Columnists
Down the Decades
March 2, 2021 Edition
140 years ago - 1881
We are reliably informed that owing to the fear of spreading the smallpox through the town, the schools and churches of Obernburg and Fremont Center are closed for the present.
Lou German, Callicoon tinsmith, has closed up his business and will move his family to ...read more
Garden Guru
Winter-be-gone
The weather is slowly improving as we get closer to the official start of spring, the vernal equinox, on March twentieth. Old man winter cold can still make a surprise visit but, as the days become longer than the nights, the spring warmth will come.
One problem we could have though is if it ...read more
Retrospect
Mom
The summer of 1914 was one of the most significant in Sullivan County's history. The Hotel Wawonda in Liberty, the grand dame of the county's Silver Age resorts, burned to the ground that June, while a short distance away in Ferndale, the Grossinger boardinghouse entertained nine guests and grossed ...read more
Bethel Corner
Bethel - March 2
Happy birthday to Carole Rosen Abramson, Christopher Connally, Dennis Newberg, Cole Winarick, Harriet Thespy, Parker and Landin Raynor, Joan Booth, Ronnie Dickman, Elias Hart, Bill Sipos, Joanie Scheinfeld, Steve Vegliante, Corrine Lane, Jill Holland, Terri Gozza, Bruce Kaufman, Trudy Hindley, ...read more
About Books
March 5, 2021
THE SANATORIUM by Sarah Pearse (Pamela Dorman/Viking). This terrific debut suspense/thriller/gothic/detective novel—really, it's all of those at once, and maybe most surprising of all, given the mastery, is never for a moment show-offy, just strikingly clear. And has already been on bestseller ...read more
Making Sense Out of Dollars
“A” is for Annuities
Part 1 of 8
An annuity is a contractually executed, relatively low-risk investment product, where the insured (usually, an individual) pays a life insurance company a lump-sum premium at the start of the contract. That money is to be paid back to the insured in fixed, incremental amounts, over ...read more
Kenoza Lake
Kenoza Lake - December 18
Greetings to all. I am writing my last Kenoza Lake news column for 2020. Also, this will be the last column until next April 16th.
On December 3rd, I was appointed the Town of Bethel Tax Collector for the month of December and then on January 1st, I will start my elected term. As this is my ...read more
Hope for the Day
Look for the Potential
I love it when the Lord gives me little life lessons while doing ordinary things. While cleaning out a closet I pulled out a large box overflowing with years of photos, and decided it was time to organize them. It's turned into quite a project.
I made the decision that I have no need of many of ...read more
Woodridge
Woodridge - January 17
Woodridge lost a treasure recently with the passing of Robert Longo, who was born in 1921 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He was one of ten children, part of a large and loving, but financially struggling family.
Upon graduation from high school in 1939 Bob decided to get a job to help with the ...read more
Youngsville
January 21
It's been awhile since I have written. The holidays arrived, we were busy and then the weeks somehow got away from me and one week turned into another and then another.
So here we are, into the New Year, 2014, and I am back. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and that the New Year ...read more
Smallwood
Smallwood - February 5
March 5 - In a country hamlet like Smallwood, which lacks a Main Street where commerce and governance come together, there are few places where residents can bump into each other, talk about their lives, and energize the life of the community. (All the more reason, folks, for supporting and reading ...read more
Jeffersonville
Jeffersonville - March 5
Is Winter weather ever going to end? A big “thank you” to NYSEG workers for fixing downed lines. Also, many thanks to the volunteer firefighters, EMS workers and police agencies that also respond in all types of weather.
The Western Sullivan Public Library announces that “Knitwitz” has gone ...read more
Lake Huntington
Lake Huntington - March 2
Thursday I was on my way to the tax office. As I was passing the Bunch house, I noticed the back building was down. I called Lauren to make sure everyone was o.k. and to find out what happened.
First thing Lauren told me was that everyone is o.k., no one got hurt. Lauren and Eric were ...read more
White Sulphur Springs
White Sulphur Springs - August 28
Celebrating their birthdays this month are Tom Lewis August 7, Deb Fink August 8, Matt Dewitt August 19, Tom Edwards August 22.
