Covers all current events, investigations, and updates.
WOODSTOCK
Michael Berg Family of Woodstock’s Founder to Retire After 56 Years
Michael Berg said the decade he spent working weekly overnight shifts for Family of Woodstock’s crisis hotline, starting in the mid-1970s, was transformational. “It changed me,” said Berg, Family’s 81-year-old executive director. “I got to be really in touch with the pain and the stuff that people were going through.” For about six months, the…
SHANDAKEN
Long-Stalled Plastics Bill Draws Support After NY Lawmakers Soften Key Sections
Shandaken conservationist Karen Lee said she remains hopeful that a long-stalled state effort to restrict plastic packaging is moving forward, even after lawmakers softened key sections of the proposal this week. “They’re softening the bill to get something on the books,” said Lee, 66, a member of the town’s Conservation Advisory Council who has lobbied…
OLIVE
Does Tetta’s Market in Samsonville Have New York’s Cheapest Gas?
Primo Stropoli, the fourth-generation owner of Tetta’s Market in the hamlet of Samsonville, keeps gas prices low because “quantity is more important than profit margin.” As the national average hit $4.081 this week, prompting state lawmakers to demand a cap on gas taxes above $3 a gallon, Stropoli is pumping 87-octane for just $3.69. “I…
SAUGERTIES
Saugerties Bowlers Club Keeps Community Rolling
Tucked behind Simmons Plaza in the Barclay Heights section of Saugerties, the Saugerties Bowlers Club is easy to miss. Inside, the alley feels like a 1960s time capsule: worn maple lanes, molded fiberglass chairs, checkered lockers, old machinery, an open-air snack bar, and a storied bar where live honky-tonk bands sometimes play. Since 1968, when…
HURLEY
Hurley Set to Start Converting Former Library Into Community Center
The town of Hurley expects to soon start converting its former library into the Hurley Heritage Community Center, redeveloping a building that has been empty for two decades. The town, which approved the $500,000 conversion last May, picked a contractor and is completing financing, most of which is in the form of a grant from…
HUNTER
Kaaterskill Trolley Comes to a Stop After Four Seasons
The Kaaterskill Trolley will not return this summer, ending a four-season run that carried visitors to some of Greene County’s most crowded outdoor destinations just as the state considers new limits on access to Kaaterskill Falls. Ryan Chadwick, who started the shuttle service in 2022, said last week that the trolley had ceased operations indefinitely.…
OVERLOOK REGION
The Overlook Wins Five New York Press Association Awards
The Overlook won five awards in the New York Press Association’s 2025 Better Newspaper Contest, including first place for photographic excellence. The awards were presented April 23 and 24 at the association’s spring convention in Saratoga Springs. This year’s contest drew 2,732 entries from 150 publications across 67 categories, with members of the Michigan Press…
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Windham Town Board Hears Comments on First Zoning Law
Windham residents raised questions Thursday about how the town’s proposed first zoning law would affect existing lots, small businesses, housing, and future development, as the Town Board considers whether to revise the draft before…
Windham Mountain Club and Windham Foundation Pledge $60,000 to Fire Companies
Windham Mountain Club and the Windham Foundation of New York will contribute $60,000 over three years to support equipment upgrades for the Windham and Hensonville volunteer fire companies, aiming to help emergency responders keep…
Hunter Supervisor Calls for Stronger Warning Signs at Fawn’s Leap After Teen’s Death
Hunter Supervisor Sean Mahoney said the town is in talks with the Department of Environmental Conservation about possible changes to signage at Fawn’s Leap after a 15-year-old Brooklyn boy died there Saturday, saying that…
Mountain Top Library to Host Eighth Annual Earth Day Celebration in Tannersville
Visitors to Mountain Top Library’s Earth Day Celebration on April 25 will be able to plant a tree, learn about protecting the local watershed, watch short films, and meet a falconer — all in…
Windham Sets Public Hearing on Zoning Law to Replace Piecemeal Regulations
