MaryEllen Odell Takes Oath



Former Governor George Pataki was up early on Veteran’s Day and after crossing the county from his home in Garrison administered the oath of office to Putnam’s first female county executive. MaryEllen Odell received cheers and applause from more than 125 family members, friends, officials and local residents who braved an early morning chilly wind off Lake Gleneida to witness […]

Christmas Eve Murderer Gets Life



Paul Amay, the 25-year-old illegal immigrant convicted of the brutal Christmas Eve murder of his wife in her Mahopac home, fell to his hands and knees and begged for forgiveness in Putnam County Court Tuesday before Judge James Reitz sentenced him to 22 years to life in prison. Before a packed courtroom that included his wife’s parents, Maria and Julio […]

Veterans Thanksgiving Dinner Draws 1,000 for Turkey and Thank You



It takes a lot to surprise State Senator Greg Ball but the Putnam-Dutchess- Westchester lawmaker was not only astounded but completely flabbergasted last weekend over the turnout for the region’s first-ever Veterans Thanksgiving Dinner. More than 1,000 vets crowded into the Mahopac FD headquarters for the party Saturday to enjoy an old-fashioned home cooked turkey dinner with all the trimmings […]

Overturned Car Snarls Traffic in Carmel



An early afternoon crash in downtown Carmel Tuesday snarled traffic in the county seat for over an hour resulting in massive tie-ups. The mishap occurred around 1 pm when according to Carmel Police, a 2008 Subaru driven by Kristen Gruber, 36, of Lake Carmel, struck three parked cars along Gleneida Avenue between Vink Drive and Fair Street and overturned onto […]

Four Youths Arrested in I-84 Rock Throwing



Working around the clock following up leads, State Police at Brewster and East Fishkill in conjunction with the Putnam Sheriff’s Department arrested four Brewster youths last week on felony charges for allegedly throwing a rock from a cliff adjacent to I-84 in Southeast that crashed through the windshield of a passing car. Charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal mischief […]

County Faces Suit on Legals

Circulation of one paper, Press/Times, vastly overstated

The Putnam County Courier on Tuesday filed suit against Putnam County, alleging the county relied on fraudulent information in deciding which newspapers could publish legal notices. The Courier’s sister paper, the Putnam County News & Recorder, is one of two papers currently designated to publish the notices, which help inform the public of new laws, public hearings, foreclosures and the […]

The Town Of Carmel – An Economic Pickle!

From The Chamber

On Tuesday, November 15, the Carmel Town Board agreed to override the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap. The vote on what the property tax increase will be is still to take place as of the moment I am writing this. It could be as high as 8.8 percent. Town leaders work hard and are in an unenviable position. But […]

Bruce Walker, Putnam Native, Named County’s Number Two



Bruce Walker is a firm believer that Putnam County has a great future. The Putnam native, 42, who resides with his wife and three children in Pawling has assumed the rank of Deputy County Executive in the new MaryEllen Odell administration. Hours after he assumed office on Monday, the new official sat down with the Courier to talk about the […]

My Most Joyful Year

Eldridge reflects on past year running the county

For the first time, former Putnam County Executive Paul Eldridge admitted Monday that he is sorry to see his temporary position come to an end. Since last January 1, Eldridge has served as county executive following the Vincent Leibell scandal and during the past 10 months received rave reviews from Republicans and Democrats alike for serving Putnam’s 100,000-plus residents with […]

Home for the Holidays



Seven “senior” long-term residents of the Putnam Humane Society are in need of good homes. Last weekend the society conducted its Home for the Holidays adoption campaign where several residents expressed interest in adopting the dogs that were all born in 2000 and 2001. Volunteer Katie McGunnigle said each of the dogs called the Humane Society shelter home for “different […]