A very special birthday celebration this past weekend was held for Alice Edwards, known to many as “Grandma Alice,” turned 100 years old. On Saturday she was surprised ...read more
Older & Wiser
Medicare Advantage Plans
Last week we reviewed Medicare Prescription Coverage or Part D. This week we will look into Medicare Advantage Plans.
Medicare's Annual Election Period is the time of year when you can make changes to your Medicare coverage. Open Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, and any changes you ...read more
Monticello
Monticello - November 16
This will be my last column for the Democrat for Monticello.
Good Luck to the three new members who were installed at the Monticello Elks Club and they are: Kyle McNair, Deborah Walker and Rosemarie Paty.
The Roast Beef dinner that was recently held by the Monticello Kiwanians seemed to be ...read more
Narrowsburg
Narrowsburg - January 15
In one of my 2018 “Narrowsburg News” columns, I requested information on a house in the Luxton Lake section of town. I had just bought the circa 1860s farmhouse, which was abandoned for many decades, and was starting the process of renovating it. I had heard tales it was called “Sleepy Hollow” ...read more
Library Directors Corner
Applications Sought for the Sullivan County Poet Laureate
The poet pauses now
Sighs as he takes
Pleasure in those six lines he's written. So far,
Though rough, so good. Somehow
The mind that aches
With life keeps faith with words, with what they are.
From the poem called “Poetics”, by Paul Smythe, found at ...read more
Give Us Paws
A hairy matter
You're really lucky to be human: you get to choose what you wear. Longer days and warmer weather make us want to change our wardrobe and get the lighter, brighter attire ready to wear. Pets? They each get one coat, with underwear that sheds in bits and pieces, all over the place. And no fur-bearing ...read more
EMS Coordinator
EMS - May 11
The requirements to be a paramedic are intense. It is a career choice for the brave at heart and not without consequences. Paramedicine is the highest level of EMS training. A paramedic can perform advanced life support skills such as initiating an IV, administering medications and advanced ...read more
Looking Back: At Vietnam
A Modern Look
Prologue:
Future editions of this column will cover various weapons of America's modern military.
There will be articles about our bombers, fighters, helicopters, drones, tanks, submarines and aircraft carriers over the past 45 years since Vietnam--and also a glimpse into our future ...read more
Highland
Highland - February 23
Let's start off with the bad news first. I called Jeff Haas this past week about my favorite event the Yulan Fire Department's St. Patrick's Day dinner.
Jeff told me that because Covid infection rate is still high in Sullivan County (code red actually) the St. Patrick's Day dinner is canceled ...read more
Jewish Culture
Rejoice and enjoy the World
“And Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the multitude of his sons, and all that the king had promoted him and that he had exalted him over the princes and the king's servants. And Haman said,
“Esther did not even bring anyone to the party that she made, except me, and tomorrow, ...read more
Liberty
Liberty - March 2
Hello everyone: It's Fran DeFilippi Kurpil. I'm including my maiden name because since I've been writing this column, I've had some contacts from the old days.
Our Son: Back from years in the big city of Denver, Mike and his wife, Lesli, miss “things to do”, so he is now often planning family ...read more
The Job Coach
Why do you want to work here?
Why do you want to work here?
In a previous article, I talked about answering the question, “what is your greatest weakness?” As you may recall, this is a traditional interview question - a common question that you can anticipate getting at some point during an interview. And because you know ...read more
Veterans Voice
My personal experiences …
Vietnam ended for me during May 1969 when I was seriously wounded on “Hamburger Hill.” Hill 937 was located in the Ashau Valley, a stronghold and Headquarters for the North Vietnam Army, located along the Ho Chi Minh trail, by means of Cambodia and Laos zigzagging along the western border of ...read more
Greening Sullivan
Summing up
I am going to take a leave of absence from this weekly column. It has been a privilege to share ideas with you to solve a problem about which I care very deeply.
I know that we share a common concern that our Earth is losing its ability to support human life. I am puzzled that so many hesitate ...read more
Looking Back: America's Military
The Lovable “Wart Hog”
Prelude
The Post Vietnam war produced a period of relative peace for most US Forces. However, American engineering and technology aggressively continued, with the result that within 10 years, the USAF would stand-up the most modern, stealthy and heavily Armadas in history. From the huge AF ...read more
