THE HOUSING SECTOR — LIKE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ECONOMY — HAS BEEN IN THE DOLDRUMS. A RASH OF FORECLOSURES WHICH BEGAN AS PART OF THE GENERAL ECONOMIC CRISIS THAT HIT BACK IN 2008 CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. BUT THERE IS LIGHT ON THE HORIZON: FOR THE THIRD MONTH RUNNING, FORECLOSURES HAVE DECLINED, DOWN 7 PERCENT IN APRIL. COMPARE LAST MONTH WITH APRIL 2011 AND FORECLOSURES ARE DOWN 26 PERCENT
ACCORDING TO REALTYTRAC, WHOSE BUSINESS IT IS TO LIST FORECLOSED HOMES. MORE GOOD NEWS CAN BE FOUND IN A FOUR PERCENT REDUCTION LAST MONTH IN THE NUMBER OF HOMES THAT WERE ENTERING INTO THE PROCESS OF FORECLOSURE.

SREBRENECA (sreb-re-NEET-sa) — A WORD RATHER HARD TO PRONOUNCE IS A CITY IN BOSNIA WHERE ONE OF THE WORST ATROCITIES OF THE WAR IN THE BALKANS OCCURRED IN 1995. IN THE CITY WHICH HAD BEEN SET ASIDE BY THE U-N AS A PLACE OF SECURITY FOR ETHNIC MUSLIMS, BOSNIAN SERB FORCES CARRIED OUT THE MASSACRE OF MORE THAN 8-THOUSAND MEN AND BOYS FROM SREBRENECA. CITING ERRORS BY THE PROSECUTION, THE JUDGE IN THE UNITED NATIONS TRIBUNAL OF BOSNIAN SERB GENERAL RATKO MLADIC HAS INDEFINITELY POSTPONED THE PRESENTATION OF MORE EVIDENCE AGAINST THE DEFENDANT. A NEW START DATE FOR THAT WAR CRIMES TRIAL IN THE HAGUE AGAINST MLADIC IS UNCERTAIN; MLADIC’S LAWYERS HAD REQUESTED A DELAY OF SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL CAN RESUME.

IN YET ANOTHER LEGAL SAGA — THIS ONE UNFOLDING IN GREENSBORO NORTH CAROLINA — BOTH SIDES IN THE CORRUPTION TRIAL OF JOHN EDWARDS ARE MAKING THEIR CLOSING ARGUMENTS. THAT CASE MAY GO TO THE JURY TOMORROW. EDWARDS IS ACCUSED WITH MISUSING CAMPAIGN FUNDS DURING HIS FAILED RUN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT FOUR YEARS AGO IN APPLYING SOME OF THAT MONEY TOWARD HELPING TO CONCEAL AN EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR FROM BOTH THE MEDIA AND HIS WIFE.

WITH A JURY NOW HAVING BEEN SEATED, THE MURDER TRAIL OF TIMOTHY HANDEL BEGAN IN ORANGE COUNTY COURT WEDNESDAY. HANDEL, NOW 40 YEARS OF AGE IS CHARGED WITH KILLING HIS DOMESTIC PARTNER, 27-YEAR-OLD KATHLEEN CONNOLLY LAST SUMMER, DISMEMBERING HER BODY AND THEN LATER BURYING THE REMAINS IN THE BACK YARD OF HIS NEW WINDSOR HOME. HANDEL HAD FATHERED TWO CHILDREN DURING THE TIME OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CONNOLLY AND THE COUPLE HAD LIVED IN, AND HAD TIES TO BOTH ORANGE COUNTY AND LANCASTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA. CONNOLLY HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING FROM THE KEYSTONE STATE FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE DISCOVERY OF HER BODY IN AUGUST 2011. THE COUPLE’S ECONOMIC TROUBLES, ISSUES WITH CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN AND INFIDELITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP ALL CAME TO LIGHT IN OPENING STATEMENTS BY THE PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE YESTERDAY ALONG WITH GRUESOME DETAILS ABOUT THE STATE OF CONNOLLY’S BODY ONCE IT HAD BEEN FOUND IN HANDEL’S BACK YARD.

