December 30, 2015

What stands between you and your ultimate dream?

The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives
Updated July 10, 20159:19 AM ETPublished July 10, 20158:03 AM ET

Why do you do what you do? What is the engine that keeps you up late at night or gets you going in the morning? Where is your happy place? What stands between you and your ultimate dream?

December 29, 2015

Violent collision on Interstate-90

Corrections officer killed on his way home from work in Rensselaer County
Updated: 12/29/2015 12:24 PM Created: 12/29/2015 7:37 AM WNYT.com WNYT Staff

Police say a corrections officer was killed during a violent collision on Interstate-90 in Rensselaer County.
It happened at a time when the roads were extremely slippery, around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

December 22, 2015

Another business gives Schodack a pass.

Looks like Project Red is Dead

Food distributor drops plans for large Schodack distribution centerReporter Albany Business ReviewDec 16, 2015, 3:00pm EST Updated Dec 16, 2015, 4:35pm EST

McLane Foodservice is dropping plans to build a large grocery distribution center east of Albany, New York, in the town of Schodack, but isn't shutting the door on possibly pursuing the project in the future.

December 18, 2015

Dog walk ends in death for Troy official

(Skip Dickstein / Times Union)
Police say Bill Chamberlain, city's director of operations, died from stab wounds; military-style knife found near body.
By Bob Gardinier and Kenneth C. Crowe II
Updated 12:55 pm, Friday, December 18, 2015

NORTH GREENBUSH — The wife of Bill Chamberlain, Troy's director of operations, found him dying on a lawn near their home after the family dog, Otis, a small terrier he took for a walk late Thursday, came home alone, a neighbor said.

December 16, 2015

'Commander Ralph', dead at 89

Ralph Vartigian, Albany TV's 'Commander Ralph', dead at 89By Jordan Carleo-Evangelist Updated 9:29 am, Wednesday, December 16, 2015
North Greenbush- Ralph Vartigian, the TV newscaster-turned-politician who delivered the morning news to a generation of Capital Region kids as "Commander Ralph" with an assist from an energetic puppet meteorologist named Mr. Monkey, died Saturday at home. He was 89.

December 11, 2015

Skelos, son guilty on all charges

Former Senate leader falls less than two weeks after Silver verdict

By Matthew Hamilton Updated 2:30 pm, Friday, December 11, 2015 Times Union

Former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son were found guilty on all eight federal charges stemming from the lawmaker's efforts to secure income and benefits for his 33-year-old son, Adam, from politically connected businesses.

Two additional charges of extortion and solicitation of bribes related to Adam Skelos' no-show employment by a medical malpractice insurance company, a job secured at the request of his father, were added in a superseding indictment handed down in July.


Some of the most damning evidence against the father and son were drawn from wiretaps.
Read more...
The company you keep

Cuomo: Skelos Conviction Should Be a ‘Wakeup Call’ for the Legislature

By Ross Barkan • 12/11/15 3:40pm OBSERVER News
In the brief statement, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, also said the conviction of Mr. Skelos, along with former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver last month, “should be a wakeup call” for lawmakers.

“There can be no tolerance for those who use, and seek to use, public service for private gain. The justice system worked today,” Mr. Cuomo said.

Read more...

December 10, 2015

Woman killed at Valatie clinic; estranged husband apprehended

By J.p. Lawrence Updated 7:28 pm, Thursday, December 10, 2015

VALATIE — A Columbia County woman was apparently stabbed to death at a clinic Thursday, prompting a manhunt that eventually led to the capture of her estranged husband, State Police said.

December 2, 2015

San Bernardino Gunmen Kill at Least 14, Wound 17

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Hours after as many as three gunmen stormed a service center for people with disabilities here on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 17 others, the police engaged in a shootout in a nearby surburban neighborhood that officials said left one suspect dead, one likely wounded in an S.U.V. and a third suspect on the run.

December 1, 2015

County Executive Jimino's hearing on the Drinking Water Protection Law bill s scheduled for thisWednesday, December 2 at 5 p.m. in Conference Room A, which is located on the fifth floor of the County Office Building, 1600 7th Avenue, downtown Troy.

November 30, 2015

One down!

