John Steinbeck: Voice of America

Melvyn Bragg, English broadcaster and author, travels from Oklahoma to California to examine the enduring legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck and makes a case for Steinbeck as one of the great voices of American literature.

In novels such as The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row, Steinbeck gave voice to ordinary people who were battling poverty, drought and homelessness.

Travelling the famous Route 66 from the midwest to the Pacific coast, Melvyn assesses how relevant Steinbeck's work is today. He visits the site of the 1930's dust bowl in Oklahoma; the California orchards where bloody political battles were fought between migrant labourers and growers; and the Monterey coastline where Steinbeck developed his ideas on ecology.

Crowds pack public hearings on proposed "fracking" regulations

from the Times Herald-Record
After countless forums and years of debate, more than 600 folks still turned out for Tuesday's two public hearings on the proposed regulations to allow the controversial natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" in the state.

The crowds were so big at the first Department of Environmental Conservation hearing at SUNY Sullivan, dozens had to wait outside in the rain as it began, although they were eventually let in. The passions ran so high, one man was removed for heckling.

Even though pro- and anti-fracking speakers didn't agree on anything about the merits of drilling — with speakers at the first hearing running more than two-to-one against fracking - they did agree on what's at stake, the environmental and economic health of New York.

Both sides staked their positions hours before the hearings even began, in rain-soaked demonstrations on the college grounds.

"We're so close (to permits for drilling), we've got to fight for it to the end," said Tom Shepstone, a gas industry spokesman who's been a planner for several Sullivan towns. He's hoping permits can be issued next year, although the DEC has said that's doubtful.

An anti-drilling leader also vowed to keep up the fight — to ban drilling.

"It's too important to stop. The future of the region, the future of the state is at stake," said Wes Gillingham of Sullivan-based Catskill Mountainkeeper.

Once the hearings began, the debate continued.

Pro drillers said fracking is safe — and an impoverished county like Sullivan needs the jobs it brings to the area that has "carpenters without work, teachers laid off," said Al Larson, who heads a Sullivan landowner group that wants to lease land for drilling.

Town of Fremont Supervisor Jim Greier noted that the state has been trying to get its arms around drilling for "three and a half years of studying and regulation."

"It's time to move forward," he said, noting that thousands of vertical wells have been drilled in New York "without one major incident."

But anti-drillers repeatedly referred to the polluted waters and environmental degradation from drilling in states like Pennsylvania.

For more information, watch Gasland
"The actual science shows that fracking can not be done safely," said Linda Armstrong, a professor of environmental science at SUNY Sullivan.

Plus, said anti-drillers, fracking will kill what attract folks here — the clean air and water.

"No one will come to the region if it's contaminated by thousands of trucks," said John Armstrong of Ulster County.

While the purpose of the hearing was to comment on the proposed regulations, only a few folks offered specifics.

Anti-drillers wanted a cumulative impact study of the health and environmental impacts of thousands of wells.

"There's no health assessment, no assessment (of the impact) on local roads and bridges," said Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet.

But, in an indication of the divide that runs as deep as the drilling, some pro-drillers said the regulations were too restrictive. Most just wanted to drill.

"We don't have the luxury of waiting any longer," said Noel Van Swol of Long Eddy, who heads a pro-landowner group.

Port Jervis School Board: Bon Secours Pediatric unit critical

The Port Jervis School District Board of Education is concerned over the impact the closing of the Center for New Life at Bon Secours Community Hospital and the reduction of pediatric services will have on our community.

Because Bon Secours is run by a Maryland corporation, we fear they do not understand Port Jervis’ unique circumstances. There are 4,393 children in our community who require pediatric services. With almost 50 percent of our households qualifying for free and reduced lunch, most children are from vulnerable families. Living in an area devoid of transportation services and surrounded by mountains, which are often impassable in severe weather, it will be impossible for these parents to get their children the healthcare they need and deserve. Emergencies happen and we need quality medical and maternity care within a reasonable driving distance – not 21 miles away!

Although Bon Secours is translated as “good relief or help” and the hospital’s mission is “Good help for those in need,” there seems to be little concern for the needs of our community. The children of Port Jervis are certainly in need. How does eliminating maternity services, and reducing pediatric services, qualify as being of any help, much less good help?

