Orange County, NY, Middletown | featured news

County lawmakers across New York could sharply curtail the availability of marijuana if the state legalizes it this year by exercising their option under the proposed law to ban pot stores and related businesses.Some counties may welcome the production and sale of “adult-use cannabis,” the state's preferred term for recreational marijuana. But those that don’t can use an “opt-out” clause in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to prohibit any of the six [...]

TOWN OF WALLKILL - The Golden Corral restaurant at 360 Route 211 in the Town of Wallkill will reopen next month under new ownership, the corporate office announced Friday.The new franchisee, BME Group, issued a statement late Friday saying it is "in the final stages of completing minor renovations to the restaurant interior and looks forward to serving the Middletown community."The Route 211 location closed on Jan. 10, without warning to employees or the public, and [...]

KINGSTON — A current fire commissioner and a former chief of the West Hurley Fire District face corruption and misconduct charges, Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced Friday.Former fire chief David Gutierrez, 52, and commissioner Michael “Bucky” VanValkenburgh, 44, both of West Hurley, were each charged with fourth-degree corrupting the government, a felony; and official misconduct, a misdemeanor. [...]

WASHINGTONVILLE — On Sunday, three Washingtonville nonprofit organizations will have their grand opening together at the former St. Mary’s Church parish center.Country Kids Food Pantry, Food for Kids and the Country Store Thrift Shop are inviting the community to attend at 4 p.m. at 2 Father Tierney Circle and see what each of them does, now that they have come together in the same location.John Flores, president of Country Kids Food Pantry, had known about [...]

MONTICELLO — Sullivan County government leaders announced on Friday that they will ask the state Public Employment Relations Board to recommend contract terms to overcome an impasse on negotiations with a union that represents half of the county’s employees.A five-year contract, with employees from Teamsters Local 445 in Rock Tavern, expired on Dec. 31. Negotiations on a new deal began in April. Hang-ups on negotiating a new two-year contract have involved the size [...]

HIGHLAND FALLS — Work is scheduled to begin May 1 on the first major capital improvements at James I. O’Neill High School since it was built almost 50 years ago.Superintendent Frank Sheboy said bids are coming in at or below estimates made before the project was approved back in October 2017. Voters approved spending $23.4 million, but all of that might not be needed.The Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery school board approved $16.8 million worth of contracts, [...]

Thinking about buying a home or refinancing before mortgage interest rates shoot up even higher? You can still deduct mortgage interest on Schedule A of your 1040 if you itemize deductions. (Note that with the increased standard deductions, it’s expected that far fewer taxpayers will itemize.) But the new tax law cut back the tax breaks in some cases, depending on the size of the loan, date of the loan and how you use the loan proceeds.Below are some of the changes in the new [...]

KINGSTON — Mike Hein handed in his resignation as Ulster County executive at 10:17 a.m. Friday.The letter bearing Hein’s sweeping signature says the resignation takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Hein has said he will become acting commissioner of the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance on Monday.The one-paragraph letter is addressed to Nina Postupack, the county clerk, and says:“In light of my appointment to serve as [...]

When people remarry later in life, worrying about nursing home costs may be the last thing on the new couple’s minds. Despite the unpleasant thought of a nursing home stay, ignoring the possibility of needing a nursing home may lead to financial ruin and fractured relationships among children on both sides of a parent’s second or third marriage. For seniors, the “blended” family usually means the spouses have children from past unions, but no joint children. [...]

Local donors have once again opened their hearts and wallets to support the Times Herald-Record's People for People Fund, with $140,830.91 raised in the 2018 campaign, according to Marsi Clark, the Fund's executive director. This total includes contributions of $117,489.05, plus $23,341.86 from estates and bequests.The 2018 totals, however, fell short of 2017's fundraising drive, which brought in $198,478.56, Clark said. Federal tax law changes are thought to have played a role in the [...]