Lissa Harris
About us:
Lissa Harris is the founder and publisher of the Watershed Post.
Articles
Mar. 30, 2011
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced yesterday that she had been named chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security. From the press release (via the Catskill Chronicle):
Senator Gillibrand will... Read more
Mar. 29, 2011
Sullivan County farmer Bob Franklin has been making headlines lately -- for expanding his dairy operation at a time when many dairy farmers are in dire straits. (And for getting a visit from Congressman Maurice Hinchey, seen above admiring one of... Read more
Mar. 29, 2011
The Daily Mail has the details:
A Hunter-Tannersville Central School District school bus maintenance supervisor was charged with having sexual relations with an underage student.
Timothy B. Tait, 52, of Tannersville had a court appearance adjourned... Read more
Mar. 29, 2011
In the wake of a merger with Community Bank System, a banking company based near Syracuse, the Oneonta-based Wilber National Bank has announced they're making 63 layoffs. The Daily Star reports:
Monday's announcement "slammed" the dedicated employees of... Read more
Mar. 28, 2011
For most of us, the arrival of the first buds of early spring is a welcome sign that winter's on its way out. For an ecologist, every unfolding blossom is a data point. By making careful records of when each plant begins to bloom, scientists hope to... Read more
Mar. 27, 2011
If so, it'll be the first since 2006, says the NY Daily News. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders announced a deal on the budget this afternoon, and it looks a lot like the budget Cuomo proposed back in February:
The budget calls for a 2%... Read more
Mar. 27, 2011
With a glut of vacation houses standing empty most of the year, break-ins are a perennial problem in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. But this one kinda takes the cake: A scrum of (mostly) teenagers allegedly occupied a house on Beaverkill Road in Stone... Read more
Mar. 24, 2011
In upstate New York, March is dreary season: a month made of mud, sleet, damp, and forlorn hopes for spring. In Brazil, March is Carnaval: riotous color, parades, wild costumes, and the infectious beat of the samba. After months of winter, it hardly... Read more
Mar. 23, 2011
The vernal equinox might have come and gone three days ago, but in typical Catskills fashion, no one has alerted the local weather gods yet. Snow, sleet and high winds are on the way or already raging across the state, and conditions are expected to be... Read more
Mar. 22, 2011
Photo of fire-damaged Phoenicia Library, shared on a local Facebook group by Denise Owens.
The Phoenicia Library may be down, but it isn't out. The librarians announced today that the library will be open starting Saturday in a new temporary location,... Read more
Mar. 21, 2011
Photo: Some of the heavy-duty equipment deployed in the perpetual fight to keep Laura Zakotiria-Smith's Wawarsing neighborhood above water. From a photo album on Zakotiria-Smith's Facebook wall.
This just in: New York State lawmakers have agreed to use a... Read more
Mar. 20, 2011
The Albany Roman Catholic Diocese announced yesterday that they have removed former Margaretville priest Robert Purcell from ministry, and placed three Capital-region retired priests on administrative leave, in the wake of recent sexual abuse accusations... Read more
Mar. 19, 2011
Phoenicia LIbrary Fire Damage from Nathaniel Armstrong on Vimeo.
A fire damaged the Phoenicia Library in the wee hours of this morning. Videographer Nathaniel Armstrong says the interior was a complete loss.The Daily Freeman has a few details; stay... Read more
Mar. 19, 2011
While the sugar maple sap is running, weather has a dramatic effect on the end product. Above: Maple syrup made on different days, from warmest to coldest. Photo by Flickr user astanleyjones; published under Creative Commons license.
It might not be as... Read more
Mar. 18, 2011
Sweet Sue's pancakes in happier days. Photo by Flickr user millhouseloves; reproduced with permission.
Sweet Sue's owner Suzanne Taylor says it will be a long time before her famous pancakes are back on the menu.
Last Friday, the Ulster County Department... Read more
Mar. 17, 2011
There's a long and venerable tradition, in American sports, of watching gifted athletes giving their all on television and thinking, "Hey, I could do that." There's even a phrase for it: armchair quarterbacking.
And then there's local snowboarder Elaine... Read more
Mar. 17, 2011
This just in from the New York State Police:
The New York State Police at Middletown N.Y. report the arrest of EVAN P. SPITZ, age 24 of Palenville, N.Y. for POSSESSING A SEXUAL PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD, a class E Felony.
SPITZ was arrested after an... Read more
Mar. 17, 2011
Times Herald-Record reporter Adam Bosch reports on his environment blog that the New York City reservoir system is full to capacity -- plus a little extra. (Not sure exactly how that's possible, but OK.)
The reservoirs currently stand at 101.1 percent... Read more