Sullivan parks, beach open

MONTICELLO, NY — The beach at Lake Superior State Park and Sullivan County’s five parks will be open to the public for Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25.

Lake Superior’s lifeguard-supervised beach will continue to operate every weekend through the end of June, when it will commence daily operations through Labor Day, announced District 4 Legislator Catherine Owens, chair of the Legislature’s Agriculture and Sustainability Policy Committee, which oversees the county’s park system.

Located on Dr. Duggan Road in Bethel, the beach’s hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., subject to weather conditions. Admission costs $5 per person; children under 3 years old are admitted free. Lake Superior does participate in the Golden Park Program, which grants New York State senior citizens free admission to the park on weekdays only. Sullivan County veterans may also enter the park for free if they present their Sullivan County FAVOR Card. 

Lake Superior State Park season passes are available for sale to Sullivan County residents and property owners at the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Office, 100 North St., Monticello. Each pass costs $15 per person.

Two charged in supermarket assault

HONESDALE, PA — Pennsylvania State Police out of Honesdale have filed charges against two people in an incident that turned violent at Weis Market last week.

Charges brought against Dana Croci on May 15 include a felony charge of aggravated assault for attacking a woman and causing serious injuries last Thursday.

According to witnesses in the police affadavit, Croci was arguing with a store manager, refusing to leave Weis, when a minor and Jordan Coxson became involved. Croci attacked a customer, Farrah Black, who was trying to calm her. Croci struck Black in the head, continuing to attack her as she fell to the ground. During this assault, the victim recounted afterward that she remembered falling to the ground, having her lip bitten by Croci and being kicked in the head before waking up in an ambulance. Black sustained several injuries including requiring five stitches in her lip, contusions and a concussion. Police also charged Dana’s son Jordan with simple assault and related charges.

“It is sad this has gone as far as it has and we just hope that these people are held accountable for the brutality of their crimes,” Black said about the incident. “No matter what age, gender, or race you are... what was done was absolutely inhuman.”

PA files lawsuit against Purdue Pharma

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on May 16 a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the creator of prescription painkiller OxyContin, accusing the company of a multi-faceted, illegal effort to market OxyContin in Pennsylvania. Shapiro’s suit is the first to specifically detail Purdue’s barrage of sales representatives, targeting Pennsylvania doctors, as a key facet of their campaign to push addictive opioids on Pennsylvanians.

According to the lawsuit, Purdue’s sales force completed 531,000 visits to doctors’ offices and pharmacies in Pennsylvania, pushing OxyContin to doctors who overprescribed and even illegally prescribed the addictive opioid. The attorney general’s suit also cites the multifaceted marketing campaign in Pennsylvania by Purdue and their creation of “pseudo-addiction,” a fabricated condition they utilized to convince doctors to ignore early signs of addicted patients and write more prescriptions.

“Our communities and families have been devastated by the opioid epidemic, which takes 12 Pennsylvania lives per day,” Shapiro. “There is nothing natural about this epidemic—it was manufactured in part by Purdue Pharma, as the company deceptively marketed OxyContin despite knowing the risk of addiction.”

Sullivan sheriff warns of scam

MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a recent fraud attempt in the area. The latest scam involves a phone call from an automated voice that advises that “suspicious activity has been detected with your social security number” and “your social security number has been suspended while we investigate.” The automated voice then asks you to press “one” for further assistance.

Once you press “one” says Sheriff Mike Schiff, you get connected to a scam artist who asks for your social security number (so they can supposedly verify the suspension), your date of birth and all of the data necessary to commit identity theft and clean out your bank account. Different variations of the scam will also claim that an arrest warrant will be issued unless a person calls immediately to verify their social security number.

“The advice for all these scams is simple,” said Schiff. “Never give your personal information over the telephone, never send money via Western Union or Money Gram to someone you have never met. No matter how official or intimidating the caller may sound, do not respond.”