2021-01-12 E-Edition

CAPITOL ATTACK:

Nation and Putnam County Reel from Insurrection

From elected officials to ordinary citizens out and about, Putnam residents have voiced disgust and disdain over last week’s attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. And as this week dawned, the county and nation were still reeling from the brazen attack on democracy, coming just two weeks before a new president is to be inaugurated. Further, the civil unrest […]

251 Vaccinated at Putnam’s Initial COVID-19 Clinic


Two hundred fifty-one men and women rolled up their sleeves last Thursday afternoon and received vaccinations to ward off the potentially deadly coronavirus after the county received 600 doses of Moderna vaccine from the state 48 hours earlier. The clinic or Point of Distribution was held at the Office for Senior Resources Carmel Friendship Center and was not open to […]

23 Mile Section of Empire State Trail Opens in Putnam


A 23-mile segment of the 750 mile Empire State Trail in Putnam County opened last Monday (Jan. 4) with great fanfare when state, county and MTA-Metro -orth Railroad officials cut a ribbon officially opening the Maybrook Trailway off Pumphouse Road in Southeast. The segment was built by the railroad with $42 million in state funds alongside an unused railroad line […]

Cunningham’s Corner

FREE 2021: An Inauspicious Beginning, An Unfathomable Ending

My father used to say, “It can’t get any worse.” It’s gotten worse, and by quite a bit. Most state capitol buildings are grand structures, deliberately so, with soaring domes, stained glass, and artwork and sculpture. New York’s is something of an outlier; the dome was never completed. The Capitol’s massive weight was causing stress fractures and the building was […]

From the Archives

CLOSING THE HUDSON
Interesting Statistics of the River Work of the Winters.

JANUARY 11, 1901 Navigation on the upper Hudson for 1900 is practically closed. The close is earlier this year than last year, the boats running until after Christmas then. The earliest the Hudson river has closed since 1790 was on November 13, in the year 1820. The latest date for the closing was on February 3, 1801. December is the […]

Rohde Charges Health Benefits in National Defense Bill Insufficient


Putnam’s Director of Veterans Affairs Karl Rohde called expanding the list of diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure contained in the U.S. Senate’s Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act “wonderful news that we have been fighting for years. However, it does not go far enough.” Rohde’s comments came last week when questioned by this publication regarding U.S. Senator Charles […]

Barile Facing Misdemeanor Charges for Theft of Services


Carmel Councilman Mike Barile is facing misdemeanor charges in connection with an unauthorized sewer hook up to his former BLU Restaurant overlooking Lake Mahopac. Barile turned himself into the Sheriff’s Department last week and was released on his own recognizance pending a January 25 hearing in Carmel Town Court. Last month the Carmel Town Board approved a settlement of liability […]

McConville Delays Announcement for Sheriff


Kevin McConville, former Chief of the MTA Police, has delayed his announcement to seek the Putnam Sheriff’s position in November. The Cold Spring Republican had intended to announce his intention of challenging Sheriff Robert Langley last Thursday, however, 24 hours before the event had been scheduled, McConville notified this publication: “As a result of the Covid vaccine being distributed tomorrow […]

Carmel Town Board Organizes for 2021


The Carmel Town Board conducted its annual organizational meeting last Wednesday night (Jan. 6) by approving a 37-item agenda in less than an hour. The board designated the Putnam Courier and Mahopac News as the town’s official newspapers for 2021 while the Spain Insurance Company of Mahopac was selected as the town’s insurance agent. Councilwoman Suzi Mc- Donough was named […]