THERE ARE SEVERAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS OF THE ORANGE COUNTY LEGISLATURE ON TAP OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE VERY LAST OF THEM HAPPENS TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY (05/31/2012). AND WHILE NO AGENDA AS SUCH HAS BEEN DETERMINED, YOU CAN BET THE MAJOR TOPIC OF DISCUSSION WILL BE THE COUNTY’S NEXT MOVE OVER PLANS FOR THE GOVERNMENT CENTER. EXACTLY TWO WEEKS AGO, COUNTY EXECUTIVE ED DIANA’S 75 (M) MILLION DOLLAR PROPOSAL FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION TO REPLACE THE PRESENT 42-YEAR-OLD BUILDING COMPLEX WAS TURNED BACK IN THE LEGISLATURE, FAILING TO GARNER THE NECESSARY TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE TO APPROVE A BOND RESOLUTION THAT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE PROJECT OFF THE GROUND. DIANA ISSUED WEDNESDAY WHAT HE CALLS A “LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY.” IN IT, HE TAKES ISSUE WITH THE DISCLOSURE BY THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD THROUGH A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST OF A F-E-M-A REPORT THAT HAD BEEN WITHHELD FROM COUNTY LAWMAKERS. DIANA FURTHER OFFERED CRITICISM OF MICHAEL SUSSMAN AND THE ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE WHICH HE CHAIRS. THEY’VE CONSISTENTLY CHALLENGED CLAIMS AND STATEMENTS MADE BY DIANA OVER WHAT IS AND ISN’T NECESSARY IN DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT CENTER ISSUE.

WE’RE STILL AWAITING WORD ON IDENTIFICATION OF THE VICTIM IN A FIERY TWO-VEHICLE ACCIDENT ON ROUTE 17K IN THE TOWN OF MONTGOMERY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE WESTBOUND ON THE HIGHWAY APPARENTLY TRAVELED OVER THE CENTERLINE INTO THE EASTBOUND LANE, STRIKING A TRUCK HEAD-ON. BOTH VEHICLES BURST INTO FLAME AFTER THE IMPACT. THE MISHAP OCCURRED MOMENTS BEFORE DAWN YESTERDAY NEAR 17K’S INTERSECTION WITH BAILEY ROAD NOT FAR FROM VALLEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. STATE TROOPERS, MONTGOMERY TOWN POLICE AND THE ORANGE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER SOON MAY HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WEDNESDAY’S CRASH AS WELL AS WORD ON AN  IDENTITY OF THE DRIVER OF THE S-U-V WHO WAS KILLED.

***

Headlines provided by Bob Schaeffer for WALL Radio 1340 AM
Mark West in the Morning with Bob Schaeffer and Chris Mitchell

Local police confirmed they investigated an unattended death at 326 South Bedford Road just after 1:30 PM. Her body was found in an out building on the Westchester County property.

Early reports say Mrs. Kennedy committed suicide. Thursday, the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed early reports that the 52 year old Kennedy killed herself. The cause of death was entered as asphyxiation due to hanging.

Kennedy and ex-husband, the son of former Attorney general Robert Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, have been divorced since 2010 after sixteen years of marriage.

A man entered the convenience store at 1:00 a.m., pointed a handgun at the clerk and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register.

The subject fled from the scene on foot out of the door that leads to the northbound direction of the Parkway.

The robber was described as a 5-foot-6 black man, wearing black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, a black knit hat, a black and white bandana, white gloves and white sneakers.

Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is asked to call the New York State Police in Haverstraw at 845-364-0200.

On May 14, 2012 at approximately 8:55pm the Town of Hyde Park Police responded back to Sunoco gas station for a reported robbery. A different attendant reports that a male entered the business and picked up a few items and went to the register to pay for them. When the attendant opened the register the male then pepper sprayed the attendant in the face and took approximately $650.00 in cash. The male again fled on foot South on Violet Ave, and again the attendant felt he knew the perpetrator as being a customer in the store in the past.

