Mid Hudson Times Nov. 11 2015

TIMES MID HUDSON Vol. 27, No 45 3 NOVEMBER 11 - 17, 2015 Rock, funk, jazz Mayor Judy Kennedy appears to have made history this month when she was re-elected as City of Newburgh mayor, coming from behind as the Independence The art of Barry Pariser Page 14 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR Mayor basks in the glow of a historic win candidate less than two months after being defeated in the Democratic primary election. “We won against all the odds,” said the mayor last week. According to the city historian, it is the first time in living memory that a ONE DOLLAR Page 14 Kennedy back at the helm By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] 3 third-party candidate triumphed over opponents from the two traditional political parties to be elected City of Newburgh mayor. “There has been no time in the lives Continued on page 2 Section 9 Champs Bill Bianco, NFA football coach, celebrates with his players after the Goldbacks beat Monroe-Woodbury Saturday to win their second straight Section 9 title. Story on page 40. WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM City fixes sinkhole, encounters gas leak By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] Residents were shocked when the City of Newburgh announced that a large sinkhole was found along a section of Water Street last week. But, as city workers faced the gargantuan task of fixing the sinkhole, they encountered a potentially more dangerous problem: a gas leak close to the Varick Homes housing complex. As the city Department of Public Works “dug out a massive hole” at the sinkhole last week, said Newburgh City Manager Michael Ciaravino, they also worked on a diversion pipe along Second Street. “Upon further examination we discovered a long-standing water leak up the street near Varick Homes,” he explained at a Newburgh City Council meeting Monday. “In addressing that problem… many of us began to smell a strong odor of gas.” Varick Homes is a low to moderate-income housing development with 122 rental units, located near where the gas leak occurred. The City of Newburgh Fire Department was promptly notified of the leak, Ciaravino said. “We discovered that there was a valve that was stuck open, once again, for a significant amount of time,” the city manager said. Continued on page 4