Mahmood abruptly deported

The following is a news release from the Ansar Mahmood Defense Committee:

CONTACT: Susan Davies 518-392-9477 or Bob Elmendorf 518-766-2992
August 13, 2004

ANSAR MAHMOOD DEPORTED BY US GOVERNMENT ON AUGUST 12, 2004

After thirty-one months in detention, Ansar Mahmood was deported by the United States government on the night of Thursday, August 12, 2004.  He was flown out of JFK International Airport on a Pakistan International Airlines commercial flight accompanied by two guards.  Because Mr. Mahmood was not informed of his exact deportation date ahead of time and because his telephone privileges were suspended at the time he was notified of his deportation, he was unable to contact his friends and supporters to tell them of his deportation until he was already at the airport.

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LOCAL: Reg-Star seeking new editor

A sharp-eyed Hudson Valley resident spotted the following online job listing for the top editorial position at the Register-Star newspaper:

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Mahmood case stirs more media interest

HUDSON -- The plight of Columbia County resident Ansar Mahmood, the young Domino's delivery man held in detention for more than 2 years by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), is again garnering significant attention from both the local and the national media.

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Mid-Hudson Valley news roundup: Sunday

♦ The Kingston Daily Freeman’s Patricia Doxsey reports that State Senator Steve Saland is helping Dutchess County Legislator Marc Molinaro to raise money to challenge popular Assemblyman Pat Manning in a Republican primary later this year. Manning is known in Columbia County for his concern about the proposed coal-fired St. Lawrence Cement plant, and also his annual walk for breast cancer awareness.

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Register-Star readership plummets

SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS ITEM: Low Expectations -- Edwyn Collins (Windows Media)

HUDSON — Though it remains the only daily newspaper serving Columbia County, the daily circulation of The Register-Star has dropped more than 42% since the late 1990s.

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How Times Do Change

EDITOR'S NOTE: Presented here for its historical interest, the following letter from Hudson resident Judy Meyer appeared in two Columbia County newspapers, The Register-Star and The Independent, in February 1999. Later that year, Ms. Meyer was elected 1st Ward Alderman as part of a "reform" ticket led by Kenneth Cranna. In a more recent Hudson election, Ms. Meyer ran on the same line as Rick Scalera (a subject of the following letter), but was not re-elected.—Ed.

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