Helsmoortel seeks biz info for tourism
Everyone is talking from Yahoo to the New York Times about Jimmy Fallon being from Saugerties and we are doing everything we can to make sure that Saugerties stays in the spotlight, a magnet for tourism and new business.
We are not just waiting for people to come to us as we are out there being proactive and letting the world know how special Saugerties is. One of our most important outreach programs this spring will be the FOX/CT Travel show in Hartford CT. which is May 9-10. This major Northeastern tourism expo can be counted on to attract many more visitors to Saugerties shops and attractions this summer.
We are asking every local business to give us rack cards, brochures and literature to take to the Saugerties booth in Hartford, so just drop them off at Town Hall.
There will be no charge for your participation and all are welcome. Let’s show the world everything that our wonderful town has to offer!
Greg Helsmoortel
Supervisor, Town of Saugerties
Literature of the oppressed (part II)
I am afraid that my last Letter to the Editor of March 27 did injustice to the issue of the theft of books from personal libraries of Palestinians at the time of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Where I mentioned the cataloguing in the Israeli library system of 7,000 books under the designation of “AP” (“Abandoned property”), it is actually 70,000 Palestinian books that were looted at that time. The story of the collected books (appropriated by Israel’s library system) is at the heart of Benny Brunner’s film “The Great Book Robbery” to be screened Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, Sawkill Rd., Kingston. The film centers on eyewitness accounts and cultural critiques, placing the plunder in a larger historical-cultural context. Hannah Mermelstein who has led 25 delegations to Palestine, the most recent being a delegation of librarians, will be speaking about the film and the present situation of Palestinian libraries in the Occupied Territories.
Jane Toby
Catskill
Local nurses unite
When I first began working as a nurse in Ulster County back in the 1980s, I joined the NYSNA (NY State Nurses Association) District 11 organization to be able to network with other nurses in the county. District 11 also provided the opportunity to be informed about legislative efforts being worked on by NYSNA representatives. Over the past three decades, much has changed in the way health care is delivered, requirements that are made of all nurses and, how we communicate with each other. Over the past three or four years, it became apparent that the organization, NYSNA-Dist 11, was not serving the needs of the nurses of Ulster County.
What the members decided to do, myself included, was to disaffiliate from NYSNA and create a new organization — The Professional Nurses Association of Ulster County, PNA-UC. This decision was made after much thought and discussion. We felt we needed to create an atmosphere that nurses could come together and network, gain knowledge and nurture and mentor one another. Going forward, there will be programs about health issues in Ulster County as well as issues facing all those who work in the nursing profession.
We will be holding a complimentary kickoff brunch at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 12, at Fred’s Place in Lake Katrine. RSVP by April 7 to Judy at 339-5491.
This is an open invitation to all RN’s and LPNs. Whether you are a retired nurse, student nurse, nurse educator, school nurse, nursing administrator, clinical nurse or advanced practice nurse, we are reaching out to you. Our featured speaker will be Alan Glickman, RN. Please join us for a fun filled morning. Meet the new officers of PNA-UC and connect with nurses in Ulster County. emailpnaofulsterco@outlook.com to reach members, or see FaceBook–Professional Nurses Association of Ulster County.
Janine Mower, BSN
Woodstock
From our elected officials
Tkaczyk: Good outweighs bad in state budget
State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk voted for the negotiated 2014-15 state budget despite reservations about some of the appropriations. “The budget is far from perfect,” she said. “But it is also far better than the Budget Resolution that was offered by the Senate’s coalition leaders two weeks ago.”
The new state budget “provides a significant increase in school aid, property tax relief for homeowners, and substantial assistance for upstate manufacturers and small farms that will help them to grow and create new jobs,” she said. “It will also strengthen ethics laws and increase punishment for public officials who accept bribes or otherwise disgrace their office.”
Since the governor released the executive budget in January, Tkaczyk has advocated for additional school aid. She noted that the adopted budget provides an increase of $1.1 billion for school aid, about $300 million more than what was in the Senate resolution and $500 million more than what was initially proposed in the executive budget.
“While I am pleased to see education aid increased beyond what the Senate leadership would appropriate, I have conferred with school superintendents in my district who believe that for some schools, the increase will not forestall layoffs and educational programming cuts,” she said.
Tkaczyk noted she was “disappointed that Senate leadership would allow $300 million to be allocated for pre-K in New York City and only $40 million for programs in the rest of the state.”
The final budget also includes major improvements for the Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act, a priority for Senator Tkaczyk, the ranking member of the Senate Standing Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.
The budget extends reinvestment for three years and increases the amount of money saved per bed closed by 50 percent. Community-based services will receive $25 million in new dollars this year and $44 million in 2015.
Unfortunately, she said, the budget falls short in several other areas, especially in fixing the crisis facing state Early Intervention programs, which provides critical services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.
Gibson wants casinos
Congressman Chris Gibson last week reiterated his support for bringing resort casinos to the Catskills region and called on the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board to follow the spirit of the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act by placing the family resorts in the southern Catskills.
“The legislative intent of the Act is to create jobs and stimulate economic growth by driving tourism to parts of the state that need it the most,” said Gibson. “The region’s legendary resorts have declined over the decades and now we have a prime opportunity to reverse that trend and support new family-oriented destinations. The proposals include opportunities for numerous outdoor recreational activities and additional visitors to local historic and cultural sites. Tourism is a major driver for our economy, but there is much more we can all do together to help realize our vast potential. Therefore, I call on the Location Board to support the legislative intent validated by the voters last November.”
The state’s Gaming Commission and Gaming Facility Location Board are now preparing a request for proposals, expected to be issued soon, with a final decision on the location of the state’s first four casinos expected later this year.