day, the tense waiting is part of the performance. Young Irish stepdancers, some as young as 5, stand shoulder to shoulder beneath a pavilion at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural Center in East Durham. Then the judges call them forward, two at a time. Parents watch as the children begin their routines, […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Develops New ‘Smart Growth’ Plan
The town of Hunter is developing a new comprehensive plan with the villages of Hunter and Tannersville, creating a shared blueprint for land use, development, and government decision-making across the three municipalities. The plan is being guided by New York’s “Smart Growth” principles, which seek to balance development with housing needs, environmental protection, accessibility, and […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Searches for Historian After Patti Morrow’s Death
Windham has been without a town historian since Patricia “Patti” Morrow died in June, and Supervisor Tom Hoyt said filling her shoes won’t be easy. “Patti was very unique,” Hoyt said. “I’m not going to probably find anyone right off the bat that’s as knowledgeable as Patti was.” Windham’s search reflects a broader challenge across […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Transfer Station Upgrades to Cost Nearly $5 Million
Greene County lawmakers approved more than $4.25 million in contracts on Aug. 19 to overhaul the aging Windham transfer station, bringing total funding for the project to about $4.92 million. The Legislature unanimously awarded a $4,010,326 general construction contract to Jersen Construction Group, a Saratoga County contractor. Work on the 8,600-square-foot facility on Mitchell Hollow […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Tannersville Considers Residential Dumpster Ban
Tannersville could become the second village in the town of Hunter to ban commercial-grade dumpsters from properties with one to three residential units, as officials cite streets lined with refuse containers and growing problems with bears and other wildlife. The village board discussed the proposed Village of Tannersville Refuse Control Law on Aug. 20. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
Overlook
15 Years After Hurricane Irene, Memories Run Deep in the Catskills
Jay Fink, disc jockey at WRIP-FM 97.9, spent the night of Aug. 27, 2011, at the Windham radio station after being told a storm was coming. He didn’t know he’d be on the air for 13 hours the next day. “I had no idea the severity of it, but I said, ‘Okay, I’ll hunker down […]
Posted inNews
Olive
Two Dead After Head-On Crash in Shokan
Two drivers died after a head-on crash on state Route 28 in Shokan early Sunday, Aug. 23, state police said. Peter Bonenfant, 19, of Smithtown, Suffolk County, was driving west near 3558 state Route 28 at about 6:47 a.m. when his 2024 Chevrolet crossed into the eastbound lane for reasons that have not been determined […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Board Fully Renews Licenses for Haines Falls Auto
The Hunter Town Board fully renewed Haines Falls Auto Service and Sales Inc.’s junkyard and scrap facility licenses on Aug. 11 after the owner met a series of conditions imposed in June. The board had granted owner Rory France conditional renewals in June after neighbors complained that the business had become an eyesore and was […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Village of Hunter Bans Dumpsters on Residential Properties
The village of Hunter narrowly passed a ban on dumpsters and other exterior refuse containers on residential properties on Aug. 17, citing aesthetic and safety concerns. Trustee Jason DiLeo and Mayor Alan Higgins voted for the Village of Hunter Refuse Control Law. Trustee Benjamin Sommers voted against it. The measure applies to large metal, wood, […]
Posted inCommunity
Windham
At Windham’s Greek Festival, the ‘Greek Alps’ Live On
Hariklia Koundourakis boasts that her kourabiedes are the best. The soft, buttery cookies, similar to shortbread, are made with ground almonds and dusted with powdered sugar. The popular dessert dates back to the early Ottoman Empire, with variations of the treat existing in countries across the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Koundourakis uses her mother’s recipe. […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Senator Chuck Schumer Calls for West Kill Post Office to Reopen
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer called on the Postal Service to restore operations at the West Kill post office, which has been closed for 19 months following an electrical fire. “The West Kill Post Office is more than a place to pick up and drop off mail,” said Schumer, a Democrat, in a statement on Aug. […]
