Community

By Joe Moskowitz
It’s maple season. Last year, with exceptionally warm weather in March, it was already over by now. This year, syrup producers still can’t tell if it’s going to be a good or a bad year. It’s all up to the weather, which hasn’t cooperated very much so far this year.

We spoke with four “maple men” about this annual tradition.

Margaretville — The Open Eye Theater is proud of two local students, Melissa Day and Cedric Taylor, who were invited to write a play on the subject of bullying for submission to a national program,

Theater In Our Schools’ USA Play Daze. Their plays were posted first and third, respectively, on the website of the American Alliance for Theater and Education (AATE) and have been widely circulated on social media Facebook and Twitter. Melissa and Cedric were participants in The Open Eye’s Youth Theater Workshop, “Read, Write, Play” in summer 2012.

Arkville — The Delaware Opportunities Head Start welcomes the public to attend its open house on March 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the center, located at 6 Franks Street.

Head Start is a federally-funded program for children ages three to five. It is designed to help preschool children of income-eligible families by providing a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Non-profit groups that that suffered damage during tropical storms Irene and Lee back in late summer 2011 and got left holding the bag for repairs can now get up to $10,000 each from the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC).

By Joan Lawrence-Bauer
Known alternatively as “Mr. Fix It,” “Mr. Legion” and “Mr. Boy Scout,” Bob Hill was remembered fondly this week for a lifetime of service to his country and his community. 

Pine Hill — The 26th broadcast of Catskill Cabaradio on Saturday, March 9 will be a tribute to Terry Doyle, one of the program’s originators, who passed away suddenly on February 6. 

Terry was instrumental in finding musical talent for this quarterly event as well as helping the show make a seamless transition to its live radio broadcast on WIOX Community Radio.  All proceeds from raffle tickets sold at the show will go to the Terry Doyle Fund to continue Terry’s work of supporting local music at WIOX, where Terry produced nine hours of music and interviews every week.  

The Big Indian-Oliverea Fire Co. Inc. and Ladies’ Auxiliary sponsored its annual Christmas and Installation Dinner at the Alpine Inn in Oliverea on January 11.
Hosts Eric and Edna Griesser and son, Jamie, must be commended for the superb feast they provided.

President George Long welcomed everyone and John Rossitz presented the Invocation. Guest were introduced as well as the commissioners: Chairman Richard Bennett, Brian Kelly, Bill Rudge, Clark Van Etten and newly-elected Gayle Yeomans.

The Auxiliary of Margaretville Hospital and Mountainside Residential Care Center kicked off its annual Membership Drive on February 7.

The auxiliary has a goal of 500 members during its 2013 membership drive. For a minimum donation of $5, anyone can join the auxiliary and help support the organization’s operating budget.
Pat Tucker, the group’s treasurer, said the donations from membership help the auxiliary pay for items like printing, office supplies and other essential elements.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Onteora Central School’s Board of Trustees has made a deal with its teachers union for a three-year contract that increases salaries slightly, but also hikes up the teachers’ contributions to their health care coverage. And the teachers get a couple more days off too.

In a district where teachers have been accustomed to healthy wage hikes and a base salary higher than most neighboring school districts, the teachers union this time around agreed to a salary increase of only 1.91 percent spread out over three years.

By Joe Moskowitz
The debate over gun control has turned many people into experts on the U.S. Constitution.
This what the Second Amendment says: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”