Cochecton News

A man suspected in numerous burglaries in western Sullivan County and Pennsylvania was arrested Monday night after deputies say he broke into a home in Smallwood.

The measure of a man's life isn't necessarily found in the words of his obituary, but rather in the quiet deeds that are often buried with him.

Sure, he has walked the red carpet in Hollywood when he was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "The Kids Are All Right." And yes, Time magazine just named him one of 2011's "People Who Mattered" for his outspoken activism against gas drilling.

In western Sullivan County, where the possibility of gas drilling divided communities and candidates, pro-drilling candidates for supervisor won in two towns where anti-drilling forces hoped to zone out the gas extraction method of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." In the Town of Liberty, longtime Main Street business owner Charlie Barbuti will ... (more)

It's not only that the winners could help decide whether drilling is allowed or banned in a town - if such zoning holds up court.