In Ellenville –
County Economic Development officials came to the village to tour the fast-renovating Hunt Memorial Building last week... and came away amazed at how far the $35,000 investment that was part of the county/state's Ellenville Million package went. Kudos to all for a job well done, yet still getting better. Gala anyone?

In Shawangunk —
Seems the decision on who'll be the town's new highway superintendent, their fourth in a year, will be decided at the town Republican Party's upcoming September 14 caucus. A couple of brave souls have stepped forward, apparently... and the assault charges brought after a highway garage melee last winter have been dropped to a misdemeanor. Stay tuned...

In Mamakating –
What's up with the planning board, which has cancelled several months of meetings in a row... ever since they rescinded okays for the Chestnut Ridge development in Bloomingburg just as the village decided they wanted their own planning responsibilities back.

In Orange County –
Pramilla Malick has surfaced as the Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent John Bonacic for NYS Senate. Her campaign started a little over a week ago and she faces a primary election on September 13 to secure her place on the Democratic ballot line... with all candidates write-in. Meanwhile the GOP incumbent's asking people to write him in too. We'll see how far that goes.

In Ulster County –
While some are eying the battle over language on this year's ballot proposal to move Ulster County Family Court out of Kingston into neighboring Town of Ulster, with critics saying it's as manipulative as Governor Cuomo's casino measure a few years back, our eyes are on the growing chances that the Wallkill River's about to get a harmful new algae bloom in a popular tourism area. Uh-oh.

In The Region –
Based on data from the state Education Department, the total projected enrollment this September for the 33 school districts in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties is dropping again this school year to a level almost 13 percent below what it was in 2007. Let's see how that shakes things up.

In The State –
In an attempt to make hunting more appealing to young girls, the Governor signed a new law into effect on July 21 that okays the use of florescent pink camouflage as an alternative to the traditional blaze orange protective coloring for young hunters. From what we're hearing no one's buying it.