The Hyde Park Police later identified a suspect and conducted an interview which resulted in the May 15th arrest of 26 year old Phillip D Webb of Poughkeepsie for both incidents. He was arraigned in Hyde Park Justice Court in front of Judge Steinbergand remanded to Dutchess County Jail on $25,000 cash or $50,000 bail bond. Webb is due to return to Hyde Park Justice Court on May 21, 2012 at 1:00pm.

K9 officers from both Dutchess County Sheriff and Town of Poughkeepsie Police assisted during the investigation.

41 year old Christopher Colvill plead guilty to possession a stolen Torah from the Landfield Avenue Synagogue in Monticello. He faces three to six years at his August sentencing.

The Torah was stolen sometime between the evening of December 30 and the morning of December 31 and a joint investigation between the new York State Police and Monticello Police led to Colvill. He was arrested on January 24, 2012

According to Rabbi Ben-Zion Chanowitz, Colvill called looking for work at the synagogue just days before the Torah was reported missing and had worked on several repair projects in the past. Chanowitz arrived the morning of December 31 and found two offices had been ransacked. One of the three Holy Arks used to store the Torah was found empty along with a reported $200 in charity funds missing.

The investigation into the burglary is ongoing as police look for other suspects who may have been part of the break-in.

Just Ahead of Windfall From Facebook IPO, Former Company Mogul Eduardo Saverin Is Disowning USA To Duck Reported $67 Million In Potential Taxes

Senators Unveil Ex-PATRIOT Act To Crack Down on Anyone Who Renounces Citizenship To Avoid Taxes

Proposal Would Bar Ex-Pats Like Saverin From Returning to U.S. and Re-impose Capital Gains Taxes

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Bob Casey (D-PA) unveiled a comprehensive plan to respond to those like Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who recently unleashed a scheme to renounce his U.S. citizenship in order to dodge taxes on profits he is expected to collect when the social-networking company goes public.

Saverin, a partial owner of Facebook, has lived in Singapore since 2009 and renounced his U.S. citizenship in September. The avoidance scheme could help him duck a reported $67 million in taxes since Singapore, unlike the U.S., has no capital gains tax. That amount could increase even further as Facebook’s stock price rises.

The senators called Saverin’s move an outrage and described a plan to re-impose taxes on expatriates like Saverin even after they flee the United States and take up residence in a foreign country. Their plan would also bar individuals like Saverin from reentering the country so long as they continued to avoid paying their taxes in full.

“Mr. Saverin has decided to ‘defriend’ the United States of America just to avoid paying his taxes. We aren’t going to let him get away with it so easily,” Schumer said. “It’s infuriating to see someone sell out the country that welcomed him and kept him safe, educated him and helped him become a billionaire. This is a great American success story gone horribly wrong. We plan to put a stop to this tax avoidance scheme. There should be no financial gain from renouncing your country.”

”We simply cannot allow the ultra-wealthy to write their own rules,” said Senator Casey. “Mr. Saverin has benefited greatly from being a citizen of the United States but he has chosen to cast it aside and leave U.S. taxpayers with the bill. Renouncing citizenship to simply avoid paying your fair share is an insult to middle class Americans and we will not accept it.”

Schumer and Casey’s proposal is called the Ex-PATRIOT Act (“Expatriation Prevention by Abolishing Tax-Related Incentives for Offshore Tenancy” Act).

Under the proposal, any expatriate with either a net worth of $2 million or an average income tax liability of at least $148,000 over the last five years will be presumed to have renounced their citizenship for tax avoidance purposes. The individual will then have an opportunity to demonstrate otherwise to the IRS by meeting specific IRS requirements. If the individual has a legitimate reason for renouncing his or her citizenship, no penalties will apply. But if the IRS finds that an individual gave up their passport for substantial tax purposes, then it will prospectively impose a tax on the individual’s future investment gains, no matter where he or she resides. This would eliminate any tax benefit and financial incentive from renouncing one’s citizenship. The rate of this capital gains tax will be 30 percent, in keeping with the rate that is already applied on non-resident aliens for dividends and interest earnings.

