DUCK! Close Call at Washington's Headquarters

I was strolling past Washington’s Headquarters recently when Revolutionary War re-enactors began firing their blunderbusses. (Read the Times Herald-Record’s coverage at http://bit.ly/2sH0fb4.) Of course, I realized it was all part of a re-enactment only after diving between two parked cars (old habits die hard). But then, as I continued strolling to the Library to hear City Historian Mary McTamaney’s great presentation on Urban Renewal, all I could think of was: Is the City’s ShotSpotter technology disabled while re-enactors are shooting? Or will cop cars be zooming around the corner every time George beats Cornwallis?

Make sure ShotSpotter is turned off before you fire those things, guys!

Help Hannaford Market Help Newburgh’s Meals on Wheels

Check out the story here in the Times Herald-Record by @LeonSparks845. It’s about how Hannaford Market in on Rt. 32 in Vails Gate is giving Meals on Wheels of Greater Newburgh $1 for every heart-themed, reusable shopping bag you buy there, throughout the month of March. How glad Newburgh’s own Frederica Warner (founder of Meals on Wheels) must be to see this!

Hurrah for Trailblazing Newburgh Native Geraldine Ferraro

 

Did you see that the National Women’s History Project has named Newburgh’s own Geraldine Ferraro as its honoree for Women’s History Month?  It's a recognition well deserved! The first woman (and first Italian-American) to be nominated for vice-president of the United States, she ran with 1984 Democratic Presidential nominee Walter Mondale. Ferraro was a fearless, outspoken feminist who fought for equal justice for women and minorities and inspired many girls and women to put more cracks in the “glass ceiling.” Newburgh should put a historic marker on her family’s old home here. Meanwhile, check out this release from the Women’s History Project:  http://bit.ly/2FoYowI.

Huffington Post: Newburgh as Environmental Ground Zero

 

This story in the Huffington Post, http://bit.ly/2tvW6a5, written by a person who obviously is not familiar with the City, nevertheless accurately portrays Newburgh as the center of a brewing nationwide environmental storm. We are totally on the side of the angels in suing the State over the mislabeling of Silver Stream, and the Department of Defense over the PFOS in Washington Lake (which the reporter repeatedly calls “Lake Washington,” even though the photo captions have it right). Let’s just hope the angels win.

Don't Miss This: New Standard Trio Coming to Newburgh!

If you like jazz music, put 8 pm on Saturday, March 24, in your calendar. The New Standard Trio will be playing at Jazz at Atlas, 11 Spring Street, Newburgh. With Jamie Saft on piano, Steve Swallow on bass and Bobby Previte on drums, this group is coming off a standout 2017, when their new record, "Loneliness Road," with guest vocals by Iggy Pop, was received to wide acclaim. Get your tickets here: http://bit.ly/2Igyn11 or buy them at the door for $25 each.

Ain't Nature Grand/Disgusting?

This morning i was treated to the sight of a Cooper's hawk almost directly under my bird feeder. He (she?) was feasting on a still-steaming starling. (There's a poem here somewhere ... or at least a tongue-twister.) Tim called my attention to it while i was in the kitchen making breakfast. I turned off the stove, grabbed my binoculars and uttered the word "EWWWW!" every few seconds for a full 20 minutes as the raptor, blood dripping from its beak, tore the flight feathers off its prey one by one and spit them out onto the reddening snow. I was horrified and fascinated and couldn't look away. 

Then the hawk flew off with the starling carcass and i went back to ... scrambling my eggs. 

Birds are a lot of things, but they're not hypocrites.

Well, i guess we're both eating our breakfasts, aren't we?