William Onofry, President
Port Jervis School District Board of Education

Voice your concern, sign the "Keep Birthing in Port Jervis close to home Petition" click to read more.

Bon Secours Maternity Petition

Jim McMahon and I have no love between us. Indeed there has been no peace obtained in our many disagreements. That said, sometimes there is an issue that demands unity, even among bitter rivals. The closing of the Bon Secours maternity unit is one such issue.

I live on the borders of 2nd and 4th ward, the two wards that, combined, account for about 61 percent of all crime in Port Jervis and are home to most of our economically disadvantaged. Yesterday I learned that another of our teenage girls, a tenth grader, is pregnant.

With some of the highest teen pregnancy rates and pre-term births in Orange County*, it's almost criminal that these girls will have no local hospital to care for them or their children. So, when I received McMahon's email asking if I would post a link to the petition he started, I took a few moments to consider and then I signed the petition and agreed to post the link.

I encourage everyone reading to sign as well... please click here.
- Steve
* Source: Orange County Community Health Assessment 2010-2013

from the Times Herald-Record
Port Jervis maternity unit closing
Bon Secours says demand is dwindling

The maternity unit at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis will close next year, due to the dwindling number of births.

Officials from Bon Secours Charity Health System, the hospital's parent company, say there aren't enough deliveries per year to sustain the Center for New Life Birthing Unit. They announced the news earlier this month and expect the unit to close in about 120 days.

"It's never easy to exit a service line," said CEO Philip Patterson, "but it's a quality issue."

In 2009, Bon Secours Community delivered 238 babies, according to state data. On average, births at the hospital haven't exceeded 170 a year in the past three years, hospital officials said.

In filing the certificate of need for the closure to the state, hospital officials said they referenced a stipulation that 600 births a year is the preferred threshold for a quality program, a standard they say the state Department of Health held in the past.

15 nurses displaced

A spokesman for the state Health Department, reached Monday afternoon, was unable to confirm that such a standard is in effect.

While the numbers have been declining for years, hospital officials believe the death last year of longtime obstetrician Dr. Stanley Brunn, who delivered generations of babies, was a contributing factor in the recent drop.

A committee formed last year to determine the hospital's next steps recommended taking a year to see if the numbers increase or if the hospital is successful in recruiting new obstetricians. The committee met again in August, and after seeing no change, recommended the closure.

"We had to make a tough decision," Patterson said.

Fifteen nurses will be displaced by the closure, but officials hope to find them other jobs within the health system.

Officials are also working to redirect pregnant moms to St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick, also owned by Bon Secours Charity, and Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill. But that means moms in labor might have to travel an additional half hour or more to get to the hospital for delivery.

Longer trips for some patients

That might prove a major hardship for Margaret and Joseph Flood of Port Jervis. Margaret, 30, is six months pregnant with her seventh child. When her other children were born, she relied on her family and friends to get her to the hospital, since she doesn't own a car. Now that she might have to travel farther, she doesn't know what she's going to do.

"I don't know how I would get there," said Margaret, a patient at the Middletown Community Health Center's outpatient women's health services clinic in Port Jervis. "I can't believe (the hospital) would close it."

Community Health Center CEO Theresa Maloney said the center will continue its commitment to the Port Jervis community, even without Bon Secours Community's maternity unit. Its obstetricians have credentials at Orange Regional, and Maloney said she and her staff will make sure patients can get to Wallkill, even if it means lining up ambulances or taxis.

"We're doing everything possible to support the community and the OB/GYN program," she said. "We'll do whatever it takes to get the patient into care."

Election Day in Port Jervis - Update - Final

FINAL: the Time Herald-Record reports that Mayor Potter wins by 6 votes. Council races remain unchanged. - 11/18/2011 4:45pm The unofficial results become official.


