Mid Hudson Times Aug. 15 2018

T IMES MID Medical practice faces eviction HUDSON Vol. 30, No. 33 3 AUGUST 15 - 21, 2018 3 ONE DOLLAR Zion Lions bring home a title Page 40 Pages 22-23 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR A fish tale Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count shows encouraging numbers Community rallies behind oral surgeon at council meeting By KATELYN CORDERO [email protected] Newburgh residents rallied Monday against the eviction of Dr. Devender N Chhabra from his office on 191 Broadway in Newburgh. The city council meeting was filled with supporters of Chhabra due to the generous way he manages his Oral Surgery business and helps the community. Nearly 14 members of the community came to the microphone Monday night to talk on behalf of Chhabra. According to the speakers Chhabra turns no patient away, regardless if they have a qualifying health insurance or not. The issue is that Chhabra has not paid his taxes since 2014. He went nearly two and a half years without paying taxes or following the proper protocol to equalize his debt. Chhabra did not have the money to pay the rent at the time his taxes were due. With the help of family he pulled the money together, but it was too late, the city already started the process to take over the property. According to Chhabra he offered to pay $180,000 to cover the $150,000 due in taxes, but this offer was declined due to a payment cutoff date. Continued on page 4 Photo provided Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point was the scene for the annual Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count on Saturday. By WAYNE A. HALL Ameesah Cotten,16 from Newburgh Free Academy’s North Campus Excelsior Academy pulled on waders and sloshed into the tepid water of New Windsor’s Kowawese Unique Area. She was exploring for fish to identify during the annual Aug. 11 Great Hudson River Estuary Fish Count. “At this annual event, naturalists at multiple sites along the river catch fish to show visitors the variety of slippery, wriggly and fascinating WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM creatures usually hidden below the river’s surface,” says the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It is a river of more than 200 species present at one time or another in a year, Continued on page 38