Shandaken

By Jay Braman Jr.
Shandaken Republicans unanimously endorsed councilman Rob Stanley Thursday to run for town supervisor in the November election.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Several town-level positions will be contested in Shandaken elections this fall. While there has been much speculation about who will be running, or not running, all interested candidates are expected to make their intentions known at the political caucuses this summer.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Shandaken Town Board heard a plan last week from a group of Phoenicia parents asking for some town support to install a large piece of playground equipment in the Phoenicia Park behind the post office.
The $12,000 “Star Climber,” according to the group’s spokesperson, Heather Roberts, would be a great addition to what many consider an under equipped park.

By Jay Braman Jr.
A Buffalo man has been charged with second-degree murder after being captured by a quick-thinking Shandaken Police detective last week.
An Erie County medical examiner’s autopsy of Constance A. Shepherd, 42, revealed the cause of death to be a deep laceration to her neck, leading police to rule the death a homicide. Chief Anthony Palombo said the cut was caused by a “sword-sized knife” that was located in another room of the Shepherd’s house in the Town of Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo.

Phoenicia —The Shandaken Theatrical Society will present a Teen Music Showcase on Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m. at the society’s playhouse at 10 Church Street in Phoenicia. Please call 688-2279 for reservations. Admission is $5. 
The event will feature singers, bands, and instrumentalists from an impressive local teen talent pool.

By Jay Braman Jr.
There have been several meetings of Shandaken officials to figure out the controversial new produce stand law, the latest being a special session held last Tuesday by the planning board.
After reviewing the proposal that evening the planners recommended its passage by the town board, but made a couple of minor changes they had asked the town board to consider before adoption.

By Jay Braman Jr.
A Shandaken man is expected to get one to three years in prison for killing a passenger in his pickup truck in a drunk driving incident last fall.
Jay Conosa, 44, of 11 Regina Way, in the Broadstreet Hollow area of Shandaken, pleaded guilty Monday in Ulster County Court to second-degree vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault, prosecutors said. Conosa is expected to be sentenced on May 18 to one to three years in state prison on each count.

Devin Mills, co-owner of the Peekamoose Restaurant in Shandaken, was one of thousands of chefs selected as a representative of farm-to-table cuisine at the Macy’s Culinary Center in midtown Manhattan on March 7. Mills was selected by the Ulster County Tourism Board and the “I Love NY” campaign to showcase Catskills cuisine. Adding to the challenge: Mills was operating with just one hand, having broken his right hand a week beforehand.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Whoever said, “You can’t fight City Hall,” obviously never met Al Higley.
Higley and his son Alfie run a farm stand on Route 28 in Mount Tremper. After years of battling the Town of Shandaken and allegedly being in violation of zoning laws, Higley says he now faces another threat to his livelihood- a new law that regulates farm stands in a way that, according to Higley, would put him out of business.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Dan Spencer, one of four candidates seeking a spot on the Onteora School Board, was chosen by the board at a meeting last week. Spencer lives in the Shandaken hamlet of Mount Tremper. With his appointment there are now three of seven trustees hailing from Shandaken.