The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Front Page

Petersburgh Town Board Highlights

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By Denise Wright
The December 16 meeting of the Petersburgh Town Board was busy and involved everything from setting dates for town meetings to the final allocation of ARPA funds.

After the November 18 meeting minutes were amended and approved, the department reports were given. The Supervisor reported that a sales tax refund was received from New York State. The County sales tax check is due "any day now." Supervisor Noeding reviewed a resolution approving some inter and intra-fund transfers and stated that out of a $10k contingency budget, only approximately $5,500 was spent. The new truck and box are scheduled to be ready in February or March. After this season, it will be prepared for next season. The latest security and fire system installation is complete at the town hall, and the security codes for employees have been assigned. The library roof and gutters will begin this month, weather permitting, as well as woodwork repairs. According to the water report,

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Stephentown Board Highlights

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By Denise Wright
The December 16 meeting of the town board in Stephentown started with a presentation and discussion about the proposed Longroad Development LLC, ground-mounted 5 mW (AC) solar array on 26 acres of a 77-acre area located on New York Route 22. Improvements would include photovoltaic modules divided into three clusters (a south cluster, a middle cluster, and a north cluster); a sixteen (16) foot wide pervious gravel access road; concrete equipment pads; electrical equipment and lines; and fencing around each of the clusters. The project "consists primarily of existing agricultural land, with some forested areas outside the delineated wetland areas located on the western side of the parcel." The solar array would interconnect to NYSEG's existing distribution circuit, which runs along a former railroad bed on the western side of the parcel. Members of the Board voiced concerns about the decommissioning plan and the electrical inverters and lines. One member expressed that the amount planned was "a little small." Since so many questions were voiced and construction can only start once the plan is approved, the plan was to come back next month with answers to the Board's concerns.

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Hoosick Falls Girls Basketball

by Jeffrey Bernstein
Meg Barber, now the head coach at NYU, is one of the best basketball players to come out of Hoosick Falls High School. The 1998 graduate’s 1,643 career points were the most scored by a female Panther when she left the program. Barber held that record until 2020, when Logan Thayne, now playing for SUNY Cobleskill, surpassed that mark with 1,723 points (547 of those during her senior year).

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https://eastwickpress.com/news/2024/12/59630/

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Chronic Source of Pollution in Mohawk and Hudson Rivers: Landfill Leachate

Drinking Water for 19 Communities Along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers are at Risk from Discharges of Contaminated Liquid Waste

by the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative
Based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIL), a major new report “The Threat of Landfill Leachate to Drinking Water in the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers” ( leachateloophole.org/report/ ) reveals regulatory gaps in the way the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is addressing the problem. Called the “Leachate Loophole” the failure to regulate this liquid waste allows the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers - including areas used as drinking water supplies - to be routinely polluted by landfill leachate. 

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https://eastwickpress.com/news/2024/12/59627/

HF National Honor Society “Christmas Wish” Program

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Submitted by HFCSD Communications

Dear Hoosick Falls Community and Beyond,

Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. However, for some families, it can be very stressful. The Hoosick Falls Central School (HFCS) Philip Leonard Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) is dedicated to helping those in need within our community. Members of the NHS recently shopped for local families of K-12 students in our district. These students needed winter clothing such as pajamas, underwear, hats, mittens, boots, snow pants, winter coats, shoes, and toiletries. On December 14th, the NHS fulfilled the community’s “Christmas Wish” by hosting an event for families to “shop” from our inventory of supplies, all for free. Each family was allowed to pick out four clothing items per student in their household along with toiletries. In this community service event, the National Honor Society’s goal is to help as many families as possible by providing children a “Christmas Wish” of important needs vs. wants. This year our organization provided “Christmas Wishes” to over 100 students from more than 40 families.

To provide this necessary community service event, NHS members raise money to purchase clothing and toiletries.

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Wreaths Across America at Maple Grove Cemetery

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Submitted by Joyce Brewer
Maple Grove Cemetery in Hoosick Falls hosted its annual Wreaths Across America event on Saturday, December 14th. This national event, observed at over 4,500 sites across the country, serves to remember, honor, and teach the significance of those who served in the military. This year’s theme was “Serve with Purpose.”

During the ceremony, 103 wreaths were laid to honor the 103 men from the community who gave their lives in service to our country. A special wreath was placed on the grave of Harris Hawthorn, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.

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Equine Awards

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The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County 4-H program would like to announce year end 2024 equine awards. Thank you to the many members and volunteers that made 2024 events possible. Year end 2024 awards are as follows.

Year End 4-H High Point Riders – Novice Champion Audrey Kondak of Valley Falls, Alice Bourdeau of Averill Park, and Madyson Bull of Melrose were Reserve Champions. Ariana Severance of Melrose and Emmeline Heer of Troy were Junior Champion and Reserve Champion respectively. The Senior Champion was Ava Severance of Melrose and Allie Manchester of Stephentown was Reserve Champion.

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Spotted Lanternfly

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Provides Residents Information on How to Identify and Eliminate Egg Masses • +Urges the Public to Report Sightings, Travelers to Inspect Vehicles

Submitted by the New York State Dept. of  Agriculture
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets today announced new findings of the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) in additional locations across New York State. SLF is an invasive, non-native insect that feeds on more than 100 plant species, including tree-of-heaven, and plants and crops, such as grapes, that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy. The Department is now urging residents of a number of upstate counties, including Albany, Schenectady, Ontario, and Seneca counties, to report any additional sightings and scrape egg masses, which will help inspectors to assess impacted areas and slow the spread of SLF in New York State.

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Jean Ann LeMere O’Dell – Obituary

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Petersburgh – Jean Ann LeMere O’Dell passed away on Thursday, December 12, 2024 at the age of 89 while staying at The Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Hoosick Falls, New York. She was born at her family’s farmhouse in Hill Hollow in Petersburgh, New York on January 10, 1935 to Lydia and Oscar LeMere. Jean loved growing up on her family farm and frequently shared loving memories of her childhood, especially the wonderful adventures with her brother, Roger. [Read more…] about Jean Ann LeMere O’Dell – Obituary