Deputy's Quick Thinking Identifies Missing Cohoes Man in Schoharie

In a story first reported by News 10 ABC Monday afternoon, a missing Cohoes man was discovered in the Village of Schoharie earlier that day by an alert Schoharie County Sheriff's Deputy who observed the man bicycling through the municipality while on patrol. 

According to Sheriff Tony Desmond, Deputy Terry Minton was unaware that the subject was reported missing, but upon interviewing the man and learning of his name, further investigation led to a successful determination that he was, in fact, the missing individual. 

He was then taken to the Sheriff's Office, where the Cohoes Police Department was notified and they informed the man's family of his discovery. Family members would later come to the Sheriff's Office that night and took him home. 

Praising the work of the alert officer, Sheriff Desmond told the Schoharie News that, "Deputy Minton did a good job in recognizing that something was not right." The Sheriff would go on to add that the Deputy's actions, "saved the man's family from more concern about his whereabouts."

Man Seeks Shelter in Vehicle, Dies Overnight in Schoharie

Update: After a personal plea from the victim's family, the Schoharie News has removed the Times-Union's story concerning the death of a young man in Schoharie, which according to our sources may have been inaccurately reported earlier this evening. Thank you. 

Update 2: We have confirmed certain details of the Times-Union's story with Sheriff Desmond, but will hold off on publishing any details until the autopsy is completed, and the department issues their own press release concerning the man's death. 

Update 3: The Sheriff's Office filed an official press release published here. 

Gilboa Man Charged With Second Degree Murder in Kingston

The Watershed Post published the following story this morning:

A 33-year-old Olivebridge man was fatally shot by a coworker at the Kingston office of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection at 71 Smith Avenue around 6:45 a.m. on Monday morning. A suspect in the shooting was taken into custody at the scene shortly after the incident.

The Kingston Police Department has identified the victim as Aron Thomas of Olivebridge, in a statement issued mid-day Monday. According to New York City payroll records, Thomas was a watershed maintainer at the agency. He has worked for the DEP for nearly nine years. 

On Monday afternoon, Kingston police announced the identity of the suspect: 53-year-old David Reese, a Gilboa resident. Reese, a DEP engineer, worked in the same area of the building in Kingston that Thomas did, police said. 

Reese has been charged with second-degree murder. He is scheduled for arraignment at 5 p.m. in City of Kingston court.

For more details on this senseless crime, please visit the Watershed Post's website.

Governor Cuomo Nominates Schoharie Farmer as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets

 

The following is an official press release filed by the Governors office:

 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the nomination of Richard A. Ball as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

 

“Richard Ball is a lifelong farmer and advocate for sound farm policy who will bring fresh ideas and strong leadership to the Department of Agriculture and Markets,” Governor Cuomo said. “Agriculture is a vital sector of the state’s economy, providing thousands of jobs, food for people around the globe, and a way of life for generations of New Yorkers. Richard embodies the proud tradition of farming here in New York State and will be a superb addition to this Administration.”

 

A native New Yorker, Mr. Ball has made a living in agriculture his entire life. His inspiration to become a farmer came from his grandparents, who were lifelong dairy farmers. At 18 years old, Mr. Ball began his career in agriculture as a farm worker at a vegetable farm in Rhode Island. He later became operations manager of that same farm. After 20 years in Rhode Island, Mr. Ball moved back to the Empire State with an opportunity to become a farm owner. For the past 20 years, he has been the owner and operator of Schoharie Valley Farms in Schoharie, NY, which consists of 200 acres and produces a wide range of vegetable crops, small fruits and greenhouse crops. The farm serves both retail and wholesale consumers through an onsite farm market known as “The Carrot Barn” and ships to brokers and restaurants in the local area as well as New York City.

 

Mr. Ball has held a number of positions within agriculture and community organizations at the local, state and national level, including:

• Vice President - New York State Vegetable Growers Association
• Board of Directors, Member of Executive Committee, Member of Audit Committee, Chairman of Labor Committee – New York Farm Bureau
• Member of Labor Committee (past Chairman) – American Farm Bureau
• Representative for Schoharie County – Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council
• Board of Directors (past President) – Schoharie County Farm Bureau
• President – Schoharie Valley Association
• Chairman – Schoharie Recovery, Inc., a non-profit formed to help the recovery effort from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee
• Past President – Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce.

 

Mr. Ball, his wife Shirley, and his three children are actively engaged in farming with a growing number of future farmers among the grandchildren.

 

Dean Norton, President of New York Farm Bureau, said, “New York Farm Bureau could not be more pleased with the Governor’s outstanding selection of Richard Ball to be the next Commissioner for the Department of Agriculture and Markets. As a farmer, Richard understands the needs and challenges we all face on our farms. That knowledge and the respect he has among his peers will serve the state’s agricultural community well. We look forward to continuing Farm Bureau’s strong partnership with Richard and Governor Cuomo to support every farmer in New York.”

 

Kathryn Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, said, “On behalf of the faculty and staff at CALS, I extend my congratulations to Richard Ball on this appointment. We look forward to working closely with Mr. Ball on key issues facing New York State’s farmers and producers. This is an exciting time for agriculture, and I am confident that his experiences and expertise will help New York State continue to lead the way.”

 

Mark Henry, President of the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, said, “The New York State Vegetable Growers Association is proud and excited to hear about fellow vegetable farmer, Rich Ball’s, nomination as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets. Rich is first and foremost a farmer. He’s watched his land flood, worked through blizzards, and watched the first green tips push their heads above soil every spring in spite of all the challenges. With the nomination of Rich Ball as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Vegetable Growers Association feels that 2014 is starting out on a positive note.”