Posted inCommunity
Overlook
Inside a Smoke-Filled Rat Rod Festival
Cheers erupt as Thomas DeSantis enters the burnout pit. With his cloak on and scythe in hand, he drives a car called the “Grim Reaper.” It’s a coffin on wheels that he and his friends built from spare parts in three months. His friends, too, look ready for the procession. Members of DeSantis’ Dead Metal […]
Posted inBooks
Overlook
Inaugural Catskills Book Festival Draws Crowd to West Kill
In the Catskills, reading is alive and well, according to author Glynnis MacNicol. “This idea that people aren’t reading is not actually true,” she said. “It’s not my experience as an author, it’s not my experience as a writer. I think that increasingly, we’re craving off-screens, real-life, something to hold in your hands.” MacNicol is […]
Posted inCommunity
Windham
Windham Concert Raises Thousands for Dempsey Family
Less than a week after 12-year-old Levi Dempsey died following a utility terrain vehicle crash in Maplecrest, a summer concert at CD Lane Park became a fundraiser for his family. Hundreds of community members gathered at the park in collective grief on County Route 56, also known as Big Hollow Road, on Aug. 7. The […]
Posted inSports
Hunter
Tour of the Catskills Returns to Tannersville
In six years of cycling the Tour of the Catskills, Tim Doyle had never encountered a bear along the course. That changed this year. “He or she was galloping across the road,” Doyle said. “Of course there was a line of traffic coming behind us, so we couldn’t get over on the other shoulder.” Doyle, […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Planning Board Signals Support for Mountain Club Hotel Plan
The Windham Planning Board appears poised to advance an amendment to Windham Mountain Club’s already approved master plan that would replace eight townhouses with a 26-room luxury hotel, despite growing opposition and concerns from area hotel owners. At an Aug. 6 meeting, board Chair Lisa Jaeger, alternate John O’Neill, and board member Nate Holdridge indicated […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
West Kill Rallies for Return of Its Post Office
For more than a year and a half, some residents of the Lexington hamlet of West Kill have had to cross county lines to get their mail. The former post office on Spruceton Road closed in January 2025 after an electrical fire broke out in an adjacent building. Smoke damage shuttered the building, and operations […]
Posted inNews
Saugerties
Wallkill Man Charged in Fatal Saugerties Hit-and-Run
An Ulster County man is charged in a July hit-and-run crash in Saugerties that killed a Mount Marion motorcyclist, the New York State Police said. Chase Godwin, 24, of the hamlet of Wallkill, reported to the state police barracks in Kingston on Aug. 7 and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Catskills Communities Confront Flood Damage Amid Climate Change
Nimble Roots Farm was having a successful first season. Farmers Christine and Fabio Ritmo were selling their produce at local farmers’ markets and had opened a storefront with another Catskill farm. Then the farm flooded. The Ritmos arrived at their Cauterskill Road farm in Catskill, about a 20-minute drive to Haines Falls, on the morning […]
Posted inArt
Hunter
Haines Falls Exhibit Explores Women Artists of the Catskills’ Past, Present, and Future
The Hudson River School, one of the United States’ first true artistic movements, grew out of the beauty of the Catskill Mountains. Yet much of the art used to characterize the period was painted by men. A new exhibit at the Mountain Top Historical Society seeks to challenge this, showcasing female artists painting the Catskills […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Fire Lieutenant Resigns After Clash With Village Mayor Over Flooded Main Street
Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language that some readers may find offensive. A Hunter Fire Company lieutenant and fierce critic of local government quit after a profanity-laced roadside argument with Village Mayor Alan Higgins over whether to close a flooded stretch of Main Street as a July 29 storm dumped eight inches of rain […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Platte Clove Bridge Restoration Set To Begin Next Year
Work on a $1.2 million restoration of the historic Platte Clove Bridge will likely begin next year, leaving residents of the hamlet of Platte Clove without access to the lower section of Platte Clove Road for the 2027 season, officials said. Officials confirmed the timeline at a public information session at Hunter Town Hall on […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Officials Call for More Forest Rangers in Greene County
