By Joe Moskowitz
Decades before Grossingers, the Concord, and all of the other great Sullivan County resorts that made up what became known as “The Borscht Belt,” there was Fleischmanns. A local community organization might call it “Fleischmanns First.” And it was. But the introduction of the automobile and the construction of Route 17 made it faster and easier to get to Sullivan County and that area became synonymous with “the Catskills.”

By Brian Sweeney
Local communities will reap significant benefits from the 2012 Regional Economic Development Awards announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office last week.

The Catskills are included as a part of the Southern Tier Region and three grants were awarded for local economic development. All of the applications were submitted through the MARK Project, an Arkville-based economic development agency.

By Brian Sweeney
The holidays are brighter this year thanks to the generosity of folks who volunteer at and contribute to Community Christmas Projects in Margaretville and Roxbury.

In Margaretville, a record number 160 families — including 287 adults and 207 children — received specially packed gift boxes when volunteers made deliveries on Saturday. The boxes include assorted canned and dry goods, breads, homemade cookies and gift certificates. For families with children, toys are provided for younger children and older children receive gift certificates.

By Geoff Samuels
At the Margaretville Central School Board of Education meeting on December 19, a handful of parents expressed their anxiety over their children’s safety at school in light of the recent shootings in Newtown, CT.

Faith Wayman of Arkville, the first parent at to speak, wanted to know what the current safety guidelines were at the school and if there were any “emergency plans in place.”

By Joe Moskowitz
“Mother Nature hasn’t been our friend for the past three years,” Margaretville businessman Peter Molnar told the News last week. That statement is both a weather report and a financial barometer indicating how much (low) pressure local businesses are under.

At least one forecaster is predicting a moderate storm for the day after Christmas and that would be welcome news for the area’s economy.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Town of Shandaken is set to lose two-dozen properties from the tax roles as the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) begins buyout talks after Hurricane Irene swept though Ulster County last year.

FEMA has its eye on no less than 33 properties following the catastrophic event in August/September of 2011 when flooding ravaged much of the region.

By Geoff Samuels
Now that the Middletown 2013 budget is “in the bag,” board members at this months’ gathering tackled the few remaining issues with a decided sense of holiday spirit. After a quick approval of last months’ minutes, the meeting was off and running.

Local law #6 concerning the permitted use of the Middletown Transfer Station was first up for discussion. Deputy Supervisor Mike Finberg questioned whether refuse brought in by commercial haulers might include some that was “snuck in” from out of town without paying the extra $150 fee.

By Jay Braman Jr.
We all sense that snowy weather in early December is a thing of the past, similar to the memory of gas station attendants who would rush out to our cars and check the oil, clean the windshield, and fill the tank.

It just doesn’t happen very often anymore.
Regardless, technology has allowed ski centers to trump the cards dealt by Mother Nature and create man-made snow on the slopes and thereby put smiles on the faces of those wanting the thrill of downhill skiing as early in December as possible.

By Brian Sweeney
Area school officials are reaching out to students, staff and community members in the aftermath of last week’s tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.

Roxbury Central School Superintendent Tom O’Brien said his facility has a locking system in place and had already taken steps to expand security measures prior to Friday’s shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 students and six staff dead.

Superintendent O’Brien said the district recently conducted a full lockdown drill that included area police agencies and fire department personnel.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) is standing strong behind its decision not to include Phoenicia in its watershed-wide septic system rehabilitation/replacement program.
Three months ago the Coalition of Watershed Towns (CWT) officially notified the CWC that its policy not to allow Phoenicia residents to participate in the popular septic maintenance program does not reflect the intent of the 1997 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).