From left: Members of the Orange County NY Libertarian Party, Robert Cocomellow, Mathew Bathrick, and Pietro S. Geraci, wearing the flag, circulating a petition to tell New Windsor to not opt out of recreational cannabis sales and distribution on Aug. 21 at New Windsor Community Day. Photo provided. Do we want a bud shop in our town? Part II Now that recreational marijuana is the law of the land in five states from New Jersey to Maine, towns and villages across... Local News 24 Aug 2021 | 11:48
A retail dispensary next in Portland, Maine. Five minutes after it opened on a recent Sunday morning, a dozen customers were inside, shopping. ( Becca Tucker) Do we want a bud shop in our town? Now that recreational marijuana is the law of the land in five states from New Jersey to Maine, towns and villages across... Home 20 Aug 2021 | 10:36
Danielle Montuori with one of her chickens. She bought quails on impulse at the start of the lockdown but decided to to downsize before winter. “The chickens are enough to deal with,” she said. (Photo by Jason Wood) Backyard poultry boom enters post-honeymoon phase The storyline is familiar by now. Quarantined families flocked to keep chickens, which promised not only a supply of fresh... Local News 08 Jul 2021 | 03:23
Leighann McPartland has gotten freelancing gigs since graduating college last May, like painting this mural at a cafe in Chester. But she’s striking out on her job search in the artistic field, and has been regretting her choice of major in fine art and art history. Photo provided. The unemployed: ‘I really don’t want to pump gas’ “I’m antsy to get to work, but I don’t want to go back to the retail jobs I’ve done,” said Leighann McPartland, 24, of Pine... Home 01 Jun 2021 | 01:38
A tongue-in-cheek help wanted sign at Werner’s Ace Hardware in Florida, N.Y. ( Becca Tucker) Help wanted, badly It’s been a decade since she bartended, but Kathy Aherne is back slinging drinks at the Captain’s Table in Monroe, N.Y. Home 20 May 2021 | 03:03
The cultural divide over the CR-S framework re-exposed the fault line in Warwick, which was originally laid bare by the blue line controversy in 2016. In scenes repeated across the country, the tension re-ignited last summer at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. Now its latest manifestation is the backlash against the school district’s move toward educational equity. Photo by Roger Gavan Outcry of ‘indoctrination’ as school district dips toe into equity work A group calling itself Warwick Parents for Common Sense took out an inflammatory ad in The Warwick Advertiser in March after... Local News 19 Apr 2021 | 11:43
The Oath Keepers march in the Mid-Hudson St. Patrick’s Parade in 2018 (Photo by Ed Bailey) Orange County Oath Keepers had roots in sheriff’s office Three years ago, the Orange County Oath Keepers carried their banner through Goshen, N.Y., in the Mid-Hudson St. Patrick’s... Local News 15 Feb 2021 | 10:48
The Pendletons with their newest addition, Nanook. ( Jenine Pendleton) A godsend, a ‘pow,’ and a chance to pay it forward Millions of Americans whose livelihoods were upended by the pandemic needed their stimulus money for bare bones basics like... Home 04 Feb 2021 | 05:22
Lisa Plumley and her boyfriend joined a bus caravan of Bikers for Trump for the Jan. 6 trip to D.C, where they saw no violence themselves. Everyone they talked to agreed that the mob that broke into the Capitol was in the wrong. (Photo by Lisa Plumley) ‘That’s not us. That’s not what we do.’ When Lisa Plumley, 53, heard there was going to be a Trump rally on January 6, she knew she had to be there. “I wouldn’t have... Local News 15 Jan 2021 | 01:38
Vicki Vingoe, of Shohola, Pa., and her son Edward, 8, on the first snowday of the winter. The Vingoes moved back to the Northeast in part so Edward could experience the magic of snow. ( Vicki Vingoe) The future of snow days When kids woke up to a snow globe world last month, some pulled on snow pants and headed outside for a pre-breakfast snowball... Local News 08 Jan 2021 | 12:49
Caitlin Rollman, an ICU nurse, has Covid. She had to call around to five places and drive 40 minutes to get a test, then wait two hours in her car, while feeling sicker than she’s ever felt. Doctors and nurses feel alone and angry as they gear up for the next wave When Caitlin Rollman, an ICU nurse at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, N.Y., started feeling awful after tending... Home 20 Nov 2020 | 01:52
Though the big family Thanksgiving in the city is off, “I’m feeling wonderful, are you kidding me?” said Terry Balton of Milford, Pa. She is planning instead to take a Covid test and “bubble” with her new granddaughter. (Photo by Ryan Balton) Intimate gatherings will keep the holiday magic alive this year Danielle Linguanti, a business teacher at Goshen High School, married into a Thanksgiving tradition with a 60-year history.... Local News 13 Nov 2020 | 01:48
Pandemic’s silver lining: a fitter lifestyle When Dolly Singh, 60, started working from home in March, at first it was kind of nice. Instead of waking up at 5:50 a.m.... Local News 05 Nov 2020 | 04:53
The turkey flock at Flatbrook Farm, a month from Thanksgiving (Photo by Becca Tucker) Smaller turkeys in demand for downsized Thanksgivings Turkey farmers are struggling as much as everyone else with their predictions during our pandemic era. “We were concerned... Local News 30 Oct 2020 | 02:22
A deer carcass discovered by a pond in Blooming Grove, N.Y. (Photo credit: Audra DeCourcey) Deadly deer virus hits New York hard Abby Ridgeway was walking her dog on September 16 when she saw a downed deer in her wooded backyard in Campbell Hall, N.Y.... Local News 15 Oct 2020 | 02:10
