SHERMAN — Rumor has it that in 1802, the same year the town was incorporated, an 18-year-old built a colonial house in the middle of town.
Doctors successfully removed a benign tumor from Mayor Mark Boughton’s brain during a complex procedure Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Doctors successfully removed a benign tumor from Mayor Mark Boughton’s brain during a complex procedure Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Mayor Mark Boughton delivers remarks from the City of Danbury during Immaculate High Schools Graduation Excercises at Western Connecticut State Universities O'Neill Center on Wednesday May, 31, 2017.
For more than three decades, Lt. Albert Mion has driven to work at the Danbury Fire Department, aware that he could be tasked with saving someone’s life.
Summertime in the Greater Danbury area means lazy lake days for many. From boating to tubing, wakeboarding, swimming and general partying, Candlewood Lake is a playground for area residents in the summer.
Summertime in the Greater Danbury area means lazy lake days for many. From boating to tubing, wakeboarding, swimming and general partying, Candlewood Lake is a playground for area residents in the summer.
Danbury native Oscar Bordoy scored a win in his second career boxing match, defeating Felip Nazario at Uptown Live in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday. Bordoy is now 2-0 as a lightweight fighter.
July 19 is National Hot Dog Day! If you're in the mood for a good dog tonight, seems you should head to Fairfield. Three of the top 10 most Yelp-reviewed hot dog spots in southwestern Connecticut are found in Fairfield.
The spirit of “buy local” is as strong as ever. It’s the practice that often falls short.
DANBURY — Hidden gems produced by local companies and grown on local farms lurk among the shelves of even the largest supermarkets in the area.
Millennials aren’t the only ones who want to live in downtowns, where restaurants, shops and other amenities are only a walking distance away. So do Baby Boomers.
New Milford football played its spring game, the Green and White game, Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Site names Newtown's Ferris Acres the best ice cream in Connecticut
DANBURY - The $50 million expansion of the state’s largest high school is in high gear, with only 70 more days of summer for workers to complete key upgrades before classes resume in September.
Homelessness in Danbury has dropped 12 percent since 2016
Kyle Lyra receives his diploma during Danbury High Schools Commencement Exercises that were held on Tuesday June 20, 2017.
DANBURY — Andrea Gartner has a lot of passions, and many of them are embodied in her new restaurant, Pour Me Coffee and Wine Café, which opened this month at 274 Main St.
Kyle Lyra receives his diploma during Danbury High Schools Commencement Exercises that were held on Tuesday June 20, 2017.
DANBURY — Andrea Gartner has a lot of passions, and many of them are embodied in her new restaurant, Pour Me Coffee and Wine Café, which opened this month at 274 Main St.
Bob's Stores is closing at 114 Federal Rd. in Danbury, Conn., one of three locations in southwestern Connecticut getting the ax by bankrupt parent company Eastern Outfitters of Meriden.
"Batman" TV star Adam West has died
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Plane Carrying Hudson Valley Native, Designer Goes Missing Near Bahamas 
A search is under way Tuesday for the private plane carrying a Westchester native and New York City event space designer, her two young boys and a pilot after the aircraft disappeared near the Bahamas, officials said.
Aboard the twin-engine plane were 40-year-old Jennifer Blumin, a Tarrytown native, and her sons, ages 3 and 4, as well as the pilot. Blumin is the CEO and founder of Skylight Group, a Manhattan firm that finds venues for top fashion shows.
A debris field discovered in the Bahamas has not been confirmed to be from the missing plane, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard search started after Miami air traffic control lost radar and radio contact with the plane shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
“We can confirm that the plane carrying Jennifer Blumin and members of her family has gone missing after taking off from Puerto Rico yesterday,” Skyline Group said in a statement, according to Newsday . “Her family is working with investigators and we politely ask that you respect their privacy at this time.”
