A Rags to Riches Story HARTWICK—Scotch on the Rocks, shown here with proud owner Paula Kolka-Wart, was an unhandled stud colt purchased at auction for just $40.00 in 2013. Scotch recently competed at Oriskany Creek Farm in Clinton, bringing home the championship in the Green division. This is Scotch’s first show of the year and his third show ever. “I’m looking forward to what this auction pony can accomplish,” Kolka-Wart said.…
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04/27/2023
Letter from Liz Callahan Land Trust Efforts To Be Applauded Residents of Otsego County may take its breathtaking vistas—including the county’s forested hillsides, farmed fields and meandering waterways—for granted. I applaud the visionary efforts to preserve the integrity of the former site of Camp Henderson by the Otsego Land Trust. The collaboration between OLT, Senator Oberacker, the NYSDEC and the NYSOPRHP, and a dedicated group of residents, will help to protect an important swath of local land in perpetuity. I…
Gabby Milewczik and Susan Lettis look on as Kathy Varadi plants spring flowers in downtown Oneonta. (Photo by Marcia Kozubek) Plantings Spruce Up Main Streetin Time for Parade By MARCIA KOZUBEKONEONTA The annual Memorial Day parade has been a point of community pride in Oneonta, but empty planters downtown have had a lackluster appearance. Complaints about the vacant garden plots caught the attention of Susan Lettis, a member of the Oneonta Federated Garden Club. She said while the club remains…
Citizen Science by Jamie Zvirzdin AI Renaissance: A Chance to Reduce Cheating,Revitalize the School Experience Middle school is hard. It feels like the Dark Ages. There’s extra insecurity, boundary-testing, and of course, hormones. The pressure to perform well in school ramps up—as does the temptation to cheat. My 13-year-old son and his generation face an additional challenge: smartphones, online answer banks and now artificial intelligence services have made cheating very, very easy. And dishonesty in academics leads to dishonesty elsewhere,…
Sports Snippets: April 27, 2023 Compiled by WRILEY NELSON Unatego Graduate Is Named SUNY Cobleskill Athlete of Week COBLESKILL—The SUNY Cobleskill Athletics Department named outdoor track and field athlete Shealinn Stevens of Otego a Fighting Tiger of the Week for the week ending April 9. Stevens placed seventh in the long jump at the 2023 Cortland Red Dragon Open Invitational with a mark of 4.71 meters. She also anchored the Tigers’ third-place 4x100m relay team, which finished with a total…
News from the Noteworthy by Tobacco-Free Communities/Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Big Tobacco Must Stop RuiningHealth, Environment Earlier this month, a multi-state agreement was reached with e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL labs for its role in the youth vaping epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in seven high-school students use e-cigarettes as of 2022. E-cigarette use among teens can lead to some serious health impacts, since most vapes contain nicotine. Nicotine can harm teen brain development,…
Letter from Lori Solensten Kudos to OLT for Crumhorn Effort Thank you for your informative article and inspiring editorial about the former scout camp on Crumhorn Lake in your paper last week. I have been fortunate to have lived across the lake from the camp since 1981 and love the peaceful nature of the land and the motorless lake. For decades, the Crumhorn Lake Association and Boy Scout camp posted “Crumhorn Courtesy” signs around the lake, inviting the community to…
Letter from Ryan Geraghty There’s Always Room for More Music I think we can all share in my excitement and new-found appreciation for the growing arts community that surrounds us all. As the executive director of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, I have been blown away by the dedication and enthusiasm that our board, staff, volunteers, musicians, and community partners put into this effort every single day. The CSO has been around for almost 70 years, and we are proud to…
Letter from Heather L. Morse CROP Celebrates After-school Staff Creating Rural Opportunities Partnership, or CROP, is celebrating After-school Professionals Appreciation Week, April 24-28, to recognize, appreciate and advocate for those who work with young people during out-of-school hours. An estimated 850,000 professionals work with children and youth during out-of-school hours, providing enriching experiences and academic support throughout the U.S. The CROP after-school program addresses several critical needs that help alleviate the challenges of living in a high-poverty, rural area. More…
The Partial Observer by Otsego 2000 NIMBY Is Not What It’s All About The movement toward carbon-free energy production and our local and regional participation in that movement is complicated. Climate change provides an unquestionable sense of urgency to the issue. While the long-term solutions will include evolving technologies, the current tools available for expanding clean energy production are solar and wind. New York State has made a commitment to dramatically expand energy production from these sources.…