So long as the individual avoids these taxes, they would be inadmissible to the United States forever. The Ex-PATRIOT Act would improve current law to ensure such an individual cannot reenter the United States after renouncing his or her citizenship. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 was intended to bar any such individual from reentering the U.S. However, this statute was written in a manner that inhibits its enforcement.

In 2011, a record number of 1,780 people gave up their US passports—a dramatic rise from the 235 persons who did so in 2008. Yet no individual has ever been barred from returning to the United States based upon a finding of renunciation of citizenship for tax purposes. Without an immigration bar of re-entry, those thousands of individuals who renounce their US citizenship can simply return to the United States for 60 days per year, without any tax responsibility. The Ex-PATRIOT Act would end this loophole, and close the doors of the U.S. forever to individuals like Mr. Saverin if they continue to avoid paying their taxes.

Governor Delivers on State of the State Promise to Remove Barriers to Participation in Food Stamp Program
New Anti-Fraud System Less Costly and More Effective at Preventing Abuse than Finger Imaging

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Thursday announced that New York State will end the finger imaging requirement for all food stamp applicants and recipients, helping simplify the application process and removing a barrier to reducing hunger among the state’s children and adults.

Statewide, one in six children live in homes without enough food on the table. Yet 30 percent of New Yorkers eligible for food stamps — over 1.4 million people — do not receive them, leaving over $1 billion in federal funds unclaimed every year. In his 2012 State of the State message, Governor Cuomo pledged to increase participation in the food stamp program, including removing barriers to participation and eliminating stigmas associated with the program. Eliminating the finger imaging requirement will make it easier for additional New Yorkers in need to apply for food stamp benefits.

“There is never an excuse for letting any child in New York go to bed hungry,” Governor Cuomo said. “For too long, requiring finger imaging from those eligible for food stamp benefits has created an unnecessary barrier to participation in the program, causing a negative stigma and keeping food off the table for those in need. By removing this barrier, additional New Yorkers in need will be able to access the benefits they deserve without having to submit to this unneeded and burdensome requirement.”

Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said, “I applaud Governor Cuomo’s actions today to ban finger imaging. Forty-eight States have implemented effective and less intrusive ways to prevent fraud. This is an important step forward in providing accessible, efficiently administered food stamp benefits to eligible low-income New Yorkers. This can also ease the administrative burden for the agencies as well as for consumers.”

Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem, the prime sponsor of legislation to end finger imaging for SNAP funds since 2007, said, “Finger imaging for SNAP funds was a weapon in the thinly veiled war against poor people, aimed not at preventing fraud, but discouraging the most vulnerable from receiving their constitutionally guaranteed benefits. Today, Governor Cuomo decommissions this arcane armament in no simple terms and eliminates a $5 million budget burden in New York City. On behalf of the thousands of New York City residents affected by this punitive requirement, I offer our collective thanks for this life-saving executive order.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, “Governor Cuomo has taken an important step today, simply by doing the right thing. Our Judeo-Christian heritage teaches us that when poor people in our midst seek help, we don’t view them with immediate suspicion. We don’t humiliate them; we help them. The message being sent today is that in New York State, there is no shame in needing a helping hand for yourself or for your children. Be assured of my gratitude and my continued prayers.”

Finger imaging has been a known deterrent to participation in the Food Stamp Program due to the negative connotations, including the perceived implication of criminality. Also finger imaging can be an impediment to employment and child care because parents may have to take time off from work and obtain additional child care coverage in order to complete the requirement. Before the Governor’s action, New York and Arizona were the only two states in the country to impose this requirement.

Removing barriers to food stamp enrollment – including reducing the use of finger imaging – can have a positive economic impact on New York. According to a 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $5 in new food stamp benefits can generate $9 in total community spending, and every additional dollar’s worth of food stamp benefits generates 17 to 47 cents of new spending on food. By increasing access to food stamps, eliminating the finger imaging requirement will benefit families as well as the state and local economies.