Three state forest rangers cover one of the most heavily hiked corners of New York, down from five, and local police and fire crews are reaching hikers before the rangers do, Hunter officials said last week. The officials called on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to assign more rangers to Greene County, citing the […]
Posted inNews
Windham
12-Year-Old Dies After Utility Vehicle Accident in Maplecrest
A 12-year-old died Friday night after being ejected from a utility terrain vehicle and pinned beneath it in Maplecrest, in a crash that injured three other children, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. Deputies responded near 84 County Route 56, also known as Big Hollow Road, in the Windham hamlet of Maplecrest at around […]
Posted inHistory
Hunter
Hunter Historical Map Project Enters Next Phase as Planners Wrap Up Townwide Tour
Mountain Top Library Director Jaki Elmo and Town Historian Diann “Dede” Terns-Thorpe joined town residents Carol Dale and Lisa DiNino Nemerson last week at the library in Tannersville, narrowing a final list of historical properties in the village for an ongoing project to map the history of the town of Hunter. The session was the […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Board Asks County to Lower Platte Clove Road Speed Limit
The Hunter Town Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to authorize Supervisor Sean Mahoney to send a letter to Greene County asking to lower speed limits on a section of Platte Clove Road from 40 miles per hour to 30. The vote followed a nearly 20-minute discussion on safety concerns on the roughly 9.6 mile road, […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Seeks Designation as ‘Pro-Housing Community’
The Town Board voted unanimously on Thursday, July 23, to pass a resolution pledging to help alleviate the ongoing housing crisis, the first in a series of steps toward certification under the state’s Pro-Housing Communities Program. State officials use the term to describe a market in which supply has not kept pace with demand, pushing […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Flash Flooding Closes Roads Across the Catskills
The town of Hunter declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, July 29, after flash floods left multiple roads impassable and forced some residents to boil their water. The emergency, in effect for at least one day, followed rainfall that caused “significant flooding, hazardous roadway conditions, road closures, and damage to public infrastructure throughout portions […]
Posted inAgriculture
Overlook
Future Farmers Find Their Footing at Greene County Youth Fair
Four teenagers guided their pigs around a show ring at the Greene County Youth Fair last weekend, trying to keep the animals moving while giving judge Nick Kron a clear view from every angle. Robert Pautz, 16, of Coxsackie, won the showmanship award with Stripe, his nearly 3-month-old Hampshire cross. “You have a whip in […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Some Windham Hotels Oppose Mountain Club’s 26-Room Luxury Hotel Plan
Three Windham hotels are urging the town Planning Board to reject Windham Mountain Club’s proposal for a 26-room luxury hotel, citing low occupancy rates at existing hotels and arguing the town doesn’t need more lodging. The owners of Wylder, Christman’s Windham House, and Albergo Allegria submitted letters to the Planning Board after the club introduced […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Seeks Nearly $1 Million for Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Haines Falls
The town of Hunter is seeking $914,300 to build a sidewalk through Haines Falls that would close the gap in the 11-mile Hunter Regional Trail Corridor between the village of Hunter and Kaaterskill Falls. The town submitted its application earlier this year and could learn as early as September whether it will receive the funds, […]
Posted inCommunity
Hunter
Hunter-Tannersville Classmates Reunite to Celebrate Turning 80
Sixty-two years after graduation, 11 members of the 44-member Hunter-Tannersville High School class of 1964 reunited on July 17 at the Jewett home of classmate Linda Nicholls. Some spouses joined them, and the classmates spent the day outside catching up over food and a festive birthday cake. Several wore shirts reading, “We’re still standing after […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Greene County Seeks Bids for Windham Transfer Station Upgrades