Update 11/18/2011 - They've begun counting the almost 300 absentee ballots... (the rumor mill has it Potter still wins, though nothing official that I've seen as yet)

From the Times Herald-Record: Paper ballots throughout the 9th Judicial District have been impounded due to a legal action stemming from a tight state Supreme Court race between Democrat Paul Marx and Republican Ed Borrelli. As of election night, Marx was about 10,000 votes ahead. Since all Orange County races are on those same ballots, until the legal ramifications in the Supreme Court race are decided, those ballots can't be counted.

In a nutshell - The Port Jervis election won't be official until these two nitwits settle their pissing contest and we (along with Dutchess, Putman, Rockland, Westchester and the rest of Orange county) can count our absentee ballots.

For now, the unofficial results stand.

VIDEO: Port Jervis School Board 11/15/2011

Port Jervis Board of Education
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Note: no sound for the first 2 minutes.

Vodka and Tampons and Teens...

...oh my. Stephen Colbert informs:

Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia

If it weren't for a series of cataclysmic events, a comet impact being first on the list, our planet could well still be the domain of dinosaurs. Patagonia has given us the largest living animal to ever walk the Earth: the titanesque plant-eating Argentinosaur, and its nemesis, the Giganotosaur, a bipedal carnivore that could easily challenge the famous T-Rex.

School board to decide on filling its vacancy - In my opinion, No

The Port Jervis Board of Education will determine Tuesday if it will fill the open seat on its nine-member board.

The seat was left vacant following the resignation of two-term member Patrick Witherow, who resigned Oct. 18 after being appointed to an administrative position at Orange-Ulster BOCES.

The board will decide at its meeting if it will appoint a district resident to fill the seat prior to the May 15 election or leave the position vacant. The board has instructed the district to begin advertising immediately for candidates in the event the board votes to fill the position.

To be eligible to serve as a member of the Board of Education, a candidate must be at least 18 years old, a legal resident of the Port Jervis School District for at least one year, and cannot be a school district employee, related to a school board member, or hold any city office other than serving as a police officer or firefighter.

District residents who are interested should apply in writing for the nonpaid position by contacting District Clerk Dawn Lasch at 9 Thompson St., Port Jervis, NY 12771, before Monday.

[This is an elected position and as such it is the public’s place to choose who fills it. In my opinion, it is improper for the remaining board to hand pick someone to fill the seat. If the board feels it cannot fulfill its duties with one less member for the next 7 months, a special election, if possible, should be held to allow the public to choose who fills the vacancy - Steve]

Have thoughts on the vacancy discussion? Send them here.
*Email on this topic may be shared publically.
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School board meeting to discuss 2012-13 spending

The Port Jervis School District will begin the process of formulating a proposed spending plan for the 2012-13 school year.

For the most part, the school district budget development calendar will be similar to last year's. However, the one dramatic change in the budget development process comes in the form of the state's new tax levy cap legislation.

Lorelei Case, assistant superintendent for business, will begin the discussion at next Tuesday's Board of Education meeting with a presentation on the new property tax levy cap.

The board meeting will be held in the Port Jervis High School cafeteria at 7:30 p.m. For those who are unable to attend, the meeting will be televised live on the district's educational access station, cable Channel 20.

The presentation will provide information about the complex tax law, which has been misconstrued as a "2 percent tax cap," Case said. The law does not restrict any proposed tax levy increase to 2 percent, she said.

Instead, Case said, the law determines what level of support is needed for a school budget to pass. The public will still vote on the district's budget proposal. If the proposed tax levy increase (before exemptions) is above the tax levy limit, the support of a supermajority (60 percent) of voters would be required for budget passage. If the levy is within the limit, a simple majority is needed for budget approval.

A brochure with information about the new property tax cap, and its implications for school districts and taxpayers statewide, will be distributed at the meeting. A copy of the brochure is available at the district office and can be downloaded at www.pjschools.org.

Have thoughts on the tax cap discussion? Send them here.
*Email on this topic may be shared publically.
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Draft of fracking rules irks environmental groups

from the Times Herald-Record
As Port Jervis moves ahead with planning a whitewater park, the Delaware River Basin Commission has issued a draft of gas drilling regulations that would allow drilling to resume in the Delaware watershed, water source for 15 million people, if approved by the DRBC Nov. 21.