In April, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) put in place a new statewide system for determining food stamp eligibility that uses applicant information to allow case workers to resolve discrepancies and prevent duplicate participation. This new system complies with the federal requirement to prevent duplication of food stamp benefits and similar programs have been credited as being less costly than finger imaging and potentially more effective at detecting duplicate participation.

At the Governor’s direction, OTDA has proposed regulations that would eliminate the finger imaging for the receipt of food stamp benefits. The proposed regulations are being filed today and will be available for a 45-day public comment period before being finalized. Under the proposed regulations, counties will no longer need waivers to be exempted. The proposed regulations apply to the entire state.

Joan Parrott-Fonseca, AARP New York State Director, said, “Governor Cuomo’s proposal to eliminate the fingerprinting requirement for Food Stamp applicants will increase access to much-needed nutritional assistance for older New Yorkers. Removing this barrier will greatly reduce stigma, break down barriers to enrollment, and allow more eligible people to obtain the assistance they need.”

Anne Erickson, President and CEO of Empire Justice Center, a statewide legal services and advocacy organization, said “We are extremely proud to stand with and applaud Governor Cuomo as he strikes down this insidious barrier to desperately needed assistance. Our December 2011 report, ‘Time to Leave Finger Prints Behind,’ found that finger imaging affirmatively prevents eligible households — including the elderly, persons with disabilities and families with children — from accessing federally funded food stamp benefits. Every one of the improperly denied households in our report had to wait months before they got the help they needed. We are so pleased that Governor Cuomo has put a stop to this wasteful policy that only served to keep the most vulnerable among us hungry.”

Linda Phelan Bopp, Executive Director, Hunger Solutions New York, said, “Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s leadership, a significant barrier to the Food Stamp Program is eliminated today. This policy change will ensure that the neediest New Yorkers will no longer be made to feel like criminals because they are hungry. We applaud Governor Cuomo for enabling thousands more people to put food on their table.”

Joel Berg, Executive Director, New York City Coalition Against Hunger, said, “Finger imaging keeps food away from hungry families, loses federal funds, and fails to reduce fraud. We thank the Governor for his leadership and courage in ending it.”

John Evers, Executive Director of the Food Bank Association of New York State, said, “Today Governor Cuomo is sending a strong message about our moral obligation to prevent hunger. People who need food stamps have committed no crime and treating them like criminals only means we are needlessly failing to help the hungry. We applaud Governor Cuomo for eliminating the practice of finger imaging and ending this longstanding impediment for food stamp recipients.”

William Rapfogel, Executive Director & CEO, Met Council on Jewish Poverty, said, “Governor Cuomo’s actions today will help the neediest New York families and children who depend on food stamps. Thanks to the Governor, food stamp recipients will have easier access to the benefits they need and deserve to achieve food and nutritional security. We salute the Governor for helping us to ensure that needy New Yorkers will benefit from this important program.”

The Council of New York Episcopal Bishops said in a statement, “We applaud Governor Cuomo’s decision to end the requirement of fingerprinting for assistance through New York’s food stamp program. No one in our state deserves to go hungry and no one eligible for this assistance deserves to be treated like a criminal. Rather than stigmatizing those in need, we should be making programs like food assistance more accessible to those who are in need. Concerns about fraud and abuse can be addressed in ways that do not stigmatize those who are seeking help. Many of our churches are involved in feeding hungry New Yorkers, so we know well how the need in increasing. We also know, as people of faith, that everyone, especially those who are poor, deserve to be treated with dignity.”

Ronald Soloway, Managing Director of Government and External Relations of UJA-Federation of New York, said, “UJA-Federation of New York strongly agrees that fingerprinting should not be a pre-requisite to receipt of food stamp benefits. We believe that hungry children, hungry seniors and hungry disabled New Yorkers will benefit from this new policy.”

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today hailed the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for providing a reprieve of its previously-announced plan to close the Mid-Hudson Processing and Distribution Center located in Newburgh, New York. The facility was not included on a list the USPS released today of processing and other USPS facilities slated for closure in 2013, though the USPS said it will revisit the matter for 2014. Hinchey has been a staunch opponent of closing the Newburgh site and has repeatedly pressed the USPS to keep open the facility, which is a major employer in the region with 385 workers.  The congressman is continuing to work to pass legislation that would address the underlying financial troubles faced by the USPS.

