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The Daily Mail Copyright 2019, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 227, No. 242
Trump taunted North Korea calls president ‘erratic old man’ Inside, A2
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019
Greene, Ulster form rescue team
n FORECAST WEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT WED
By Sarah Trafton Columbia-Greene Media A little afternoon rain
Colder with snow, 1-3”
Mostly cloudy and colder
HIGH 54
LOW 28
36 19
Complete weather, A2
n SPORTS FILE PHOTO
The Twin Cloves Technical Rescue Team respond to a rollover on Platte Clove Road in Hunter in July.
Boys basketball Catskill, Hudson, Greenville post victories PAGE B1
CATSKILL — A strong specialized rescue team in Greene County just got a little stronger. The Public Safety Committee approved a resolution last week to establish a joint technical rescue team with Ulster County. The Greene-Ulster Regional Technical Rescue Team will serve both counties for emergencies that require rope rescues. The team has received a $150,000 grant from the state
Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for training and equipment. The three-year-old Twin Cloves Technical Rescue Team will be included in the regional team, Greene County Emergency Management Specialist Daniel King said. The Twin Cloves rescue team, established in 2016, consists of members of five local departments that specialize in rope rescues. Member departments include fire companies from Hunter, Tannersville, Haines Falls and
Palenville in Greene County, and Cedar Grove in Ulster County. “We are able to maximize grant funding, training and getting equipment by forming a regional team,” King said. Requirements for the Homeland Security and Emergency Services grant have changed since Twin Cloves formed, King said, and now require that counties, not individual teams, apply for the grant. See RESCUE A4
Winter Walk spreads joy, holiday cheer
n NATION
Christmas imprisoned Figures in Nativity scene locked in cages PAGE A4
n BASKETBALL
Cats scratch out a victory Catskill outlasts Chatham in defensive struggle PAGE B1
n INDEX State/Nation Obituaries Opinion Sports Classified Comics/Advice
A2 A2 A3 B1 B4-5 B7-8
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Winter Walk 2019 drew thousands to the streets of Hudson on Saturday.
By Amanda Purcell Columbia-Greene Media
HUDSON — The familiar sound of Santa’s saxophone crooning through the streets of the Friendly City could be heard as families weaved in and out of the little shops and restaurants, part the annual tradition known as Winter Walk on Saturday. The event kicked off with Santa’s Parade that began at City Hall, 520 Warren St., where the city’s mayors, past, present and future, gathered to honor Ellen Thurston, “Queen of Winter Walk,” who took over organization of the annual Hudson tradition in 2001. Mr. and Mrs. Claus waved as they were chauffeured down Warren Street in a horse and carriage, passing by windows decked with dazzling displays. Some of the windows came to life, including the window of Second Show, 519 Warren St., which featured ballroom dancers Guy Apicella and Rachael Kappel. The free community event is produced by Hudson Hall each year to encourage people to enjoy the holiday,
AMANDA PURCELL/COLUMBIA-GREENE MEDIA
Children from Camphill Hudson dressed up and walked in Santa’s Parade on Warren Street, Hudson, on Saturday during Winter Walk 2019.
promote local businesses and honor their creative and festive spirit. The season’s first major winter
storm threatened Winter Walk after it buried Warren Street under almost two feet of snow Dec. 1-3, but the snow was
cleared in time for the night’s festivities thanks to the Department of Public Works and the Air National Guard, who were honored with the “Most Heroic” by the Winter Walk judges. Winter Walk has been postponed only once in its 23-year history due to a blizzard, organizers said. The event also showcases the area’s musical talent from jazz ensembles, marching bands and carollers, like Victorian Voices in Athens, who all spread holiday cheer through song. Anna Churchill, of Preston Hollow, and Molly Oswald, of Catskill, joined Victorian singers for that reason. Victorian Voices performs at several holiday events and nursing homes leading up to Christmas. The group dressed in Victorian garb (and a lot of layers) as they sang on Warren Street on Saturday. “A lot of people enjoy it, and we love singing,” Churchill said. The event brings people from all across the state, too. Matt Young, an See WALK A4
Regional alert for man reported missing By Amanda Purcell Columbia-Greene Media
LIVINGSTON — Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett said his office is seeking assistance from the public with locating an Elizaville man who has not been seen since last Wednesday. William Amato, 29, was still missing, as of Monday morning, according to a statement from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. He is described as approximately 6-feet, 1-inch tall, weighs 180 pounds with brown hair. Police are asking anyone who has information on Amato’s whereabouts to call the
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at 518-828-3344. A social media post about Amato’s disappearance was shared by thousands of people Monday. Amato was last seen Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m., his family said, according to the sheriff’s office. Amato had indicated to a family member that he was going to be gone for about two hours, but he did not return home. “It’s not like him to go to this long and not call his mother,” Amato’s aunt, Barbara Thomas, said Monday. “We’ve tried calling him. He hasn’t picked up. It’s not like him. He would
William Amato
at least borrow someone’s phone to let his mother know where he is.” Amato currently resides in
Elizaville, but he also has an address in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he lived for a brief time with his brother, who is in the military serving at Fort Bragg. Amato has family in Columbia County and moved back in July. A regional missing person alert was issued as deputies continued with the investigation. Additional family members and known friends were contacted and interviewed but they did not see or have contact with Amato after Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said. Amato’s cell phone was pinged to try and obtain a GPS location, but the cell phone is
either off or had a dead battery, police said. Thomas said she does not believe that Amato had a reason to be at the farm. He is not a hiker or avid outdoorsman. He likes to spend his free time with his friends, she said. At about 5:35 p.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office was contacted by the owner of Dutch Hollow Farm, located on Running Creek Road in Stuyvesant. The farm’s owner reported a suspicious vehicle parked behind one of the cow barns. The vehicle is a red Honda Civic with North See MISSING A4