Orange County News Roundup, April 13

Orange County News Roundup, April 13
Yvonne Marcotte
4/13/2016
Updated:
4/13/2016

Private Road in Wallkill Named for Former Congressman

The Town of Wallkill has named a private road created by the 122 interchange makeover as Ben Gilman Way. The former congressman was given an honorary sign for his room at Castle Point and the new sign has been erected near the New York State Police Troop F headquarters in Middletown. On hand to present the road sign were Wallkill Supervisor Dan Depew, Department of Public Works Commissioner Louis Ingrassia, and Major Joseph Tripodo of the New York State Police to thank Gilman for his many years of service to the community.  Gilman retired in 2003 from New York’s 20th congressional district leaving Congress as the oldest sitting representative in the U.S. House.

Identity Theft Ringleader to Serve Up to 20 Years in Prison

Tyrone “Reece” Lee has been slapped with a sentence concurrent with one he is already serving of 10 to 20 years in state prison. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman on April 6 announced the sentence for running an identity-theft ring that stole over $457,000 from customers of Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Newburgh. Evidence showed that from June 2010 to August 2011, authorities say Lee was the leader of a bank fraud ring that stole from the accounts of 77 customers of Wachovia Bank. Prosecutors say he recruited his girlfriend to work as a teller at the bank in Newburgh and told her what customer data to steal.

The Associated Press contributed to this brief

Schumer Calls for More Security at Airport ‘Soft Targets’

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer joined the call for protecting areas of weakest security at airports. Mindful of the Brussels terrorist attack, the MidHudsonNews reported on April 6 that Schumer wants funding for active shooter training, more security in less secure sections of local airports including Stewart, and more bomb-sniffing dogs. “The non-secure areas are baggage claim zones, parking lots, just where you pull up in the car and being let off, because these don’t receive the same level of attention, scrutiny, as airport gates and terminals. Those receive the most scrutiny because we saw what happened at 9/11, and the scrutiny there is pretty good,” he said. “Thank God we haven’t had another 9/11.”

Port Jervis Farmer’s Market to Change Locations

Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker holds up the new logo for the Port Jervis Farmers Market during a Common Council meeting in City Hall on April 11, 2016. (Holly Kellum/Epoch Times)
Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker holds up the new logo for the Port Jervis Farmers Market during a Common Council meeting in City Hall on April 11, 2016. (Holly Kellum/Epoch Times)

The Port Jervis Farmers Market will be changing its location this year, said Mayor Kelly Decker at an April 11 Common Council Meeting. It will move from the mini-mall parking lot between Front and Ball streets to the park on Pike Street and Hammond Street, next to the Pike Plaza parking lot. It’s no longer going to have one or two farmers but several farmers, Decker said, and there will be activities and informational kiosks. The market has a new logo and there is a “very energetic group” that is working to bring in more vendors, Decker said. The market runs June 25 to Oct. 29 on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Near-Record Number of Bears Killed in 2015 NY Hunting Season

Environmental regulators say hunters killed the second-largest number of bears on record during the 2015 season in New York. One wildlife management unit covering parts of Sullivan and Orange counties had one black bear for every 3 square miles. The Department of Environmental Conservation says 1,715 black bears were killed, 148 behind the 2003 record. Acting DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said on April 6 the bear population is doing well. In the northern, zone hunters killed 583 bears, up 65 from 2014. Southern zone hunters killed 1,132, up 22 from a year earlier. The heaviest bear was killed in Sullivan County. It weighed 520 lbs.

From The Associated Press

County Resident Named NYPD ‘Cop of the Year’

James Burpoe has been named the New York City Police Department’s “Cop of the Year” for the 30th Precinct in Harlem. Investigator Burpoe, 28, who resides in Orange County was honored by NYPD Commissioner William Bratton at a ceremony on April, 6 in New York City. Burpoe was previously awarded “Cop of the Month” three times. Bratton selects his “Cop of the Year” honorees based on several criteria, including an officer’s standing in the community and how they are viewed by their peers. Burpoe’s father, James Burpoe, is Orange County’s Commissioner of General Services. Burpoe is a five-year veteran of the NYPD and is working his way to becoming a detective.

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