Kent Might Sue Putnam

County Settles with Developer; Kent Explores Legal Action

On Monday, during executive session, Kent’s Town Board voted unanimously to make $3,000 available to explore filing a lawsuit against Putnam County. The move comes in direct response to Putnam County legislature’s decision to settle with Kent Acres Development Ltd, rather than continue as co-defendant with the Town of Kent in the long-running legal drama over the town’s tax assessment […]

Putnam Rebels Against MTA Rip-off, for Now

'I Wish We Were Back in Colonial Times' Tony Hay

When retroactive payroll tax hikes were passed in Albany to support the MTA, State Senator Vincent Leibell, Assemblyman Greg Ball, and other politicians vowed to push for a forensic audit of the agency. Two weeks ago, the Putnam County legislature boldly announced that they would refuse to pay the tax. The move, which Legislator Mary Ellen Odell has likened to […]

Either Way, Taxes Aren’t Going Down



Putnam County residents are breathing a sigh of relief this week after learning the New York State Senate renewed a one-percent sales tax extender for the next two years. In April, members of the Putnam Legislature called on Albany lawmakers to keep the status quo by raising the county sales tax from three-percent to four-percent. Since the current legislation expires […]

‘My Mommy is Driving Drunk’



A Mahopac woman appearing in Carmel Town Court Tuesday evening to answer charges of driving drunk with five teens in her car including her daughter wound up back in jail for violating a court order of protection on an unrelated charge. Carmel Police arrested Susan Rogge, 46, last weekend after the Putnam 911 Dispatch Center received a call at 10:30 […]

Fire Departments March in Mahopac



More than 5,000 people were on hand in Mahopac for the fire department’s annual inspection parade. Last Thursday’s extravaganza was held under ideal weather conditions—cool temperatures, pleasant breezes, and a setting sun. Perpetual parade goers like John “Snooky” Covell of Patterson marveled at the huge crowds and wonderful weather: “Mahopac is lucky again. The weather is awesome and the marching […]

Sheriff’s Candidates Trade Barbs Over Drunk Illegals



When Segundo Ordonez-Tanay, an Ecuadorian native, posted bail on July 4th, he had no idea his arrest would become a weeklong political drama, highlighting tensions between local and federal officials, and adding controversy to the Putnam County Sheriff’s race. Segundo Ordonez-Tanay was arrested July 3 by the Putnam County Sheriff’s department on suspected drunk driving and later released after posting […]

Previewing Next Week’s 4-H Fair



The Putnam 4-H Fair is the largest attended event each year in the county, with more than 25,000 men, women and children congregating at the Putnam Veterans Memorial Park in Kent. This year’s fair is scheduled for the weekend of July 24, 25, and 26, and in conjunction with the occasion, the Putnam Legislature last week proclaimed the week of […]

Drunk Boater Slices Swimmer



A 20-year-old Mahopac man underwent emergency surgery Sunday night at the Westchester Medical Center for massive trauma received when he was struck by the propeller of a motorboat being operated by a man who was charged by police with being intoxicated. Carmel Police said the horrific chain of events began around 5:30pm on Lake Mahopac when three boats were floating […]

Putnam Arts Council to Rise from the Ashes

'I was devastated. This was our home for 40- plus years.'

The Putnam Arts Council’s Belle Levine Arts Center in Mahopac will soon rise from the ashes. Arts Council President Joyce Picone recalled last week that cold February night in 2007 when she, seeing a glow in the sky, turned onto Kennicut Hill Road and observed the council’s center fully engulfed: “I was devastated. This was our home for 40-plus years. […]

What Happened to Summer?



Baby—It’s cold outside! The unusual summer of 2009 continues this week with record breaking chilly temperatures. The mercury was recorded at 47 degrees in Carmel Tuesday morning, shattering the record for July 14 of 50 degrees set back in 1989. “The weather has been really strange this summer,” said meteorologist Dr. Mel Goldstein at the Western Connecticut State University Earth […]