The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

National Recognition for Special Olympics

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Submitted by HFCS Communications
Special Olympics New York has announced that Hoosick Falls Central School (HFCS) is 1 of 13 New York schools receiving National Banner Recognition for their Special Olympics Unified Champion School® programming. This distinguished status is a result of HFCS meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect, while providing inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from the Special Olympics and the education community.

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Hasselwander Sentenced in Death of Morgan Bates

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From the Office of District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly
Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly recently announced that Ian J. Hasselwander, 24, of Petersburgh was sentenced to 25 years to life on one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-I Felony and 15 years to life with 5 years post release supervision on one count of Strangulation in the First Degree, a Class C Violent Felony.

Hasselwander was arrested by the Rensselear County Sheriff’s Department on March 4th, 2022 in connection with the investigation into the disappearance and death of Morgan Bates.

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Petersburgh Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The September 16th meeting of the Petersburgh Town Board was a busy evening of appointments and approvals.

After the board approved the prior meeting minutes, the department reports were given. The town supervisor noted during his report that after reviewing data, the town should come under budget for this year. He said the town should be able to fulfill all financial obligations with the water district. The first payment for the addition to the water district building was approximately $132,000. The basic structure of the pump house has been completed. Several items from the year's projected plan, including the key fob system at the town hall, will be installed at the end of this month and the beginning of October. There is hope that the oil tanks at the PVMCC will be replaced. A tentative budget should be completed sometime next week, and then board budget workshops should begin at the end of the month. The budget workshops will take place on October 7th and 14th.

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Stephentown Town Board Highlights

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by Denise Wright
The September 16th Stephentown Town Board meeting went smoothly and was brief but full of good things happening throughout the community.

The board approved the claims audit, and in the August 19th, 2024 minutes, the town clerk and the justice court were reported without any significant discussion. The transfer station report was tabled until next month.   

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History of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department

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Rik McClave will present a History of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department at the next meeting of the Stephentown Historical Society. The talk will be at 2 pm on Sunday, October 6th at the Stephentown Heritage Center, 4 Staples Road. Come and learn about Stephentown’s emergency services, how they started, how they have grown, and how technology has changed things. For information, call 518-729-9334.

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Sand Lake Historical Society Events

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October brings two special events sponsored by the Sand Lake Historical Society (SLHS): a special afternoon featuring the unsolved legendary murder of Hazel Drew, a young woman of 19 who mysteriously died in Taborton in 1908, and two days later during the regular monthly meeting, we bring the story of an enslaved townsman.

Join us Sunday, October 6th, at 1 pm beginning with the Hazel Drew “Legends and Lore” Historical Marker dedication ceremony at the corner of Taborton and Mosher Roads in Sand Lake. A reception will follow

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Grafton Wine & Cheese Festival

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The twenty-third Wine and Cheese Festival, sponsored by the Grafton Historical Society, will be held on Saturday, October 19th, from 4 to 6 pm at the Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton. The event will feature wines from around the world and an amazing array of delicious cheeses as well as other appetizers.

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Hoosick Falls Blood Drive

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The American Red Cross will be having a blood drive on Tuesday, October 1st at the First Baptist Church in Hoosick Falls. The hours are from 1 pm until 6 pm. Donors are needed daily. Please donate by calling the Red Cross 1-800-REDCROSS or visiting the website redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor keyword  HOOSICK FALLS. Accidents and illness are the reasons to have a supply on hand. Please consider giving the gift of blood. New donors should come as well as regular donors. We thank you!

HACA Food Pantry & HFCS Weekend BackPack Program

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As the school year begins, so does another successful Weekend BackPack year. The BackPack Program helps alleviate child hunger by discreetly providing hungry children with bags of nutritious and easy-to-prepare food every Friday afternoon, so they have food to eat throughout the weekend. Although free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs provide significant nutritional benefits to students during the school day, many disadvantaged children do not have access to regular meals when school is not in session.

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