Greene County Solid Waste Management is seeking bids from contractors to upgrade the Windham Transfer Station on Mitchell Hollow Road, citing the aging facility and a lack of space to handle higher volumes of trash. The station, located on land owned by the town but operated by the county, was built in the mid-1980s. It’s […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Village of Hunter Considers Residential Dumpster Ban After Bear Complaints
The village of Hunter is considering a ban on commercial-grade dumpsters on residential properties after complaints about bears and trash scattered through nearby yards. The proposal comes as the village prepares to end its municipal garbage pickup program at the end of July, leaving residents to bring their trash to the Hylan Road transfer station […]
Posted inCommunity
Windham
Windham Marks America’s 250th With Sandcastle Contest
Windham’s sandcastle contest has become an Independence Day tradition. Now in its sixth year since being revived, the contest drew dozens of families to CD Lane Park on Saturday, July 4, to craft unique sand creations and enjoy free ice cream. Part of a full day of festivities marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, many of […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Viral Tannersville Tops Video Fuels Debate Over Food Access in the Catskills
A New York City TikTok influencer’s critical video about a Tannersville supermarket has drawn millions of views and fierce backlash, opening a broader debate over food access in Greene County’s mountain towns. Catherine Ebs, who has 1.6 million TikTok followers, posted the since-deleted video on Friday, July 3, documenting a trip to the Tops Friendly […]
Posted inSports
Windham
Injured Veterans Build Community Through Windham Outdoor Program
Eight injured veterans traveled to Windham last week for three days of biking, kayaking, and community through the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program. The program, hosted by Windham’s Adaptive Sports Foundation, ran from June 23 to June 25, with a schedule that included biking, kayaking, volleyball, kickball, and more. Founded in 1984, the […]
Posted inHistory
Hunter
Haines Falls Talk Traces Greene County’s History of Slavery
Inside the Mountain Top Historical Society’s 1913 train station in Haines Falls on Saturday, June 27, Greene County Historian Jonathan Palmer described a past often hidden in scattered records: the lives of enslaved people whose labor helped shape Greene County and the Catskills. Palmer, who is also the Ulster County archivist, spoke to a packed […]
Posted inTheater
Hunter
Hunter-Tannersville Students Share Title Role in “Matilda the Musical”
Two Hunter-Tannersville students will share the title role in “Matilda the Musical,” which opens Thursday, July 2, at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center in Tannersville. The musical, based on the 1988 Roald Dahl novel, will be staged at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by performances at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, and a […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Mountain Club Seeks Approval for 26-Room Hotel
Windham Mountain Club is seeking approval for a 26-room boutique hotel off Resort Drive, a change that would replace eight townhouses already approved as part of the club’s redevelopment plan. The Windham Planning Board has not set a vote on the proposal, which drew questions from nearby residents at a June 18 hearing about lighting, […]
Posted inSports
Windham
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Softball Team Celebrates Landmark Season
The mountaintop community came together for a celebration last week following the Windham-Ashland-Jewett High School varsity softball team’s historic second-place finish in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D Championship in Binghamton. At a ceremony in the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School cafeteria on June 18, the team was honored for what Coach […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
`Four Seasons Hunter’ Proposal Sparks Talk About Including Affordable Housing
Hunter officials said they’re looking into how to add affordable housing to a 140-acre proposal for vacation homes, a hotel and restaurant, the town’s largest in decade, amid criticism of the plan that was unveiled last week by a Windham developer. Supervisor Sean Mahoney said at a Town Board meeting that the town may seek […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Primary Results: Drake Beats Nolan in District 22 as Results Are Tallied
