The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Rensselaer County

Stamp out Hunger!

By

On Saturday, May 10, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive will once again spread out across America to help provide assistance to Americans who are struggling with hunger. Now in its 22nd year, the Food Drive effort is the nation’s largest single day drive.

Last year, carriers collected 74.4 million pounds of food, bringing the total of donations to just under 1.3 billion pounds of food collected over the history of the drive.

Food banks and shelters usually benefit from an upswing in charitable donations during the winter holiday season. By springtime, however, their stocks tend to dwindle to critically low levels. “Helping local support organizations deal with this post-holiday lull in donations is the main reason we hold our national drive on the second Saturday in May,” said NALC President Fredric Rolando, adding that since many school meal programs are suspended during summer months, millions of children are left scrambling to find alternate sources of nutrition.

For additional information about the annual Letter Carriers Food Drive effort in your community, ask your letter carrier, follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger or visit www.nalc.org/food.

This is another opportunity to support the local HACA Food Pantry.

Rensselaer Land Trust May Events

By

• Stream Spotter Training – Volunteer Citizen Science Program on Saturday, May 3, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Kinderhook Preserve, East Nassau. This is the Rensselaer Land Trust’s first volunteer stream monitoring opportunity this year. Stream Spotters are the “eyes of the watershed.” They keep watch on what’s going on and share their findings with others. [Read more…] about Rensselaer Land Trust May Events

Brunswick Grange Tailgate Sale

By

On Sunday, May 4, Brunswick Grange will hold its annual spring agricultural tailgate sale at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, Route 67 and 40 in Schaghticoke, from 8 am to 12:30 pm. More than 50 vendors will have various varieties of chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, vegetables plants and other agricultural items. Absolutely no dogs, cats, puppys or kittens will be allowed for sale. A donation of $15 per vendor will be charged. The event will be held rain or shine. Refreshments will be available. For more information, please call 279-9113.

Celebrate Spring And Order Your Trees

By

The Rensselaer County Soil & Water Conservation District wants to help you celebrate Spring by planting a tree. The weather is finally breaking and the snow is going. Now is the time to plan for your spring plantings.

The Conservation District’s Annual Spring Arbor Green Tree and Shrub Program offers inexpensive bare-root stock for conservation plantings, wildlife habitat improvement, erosion control, Christmas trees, nature education and landscaping your environment. Trees available this year include Colorado blue spruce, redbud, Frasier fir, Norway spruce, Austrian pine, arborvitae (white cedar), white birch and more. Shrubs include American cranberry, high bush blueberry, red raspberries, lilac, forsythia, rose of Sharon and more! New this year are peach trees.

To get an order blank, call the Conservation District at 518-271-1740 or visit the Conservation Field Office at 61 State Street in Troy. Our Ag & Life Sciences Building is located just north of the Department of Motor Vehicles. You may also download an order blank by going to the Rensselaer County website, which is www.rensco.com, and follow the link to the “How To!…” box on the left hand side of the page, scroll down to the 43rd Annual Arbor Green Tree & Shrub Sale link, click and print it out.

Return your order and payment by May 2. Distribution will be Saturday, May 10, from 9 am to 12 noon at the Questar (BOCES) Center on Industrial Park Road in South Troy.

This program supports Soil & Water Conservation Programs in the County. You need not be a resident of Rensselaer County to participate in this program.

Berlin’s Elm Street Bridge Replacement Ready To Go

By

by Kieron Kramer

Four resolutions relating to the project for the replacement of the bridge on County Road 38, Elm Street in Berlin, over the Little Hoosic River were passed unanimously at the regular meeting of the Rensselaer County Legislature on Tuesday. The bridge replacement is eligible for funding that calls for the apportionment of the costs to be borne at the ratio of eighty percent in Federal funds and twenty percent in non-Federal funds, in this case State funds. The appropriation for this project was authorized by the Legislature in 2011. Three of the resolutions Tuesday authorized payment for the work on the project, and one resolution authorized the arrangement for reimbursement to the County by the Town of Berlin for the substitution of a 10 inch water main across the bridge to replace the 6 inch main. Construction is expected to begin this June.

[Read more…] about Berlin’s Elm Street Bridge Replacement Ready To Go

Hoffman Found Guilty In Baker Death

By

by Thaddeus Flint

The jury in the trial of Brendan Hoffman, the 22 year old Stephentown man accused of manslaughter and homicide charges, as well as leaving the scene of a 2012 accident, found Hoffman guilty on 12 counts last Friday.

The guilty charges include vehicular manslaughter and homicide. Three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving were dismissed by Judge Debra Young due to a lack of evidence.

[Read more…] about Hoffman Found Guilty In Baker Death

Poestenkill VFW Breakfast

By

The Sullivan-Jones VFW post 7466 in Poestenkill will be having its monthly buffet breakfast on April 13 from 8 to 11 am. The cost of the breakfast has gone up to $8 for adults, $4 for children 6 years to 12 years but  is still free for children 5 years and under.

This month, besides our normal fare, we will be serving corned beef hash and ham.

Beryl Moul Scholarship

By

The Beryl H. Moul Memorial Grange Scholarship was established in 1958 by West Sand Lake Grange #949 in memory of prominent Grange Member Beryl H. Moul.  Applicants must be Rensselaer County residents (for at least 4 years) and must be accepted in an accredited 2 or 4 year college program in New York State and pursuing a career in agriculture, home economics, nursing, natural resource management, environmental engineering or pharmacology.

The application includes an official high school transcript, and the deadline is May 1.  The application and instructions can be found at any Rensselaer County High School Guidance Office or at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County website at www.ccerensselaer.org under teen opportunities.  For questions please contact the CCE office of Rensselaer County at 272-4210.