The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Front Page

Raymond D. Snyder Jr. – Obituary

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Petersburgh – Raymond D. Snyder Jr., 95, passed away on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, at the Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Hoosick Falls, NY. He resided in Petersburgh and was the husband of the late Joyce (Mason) Snyder.

Ray was born on January 19th, 1929, in Troy, NY, son of Raymond D. and Mary (Pickett) Snyder. He graduated from Berlin Central School in 1947 and was employed as a Custodian and then maintenance of Buildings and Grounds at the Berlin Central School. He was an active member of the Petersburg Baptist Church where he was [Read more…] about Raymond D. Snyder Jr. – Obituary

St. Patrick’s Parade and Irish Festival

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Saturday, March 16th

Submitted by Kevin O’Malley
The Hoosick Falls St. Patrick’s Parade and Irish Festival is here! Jack Fitzsimmons will be the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Hoosick Falls St. Patrick's Parade. Jack is the proprietor of Barbecue Recreation on Route 22. The Barbecue and the Fitzsimmons family are community supporters giving back to the school and many other youth organizations, and grand supporters of the Hoosick Falls St. Patrick's Parade.

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Concerns Over Burdett Birth Center Closure

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Meeting Draws Large Crowd

Courtesy of Rensselaer County
Residents packed a meeting on Wednesday evening, February 27th, to voice their concerns about the proposed closure of the Burdett Birth Center at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. Burdett is the only birth center in the county, and serves residents in multiple counties.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin and the County Legislature have stated opposition to the planned closure. County officials and local leaders have said the closure will create health, safety, and quality of life issues in the county and surrounding communities.

County officials have stated they believe the proposed closure should be shelved based on the state’s refusal to provide records on births in Rensselaer County, which were first requested six months ago by Mary Fran Wachunas, in her capacity as Public Health Director.

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Parade Grand Marshal Announced

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Submitted by Kevin O’Malley
Irish eyes are smiling on Jack Fitzsimmons, as he was announced as the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Hoosick Falls St. Patrick's Parade. Jack is the proprietor of Barbecue Recreation on Route 22. Jack's parents, Walt and Linda Fitzsimmons, moved here in 1970 after purchasing Barbecue Recreation. Walt and Linda each worked for AMF Bowling Products before moving to Hoosick Falls. They raised 3 children: Lori, Jack, and Patricia in Hoosick Falls and all three attended Hoosick Falls Central School. Jack, now the owner, has worked at the Barbecue since he was very young, and continues to do so 7 days a week. Ancestors on his father's and mother's side are traced back to the old sod of Ireland. The Barbecue and the Fitzsimmons family are

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Community Solar Update

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Submitted by Bill Jennings
Progress continues with the Stephentown Community Solar Campaign. As of Monday, March 4th, we have at least 56 Stephentown residents who are now fully enrolled in the program. This means we are only 4 subscribers short of reaching our tier 2 goal of 60. We hope you will help us reach this goal very soon.

The first 10 subscribers qualified the Town of Stephentown for a NYSERDA tier 1 energy efficiency grant of $5,000. This will be used for a professional Energy Audit of the Town Hall to identify the next steps needed. The next 50 subscribers, for a total of 60, will qualify the town for an additional $10,000 in grant funds to begin to address these steps.

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March Madness Tournament of Books

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Submitted by BCS Communications
During the month of March at Berlin Elementary School (BES), students in grades K through 2 will participate in the second annual March Madness Tournament of Books to celebrate National Reading Month. The book tournament is modeled after March Madness in college basketball. Each week students will listen to two read alouds in their classroom and vote on which they liked more. The winning books advance until there is a champion.

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Irma M. Hammersmith – Obituary

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Petersburgh – Irma M. Hammersmith, 93, of Berlin passed peacefully on Thursday morning, February 29th, 2024. Born on Berlin Mountain on September 9th, 1930, Irma was the daughter of the late Albert and Elsie (Maxon) Yerden, and wife for 66 years to the late Joseph P. Hammersmith.

In the mid-1940s, Irma was employed at the shirt factory in Berlin and later worked at W. J. Cowee winding floral picks. In 1949 Irma and Joe built their house on the top of Berlin Mountain on a parcel of land that was given to them by Irma’s parents. They were married in December 1950. [Read more…] about Irma M. Hammersmith – Obituary

Clarence W. Wentworth – Obituary

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Stephentown – Clarence “Pete” Weston Wentworth passed from this life on March 1st, 2024 at the age of 86.

Born in Winchendon, MA, he was son of the late Clarence and Eva Laura “Toini” (Peltola) Wentworth.  He grew up in Winchendon and graduated from the Murdock High School where he was a star of the baseball team. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. [Read more…] about Clarence W. Wentworth – Obituary

Allen C. Bentley Jr. – Obituary

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Berlin – Allen C. Bentley, Sr., 80, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024 at his daughter Jean’s home in Petersburgh. He was born in Berlin on November 6th, 1943, the son of the late Jesse and Dorothy (Yerton) Bentley.

Allen was raised in Berlin and was a graduate of Berlin Central School. He was employed as a factory worker for many years. Most recently, he was a school bus driver for the Berlin Central School District for over 20 years before retiring in 2007. [Read more…] about Allen C. Bentley Jr. – Obituary