Eye on Tomorrow Vol. 3 Iss. 1 Community Corner

Also Stacy was convicted of manslaughter years before in New York for the shooting of his ex-girlfriend, and he was convicted of gun possession in Pike County.

For the Friday shooting, Stacy is charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and criminal possession of a weapon, reported Cherry. One life touches the lives of many others, so it is certain that the murder of Michael Walter will not go unpunished. He will be missed.

Now for Stacy, the murder of a key witness of a trial is a capital crime and now the death penalty is an option. But New York has not used the death penalty in a long time so it is unlikely that he will be executed. Personally, my prayers are with the Walter family and I hope that they have the strength to persevere.

If you live in the Tri-State Area and plan on buying a house, don't expect to get off cheaply. The prices have gone through the roof. Area home prices have risen dramatically in the past year. The cheapest average single-family house found was listed for 60,000 dollars and needed to be fixed up. Also if you are bidding on a house, good luck because if an owner has a lot of bids for $75,000, the seller most likely will bump up the price to $80,000. Pat Pomeroy of Elliot and Pomeroy Realty in Roscoe says that this is due to "Bidding wars". "There is a low inventory and a high demand, so our prices are appreciating," said Melissa Lanza of century 21 Lanza Realty in Wurtsboro. A house that Pat listed for $180,000 sold for $210,00 in three days.

Pike County's real estate prices are on the rise because it is the closest county with affordable housing. Homes are selling left and right in less time than normal. "Real estate agents are selling houses in three days or three hours instead of three months like usual" says Lanza. Practically all of the available, decent homes are so expensive that the average person cannot afford it. Even in Monticello where tax rates are the highest in Sullivan County, the prices are soaring. Yet, people are still buying houses at the high prices. Sean Rieber said that he is "dumbfounded by the money people are paying for a house."