Putnam is Paying for the Perks of New York City



To the Editor: As of May 1, residents in Putnam and the rest of the Hudson Valley will have double digit increases on their utility bills without any new benefit or service being provided to the local communities. The implementation of the new Energy Capacity Zone, which was brainchild of the New York Independent System Operator and approved by the […]

TEARS OF JOY AT CULTURAL CELEBRATION



Southeast’s Cultural Arts Coalition is unifying the greater Brewster area by presenting the Community Connection—a series of classes for non-native speakers. Last Wednesday evening, eleven members of the Class of 2014 received their diplomas for achieving what some thought was the impossible—completion of a rigorous course that met every Wednesday since last fall. The free English classes focused on a […]

Amazing Results in Trooper Crackdown on Unsafe Driving



State Police conducted a statewide aggressive driving enforcement in late April and the results released last week indicate that speed and unsafe motor vehicle operations is commonplace throughout the region. More than 24,500 tickets were written by troopers during the one week period from eastern Long Island to western New York. In Troop K which encompasses Putnam County and is […]

Patterson Ninjas Are Spelling Bee Champs



The Patterson Ninjas are this year’s champs at the 5th annual Adult Spelling Bee presented by Putnam Family and Community Services. More than 150 were on hand at the Starr Ridge Manor Banquet Hall in Southeast last week for the event that attracted teams of spellers from throughout the county. Competition started at 5:45 p.m. but it wasn’t until 9:30 […]

National Day of Prayer Celebrated in Carmel



Putnam County was one of 35,000 communities across the U.S. to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. Last week’s observance at the Whipple Foundation’s Spain Cornerstone Park in Carmel attracted the largest gathering ever when 75 local residents who prayed for the nation, governmental leaders, law enforcement, our armed forces and the State of Israel. Dr. Patrick Delamere of Mahopac, […]

Healing Between Mahopac and Mt. Vernon



The healing has begun between Mahopac and Mt. Vernon High Schools. On Friday, two dozen students from the two schools met behind closed doors on the Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES campus in Yorktown to begin the process, which resulted from racist Twitter rants made by the Putnam students in March at a championship basketball game at the Westchester County Center in […]

Ball Set to Announce, But Details Unclear




State Senator Greg Ball, often mentioned as a nearcertain GOP challenger to incumbent Republican County Executive Mary Ellen Odell this fall, will be announcing plans for his political future at a news conference in Mount Pleasant next Friday, May 16. Since Mount Pleasant is in Westchester County, rumors have begun flying throughout Putnam this week that Ball might not be […]

Military to ‘Invade’ Carmel



Attention residents of the greater Carmel area: DO NOT be alarmed when observing military and state police helicopters, fighter jets and other fixed winged aircraft flying in and around the county seat. The U.S. Army will be conducting aviation urban navigation training from May 12 through May 14 and, according to the Army’s Special Operations Command, Putnam County has been […]

New Superintendent Picked for Mahopac District

Replaces Manko

Welcome John Kopicki! Kopicki was appointed superintendent of the Mahopac School District last week to succeed Thomas Manko, who will be leaving Putnam County on June 30 after serving as the district’s chief administrator since 2009. Kopicki, 49, is currently superintendent of the Forest Regional School District in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. He is married and has three children. Mahopac School […]

Putnam Cycling Classic to take place next Sunday, May 18

Updated with new info

The on again—off again—on again Putnam Cycling Classic will be held next Sunday, May 18.This weekend’s event that was expected to draw upwards of 1,000 cyclists to Brewster was canceled due to anticipated inclement weather.New York’s former First Lady and current Director of Tourism Libby Pataki who was coordinating the event said Thursday the county “deeply apologized for the confusion […]