NYACK, NY – A recent environmental study commissioned by the state allegedly confirms that the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge will cause no environmental harm. That was the last remaining obstacle to commence construction which could quite possibly begin as early as August. After being fast tracked to priority status by the Obama administration (downsizing Governor Cuomo’s original proposition), an estimate of 4 to 5 1/2 years, $3.5 to $5 billion dollars, the creation of 2,000 jobs, and nine local home acquisitions by the state, it’s official that the landmark bridge which opened in 1955 will be...

As the winter season closes its icy hand around us, my thoughts turn to the oft talked about infamous black panthers of Piermont. Yes, the very beasts that had villagers clamoring at Town Board meetings with pitch forks and torches. Some crying for their heads on a pike, others wanting to abandon the town as not to disturb these mythical predators (forgetting the fact that the purported panthers were invaders from a foreign land). Why did all the supposed sighting take place in the spring and summer months? Now that a snow cover would provide irrefutable proof positive of their existence, they are nowhere to be seen! Could it be that...

“The first reported sighting was by Jane Bernick, a retired travel agent. She said she got up at 7 a.m. on March 6, and came downstairs for coffee. Looking outside she saw two large black animals she thought were bears. (“Panthers weren’t on the radar at that point,” she said.) She got out binoculars and saw what seemed to be two black panthers, which she watched for 15 minutes but didn’t report to the police. A week later, her next-door neighbor Grace Knowlton, a sculptor, was entertaining two guests when she saw at least one panther, maybe two, She called the police, who were not impressed. The trouble is, no one really knows...