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Cover Story

Farm Aid takes on a New York accent
By BRYAN F. YURCAN

On Sunday, Hudson Valley farming advocates were expected to have the opportunity to address thousands of people nationwide about issues facing black-dirt farmers.

This scheduled news conference was prior to the national Farm Aid concert on Randall’s Island. This was the first time the concert was held in New York. The benefit concert was started in 1985 by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young to raise money for family farmers in America.

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In the past year and a half, there has been a quiet revolution of sorts occurring in the way Ulster County administers its business. Departments have been consolidated; the health insurance plan for county employees has been revamped, lowering the county’s premiums; redundancies in staffing have been eliminated, without any actual layoffs occurring; and municipalities have coordinated their efforts to meet certain federal mandates with less cost. For the first time in the county’s history, spending actually decreased in this year’s budget and it happened without cuts to essential services.

RUPCO bolsters Ulster
‘You can’t do housing in a vacuum’
By LYNN WOODS

For 25 years, the Rural Ulster Preservation Co. has been assisting low-income residents with their housing needs. Under the leadership of Executive Director Kevin O’Connor, however, the nonprofit, whose offices are in Kingston, has a much broader mission: revitalizing communities. It turns out that providing affordable housing leads to all sorts of links with related issues, such as green building, restoration of historic residential and commercial buildings, and planning for smart growth.

Waste not
Kingston in talks with RecycleBank
By LYNN WOODS

Although Kingston has been picking up recyclables from the curb since 1991, less than 12 percent of households bother to put out their blue recycle bins every week. All those recyclable items thrown into the trash cost the city a pretty penny in disposal costs, besides taking up precious landfill space. The problem is how to motivate residents to do their part and recycle.

Billboards reflect a sign of changing times
By KATHY KAHN

Back in the 1970s, Route 17 would blaze with billboards for classic resorts that made the “Borscht Belt” famous: Pines, Brown’s, Raleigh, Concord. These days, signs touting gated communities and Bethel Woods dominate the landscape between Middletown and Monticello.

Orange and Sullivan join for a good cause
By KATHY KAHN

The Community Foundation of Orange County announced Sept. 5 it will expand services into Sullivan County. To reflect the change, the foundation will also change its name.

Ulster schools earn low ranking
By LYNN WOODS

It’s back to school, but Ulster County residents who are familiar with a Forbes magazine study that rated “the best and worst school districts for the buck” might be wondering whether the taxpayer investment in their public schools is a worthwhile expenditure.

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