Cleaning up our water The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set the first national standards for PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,”... Local News 17 Oct 2024 | 09:46
Juno, 8, samples the garden haul before school on Aug. 27. ( Becca Tucker) Eat Local September kickoff: an invitation to challenge yourself For five of the past six years, my family has lived nearly exclusively on food grown, raised, caught or foraged within a... Home 30 Aug 2024 | 10:05
Samantha Redonda (Hughes’ son’s girlfriend) with a warped stainless steel pot. ( Brenda Hughes) When in doubt, give a shout: stainless steel pot? If you’re not sure whether something goes in the blue bin, snap a pic of yourself with the questionable item (yes, we want... Columns 08 Aug 2024 | 05:26
Jessica, 32, harvesting onions in the Black Dirt Region of New York. (Photo by Jose Lima) As mercury rises, workers may see first workplace heat standards Last August, Charles Ellis, a 63-year-old construction worker with a heart condition, was using a hammer to unclog corrugated... Local News 19 Jul 2024 | 06:58
A new citizen waves the American flag before saying the oath of allegiance. Newly minted citizens tell their stories Born elsewhere, these folks have lived in the United States, in some cases, for decades. To become full-fledged American citizens,... Local News 04 Jul 2024 | 10:22
‘Too stressful’: why some students are saying no thanks to standardized tests As students across the tristate region sharpened pencils - or, increasingly, fired up computers - in preparation for multiple... Local News 02 May 2024 | 11:23
Mabel Roy (left) and Linda Gallup marching in New Jersey protesting the separation of immigrant children from their parents. “Can’t do the walking that much anymore like I was,” Roy said. “So I go the postcard route or letter to the editor route.” Surprise! You wrote a letter to the newspaper Between Jan. 2 and Jan. 5, Straus News received nine very similar letters to the editor, warning against the dangers of a... Local News 22 Jan 2024 | 01:56
Newton resident Kathy Messina’s head-scratcher: rigid plastic can carriers. Is that recyclable? Plastic can carriers Can the plastic carrier that comes on top of canned items, such a four pack of craft beer, be recycled? Defer to the saying,... Local News 08 Jan 2024 | 02:22
Reader Elizabeth Doherty asks whether plastic bottle caps are recyclable. (Photo provided) Is that recyclable? Plastic bottle caps “No, they are generally not recyclable in curbside recycling programs. However, it is OK if they are left on the bottle as... Local News 08 Jan 2024 | 02:20
Lisa Thompson of West Milford wants to know if soil and mulch bags go with the other plastic film back to the store? ( Photo provided) Is that recyclable? Mulch and dirt bags No they don’t, says Ermin Siljkovic, Orange County recycling coordinator. “The plastic film must be clean,” he said. Mulch... Local News 08 Jan 2024 | 02:15
When in doubt, give a shout: Christmas tree netting? If you’re not sure whether something goes in the blue bin, snap a pic of yourself with the questionable item (yes, we want... Newsletter Evergreen 02 Dec 2023 | 07:17
On International Overdose Awareness Day, the town square in Newton was the site of a candlelight vigil and public walk-through remembrance display of memories of lives lost to overdose. (Photo by Ryan T.) Overdose deaths tail off, even as addiction rages on As fentanyl continues to cut its deadly swath through American communities, a tailing number of deaths by overdose represents... Local News 17 Jan 2023 | 03:11
During the lockdown, Johnny trained Eric to ride on his bike handlebars. ( Photo by Laura Gidney) Residents cry fowl When he heard about the Town of Warwick’s proposed ban on roosters, 20-year-old Johnny Gidney collected his miniature rooster,... Home 29 Jul 2022 | 02:51
The new Amazon fulfillment center, SWF1, was the biggest building in the county when it opened last year, but will soon be the third-largest warehouse in the Town of Montgomery, NY. ( Photo: Becca Tucker) Locals mount grassroots resistance to mega-warehouse blitz Amazon’s million-plus-square-foot warehouse in Montgomery, NY, was the biggest building in Orange County when it opened last... Local News 17 May 2022 | 04:37
Ben Friedman, with the white beard, and his brother protest masking and social distancing in Kiryas Joel in May. Schools in Palm Tree cluster must shut down for two weeks Orange County has ordered all schools in the Village of Kiryas Joel and Town of Palm to shut down immediately for at least... Local News 06 Oct 2020 | 03:50