“I am happy that the U.S. Postal Service listened to the overwhelming community opposition to closing the Mid-Hudson Processing and Distribution Center and decided not to consolidate this facility this year or next, as originally proposed,” Hinchey said. “Not only does keeping this facility open continue to provide good-paying jobs that will help the area’s economy, it also ensures that the Hudson Valley has an effective mail delivery system, which is critical to our region’s businesses.  This announcement demonstrates that our efforts to help draw attention to the many positive aspects of the Mid-Hudson Processing and Distribution Center had an impact on the U.S. Postal Service’s decision process, which is why we will keep pressing forward to ensure this issue doesn’t reappear down the road.”

Hinchey previously urged Postmaster General Donahoe to prevent the closure of the Newburgh facility after the USPS initiated an Area Mail Processing (AMP) study to consider consolidation with a similar facility in Albany, New York. Hinchey offered official comments opposing the potential closure of the facility on December 1, 2011. Later that December, Hinchey sent another letter to Postmaster General Donahoe signed by 37 other House members opposing the proposed closure of mail processing and distribution centers nationwide.

Hinchey is a cosponsor of legislation designed to help ease the financial challenges currently faced by USPS. The United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011 (H.R. 1351) would free up billions in financial resources for USPS for years to come. Under current law, the Postal Service is required to pre-fund health care benefits of future retirees at a cost of over $5 billion annually. H.R. 1351 would help reduce the financial burden of this requirement by allowing the Postal Service to use billions of dollars in overpayments to their pension fund to pre-fund healthcare benefits of future retirees. The legislation is strongly supported by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Hinchey has also joined several of his U.S. House colleagues in introducing the Postal Service Protection Act – legislation designed to alleviate the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) immediate financial crisis and prevent the layoff of thousands of USPS employees nationwide.

HITS-on-the-Hudson, in association with the Bardavon, is proud to present Michael McDonald on Sunday, September 9 at 5pm at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 23 at the Bardavon, Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), and HITS box offices and through Ticketmaster.  Ticket price includes admission to HITS’ Championship Sunday show jumping finale, which will feature extraordinary equestrian classes in the HITS $250,000 Hunter Prix Final, Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix Horse Show.

Prominent on the soundtrack of our times, Michael McDonald has been thrilling listeners with his distinctively soulful style for four decades. The five-time Grammy-winner is a rare kind of artist in contemporary pop music. From ‘70s-era Doobie Brothers classics such as Takin’ It to the Streets, What a Fool Believes, and Minute by Minute; and solo hits like I Keep Forgettin and On My Own; through two highly-acclaimed Motown cover albums and recent genre-busting guest spots with alternative buzz bands Grizzly Bear and Holy Ghost; he’s a musician and songwriter whose work is both timeless and ever-evolving.

HITS, Inc., also known as Horse Shows in the Sun, produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in the upstate New York Village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing horse shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.  The HITS $250,000 Hunter Prix Final, Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and Pfizer Million are three of the largest equestrian show-jumping events in the United States and are sponsored by the all-new Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern in Saugerties and Pfizer Animal Health.  These events will be the grand finale of the 2012 HITS horse show season and will attract the top equestrian athletes and horses from across the world. For more detailed information, including a complete list of special performances, presentations, and VIP seating, please visit www.HitsShows.com.

Tickets for Michael McDonald are general admission festival seating and are $25 in ADVANCE and $30 DAY OF SHOW.  Includes admission to the HITS $250,000 Hunter Prix Final, Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix, as well as the Michael McDonald concert. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult ticket.

Tickets are available through:

Bardavon Box Office                       UPAC Box Office                      HITS Box Office

35 Market Street                          601 Broadway                         319 Main Street

Poughkeepsie                              Kingston                             Saugerties

845.473.2072                              845.339.6088                         845.246.8833

Or through Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000 or www.ticketmaster.com.

A limited number of VIP tickets are available.  For more information about VIP seating, please call 845.246.8833 or log on to www.hitsshows.com or www.bardavon.org.