 

Jim Allen, President of the New York Apple Association, said, “I’ve known Richard Ball for a number of years and have worked with him on many different initiatives, including the Pride of NY program. He has an astute knowledge of all aspects of agriculture. His operation in Schoharie is a destination for thousands every year and I think he is an absolutely wonderful choice as our state’s next Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets.”

 

GrowNYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen said, “On behalf of GrowNYC, I’d like to congratulate Richard Ball on this well-deserved nomination as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets. Richard Ball understands the importance of building relationships between upstate agriculture and downstate consumers, and we look forward to working with him to expand opportunities for New York agricultural producers across New York City in the future.”

 

Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, said, “Governor Cuomo’s selection of Richard Ball as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets is a strong choice, and great news for the state’s vibrant wine and grape industry. Mr. Ball understands that pro-growth agricultural policies lead to a robust farm sector. We’ve seen it already with the growth of our farm-based beverage industry and in a number of other industries across the state. I look forward to working with Commissioner Ball on Taste NY and other state initiatives designed to promote New York products.”

New Face Leads Blenheim at 2014 Organizational Meeting

For twenty years the Town of Blenheim's monthly board meetings had been led by just one man, former Supervisor Robert Mann Jr., until last night's organizational meeting featured not only the typical new year bookkeeping, but the placement of freshman Town Supervisor Shawn Smith as the rural community's elected head of affairs.

Mr. Smith, who defeated Mr. Mann in a close race this past November, publicly thanked the former supervisor for meeting with him several times between the election and yesterday and for helping to, "make a smooth transition," in the small community of under 400 citizens that has had just a handful of supervisors since the mid-twentieth century.

 

With only enough board members present to meet a legislative quorum (both Councilman Graham and Councilwoman Mattice were absent), the Blenheim Town Board kicked off the new year by naming the Times Journal and the Mountain Eagle as the town's official newspapers, designating the Evening Star as book-keeper and voting to raise the hourly wage of Highway Department employees 50 cents from $16.40 to $16.90.

 

Not every proposal was met with unanimous support. Included in the agenda was Resolution 13, which if adopted, would have changed the manner Highway Superintendent was selected from being appointed by the town board to elected by popular vote, but due to the expressed uneasiness of both Councilmen to making a final decision without the entire board's presence the measure was put on hold until February.

 

However, both Councilman Keyser and Ward also expressed reservations about re-appointing Gerald Felter to the position after it was revealed at the December meeting that he had used town vehicles for personal business while on and off the clock. Mr. Ward stated that he didn't, "want to vote on that[appointing Felter] without everyone here," which Mr. Smith sympathized with but he reminded both councilmen that by state law the town had to have someone in the position.

 

When residents in attendance were asked what they thought about the situation, the public was near-unanimous in their belief that Mr. Felter should be reappointed to the position. One resident spoke of how he helped the town in the aftermath of Irene and his wife praised the Highway Superintendent's abilities by emphasizing that there was, "not a bad thing about Jerry."

Faced with public opposition and the legal requirement to fill the important position, the board voted unanimously after almost an hour of discussion to re-appoint Mr. Felter as Highway Superintendent until all board members are present to make a decision on the position's future and whether it be filled in the future by popular vote.

In other business, the Town of Blenheim set salaries and payment schedules for town employees, heard correspondence, the Highway Superintendent's report and voted to adopt two tax abatements based off of laws passed in the Town of Schoharie in 2013 that will grant new and existing homeowners exemptions for home improvement.
 

Press Release: Stop the Pipeline Blasts Constitution's "Arrogance"

Central NY - Stop the Pipeline (STP) filed extensive comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today, blasting the Constitution Pipeline Company’s lack of directness and transparency in its responses to requests for information made by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corp) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The comments were prepared by the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, which represents STP. The Clinic spent weeks analyzing the pipeline company’s responses after FERC told the company that it had to provide answers to all agencies’ comments before FERC releases its draft Environmental Impact Statement. 

“We were shocked by the evasive techniques the pipeline company used to avoid answering questions,” said Anne Marie Garti, a founding member of STP and a volunteer at the Clinic. “They ignored most of the agencies’ comments, developed legal theories to try to avoid answering others, and then buried the rest in thousands of pages of submitted files so that no one could find them.” 

The Constitution Pipeline Company requires permits from both the Army Corps and the DEC before it can begin construction. Both agencies have submitted comments that require extensive analysis from the pipeline company under laws that are outside of FERC’s authority.  

Stop the Pipeline (STP) is a grass roots organization of landowners and citizens who are committed to preserving Central New York from the countless negative impacts of the proposed 30”, 124-mile high-pressure gas transmission line that would run through pristine territory, from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania to Schoharie County, New York. STP retained the Pace Law School’s Environmental Litigation Clinic last Fall to help stop the pipeline. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. founded the Litigation Clinic, and co-directs it with Professor Karl Coplan.  Professor Daniel E. Estrin is the Clinic’s Supervising Attorney working on the case. 

“A gas pipeline project such as this, proposed to cut through pristine wilderness areas, including trout stream beds and vital wetlands, has potential to cause enormous adverse environmental impacts,” explained Professor Estrin.  “We have been pleased with the efforts of the Army Corps and DEC to obtain data that are absolutely necessary to assess those impacts, as well as to analyze whether there is a need for the pipeline project.  Conversely, we have been extremely disappointed by the Company’s game of hide the ball, which is clearly designed to make it so hard to find responsive data that the agencies and public will eventually lose interest and give up.  The company should know that the public is tracking this process very carefully, and that its efforts to prevail through atrophy of energy or interest will not succeed.”