The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Front Page

Halloween Fun

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Submitted by the Stephentown Memorial Library
The Town of Stephentown and the Stephentown Memorial Library (SML) kicked off Halloween season this year with a pumpkin giveaway for the annual Jack O’Lantern display on Halloween. Stephentown residents were able to take a free pumpkin home to carve and then bring it back to the library for the display. A huge thank you to Kinderhook Creek Farm for donating all of the pumpkins. The week continued with a special Halloween themed Story Time. The littlest kiddos had a great time coming to the library in their Halloween costumes. On our Halloween themed Teen Night, the library welcomed 25 teens to the party where they carved pumpkins and played a bit of Hide and Seek in the library. Over 250 people attended the Annual Town Halloween Party and enjoyed Halloween snacks, played games, made paper ghosts and spider webs, joined in the costume contest, and went trunk-or-treating. A great time was had by all.

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Depolarizing Political Conversations

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Written and Submitted by Peter Pierson
The Braver Angels New York Capital Region Alliance wishes to thank The Eastwick Press for their amazing support for the event we hosted in Grafton on October 14th. On that day, 30 Americans from Grafton and surrounding communities (including folk from Nyack and Lake Luzerne) came together for a three hour Braver Angels workshop. Braver Angels is committed to depolarizing our American political conversations; this workshop focused on Depolarizing Within.

We also wish to thank Roxborough Holdings for providing the space for us to meet, and to the Grafton Town Board and the Grafton Town Library for their support of this event.

Our Alliance and the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County are co-hosting a Braver Angels virtual event on November 15th, from 7 to 8:30 pm. You can register for that event here: https://www.lwvsaratoga.org/events/2023/11/15/meetup-better-angels. The event is an introduction to the work of Braver Angels (formerly Better Angels).

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Fuel Fund Helping Residents

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Is it hard to keep your home warm in the winter? Is it hard to come up with the funds to pay your heating bills? If this is the case at your house, call the Cambridge Fuel Fund.  Thanks to the generosity of those in the Cambridge area, there is no reason to be cold. The fund has been in existence since February 2015. The purpose is to donate a one-time per season $500 supply of heating needs, such as fuel oil, propane, wood pellets, kerosene, or cut wood.

Requirements include living in the Cambridge School District, not being eligible for HEAP funds or the funds are unavailable, and if a renter, responsible for the heating supply.

For more information or to sign up, call Linda or Beverly at 518-677-3327.

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McLaughlin Unveils 2024 Proposed Budget

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Submitted by Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County taxpayers will see the sixth consecutive property tax decrease under a 2024 budget recently introduced by County Executive Steve McLaughlin, bringing the county average tax rate to a level comparable to the mid-1990s.

Under the proposed 2024 budget, the average county tax rate will decrease by nearly 10 percent, meaning a county property tax reduction of nearly 37 percent over the last several years.

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LWV Launches Electronic Voter Guide

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Submitted by the League of Women Voters of Rensselaer County
Vote 411, the League of Women Voters’ (LWV) electronic voter guide, is now live. Candidate information is available for all candidates running in the local and county races on November 7th. The information includes biographical details and responses to questions posed by the League, as well as links to candidates’ social media and campaign websites.

All of this can be accessed online at www.vote411.org in an easy-to-use electronic format. New Yorkers can enter their address to compare candidate information and print a customized sample ballot. Candidates who have not yet submitted their information are listed as “Candidate Has Not Responded,” and their responses will be posted as soon as the candidates provide the information.

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Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The October 16th meeting of the Stephentown board was full of great discussions, resolutions, and historical facts.

After approval of the bills and minutes, Town Historian Patricia Flint and her husband Dave presented the board with a beautiful frame of the 1784 state legislation establishing Stephentown, complete with a transcription. The hope is to have the document displayed in the Town Clerk's office. Flint also let the board know that she hopes to get a grant for some roadside markers for some Revolutionary War Patriots from the area.

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Petersburgh Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The Petersburgh Town Board had a lot of discussion at their October 16th meeting.

After approving the September 18th and October 4th minutes, the building department reported having three building permits and eight inspections. The highway department has been checking roads and preparing vehicles and roads for winter. The hope is to use the sand near the town hall first during winter before the season progresses. The process to attain the excavator is underway, and the state has approved the purchase, but the town will be reimbursed sometime in March. The hope is to receive it sometime in December, and the other truck the board approved has been ordered, but the wait time is approximately one year.

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Veterans Day Dinner

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The Chester J. Carknard VFW Post 1938, Poplar Avenue, will host a roast beef dinner in honor of veterans on Saturday, November 11th from 5 to 7 pm. The cost is $15 for ages 13 and over, $7 for children 5 through 12, and free for children under 5. Veterans dine free.