Blumin was in a relationship with New York City architect James Ramsey, the father of her two children and the head designer of the RAAD Studio, according to a New York Times feature.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Retired Cop Offered Plea in Fatal Route 6 Crash |
An agreement with prosecutors has been reached for Richard O'Keefe. Dutchess County Judge Edward McLoughlin is reviewing the plea deal and has scheduled a hearing Feb. 22. Information was incorrect in the original version of this report. Patch regrets the error.
MAHOPAC, NY — A plea deal has been offered to Richard O'Keefe in the fatal crash on Route 6 in 2015 that killed a beloved Somers teaching assistant.
A reduced charge of criminally negligent homicide was tentatively agreed to in January, and he turned himself in at the Putnam County Jail.
The well-known retired police officer was originally charged with Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B Felony, Vehicular Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree, a Class D Felony, and Driving While Intoxicated, an Unclassified Misdemeanor.
The Mahopac resident was arrested Nov. 15, the day after the nighttime crash in Carmel. State police assistance was requested by the Carmel Police Department who had made the initial response.
Part of the tragedy was that O'Keefe was not the cause of the crash, according to police reconstruction of the accident.
Police said Anna Estrada, 53, of Carmel, exited a parking area to make a left-hand turn onto Route 6 south. Estrada failed to yield the right of way to the Dodge Caravan driven by Richard O’Keefe, which was traveling north on Route 6.
O’Keefe’s minivan subsequently struck the Jeep on the drivers’ side, causing it to overturn. A third vehicle, operated southbound by Philip Kossin of Mahopac, was also struck as a result of the crash. Kossin was not injured.
Frances Ghelarducci of Mahopac was a passenger in Estrada's SUV. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
With the weather warming up, bobcat sightings are becoming more frequent in the Hudson Valley.
A day after a bobcat was spotted in Pound Ridge , Daily Voice reader Tommy Levy sent in several photos he had of bobcats in the woods of Mahopac and Carmel.
Levy, a hunter, attached two pictures from a trail camera he had set up, roaming in the woods at night. Levy said bobcats were plentiful in the Hudson Valley.
"They are nocturnal so not often seen by the average person," Levy said. "There is a hunting season for them because there is clearly an abundance of them in our area."
In February, a man in Fishkill spotted a bobcat in his backyard.
Have a photo of a bobcat or other wild animal to share? Send it to sbarron@dailyvoice.com.
When I first began practicing law, the most common use of a power of attorney (POA) occurred when the buyer and/or seller of real property could not attend a closing and needed to designate a third party (bank or otherwise) to attend and execute documents on their behalf at a closing. The POA often contained language specifically limiting its use for the specific conveyance of the real property being bought or sold.
It was a common practice that attorneys utilized POA forms that were created by the title companies (their logo and firm name would be imprinted on the form). In fact, many of these forms are still utilized, and over time these POA forms continued to be utilized by attorneys for the financial and estate planning purposes of their clients.
While the POA form described above was more than adequate for the conveyance of real property, it is wholly as inadequate if the principal (creator) of the POA has become ill and would like the designated third party (the agent) to handle his or her financial affairs, including estate and/or long term care planning. For example, many of these forms are not durable (do not survive the subsequent incapacity or disability of the principal), and either limit or do not allow for gifting of the principal’s assets. In fact, most of the POA forms issued by the title companies specifically contained a limit to the amount that could be gifted by the agent of $14,000 per person per year. This language, unfortunately, in many instances handcuffs the ability of the agent under the POA to be able to transfer jointly owned real estate from one spouse to another or to transfer assets in excess of $14,000 from one spouse to another or to their children in the event the principal of the power of attorney is unable to handle or make decisions about his or her financial affairs. Without the agent under the POA having the authority to do so, the principal’s spouse, children or other designated agent will be unable to undertake the necessary steps to protect the assets of the senior in the event he or she needs long term care and wishes to apply for Medicaid.
Although one may believe that limiting an agent’s authority in a power of attorney is beneficial in continuing to protect and control one’s life savings, this may not hold true when unforeseen circumstances such as incapacity arise. A POA that provides the agent with limited authority may result in the family of the incapacitated person needing to apply to the court to become the Guardian of the incapacitated person, and also obtain the permission of the court to make any requested transfer/gifts of assets of said person whether for long term care or estate planning purposes. Sadly, inadequate powers of attorney are often a major contributing factor for the commencement of a guardianship proceeding.
