An upstate county executive fired off an "open letter" to Mayor Bloomberg, complaining about the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and its role as caretaker of a nearby watershed, which the city uses for drinking water. Ulster County executive Michael Hein writes, "The NYC DEP is presently operating much like an occupying nation within our county, extracting the natural resource of clean water while simultaneously polluting our waterways and causing massive regional economic hardships." more ›

A late night boat ride on the Hudson River proved fatal for four Ulster County residents on Sunday, when a boat crashed into a concrete abutment in the river, just before dawn near the town of Red Hook, NY. Judging by the damage, police believe the boat's operator was speeding, though it wasn't yet clear who was at the controls when it hit the concrete, which may at one time have been part of a dock. Beer bottles were found on the boat, but it's unclear what role alcohol may have played in the accident. more ›

Leona Helmsley, whose conviction on tax evasion charges made her infamous beyond her repute as a hotelier and real estate developer, died today at age 87. She and her husband Harry Helmsley (who divorced his wife of 33 years to marry her) ran a $5 billion real estate empire that included the Empire State Building, 230 Park Avenue, Tudor-City, a number of hotels including the Park Lane, New York Helmsley, and Helmsley Palace, and much more. more ›

The NYPD just put out a radio alert that Moses Teitelbaum, Grand Rebbe of the Satmar sect of Hasidism, died at Mount Sinai Hospital. Teitelbaum was 91, and had been suffering from spinal cancer. He had been the head of the sect since 1979. Thousands of people are expected to throng the streets of Williamsburg once this announcement gets out-- and things could turn violent, as Teitelbaum's two sons are feuding over who will succeed him, and their followers have gotten physical a number of times in the past year. more ›

DeDe Lahman, Co-Owner, Clinton St. Baking Company more ›