Balmy April News

MURPHY WINS (?). In the special Congressional election contest in New York's 20th district, according to this morning's tally as reported by the State Elections Board, Scott Murphy leads James Tedisco by 178 votes. That margin (79,452 to 79,274) looks minuscule relative to the hundreds of paper ballots (absentee, military, Federal) that remain to be counted or to be assessed by a judge after being challenged. Most of the challenges, however, have been lodged by Republican operatives on behalf of Mr Tedisco. They have been lodged against ballots that are preponderantly pro-Murphy. [As of 3:30pm today, Murphy's edge had grown to 273]

WINDHAM SHINES. The April 12th Travel section of Newsday (www.newsday.com ) gives Windham a nice build-up, with special emphasis on food. "In the new parlance of sustainable agriculture," says writer Valerie Yolen-Cohen. "the region is a locavore's utopia--visitors can purchase a variety of fruits, vegetables and organic meats after working up an appetite hiking to the graceful and multitiered Kaaterskill Falls or up...Pratt Rock." As regards dining, the author stretches the scope of her tour to include Damon Baehrel's Basement Bistro, which is quite a distance from Windham but is eminently praiseworthy (and pricey). "Scoring a reservation,"she warns, "is like winning the lottery." PUMAS CELEBRATE. With music and with favors for all comers last week, Lorin and Nicolas Puma celebrated the first anniversary in Catskill of their stylish gift and apparel shop, Rebel Katz. (www.rebelkatz.com)

JAWBONING on the subject of "The Dentist's Role in Facial Anti-Aging" next week in Louisville KY, at the conference of the International Association of Orthodontics, will be GreeneLand's Dr Theodore Belfor, who also gave a talk last month in San Diego to a symposium on, ahem, dentofacial orthopaedics. BROKEN BUT UNBOWED, following a ribs-cracking fall last week, is Verso Gallery's (and Main Street's) Harold Hanson. DELINQUENT in payment of county taxes, among people included in Treasurer Willis Vermilyea's annual list, are a former Village President and his brother, a county legislator's wife, a School Board president, a riverside estate owner, the Irish Cultural Centre, a restaurateur, shop owners.... FILINGS. The forthcoming election for seats on the Catskill Central District's governing board could offer the voters a choice of six candidates for three seats. Incumbents James Garafalo (the board's president) and Eric Holsopple plan to seek re-election, we understand, but incumbent Carol Schilansky does not. Prospective new faces on the board belong to Kristie Allen, Beverly Cotten, Jennifer Osswald and Justin Somma. MISCREANT FILES. *Donna Caltabianco of Catskill entered a plea of guilty to the crime of embezzling money from fellow members of her trade union. She was president during 2000-07 of Civil Service Employees Local 888, composed of GreeneLand nursing assistants and health care clerks. (That information comes from The Greenville Press, which, incidentally scored third-place honors in its circulation division, in the New York Press Association, for the quality of its coverage of local government doings). *Franklin Marone's bid to have the "erroneous" and "prejudicial" phrase Ponzi scheme removed from his criminal file did not find favor with GreeneLand judge George Pulver Jr. "While fully conceding that he defrauded and stole money" from Windham Ski Patrol comrades, the judge noted, "Defendant contends that he did not pay the initial investors with money defrauded from later investors" and thus did not perpetrate the classic Ponzi swindle. Nevertheless, "Ponzi scheme" is what the lawyer for the victims called Marone's racket, and that "opinion," the judge ruled on Tuesday (4/14), does not deserve retroactive redaction. *Felicia Olivett of Catskill has been charged by State police with forgery, criminal impersonation and check-kiting, in connection with her activities as erstwhile president of the local Babe Ruth League. (Daily Mail, 3/20) *Donald Williams of Catskill has been charged with attempted murder and lesser crimes in connection with the wounding by gunfire on Monday of a Hudson man. LAY-OFFS of State prison correctional officers, as ordered by Gov. David Paterson, "will only affect the real workers," says a well-placed local observer. The top staff members--Deputy Supervisors for Programs, for Administrative Services, for Security, for Medical Services, for Whatever--"will do even less real work, at great public expense, with fewer people to supervise. They are the ones who should be laid off." SATURDAY in GreeneLand will be balmy and busy. Among alternatives to playing and watching ball games could be a waterfall hike starting in the morning from the headquarters of the Mountain Top Historical Society (www.mths.org ) . In Acra at mid-day, Rick Burstell of the Agroforestry Resources Center will conduct a workshop on gardening in raised beds--a practice that can be "twice as productive as traditional in-the-ground gardening" (http://agroforestrycenter.org). In Catskill at 4pm, the new short film, "Thomas Cole: Painting the American Landscape," will get its first public screening, admission free, at the Community Theatre. Also on show will be the new web site, "Explore Thomas Cole," enabling viewers to see, and to read and hear about, 100 paintings by Cole. (www.thomascole.org/explore). Immediately following those revelations will be a benefit reception at the M Gallery (350 Main St), with a portion of proceeds from picture sales going to the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. And that ain't all. A new showplace, The Galleria, opens at 281 Main Street, with landscapes by Edith Marcik and Terence Barrell. The Union Mills (ex-Orens Furniture) building will exhibit art by Ruth Edwy and Alex Kveton. At the Arts Council headquarters (398 Main St), the upstairs gallery will host a new show of work by the late Art Tieger, while the ground floor gllery hosts "Sculpture on Main." Across the street, at Imagine That!, live jazz will be performed by Perry Beekman and Malcolm Cecil.