Olive Updates ADU Rules to Close Housing Code Gap
The Olive Town Board voted unanimously June 9 to fix a gap in its zoning code that had prevented residents from building accessory apartments between 400 and 600 square feet. The change allows accessory apartments, commonly known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to range from 400 to 1,000 square feet. The law defines them…
Ethnoecologist Justin Wexler Traces Lost Wildlife of the Catskills
The Catskills once held passenger pigeons in such vast numbers that their flocks darkened the sky, along with wolves, cougars, martens, elk and other wildlife no longer found here. That vanished world was the…
‘Smell Something, Say Something’: Second Home Propane Accident in a Year Prompts Safety Warnings
For the second time in a year, a residential propane explosion is prompting officials to urge residents to inspect their systems and install gas detectors in homes heated by propane, a fuel used by…
Olive Free Library Nears Sustainability Certification
The Olive Free Library is nearing the final step toward official certification as a Sustainable Library, an effort Library Director Melissa McHugh took on soon after starting the job in 2023. If approved in…
Olive Home Explodes, Leaving One Resident Hurt, Minimal Fire
A separate building on the property of a one-bedroom home at 16 Mulrooney Road in West Shokan exploded on Monday, injuring a person who was inside at the time, local firefighters said. The person’s…
Close Encounters with Birds of Prey at the Olive Library
More than 80 people came to the Olive Free Library on Saturday morning, and it wasn’t to check out books. The intergenerational crowd packed into the community room to see birds of prey up…
DEC Seeks Public Input on Sundown Wild Forest Expansion in Olive
Residents gathered at the Town of Olive Meeting Hall in Shokan on Feb. 24 as the state Department of Environmental Conservation began the process of incorporating a newly acquired 900-acre parcel in Olive into…
Olive Board Rejects Plan That Could Clear Path for Shokan Affordable Housing
In a surprise move Tuesday, the Olive Town Board voted unanimously against a resolution that could have eased restrictions on workforce housing development in the hamlet of Shokan. The proposal would have withdrawn the…
Olive Warns Residents of Planning-Fee Email Scam
Officials in the Town of Olive are warning residents about a scam involving emails sent in the name of the town’s planning division requesting payment of exorbitant, fictitious fees. Supervisor Jim Sofranko said his…
Despite Scathing Report, State Says Hurdles Remain to Replace Hudson Valley Water Company
The New York State Department of Public Service said Hudson Valley Water Company was “unwilling or unable” to provide safe and reliable service, citing years of water outages and repeated failures to notify customers…
Henry Sapoznik On Keeping Yiddish Culture Alive
Ask Olivebridge musician and Yiddish scholar Henry Sapoznik where to find a good pastrami on rye nearby, and he’s at a loss. “I’d probably have to bring it back,” he said, referring to New…
Suspended Olive Police Officer Put Back on Town’s Payroll
Jason Huppert, an Olive police officer who had been on unpaid administrative leave since May while facing disciplinary hearings for allegedly waving a gun at construction workers, was placed back on the town’s payroll.…
Olive Clerk Resigns Early, Citing Board Tensions
Olive Town Clerk Dawn Giuditta, who was unseated in November by challenger Kimberly Daley, unexpectedly resigned this week, stepping down a month before her term was set to end. Her deputy, Amanda Winne, also…
Boiceville Water Service Restored After 45 Days, Residents Say Crisis Isn’t Over
After 45 days without potable running water, Boiceville customers of Hudson Valley Water Company had their service restored Tuesday. The Ulster County Department of Health lifted a “do not drink” order for nearly 75…
Two Bear Break-ins on Longyear Road Rattle Shokan Neighborhood
Joann Rex’s 43 years of peaceful coexistence with the region’s 3,000 bears came to a sudden end on Nov. 12 when she and her husband awoke at 2:30 a.m. to a ruckus in the…
Metzger Presses State Regulators as Boiceville Residents Enter Fourth Week Without Water
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger and the New York State Public Service Commission traded criticism this week after Metzger urged the agency to take stronger action to help Boiceville residents who have been without…
A Longtime West Shokan Landmark Aims for Revival as a Community Breakfast Spot
The old general store on Route 28a in West Shokan—which has been around in one form or another since 1917, when construction of the Ashokan Reservoir transformed the region—is poised for a new chapter. …
Boiceville Residents Go Three Weeks Without Clean Water Amid Years-Long Struggle
Dozens of Boiceville residents have been without potable water for nearly three weeks due to what they say is negligence from a troubled water supplier they have been battling for years. Hudson Valley Water…
Writers of the Catskills: In Conversation with Martha Frankel
Martha Frankel is the ultimate storyteller. Founder of the Woodstock BookFest, producer of Woodstock’s Story Slams, a book writer, book reviewer, essayist and celebrity profiler, writing teacher and editor, she does it all. In…
Indie Horror Icon Larry Fessenden on the Meaning of Monsters
It’s not everyday you find yourself smoking a joint with Jack Nicholson. Then again, Larry Fessenden—whose unsettling resemblance to the “The Shining” star elicits greetings of “Hey, Jack” when he goes to the liquor…
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