Highmount — Philanthropist Kingdon Gould Jr. is being recognized at the 27th annual Belleayre Snowball on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Overlook Lodge at Belleayre Mountain.
Mr. Gould, who is being honored for his steadfast devotion to the Central Catskills, will receive the 2013 Spirit of the Catskills Award.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Ulster County Sheriff’s Department wants residents to share their concerns on school safety as the department begins study on the matter.

The comments, which should be sent either through email or in letter form, will be used along with information garnered after local law enforcement administrators have appeared at area school public forums and have communicated with all Ulster County school superintendents to listen to concerns and answer questions posed.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The old saying goes, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it.”
So far, that saying holds true at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, where new management took over at the beginning of the 2012-’13 ski season.

Margaretville – The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) will sponsor three training workshops for planning and zoning board members on Friday, March 1 in Delhi.

The workshops, delivered by trainers from the NYS Department of State, will be held at United Ministries Church Hall on Courthouse Square from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a half-hour lunch. Weather date is Friday, March 8.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Town of Shandaken’s annual reorganizational meeting on Monday was downright calm this year, as opposed to previous such sessions, and it almost ended without any of the usual dark tones that tend to plague this local government.
Almost.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Thanks to the instant landscaping that comes with a foot of new snow, the village park in Fleischmanns looks pretty good this week.
But as many are aware, the white fluffy beauty hides a multitude of scars left in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, which in August of 2011 swept though the region and caused millions of dollars in damage to the park.

With an eye toward spring, when park repairs are expected to begin in earnest, a group of village residents are working hard to make sure the resources to make those improvements are in hand.

By Joe Moskowitz
It is a new year and that means changes. Some changes will be barley noticed. Others will be somewhat annoying, like remembering to change the year when writing checks, but for many of us in this area, there will be a tremendous loss. We will be represented by different politicians in Albany and that means Kathleen Mami-Moore won’t be able to help us as much as she had.

William Sluiter, 90, formerly of Margaretville and Perch Lake, Andes, died at his home at The Meadows at East Mountain, Rutland, VT on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.

Bill was born on October 9, 1922 in Platte, SD, the youngest child of Janis and Jennie Sluiter, first generation Dutch immigrants. When Bill was 10 years old, in the middle of the Great Depression and the Midwest Dust Bowl, and with a bleak outlook for the family, “Pa” moved them to Delaware County where they settled down as dairy farmers.

By Jay Braman Jr.
As the New Year approaches, Shandaken Town Clerk Joyce Grant is helping town residents start off on the right foot.

Soon to arrive in mailboxes is a short survey form that asks townsfolk to consider questions like the following: “How will you get help when the power goes out?”
Calling Shandaken “a technologically challenged community,” Grant said she put together the brief, confidential questionnaire because the results will dramatically improve emergency notification protocol in town.

By Joe Moskowitz
The way many of us look at guns changed on December 14, 2012. On that day 20 elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut were among those murdered by a man armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle.

The shootings have sparked not always friendly discussions about gun ownership, mental health care, and school security. It has also resulted in a huge increase in business for at least one local gun shop.