Environmental groups are infuriated. After 69,800 people contributed comments on the previous regulations draft, many requesting studies to gauge the impact of drilling to guide regulation, those comments appear to have had little influence, according to Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

Clarke Rupert, spokesman for the DRBC, had said that the many comments provided on the previous draft would be considered.

Online, groups of comments making similar points would be addressed together, he said.

He noted that many of the comments requested that studies be done, but reading through the hundred-page document, Carluccio said the new draft does not require the suggested studies and allows for "flowback" of fracking wastewater that contains highly toxic chemicals, which come from deep underground as well as from fracking fluid.

Also, she said, the regulations make no spacing requirement for wells. The industry is in charge of density. She noted that a preliminary study of well density by the Academy of Natural Sciences warned that populous wells can diminish fish life and stream water quality.

As for the number of wells on a pad, she said, "New York is in flux, but in Pennsylvania it's a free-for-all. It's not protective."

Numerous other issues concern her. She said the regulations fail to address wastewater in the river and how much water can be removed for the fracking process, though water levels have significant effects on the ecosystem.

Also, she asked, "how many wells can you put on the landscape without preventing absorption of healthy rainfall? No studies have been done. They're moving blindly. They require information to be submitted, but there are no teeth to the regulations."

According to the new draft, drilling regulations are made by each state, so even though New York may have more stringent regulations, the Delaware River is still subject to the effects of Pennsylvania rules, which Carluccio said are more lax.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and other environmental groups are now poised to file suit against the DRBC if the commission approves the regulations, which the environmentalists contend would violate the National Environmental Policy Act, requiring that "exceptional waters not be degraded," Carluccio said.

Meanwhile, online environmentalists have been busy with "virtual marches," letter-writing campaigns, and petitions, furious that the DRBC has allowed for no public comment on this regulations draft.

Fracking runoff could hurt proposed whitewater park

from the Times Herald-Record
Last weekend, Adam Hubbard flipped and spun and kayaked down the Delaware River, which he does 230 days a year, he says.

He is also a Minisink Valley High School world history teacher and chairman of the Port Jervis Whitewater Park Advisory Committee.

He knows many others who spend their leisure hours cavorting on the Delaware, and his research tells him that a whitewater park in Port Jervis could bring $15 million-$30 million a year to the area.

So the prospect of the Delaware River Basin Commission making gas drilling rules that fail to maintain the river's "exceptional quality" water designation disturbs him.

This week the Delaware River Basin Commissioners posted a draft of drilling regulations, to be voted on Nov. 21, that would allow gas drilling practices that have infuriated environmentalist groups.

Among their concerns, according to Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeepers Network, is that wastewater from gas drilling with hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, would be allowed to run back into the Delaware River, though the chemicals used in the process would not be restricted.

If the regulations are approved this month, drilling in the Delaware watershed area could begin, ending a two-year moratorium while the DRBC decided on regulations. The Delaware watershed area provides water for 15 million people.

"Once it's gone, it's gone," Hubbard said of the river's pristine condition. "There would be decades of cleanup. We can't afford it. Businesses depend on the river."

Meanwhile, after five months of looking for a qualified firm, the Whitewater Park Advisory Committee has been negotiating a site analysis contract with Recreation Engineering and Planning Inc., of Boulder, Colo., which has designed 80 percent of the whitewater parks in the U.S., Hubbard said. They will use a $10,000 grant from Orange County for the analysis.

The total cost of the project would be between $300,000 and $1 million, depending on the number of features included, and whether the full park plan is realized, with hiking and biking trails and picnic area, Hubbard said.

With five features, the park would attract people training for the whitewater rafting event in the next Olympics, which will be the first Olympics for the event. The Port Jervis park would be the closest whitewater park to New York City.

Money to build the park will come largely from state and federal waterfront revitalization grants, said Hubbard, but the city will need to supplement that with fundraising through a nonprofit organization. But, Hubbard said, "we'll do bake sales and sell T-shirts too."

Kathleen Hendrickson, director of the Port Jervis Community Development Agency, also has concerns about the new DRBC regulations.

"A benefit of the park would be improved habitat and water oxygenation," she said. "If the water coming in isn't the best quality — ooh. I hope they'll look at the economic engine fracking could impact."

