Orange County, NY | featured news

GOSHEN - An Orange County jury acquitted a Town of Wallkill man on murder, assault and gun charges in the 2015 slaying of 16-year-old Terence West Jr.After deliberations that began late Monday, jurors found Jamaad Murphy, 26, not guilty all all charges in the case on Wednesday.West was shot early on May 9, 2015, outside his family’s home at the Lake Street Apartments in the City of Newburgh. Prosecutors say West was lured outside by a text message. The assailant [...]

GOSHEN - The drugged driver who killed Dustin Mills left his family bereft, broken, haunted by the loss of the 30-year-old who was a teacher to everyone who knew him, his brother said."I thought I would grow old with him, continue to laugh with him many years from now, with him by my side," Clinton Mills, the Town of Wallkill man’s brother, said Wednesday in Orange County Court.He spoke at the sentencing of Robinson Perez, 31, of Manhattan, who was under the [...]

GOSHEN - One of the four at-large defendants in Tuesday’s big drug sweep turned himself in to authorities Wednesday morning.Charles Kavanaugh, 31, of Newburgh, surrendered to state police with his lawyer, John Ingrassia.Kavanaugh was arraigned in Orange County Court by Judge William DeProspo and jailed on $20,000 bail or $60,000 bond. He is charged with second-degree conspiracy.Kavanaugh is one of more than two dozen defendants in the case, which [...]

Kids ages 3-12 can make a Valentine's Day craft or two at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturday. Children will design and decorate a little Valentine heart tree and make a horsey treasure box filled with treats. Games and fun. $5 per child; parents free. Scouts, 4-H and Pony Club members, $3. 240 Main St., Goshen. 294-6330. education@harnessmuseum.com.Dog fanciers and beer fans will unite Saturday for a special event, [...]

VILLAGE OF MONTGOMERY — The Village Board approved a local law Tuesday night that brings a proposed winery on the historic Montgomery Worsted Mill property one step closer to reality.The board’s action came after it concluded a public hearing on the law that began two weeks earlier.New York City-based City Winery wants to create a winery and vineyard on the 21.46 acre property on the Wallkill River at the end of Factory Street.The proposal, which will [...]

KINGSTON — Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright announced Wednesday he will not run for a fourth term when his job comes up for re-election in November.The county’s chief law enforcement officer has worked in Ulster’s criminal justice community for 40 years, serving as an assistant district attorney, chief assistant district attorney, a criminal defense attorney and, for the past 11 years, its district attorney."I have known for many [...]

Mountain Jam, the three-day summer music festival long held at Hunter Mountain, is moving to a new location."It has been here for the past 14 years," said Katie O’Connor, Hunter Mountain’s marketing and communications manager, in a brief phone conversation confirming the change of venue.In a statement, Hunter Mountain management said: "While we are disappointed to see the festival move, we would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to the many [...]

LIBERTY - St. Peter’s Regional School in Liberty is one of seven Catholic schools in the state that will close at the end of the school year in June, the Archdiocese of New York announced."We understand these are challenging times for many families, and we will work with all students who are seeking to continue their Catholic education to find a seat at another excellent school in the archdiocese," Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, said in a news [...]

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended New York's new abortion law Wednesday after it was criticized by President Donald Trump during the State of the Union address, saying Trump and his conservative allies are lying about the law as part of a broader assault on abortion rights.In an op-ed published in The New York Times on Wednesday, the Democrat also pushed back on Trump's call for a ban on late-term abortion, saying he wants to roll back decades-old court rulings protecting [...]

THOMPSON — Members and representatives of the orthodox Jewish community urged the Thompson Town Board to consider the ramifications of its proposed moratorium on camps, dormitories, schools and bungalow colonies.“I think the town could be very well-intentioned, but at the same time could still hurt us because there’s no understanding of what our needs are,” Abe Berkowitz said Tuesday night during a public hearing at town hall.Berkowitz, who [...]