Windham is nearing the final stage of implementing its first zoning law, a proposal in the works since 2022 that would replace piecemeal regulations and split the town into five districts with separate rules…
Teen Boy Dies at Fawn’s Leap in Hunter
A 15-year-old boy from Brooklyn died Saturday after he was pulled from the water at Fawn’s Leap in Hunter, where authorities said he became trapped by a powerful hydraulic current at the base of…
Support Grows for Poet Stripped of County Role Over Social Media Posts
Greene County will not have a poet laureate this year. On Wednesday evening, the Greene County Legislature voted unanimously, without discussion, to rescind the January appointment of writer Esther Cohen as the county’s first…
Lawyer IDs Haines Falls Man Detained by ICE in Tannersville, Second Man Detained in Windham
One man detained by ICE agents in Tannersville on Wednesday morning was identified as Francisco “Pancho” Marmolejo-Silva, a longtime local contractor, according to local lawyer Greg A local lawyer identified the man detained by…
Greene County Rescinds Poet Laureate Appointment Due to Facebook Posts
The chairman of the Greene County Legislature is revoking the appointment of Esther Cohen as the county’s first poet laureate, citing two of her Facebook posts that lawmakers said appeared to celebrate the prospect…
Hunter Supervisor Urges DEC to Reject Plan to Cap Kaaterskill Visitors
Hunter Supervisor Sean Mahoney urged the Department of Environmental Conservation to reject a proposal that would cap daily visitors to Kaaterskill Falls at 1,000 and require reservations, saying it would hurt local businesses, restrict…
Douglas Kadow, Catskills Railroad Historian, Dies at 63
Douglas Kadow, a railroad historian and longtime telecommunications and tech consultant, died while working a shift at the Haines Falls Stewart’s Shop on Tuesday, April 7, according to the company. “We don’t have a…
Part of Tannery Brook Road to Close for Two Months for Bridge Replacement
Tannery Brook Road north of Ohayo Mountain Road in Woodstock will close for about two months beginning April 14 as Ulster County replaces Sully Bridge over the Saw Kill. Drivers will be detoured east…
Silvia Owners Plan New Tavern and Cafe on Former Gemela Property
The ownership group behind the restaurant Silvia is preparing to open two new businesses on Mill Hill Road in Woodstock, taking over the property formerly occupied by Gemela. The larger building on the site…
Bread and Puppet to Perform in Woodstock for Stop Zena Fundraiser
Bread and Puppet Theater will perform at the Woodstock Playhouse on April 18 in a fundraiser organized by Stop Zena Development, a coalition opposing the proposed Zena Homes project. The 30-lot subdivision, planned on…
Saugerties Sports Hall of Fame Welcomes Five New Inductees at 61st Banquet
The Saugerties Sports Hall of Fame inducted five new members Saturday evening at Diamond Mills, honoring athletes whose accomplishments spanned generations of Saugerties High School sports. Before a crowd of about 200 guests, the…
Buzzing Bee Market Opens on Route 212 in Saugerties
Like many people during the pandemic, Conchi Perez of Saugerties picked up a hobby. For Perez, a native of Mexico, that hobby was backyard gardening. She started with vegetables. Then she discovered dahlias. “I…
Malden Turnpike Bridge Closes in Saugerties for $8.2 Million Replacement
A bridge carrying about 2,000 vehicles a day over the New York State Thruway in Saugerties has closed for replacement and is expected to remain shut until fall 2026. The Malden Turnpike bridge closed…
Woodstock Library UCAT Stop in Limbo as County Seeks Drivers
Ulster County’s plans to add a bus stop for Woodstock’s new library, a mile and a half east of its former location, are in limbo as officials seek to hire more drivers to expand…
Four Hikers, Dog Rescued on Blackhead Mountain in Windham
Four hikers from New Jersey and their dog were rescued the evening of March 20 after becoming lost on Blackhead Mountain in Windham, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. One member of…
Ulster County Launches Private Well PFAS Testing, Rebate Program
Ulster County residents with private wells can now apply for free PFAS testing and, if contamination is found, rebates to help cover the cost of treatment systems through a new state pilot program. The…
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