Shandaken Deputy Supervisor Robert Drake secured the Democratic nomination for District 22 of the Ulster County Legislature on Tuesday, beating incumbent Kathy Nolan with 59.64% of the vote compared with Nolan’s 40.36%. District 22 encompasses the towns of Shandaken, Olive, Denning and Hardenburgh. Some 847 of the district’s 3,183 registered Democrats voted in the primary, […]
Posted inHistory
Hunter
Lanesville Reaches to the Past to Create Map Charting Hunter’s History
Local residents took a trip into the past last week at the Stony Clove Rod and Gun Club in the hamlet of Lanesville as the Town of Hunter kicked off five public discussions aimed at enriching a map to chart the mountaintop’s history prior to 1950. The map, made possible through two grants, has been […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Proposal Unveiled in Hunter for 114 Vacation Homes, Hotel, Restaurant
Windham builder Eric Vaughn unveiled plans to build 114 homes in Hunter aimed largely at the second-home market, along with a 45-room hotel, a 100-seat restaurant and event space, in what town officials said would be one of the largest developments there in decades. “Four Seasons Hunter,” located off Main Street close to Scribner’s Catskill […]
Posted inCulture
Woodstock
Pride Takes Center Stage in Woodstock
Woodstock’s LGBTQ+ Pride parade on Sunday meant many things for thousands of participants and spectators: Visibility, community, resilience, joy—and above all, the freedom to be fully seen. Crowds lined Tinker Street shoulder-to-shoulder for a third year of festivities, featuring a parade from the town offices on Comeau Drive to the Colony, which hosted a free […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Windham Town Board Adopts First Zoning Law
The Windham Town Board voted unanimously to adopt the town’s first zoning law, a proposal that’s been in the works since 2022. The new law, adopted at a June 11 board meeting following comments submitted by residents since April, splits the town into five districts, each with separate rules governing what kinds of development can […]
Posted inNews
Overlook
Where to Vote Early in Ulster and Greene County Primaries
Early voting begins June 13 and ends June 21 for Democratic and Republican primaries at three locations in Ulster County and one in Greene County ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, June 23. Voting is open to registered Democrats in Ulster and Greene counties and registered Republicans in the 19th Congressional District, which includes all […]
Posted inPolitics
Overlook
Meet the Candidates: 102nd Assembly District Democratic Primary
The Overlook interviewed the three Democrats running in the June 23 primary for the 102nd Assembly District seat: Thomas Boomhower, Janet Tweed, and Mary Finneran. The 102nd Assembly District includes all of Greene and Schoharie counties, as well as parts of Albany, Delaware, and Otsego counties. The district is represented by Assemblymember Chris Tague, R-Schoharie, […]
Posted inPolitics
Overlook
2026 Primary Election Guide: Who’s on Your Local Ballot
As voters across the Catskills prepare to head to the polls, The Overlook has compiled candidate listings from sample ballots for towns in its coverage area in Ulster and Greene counties. Early voting period lasts from Saturday, June 13, through Sunday, June 21, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, June 23. Voting is open to […]
Posted inNews
Hunter
Hunter Board Renews Haines Falls Auto Licenses After Residents Object
The Hunter Town Board conditionally renewed scrap facility and junkyard licenses for Haines Falls Auto Service and Sales Inc. on June 9, after residents said the Route 23A property had become an eyesore and was not complying with town rules. At a workshop meeting at Hunter Town Hall, the board voted unanimously to renew the […]
Posted inNews
Windham
Patricia Morrow, Windham Town Historian, Dies at 70
Patricia “Pat” Morrow, a genealogist and town historian for nearly four decades, died June 3 after a lengthy illness, according to Brookside Memorial Albini Funeral Home. She was 70. A lifelong resident of the hamlet of Maplecrest, Morrow was appointed town historian in March 1987, becoming one of the town’s leading advocates for preserving local […]
Posted inNews
Saugerties
Police Name Teen Charged in Killing of 88-Year-Old Saugerties Woman
A 15-year-old boy charged with murder in Saugerties has been identified by police as Mark J. Wanchik II. Wanchik is accused of causing the death of Elena Bonjolo, 88, of West Camp Road, who was found dead outside an abandoned residence in West Camp on Sunday, June 7, Saugerties police said. Bonjolo died sometime between […]