HITS-on-the-Hudson Schedule for Sunday, September 9

8:00 am                Doors open

9:00am                 HITS $250,000 Hunter Prix Final

11:00 am              Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final

2:00 pm                Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix

4:30 pm                General Admission concert seating opens for Michael McDonald

5:00 pm                Michael McDonald concert begins

The HITS-on-the-Hudson venue includes full bar and assorted food available for purchase. There is ample FREE parking.

As your County Executive and a lifelong Orange County resident, I believe there is no greater responsibility than upholding the integrity of public office. I stand by my personal convictions and beliefs and am committed to being fiscally and ethically responsible.

The Democratic Alliance, led by attorney Michael Sussman, has made a series of unfounded allegations regarding the Orange County Government Center project that I would ordinarily choose to ignore because of their obvious political bias. However, in this case, the serious nature of the issue before us compels me to set the record straight. To blatantly charge that I purposely withheld a FEMA report is an outright distortion of the facts.

Let me start by clarifying the role of the Orange County Office of Emergency Services, the department that has been overseeing the County’s disaster recovery process. Emergency Services is not a political entity. Their mission is to serve the residents of Orange County during times of crisis, disaster, or other needs, and to deal with the appropriate federal and state agencies in such instances. To insinuate that they delayed the process to reflect the Orange County Legislative calendar is completely false and unfair.

Orange County received the initial Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) report regarding their assessment of damages to the Orange County Government Center and was in the process of reviewing it with the necessary engineers, architects, industrial hygienists, and claim specialists in order to make the appropriate response when, unfortunately, not fully understanding the full scope and breadth of this complex process, a daily newspaper obtained a copy of the FEMA report and posted it on its website.

This ongoing claims process through which the County is proceeding with FEMA is no different than the steps you would take as a homeowner if you were disputing a damage claim with your own insurance carrier. You submit a claim, the insurance company responds, and ultimately you come to an agreed settlement. Many of us have been through this ourselves. This response and reconciliation process, as FEMA refers to it, is by its very nature an adversarial one. It is, however, the necessary process when differences occur in damage estimation and was the procedure communicated to us as the appropriate one by FEMA’s Critical Infrastructure Team Leader. The process, at this moment, is ongoing.

It is important to note that Orange County is a sub-applicant to New York State in this process, as are all local government entities when faced with similar situations. As a sub-applicant, our requests and submissions are reviewed by New York State Office of Emergency Management (NYSOEM) to ensure that we are following the appropriate protocols and making requests that are within acceptable programmatic guidelines.

Throughout this process, I have been very careful to never allude to or guess at any dollar figure anticipated to come to Orange County from FEMA. To do so before negotiations are complete would have been irresponsible and could, in fact, even hamper the review and reconciliation process. What I have routinely said is that whatever settlement we ultimately receive from FEMA will be used to reduce the overall expenses of the Government Center project. These negotiations are still ongoing.

It is unfortunate that excerpted portions of the initial FEMA report are being used by individuals to attack not only my integrity, but the integrity of the many dedicated members of our County team who are working diligently to resolve this matter for the benefit of Orange County residents. Worst of all – they are being used for political purposes. Having read the report in its entirety, there were portions that could also have been used to bolster the case for a new government center, but the responsible action was to allow the FEMA process to proceed without interference.

The facts are no more complicated than this: we are proceeding exactly as we should, as per our right and duty under Federal law in this process. We will continue to pursue all avenues of funding to which the County is legally entitled to from FEMA and our insurance carrier.

The storms that devastated our region are on track to become the most costly natural disasters in New York State history and did unprecedented damage to our area. From the physical damage we will eventually recover. The deeper wounds have been caused by those who do not understand the process, nor do they even care, because it does not fit their political agenda.

I have no doubt that the debate will continue over the future of the Government Center and I look forward to continuing the dialogue. My one request of those who are currently disputing our role is simple – please stick to the facts and don’t rush the story. It is our duty and responsibility to the people of Orange County who have a right to the facts related to these exceptionally complex issues.