In order to insure that the principal of the POA understands the importance and gravity of granting an agent gifting powers, New York specifically requires the principal to complete a separate rider granting the agent authority to undertake gifting of assets. This rider must be attached to the POA form and delineate all gifting powers granted. Additionally, the rider must be signed by the principal, notarized and witnessed by two independent witnesses.
Clearly, when granting an agent the authority to engage in gifting, it is necessary that the agent selected be someone the principal has the utmost confidence and trust in. Generally, if one is married his or her spouse is selected as agent, with the children as alternate agent(s) if the spouse is not surviving or unable to act.
It is clear that the one page POA form lacks many of the provisions a POA form drafted to reflect the potential future needs of the principal of the POA must have. We live in a very complex world with complex financial issues, financial instruments, including, digital assets; having a POA form that is reflective of these complexities is crucial.
A POA, in my opinion, is one of the most important documents you will ever execute. If you don’t have a POA, you should take the steps to obtain a POA that is adequate. If you have a POA, I urge you to review it and determine whether it contains adequately broad gifting language, including the power to create/revoke trusts and transfer assets to trusts and/or others. Without these provisions your POA may be nothing more than a guardianship proceeding waiting in the wings.
Anthony Enea, Esq. is a member of Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP, with offices in White Plains and Somers. He can be reached at 914-948-1500. He is a past chair of the elder law section of NYSBA and past president and founding member of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He practices exclusively in elder law, wills, trusts and estates and guardianship proceedings.
Plea from Former Fire Department Treasurer in $5.6M Theft
Michael Klein, the former treasurer of the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department who was accused of embezzling $5.6 million dollars from the volunteer organization, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud, subscription to false tax returns, obstruction of the grand jury, and false statement charges.
He was originally charged with one count of wire fraud and six counts of subscribing to false tax returns. The last two charges were added due to his actions as the investigation got underway.
“Michael Klein admitted today what we alleged – for over a decade, he violated the trust of his fellow volunteer fire fighters and used the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department funds as his own slush fund,' U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in the announcement. "Klein took advantage of his position as the fire department’s treasurer and spent department money on himself, including paying for a yacht, a Florida home, jewelry, and an antique fire truck.”
Officials allege he spent most of the money on luxuries.
He'll be giving a lot of them back. Klein agreed to forfeit to the United States a sum of $5,675,360.49, his second home in Palm City, Florida, his equity in his yacht club in Palm City, cash held in various bank accounts, a 1931 American LaFrance antique fire engine, proceeds of a life insurance policy, a 2000 13-foot Nautica vessel with an outboard motor, and a 2005 Eliminator trailer.
SEE: Former Treasurer Accused of Embezzling Millions from Mahopac Fire Department
Elected treasurer in 2001, he began in 2002 to embezzle fire department funds by writing checks to the two businesses he owned, Abbie Graphic Services and Buckshollow Emergency Equipment Corp.
He entered these checks into the MVFD’s books as having been made payable to various vendors, other than Abbie Graphic or BEEC, that sold firefighting equipment or services used by fire departments.
Over 13 years, he embezzled more than $5.6 million by writing roughly 275 checks. He used the money to purchase, among other things, a 55’ Neptunus motor yacht named “K’Bam,” a second residence in Palm City, Florida, an antique fire truck, and jewelry. He also used the money to support Abbie Graphic and BEEC. KLEIN also failed to report most of this income on his personal tax returns for the period from 2009 through 2014, thereby subscribing to false tax returns for each of those years.
Following the discovery of the embezzlement in September 2015, Klein obstructed the grand jury’s investigation of his conduct by making false statements regarding his finances and by concealing and dissipating assets. For example, Klein sold K’Bam for $138,868 even though he had purchased it for $260,000, listed it for sale for $229,000, and rejected an offer he received for $175,000.
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