"The water park is not a pipe dream," she said. "It's a sleeping giant that would bring our side of the river to full potential."

Election Day in Port Jervis

11/16/2011 Update here

Today is Election Day. Winners in Bold

Republicans: On Facebook: 2011 Port Jervis Republican Team
Mayor: Russ Potter
Councilman-at large: Dean Aumick

1st Ward: Mike McCarthy and Jim Hendry
2nd Ward: Bob Ritchie and George Belcher
3rd Ward: Denis Livingston and Jerry Oney
4th Ward: Stan Siegel and Frank Bell


Democrats: The Port Jervis Democrat Party
Mayor: Richard K. Roberts
Councilman-at large: Kelly B. Decker

1st Ward: Carl V. Hendrick and Janina Garrity
2nd Ward: Gerald E. Gray and Cheryl Teets
3rd Ward: Norman Androvette and Rob Waligroski
4th Ward: Judith A. Oppelt

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Port Jervis Mayoral write in: Stanley Cohen
Deerpark Supervisor write in: Daniel A Cea Brabenec and incumbent team win.

Deerpark Proposition: Extend term of office for Highway Superintendent from current two years, to four years - NO
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How to calculate a tax cap

Think the 2% tax cap means 2%? Maybe this can clarify the process that everyone seems to be misunderstanding...


2% Tax Cap Is not a cap on tax rates*
- Rather it sets the % of voter approval necessary for budget passage
- If the levy necessary to support the budget is greater than the calculated limit (2% +/-) passage requires 60% voter approval
- If the levy is below the calculated limit - budget passage requires 50% voter approval
- If required voter approval rates are not achieved - a second vote can be held
- If voter approval is not achieved, a contingent budget must be adopted and the levy is capped at the prior years level
... or maybe it doesn't clarify things. What does seem to be clear is that NY State may have needlessly complicated an already complex process.

Beyond the argument that this is using government regulation to force municipalities and school districts to live within their means, there may also be some unforeseen consequences of the tax cap in the form of layoffs and reductions in services (such as reduced garbage pickup and slower snow plowing and road repair). We may even see increases in other local fees, such as taxes on utilities and increased water and sewage fees, among others. Only time will tell if the tax cap is a benefit or a disaster..

*source Orange-Ulster Boces

Be Wary

I just got a third phone call from EnergyCitizens.org urging me to support hydro-fracking. How I got on that list I have no idea, I am opposed to hyrdro-fracking with every fiber of my being.

I did find out that EnergyCitizens.org is supported by the American Petroleum Institute. A lobbyist organization funded by hundreds oil and gas companies.

Be wary.

The oil companies are using lobbyist groups and their sneaky tactics as outlined in the documentaries Gasland, Food Inc. and Hot Coffee to ram hydro-fracking down our throats. - Steve
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NYSCOSS Director Discusses Madate Relief

Robert Reidy, executive director of the NYS Council of School Superintendents discusses mandate relief with Gannett News Service reporter Jon Campbell...

The Daily Show and Killer Hot Dogs

The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi explains in this segment: Death From A Bun...

Coffee and Torts

Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman put it on one of his Top Ten lists. More than 15 years later, the McDonald's coffee case continues to be cited as a prime example of how citizens use "frivolous" lawsuits to take unfair advantage of America's legal system. But is that an accurate portrayal of the facts? First-time filmmaker and former public interest lawyer Susan Saladoff uses the infamous legal battle that began with a spilled cup of coffee to investigate what's behind America's zeal for tort reform - which threatens to restrict the legal rights of everyday citizens and undermine the entire civil justice system.

Hot Coffee:

I found this very interesting as it, very effectively, gave me another perspective on the issue of tort reform. - Steve

Port panel to focus on neighborhood crime

from the Times Herald-Record
PORT JERVIS — With the unemployment rate and drug use high, so is petty crime, which affects quality of life, but can be hard to solve — 90 percent of police actions are responses to crimes already committed, says David Hoovler, former Orange County district attorney and federal prosecutor.

Hoovler is now doing criminal defense and acting as Deerpark liaison to the Police Commission for the community and Town Board.