Sheldon Silver, Ex-NYS Assembly Speaker: Guilty on All Counts

By BENJAMIN WEISER and SUSANNE CRAIG NOV. 30, 2015

After a five-week trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan, the end came rather quickly and unceremoniously for Mr. Silver, 71, a Democrat who served more than two decades as Assembly speaker before he was forced to resign from the post after his arrest in January.

November 27, 2015

Safe Haven - no questions asked

Safe Haven programs protect newborns, parents

Early Friday morning, police found the body of a male newborn in a garbage bag inside a dumpster behind a Bells Pond XtraMart in Livingston.

Following the discovery of a newborn’s body in a Columbia County dumpster, officials want to emphasize the Safe Haven program.

Michelle Shrader

News10.com
SCHODACK, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Sheriff Deputies say they have found the body of 33-year-old Michelle Shrader of East Greenbush.

Officials say she was located deceased in a wooded area just off of route 150 in the Town of Schodack around 4 p.m. on Monday. She was positively identified by her husband.



November 9, 2015

Open Meeting


Your presence is needed at Tuesday's RensCo Meeting
Once again it is important to show the Rensselaer County Legislature how determined we are to get a good Drinking Water Protection bill passed.

November 6, 2015

Call to action

On Wednesday, October 28th, Rensselaer County Chairman Stan Brownell and Vice Chairman Alex Shannon proposed another bill to protect drinking water , and we understand that they intend to bring it to a vote on November 10th.

The language of the bill reflects much improvement over the “eminent domain” version, and we now have a basis for moving forward to the development of a bill acceptable to us, the residents. However, it needs a lot of improvement. In fact, when comparing this bill to that which Legislator Alex Shannon and others introduced in August, this bill represents a significant step away from that bill's protections.

For example: The bill covers residents living within ¼ mile from a blast; the August bill protected residents living one mile from a blast: a 75% reduction in those protected. While we could live with covering residents living within ½ mile, ¼ mile – only 1320 feet -- is too small a radius.

November 5, 2015

Sectional Finals

Lady Devils advance to sectionals

The Columbia Girls Varsity Volleyball team advance to the finals in section 2 as they defeated the Averill Park LadyWarriors in 3 games @ Stillwater high school.

This Friday, for the 1st time since 1986, Columbia sends its girls to the section finale against Burnt Hills. Way to go Lady devils !!

STRIDE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

STRIDE ADAPTIVE SPORTS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
WITH 1ST LARGE GALA AT NEW RENAISSANCE ALBANY HOTEL
Rensselaer, NY – November 5, 2015 –  STRIDE Adaptive Sports will host the 30 Years of STRIDE Gala Celebration on Saturday, November 14th, at 6pm in the new Renaissance Albany Hotel.  The event will be the hallmark event of STRIDE’s 30th anniversary year and will raise funds to support the nonprofit’s therapeutic sports programs for individuals with disabilities.

November 4, 2015

Election Results

Schodack Town Council

Kenney (R/C/WF/I/RF)26% (1,386 votes)
Rex (D)26% (1,358 votes)
Curtis (R/C/WF/I/RF)24% (1,280 votes)
Underwood (D)24% (1,244 votes)

Schodack Town Justice

Sober (D)42% (1,100 votes)
Peter (R/C/WF/I/RF)58% (1,525 votes)

November 3, 2015

For immediate release

Accepting Registration for 10th Annual 
Valatie Veterans 5K Run

The 10th annual Valatie Veterans 5K run, sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 2114 of Valatie, N.Y., will be held on Wednesday, November 11th, 2015 (Veterans Day). The run begins and ends at Glynn Square in Valatie, N.Y. The race starts at 10 am, followed by a Veterans Ceremony, raffle and presentation of race awards.

Early registration is $15. A registration form can be found at http://bsa2114.legrego.com, or on-line registration is available at www.active.com. Day of race registration is $20 and begins at 9 am. Early packet pickup is available on Tuesday, November 10th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Valatie.

Who is watching NED?



Advertise: Who saw your ad today?

November 2, 2015

Schodack Elections

Who is running?


Schodack Town Council


Underwood (D)

Kenney (R/C/WF/I/RF)

Rex (D)

Curtis (R/C/WF/I/RF)

Schodack Town Justice

Sober (D)
Peter (R/C/WF/I/RF)

Election Day November 3, 2015

Vote! There are a number of seats to be filled in Schodack!

