Orange County, NY, Middletown | featured news

A Georgia wildlife biologist stumbled onto a “massive” alligator in an irrigation ditch near a lake, officials say.Brent Howze estimated the gator weighed around 700 pounds and measured 13 feet, 4 inches in length.The reptile was euthanized, as it had suffered numerous gunshot wounds, officials said.Howze found the gator Feb. 18 near Lake Blackshear.Georgia wildlife officials confirmed the facts of the story. 

Stark County Sheriff’s deputies say a northwest Canton, Ohio, man was intoxicated in a bowling alley when he accidentally shot his friend in the leg late Friday night.The intoxicated man then threw the gun in a trash bin outside the building, Stark County Jail records show.Deputies arrested Spencer A. Norman-Webler, 23, of 1200 Broad Ave. NW, at 11:45 p.m., booking him into the jail on charges of felony evidence tampering, illegal possession of a firearm in a liquor [...]

MONTGOMERY – New England Motor Freight has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is laying off 518 employees, including 98 who work out of its terminal in Montgomery.The trucking company said in a news release that the voluntary filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court last month was recommended by its advisers as the best way to maximize its assets for the benefit of employees and creditors."NEMF intends to use these proceedings to facilitate an orderly wind-down [...]

WEST POINT, N.Y. — The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is mourning the death of a cadet who suffered fatal injuries while skiing.West Point officials say Cadet Peter Zhu died Thursday of injuries he sustained while skiing on Feb. 23 at Victor Constant Ski Area on the academy grounds.The 21-year-old Zhu was found unresponsive by a fellow skier and was later airlifted to Westchester County Medical Center. His death is under investigation.Zhu was [...]

Corrections officers and other employees at prisons around New York are wondering if Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to close three state prisons by Sept. 1 means the state budget axe will fall on their livelihoods.There are seven prisons in what's known as the Sullivan Hub: Sullivan and Woodbourne correctional facilities in Sullivan County; Ulster and Eastern correctional facilities in Napanoch, and Shawangunk and Wallkill correctional facilities in Ulster County; and [...]

MID-HUDSON VALLEY — Saturday morning's snow show was only a preview of what's to come Sunday for residents of the Mid-Hudson.About five inches of snow fell in the Village of Florida, but crews quickly cleared local roads.AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties can expect consistent snowfall starting Sunday late-afternoon and continuing into Monday.The National Weather Service said a Winter Storm Watch is in [...]

MIDDLETOWN — Justin Minga, 10, of Middletown, said he worries about his family on the road.Minga, who is Hispanic, told a crowd of nearly 200 people Saturday about his uncle's detainment three months ago when he was pulled over by police on his way to work."When they (police) asked him for his driver's license, he didn't have one," Minga said. "So they took away his van, they arrested him and sent him to immigration (jail)."Minga shared his story at a forum [...]

ANCRAM — On March 8 the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association will be having its monthly observing session at Lake Taconic State Park at 1528 Route 82 in Ancram starting at 7 p.m., weather permitting. In case of cloudy skies the make up will be on March 9.The public is invited to attend providing they sign up at the MHAA website http//midhudsonastro.org. Participants must provide their license plate number and make and model of their cars, by noon March 7. Upon registering, they [...]

AnnaKaren Clemmensen’s short life produced outstanding art.“She wanted to put her own unique addition to her work,” says Margaret Fox, 67, AnnaKaren’s older sister.“She added an element of surprise, and she had a real magic to touch a viewer.”“Because art is not a photographic portrayal,” Fox says. “Art captures a moment in life, those special minutes, and that is what she wanted to do. [...]

State police have charged a 20-year-old Middletown man with raping a child.The New York State Police Troop F Child Abuse Unit arrested Tyler Cole, charging him with first-degree rape, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to a news release.Cole raped a child who was less than 17 years old last month, state police said.He was arraigned in the City of Middletown court and sent to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $10, [...]