He will be one of five people on a panel for the first Citywide Neighborhood Watch Meeting at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the First Presbyterian Church, 60 Sussex St., Port Jervis.

"Just having that group in a room will be great," he said.

His role will be to provide information about how people can get what they want from elected officials to address neighborhood crime.

His strategy involves multiple communications — with police, neighbors and elected officials — and, ultimately, voting.

Others on the panel will be Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden, Port Jervis High School Assistant Principal Andrew Marotta, Port Jervis Detective Michael Worden, and pastor Steve Huston of the First Presbyterian Church.

"There's been a strong resurgence of Neighborhood Watch groups for five years," Worden said. "Citizens are more active in reporting suspicious activity. On a daily basis, arrests result from those calls."

Arrests involving felonies and wanted criminals begin with reports of strange cars or people in the neighborhood, he said.

The high school community also affects neighborhoods and the wider community, said Marotta. And what goes on outside school affects the school. So, the intent among high school staff is to create a culture where communication is "open" between students and administrators.

The motto is, "If you see — or hear — something, say something," Marotta said.

And students do, apparently, sometimes anonymously. Marotta says he receives notes, emails and voicemails, giving him information about drugs, impending fights and self-abuse.

A search of a student may result, with parents informed and permissions granted. Marotta says he wants parents in the communication loop, too.

"We tell parents that a sleepover conflict trickles into the building," he said. "High school safety is directly related to community safety."

Facebook Follies

Doc Zone is a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) documentary series that explores and expands on the major issues of our time. This episode, 'Facebook Follies', takes a look at the unexpected consequences of people sharing their personal information on social media. Viewers meet people who lost their jobs, their marriages, their dignity, or who even ended up in jail - all because of their own or someone else’s Facebook posting.

Shot on location in Canada, the US and the UK, Facebook Follies is an engaging journey through one of today’s most pervasive forces of social change.

Art reception in Port

The Port Jervis Council for the Arts will hold an Art in Public Spaces opening reception on Saturday, November 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Grill at River Bend, located on the grounds of the Lynx at River Bend Golf Club, 87 Neversink Drive. The event will include live music, an assortment of fabulous foods provided courtesy of The Grill at River Bend and a raffle for a piece of original art by a local artists. The 25 local artists included in the show are Elva Zingaro, Wendell M. Upchurch, Paul Thomas, Frank Shuback, Nick Roes, Joe Petrosi, Geoff Morse, Lori McBride, Josh Mayfield, Howard Marc Steiman, Mark Silverstone, Robert J. Lee, Alan Kaplan, Teresa Idelowitz, Don Hutchinson, Julia Healy, James Gwynne, Gordon Graff, Roger Gottlieb, Debbie Gioello, Nancy Davis-Kessler, William Cohen, Sean Addy and Alyta Adams. The chef for the evening will be Ronnie Smith. This show will run throughout the winter.

During the opening, guests are urged to join the PJAC as members, or become PJCA Patrons of the Arts. For those who cannot attend and wish to become members, call 845/856-2727 or 856-6330.

Citywide Neighborhood Watch Meeting

from the Pike County Dispatch

Port Jervis will hold its first citywide Neighborhood Watch meeting at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Marsh Hall in the First Presbyterian Church, 60 Sussex St., Port Jervis.

The citywide Neighborhood Watch meeting is the first ever held in Port Jervis and promises to give the community the opportunity to come together to discuss issues from each ward.

The focus of this meeting will be crime prevention and other issues affecting the city.

A panel of guest speakers will provide a brief overview of various aspects of crime prevention. The panel is made up of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden, Deerpark Town Councilman David Hoovler, Esq., Port Jervis Police Detective Michael Worden, Port Jervis School District Assistant Principal Andrew Marotta and the Rev. Steve Huston.

The community is encouraged to attend and bring questions to ask the panel.

The citywide Neighborhood Watch meeting is organized by Niki Jones from the 3rd Ward Neighborhood Watch with support from Deborah Kuen and active members of the 4th Ward Neighborhood Watch. Please visit our Facebook page at Port Jervis citywide Neighborhood Watch.