Orange County, NY, Middletown | featured news

NEW YORK — A dozen immigrant workers at one of President Donald Trump's golf clubs in New York who are in the U.S. illegally were fired this month even though managers had known about their legal status for years, a lawyer for the workers said Saturday.As the president railed during the partial government shutdown against immigrants coming into the country illegally, a manager at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County called a dozen immigrant workers into a room one [...]

Up to $3.5 billion. That’s how much marijuana might be sold annually if New York legislators choose to legalize recreational use this year, according to a recent state Department of Health analysis.All that sales revenue could generate up to $677.7 million in annual taxes for state and local governments. Even the state DOH’s $1.7 billion low-end valuation of New York’s pot market equates to $248 illion in annual taxes. [...]

WASHINGTON — The IRS' workforce will return to full strength under the short-term deal to reopen the government struck Friday by President Donald Trump and congressional leaders. But the disruption from the partial shutdown and the recent absence of a large contingent of recalled IRS employees mean the possibility of delayed tax refunds.The official start of the tax filing season is Monday, and the Trump administration has said taxpayers who are owed refunds would receive them [...]

GOSHEN — The ongoing federal negotiations about immigration security dominated Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's first town hall in Goshen since he was re-elected last year.Maloney's town hall on Saturday afternoon came one day after President Donald Trump agreed to temporarily reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.But the deal struck between Trump and congressional leaders does not include money for the president's long-sought wall [...]

WARWICK – Niki Folina brought the spirit of community giving to residents of Schervier Pavilion through her “Adopt a Grandparent” program. All 120 residents of Schervier, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), received presents as a result of her work.Folina’s Adopt a Grandparent program asked area businesses to donate gifts to the skilled nursing facility’s residents. She then matched each of those contributions. [...]

FLORIDA – ShopRite announced it has once again partnered with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York for its annual Feeding Our Neighbors campaign. The partnership is part of a joint effort to raise funds to replenish food pantries throughout the Hudson Valley region.Through, Feb. 2, 27 ShopRite stores throughout Westchester County and the mid-Hudson region will collect donations at checkout for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Shoppers can make [...]

GOSHEN — NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, offers support group meetings twice a month for families and friends of mentally ill adults, with no registration required.The meetings are offered by NAMI Orange for families, friends, significant others and caregivers of adults (18 and older) with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, OCD, etc.). Facilitators are trained by NAMI-NYS.The meetings are held at two [...]

With school threats seemingly everywhere these days, security officials can use a helping hand.“There is no question that technology and security work hand in hand,” says Nelson Quinones, supervisor of school safety and security for the Monticello Central School District.Quinones shows off a large computer monitor that is feeding a constant stream of live images of doorways, hallways, rooftops and parking lots.“We have over 380 active video cameras, [...]

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Sullivan County starting on Tuesday.Between 6 and 10 inches of snow is possible between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the Weather Service reported on Sunday.Snow is expected to start falling Tuesday morning and continue into the night.The National Weather Service urges anyone planning to travel in the area to keep aware of the weather forecast and to be careful on the roads.The [...]

Recreational marijuana legalization may make more headlines, but hemp could become one of New York’s biggest crops if state lawmakers facilitate the industry, leading hemp experts say.Last month, Congress set the stage for states to create their own hemp industries, with the 2018 farm bill's passage.The law reclassifies hemp as a crop, not a controlled substance like a street drug, making the U.S. Department of Agriculture the plant’s primary regulator.Hemp [...]