• Schodack Town Supervisor Currently held by:
Dennis Dowds elected in November, 2009 - Running unopposed
• Schodack Town Clerk Currently held by:
Donna Conlin - Running unopposed
• Schodack Town Justice Currently held by:
Paul W. Peter was appointed Town Justice in 1992
Also running for Town Justice: Jennifer Sober
• Schodack Town Council (2 positions - 4 year terms) currently held by:
Frank Curtis won election in November 2005
Michael Kenney was elected to the Schodack Town Board in 2010 following his appointment earlier in the year.
Also running for Town Board: Trady Rex and Linda Underwood
• Schodack Receiver of Taxes Katherine E. Lubbers- Running unopposed.

October 22, 2015

STRIDE ADAPTIVE SPORTS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

Contact:        Mary Ellen Whitney                             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel:               (518) 598-1279                                  E-mail:         mwhitney@stride.org 

 STRIDE ADAPTIVE SPORTS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
WITH 1ST LARGE GALA AT NEW RENAISSANCE ALBANY HOTEL
Rensselaer, NY – October 21, 2015 –  STRIDE Adaptive Sports will host the 30 Years of STRIDE Gala Celebration on Saturday, November 14th, at 6pm in the new Renaissance Albany Hotel.  The event will be the hallmark event of STRIDE’s 30th anniversary year and will raise funds to support the nonprofit’s therapeutic sports programs for individuals with disabilities.

30 Years of STRIDE will be the first large gala to be held in the newly opened Renaissance Albany Hotel on State Street in downtown Albany.  The Renaissance Albany is located in the same building as the historic DeWitt Clinton Hotel and opened on October 15th after a $48 million renovation led by Columbia Development.  Seated at the base of Albany’s Capitol Steps, the hotel is home to Wellington’s Restaurant and will be attached to the future Albany Capital Center.

October 20, 2015

What's for dinner

http://www.recipe30.com/assets/chicken-francaise.pdf

CHICKEN FRANCAISE Also known as “Francese” egg dipped chicken breast in tangy buttery sauce.

Yes please.

October 19, 2015

HS Senior Creating List to Help CES Students with Food Allergies

For her National Honor Society project, senior Helena Mueller is supporting the Food Allergy Research & Education’s Teal Pumpkin Project, which raises awareness for kids with food allergies at Halloween. The project encourages households to make non-food treats available for trick-or-treaters who need to avoid candy due to food allergies or other reasons. Helena is putting together a list of homes that will have alternatives available so she can provide the list to CES students who have food allergies so they can participate in trick-or-treating.

If you are interested in participating or have questions, please email Helena at muellerh@schodack.k12.ny.us.

October 18, 2015

For Immediate Release

Kevin’s Beginner Guitar Studio
1528 Columbia Turnpike
Castleton, NY 12033

 October 12,2015                                                                     Contact:  Kevin Haran, 518/527-7489
For Immediate Release                                                                                kharan518@gmail.com
Party to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Castleton, NY -- A fun, family-friendly event to benefit the Northeastern NY chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be held on Sunday, November 1 from 4-8 PM at the Comfort Inn at 99 Miller Road, Castleton. Cole’s Rock & Funk Pizza Party is named for Cole Halvax, a Maple Hill High School student who lives with the daily challenges posed by cystic fibrosis (CF).

October 9, 2015

Potty Mouths

 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
East Greenbush has been hit with DEC fines over the sewer plant seven times during the last 15 years

According to the Sept. 24 agreement with the Department of Environmental Conservation, the sewer plant exceeded state pollution standards 16 times between January and June, sometimes at very high levels.

For example, levels of dangerous fecal bacteria in the river were up to 224 times state standards during May and June when fishermen were crowding the river in the spring for the annual striper run. Exposure to such bacteria can cause gastrointestinal and breathing problems.

Read more...

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October 8, 2015

Haunted Hayride!

Schodack Island State Park will be hosting Haunted Hayrides on Friday, October 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The 5 p.m. hayride will be considered “not too scary” for younger children. After dark, the hayrides will be appropriate for teens and adults.
Castleton Stomper will be playing live music and food will be available from the Schodack Landing Fire Company.

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