County Exec MaryEllen Odell to Seek Reelection

780 DAYS & COUNTING

EXCLUSIVE County Executive Mary- Ellen Odell will be seeking reelection to a full four-year term in November. Odell came into office on the heels of the Vincent Leibell corruption scandal that consumed Putnam politics in 2010 and 2011. She ran against Leibell in 2010, in a race that turned out to be one of the most bitter contests ever in […]

Serial Bank Robbery Suspect Queried In Two Putnam Heists



Two bank robberies in Putnam County within 72 hours of each other, a third in Westchester and the apprehension of a serial bank robbery suspect on Long Island have police on the local, state and federal levels investigating whether they are all related. Brewster State Police are investigating last week’s hold up of the People’s United Bank branch on Route […]

Hospital Carjacker Sentenced to Prison



A Brooklyn man convicted of a dramatic carjacking outside Putnam Hospital Center on Halloween morning 2012 will be spending the next seven years in a state penitentiary following sentencing in Putnam County Court. Charles Barnes, 49, was taken into custody less than half an hour after he accosted a nurse arriving for work at the hospital on the morning following […]

Putnam’s Unemployment Second Lowest in New York



Putnam County has the second lowest rate of unemployment in the entire State of New York. The State Labor Department on Christmas Eeve reported Putnam’s rate of unemployment for November at 5 percent, a decline of one percent from November, 2012. Putnam has remained with the lowest rate of joblessness in the Hudson Valley for the past 16 months. In […]

Turmoil on Mahopac School Board

Mahopac President Called to Resign

The former president of the Mahopac Board of Education is demanding that the current president and a twoterm trustee, who is the subject of a defamation lawsuit filed in Westchester, resign. Penny Swift, who served on the school board for 12 years, submitted a petition signed by more than 100 residents at a pre-holiday meeting charging that “issues must be […]

Yorkie Left to Die in Kent



The cruelty of mankind was exhibited Friday when a four to six year old Yorkshire terrier was found abandoned in a deserted section of Kent—left to die in a small metal crate. With overnight temperatures in the low-teens, SPCA Chief Ken Ross said the unneutered male couldn’t have survived much longer had not a passerby noticed the animal huddled in […]

Oliverio Calls For DA Levy’s Resignation Amidst State Query



Putnam Legislator Sam Oliverio has called on District Attorney Adam Levy to resign from his post immediately in the wake of a state probe investigating the District Attorney’s prosecution of a 2009 case centered on Andrew DeStefano, a candidate at the time for Putnam Sheriff. The State Attorney General’s Office has been conducting an official query into Levy’s office concerning […]

2013: Year in Review



Drug Deaths Soar Drug use and abuse among today’s young people became rampant across Putnam County in 2013. Five young men with Putnam roots died during the year gone by, with dozens of others overdosing on heroin. Susan Salamone of Mahopac, who lost her son, described the death of a child from a narcotics overdose as “something that every parent […]

Remembering Summer Camp During Christmas Break



Hundreds of boys and girls from throughout the region had great memories in the year gone by thanks to a summer camp program at Camp Herrlich in Patterson. Swimming, hiking, boating and a myriad of outdoor activities kept the children busy for the entire summer. Forty of these youngsters recalled their summer experience last week, when schools were closed for […]

New Year, New Goals: The One-Two Punch of Behavior Change

Health column

Every January, millions of Americans resolve to change their behavior in one way or another. Among the most popular goals are losing weight, quitting smoking, getting more exercise and spending more time with family. All are admirable ambitions, well worth pursuing. But if you are a smoker, there is nothing better to consider than kicking the nicotine habit. Tobacco use […]