eedition Daily Mail April 17 2019

Page 1

CMYK

The Daily Mail Copyright 2019, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 227, No. 76

All Rights Reserved

Fire probe begins Notre-Dame found to be structurally sound Inside, A2

The nation’s fourth-oldest newspaper • Serving Greene County since 1792

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

nFORECAST WEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT THU

Mostly sunny

Rain and drizzle late

Cooler with a shower or two

HIGH 63

LOW 42

55 51

Report: River in peril

Complete weather, A2

n SPORTS

Are NY farms in a tailspin? By Sarah Trafton Columbia-Greene Media

not — must not — allow these barriers to be built. The twicedaily tides are the essential respiration and the heartbeat of this living ecosystem. The mouth of the river must remain

New York is losing farms at an unprecedented rate, according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA released its 2017 Agriculture Census last week which revealed some startling statistics. The census is taken every five years. “The most startling statistic is we now have 33,438 farms in the state, about 2,100 fewer farms than 2012,” NY Farm Bureau President David Fisher said in a statement. “This is the largest drop in more than two decades and is triple the national average of a 3% loss.” The dairy industry took a hard hit, with a 20% decline. Eric Ooms, co-owner of Ooms & Sons Dairy Farm of Valatie was not surprised. “Dairy is difficult,” he said. “You have to be there 365 days a year, late at night or early in the morning, both in the summer. It’s not something people take on lightly or go into lightly. If it was easy, there would be more people doing it.” There are other livelihoods where people can have more time for themselves and make more money, Ooms said. Eric and his brothers Tim and Ron were born into the family business. “My grandfather sold the farm in Holland in 1950,” Ooms said. Eric’s father, Adrian, and his grandfather and uncle, emigrated to the U.S. and worked until they could afford to purchase their farm in 1952. Adrian still works the farm at 86, Eric Ooms said. “We are committed to doing a good job, as good as possible to remain competitive,” Ooms said. “We have to continue to evolve.” The Ooms recently bought

See RIVER A8

See FARMS A8

Tiger’s back surgery marvel Tiger Woods celebrates with the green jacket and trophy after winning The Masters PAGE B1

C-GM FILE PHOTO

A view of the Hudson River from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

By Sarah Trafton Columbia-Greene Media

n REGION

Springtime for opportunity Olana Historic Site issues call for volunteers to lend a hand during an active spring season PAGE A3

n STATE Taste NY sales set new record Taste NY sales rose to a record $17.8 million in 2018, eclipsing the mark set in 2017 PAGE A3

n INDEX Region Opinion State/Nation Obituaries Sports Classiied Comics/Advice

A3 A4 A5 A5 B1 B4-B5 B7-B8

The Hudson River was named the nation’s secondmost endangered river, according to American River’s 2019 report. Each year the report lists rivers threatened by critical decisions in infrastructure and conservation. The Hudson was previously listed in 1996, 1997 and 2001. This year, it is listed because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed to install storm surge barriers along the Hudson to prevent catastrophic flooding, such as the damage that occurred following Hurricane Sandy. The barriers pose a great ecological threat, according to environmental experts. “Harming this iconic river with massive flood barriers doesn’t make sense when we should be identifying better, more cost-effective options to protect people and property, as well as river health,” American Rivers’ Eileen Shader said in a statement. “We are already feeling the impacts of climate change in the Northeast, including storm surge and sea level rise, and it’s only going to get worse. We have an opportunity on the Hudson to demonstrate how protecting public safety and river health should go hand-in-hand in an

DANIEL ZUCKERMAN/COLUMBIA-GREENE MEDIA

A sailboat travels along the Hudson River with the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in the background.

era of climate change.” The barriers will prevent the natural passage of fish and wildlife along the river and cause a build-up of contaminants, leading to algae blooms, according to a statement from Riverkeeper.

“For the Hudson, the stakes in this decision cannot be overstated,” said John Lipscomb, Riverkeeper patrol boat captain and vice president of advocacy. “These storm barriers pose a truly existential threat to the Hudson. We can-

Student director pays it forward By Melanie Lekocevic Columbia-Greene Media

CRARYVILLE — When Betsey Grupp was a student at Taconic Hills High School, she benefited from the support and encouragement of the district’s theater department. Now, she wants to pay it forward. Grupp is a graduate student in the Columbia University film program in New York City, with a concentration in creative production. When the time came for her to produce her own student film, she wanted to give other upstate youngsters the same opportunities she had growing up. She is casting for her film and wants to audition aspiring child and adult actors from the

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Student filmmaker Betsey Grupp is bringing her talents and a unique opportunity back to Taconic Hills.

Twin Counties. “We have two major projects every year,” Grupp said, alluding to her film program. “This will be an 8-12 minute film about a man who is a small-town mayor in 1982 and he finds out he has AIDS. At the time they thought it was just a homosexual disease. His wife is going through grief but also feelings of betrayal.” Grupp wrote the script. The plot reveals that the main character contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion and had been faithful to his wife. She said the plot echoes some of her own concerns in modern-day America. “I chose this script because a lot of the media’s portrayal See STUDENT A8

New show every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. www.hudsonvalley360.com/videos/livewithmatt Live with Matt is for entertainment purposes only! Send your questions and comments to the Inbox on the Web, Facebook Page, or YouTube Channel.

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