Middletown | featured news

HAMPTONBURGH — The Orange County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation has announced a new Kids Summer Activities Program at Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Hamptonburgh in July and Algonquin Park, Town of Newburgh, in August.Children will have an opportunity to put down their devices and spend some time outside getting fresh air, communing with nature and having fun. Activities will include playing games, making crafts, fishing, hiking, visiting with animals and [...]

An elder law estate plan includes various documents for specific purposes, as follows.A trust is often at the center of an elder law estate plan. As opposed to wills, trusts avoid a court proceeding on death called probate. Wills are documents used in probate court if you die with assets in your name alone. Trusts save time and money, and avoid family squabbles over the inheritance called “will contests.” In addition, trusts protect your privacy. Wills in probate court [...]

It’s "Speed Week" for the New York State Police, which means they’ll be targeting drivers who violate the state’s speed limits, including in work zones.They’ll also be looking for drivers who violate the "Move Over" law, which requires vehicles to change lanes when passing by a stopped patrol car, in the interest of officer safety.The Speed Week enforcement initiative runs through Wednesday.State police said speeding is a factor in [...]

GOSHEN — An Orange County grand jury has indicted a Chester woman on charges she stole a New Windsor police car and drove it into Ulster County while under the influence of drugs.The grand jury indicted Nicole Moghaddam, 29, on Thursday on counts of third-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and driving while ability impaired by drugs, felonies; and unlawfully fleeing a police officer and third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle, [...]

BETHEL — The New York State Department of Transportation agreed to delay a bridge and culvert replacement project on one of Sullivan County's major arteries in Bethel following concerns from the town about its potential for disruption during a crucial summer for the area.The agency was slated to begin a $6.4 million project this spring to replace a bridge over the Mongaup River and a nearby culvert over Creamery Brook near the Thompson and Bethel town line on Route 17B, but [...]

NEWBURGH — One man is dead and two were wounded early Saturday in two separate incidents in which gunshots were fired in the City of Newburgh.Shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday, City of Newburgh police responded to reports of shots being fired at 128 S. Robinson Ave., where officers found a large crowd fighting in the parking lot, said Detective  Lt. Joseph Burns.While breaking up the fight, the police department received another report of shots being fired, about [...]

A military appeals court's reversal of a West Point cadet's rape conviction and 21-year prison sentence has outraged sexual assault victim advocates who say the decision is filled with victim-blaming and antiquated notions about rape.But the cadet's attorney says the decision demonstrates the need for checks and balances on court martial panels hand-picked by commanders under pressure to convict in a time of intense focus on sexual assault in military service academies. [...]

WEST POINT — In just a few weeks, the candidates for the class of 2023 will arrive at West Point, an annual event known as Reception Day, or R-Day for short.To prepare for their arrival, the Corps of Cadets will hold a rehearsal for R-Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 28, and members of the community are invited to sign up to play the roles of cadets.Up to 300 community members will be able to be a cadet for a day and assist the corps in preparing for the arrival of [...]

MONTGOMERY — Supervisor Rodney Winchell is being challenged by former Walden mayor Brian Maher as he seeks a second term in office.The two men will face off in a Republican primary on June 25.Winchell, who owns Romar Contracting and considers himself more a businessman than a politician, said he brings both transparency and life experience to the supervisor’s job.Among his first-term accomplishments, Winchell said he has secured Town Hall, from [...]

The Assembly is expected to approve a bill on Tuesday that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, a politically charged proposal that faces uncertain prospects in the Senate in the closing weeks of the 2019 legislative session.Democratic lawmakers and advocates argue the Green Light bill would improve road safety by getting undocumented immigrants who already drive to get licenses, which means taking road tests, getting insurance and annual vehicle [...]