May 31, 2014

63 new campsites to open at Schodack Island State Park in Spring 2015

SCHODACK LANDING For the first time in about 35 years, the state is creating new campgrounds at a state park. 

State and county officials came together at Schodack Island State Park Thursday to make the announcement. According to Andrew Beers, the executive deputy commissioner of the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the 63 tent/trailer campsites with bathroom and shower buildings will be ready for nature lovers by next spring.

Read more...

May 29, 2014

Schodack police keep busy with power outage, fire, accident



Photo: File/ WNYT
SCHODACK - Police in Schodack have their hands full right now. There's a lot happening where Route 9 and Route 20 split. There is a traffic accident, wires are down and the power is out in that area.
Police say the downed wires sparked a brush fire as well. Students at Green Meadow Elementary School are going home early because of the power outage.
The Brookview neighborhood is also without power and so is the Schodack Police Department.
There is paving and construction work going on in the area. No word if the work had anything to do with the outage.

Volunteer at STRIDE

Volunteer TODAY For Fun Weekends This Summer

STRIDE Adaptive Sports seeks fun-loving camping volunteers for SCORE tent-camping programs!STRIDE Center for Outdoor Recreation & Education” facility located in Chatham, NY offers unique themed summer weekends to youth with special needs/disabilities.
For more information: Email: info@stride.org Website: www.stride.org

May 28, 2014

Author Maya Angelou dies at 86 in North Carolina

Angelou, a renaissance woman and cultural pioneer, died Wednesday at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86.

Tall and regal, with a deep, majestic voice, she was unforgettable whether encountered in person, through sound or the printed word.

She called herself a poet, in love with the "sound of language," ''the music in language," as she explained to the AP in 2013. But she lived so many lives.

Read more...

May 26, 2014

Memorial Day Parade

This year's Memorial Day Parade in Castleton will step off on Monday, May 26, at 10:00 a.m. The parade will begin at the corner of Boltwood and Seaman Avenues, and will conclude with ceremonies at the Mountain View Cemetery. The parade will include five divisions with participants from our churches, schools, community volunteer organizations, politicians, and a lot more. The VFW color guard will lead the parade. 

For more information, see 2014 Memorial Day Parade.

May 24, 2014

TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING!

Anxious to to start your Spring cleaning? 

Have some items to get rid of but not enough for your own Garage Sale? St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, 751 County Route 7 (directly off Route 150), East Schodack, NY is accepting donations for its Spring Tag Sale, Saturday, May 31st. The sale will run from 9 am - 4 pm. Homemade baked goods will also be available for purchase.

Sale Proceeds will go to steeple repairs at the church. For information or to make a donation, call: 477-6950 or 438-1109. Clean, unbroken, gently used items only please. No large appliances or clothing.

Join us on May 31st for the sale in our Fellowship Hall in the basement of the church.

May 20, 2014

New state rule complicates path for East Greenbush casino developers

The East Greenbush Town Board will have to vote a second time on whether to support a proposed $300 million casino, creating a new wrinkle in the intensely competitive process to win a gaming license in upstate New York.

May 19, 2014

Strawberry Festival

Tuesday, May 20 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.

The CES PTO will hold its annual Strawberry Festival on Tuesday, May 20 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Maple Hill High School.

Happy Birthday Rubik's Cube

Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974

May 16, 2014

Bruno found Not Guilty

Updated: Friday, May 16 2014, 06:23 PM EDT 
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The former leader of the New York state Senate has been found not guilty of federal fraud charges. A jury announced the verdict in retired Sen. Joe Bruno's case on Friday,  the second day of deliberations in Albany

SCHODACK VALLEY PIZZA NIGHT!

SCHODACK VALLEY PIZZA NIGHT! Come and join us for our Pizza Night at the Schodack Valley Fire House from 5PM to 9PM. Bring the family for Pizza, Antipasto, Wings and more. Additional seating is available. As always, you can eat-in or take-out. For take-out, call us at 477-4215.

ESYO PERCUSSION PERFORMANCE

The Empire State Youth Orchestra Percussion Ensembles are coming to Maple Hill High School on Monday, May 19th for a FREE concert at 7pm.  The concert will feature 3 of our own Maple Hill students - Everett McNair, Seth Roberts and Gabe Ellis.

The Maple Hill Music Parents Association is putting on a "Restaurant Night" immediately prior to the Percussion Performance from 6-7:00pm.  You are invited to enjoy a pasta meal, which includes baked ziti, tossed salad, Italian bread, homemade iced tea, and a chocolate fountain for dessert.  Cost: $5 per person, children's portions $2.50.  

Please come and support our musicians!
Maple Hill Music Parents Association will be serving dinner 6-7 pm. Adult portions $5   Kid’s portions $2.50  Menu: • Baked Ziti • Tossed Salad • Italian Bread • Homemade Iced Tea • Chocolate Fountain  

May 9, 2014

News in a Nutshell

Headlines that caught my eye

  • Street sweeping kicks off Tulip Festival
  • Tech Valley High joins Twitter trend

May 7, 2014

Schodack Town Board Meeting

Town of Schodack
Town Board Meeting
May 8, 2014

Public Session - 7 p.m.
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
Review of Abstracts and Vouchers –Comptroller
Public Comment

May 6, 2014

2014-15 School Budget Information

On Tuesday, May 20 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the High School gym, the community will vote on a proposed $21,217,292 budget for the 2014-15 school year.
 The proposed budget:

Just a few weeks left!

Time flies...summer camps fill up quickly.
Here are some great ideas from the TU's Camp Guide

Police make arrest in connection to house burglaries

Monday, May 5 2014
EAST GREENBUSH - Police in East Greenbush say they have arrested a teenager in connection to a rash of house burglaries over the past several weeks. Police say 17-year-old Rafael Gonzales was arrested Friday afternoon.

May 5, 2014

Music Parents Association Offers Scholarship

Music Parents Association Offers Scholarship – Deadline: May 11
The Maple Hill Music Parents Association is again offering a scholarship this year to students currently in grades 6 - 11 who pursue music lessons, camps or programs this summer. 

Casino plans continue

Racino owners cross the river

Group decides to bet on a proposal in East Greenbush
Updated 12:18 am, Tuesday, April 22, 2014
East Greenbush

After months of contentious debate, the owners of the Saratoga Casino and Raceway have abandoned plans for a full-blown casino at Saratoga Springs' 10-year-old racino in favor of a new site off Interstate 90 in East Greenbush.

The move fundamentally resets the chessboard as multiple developers vie for what will likely be the lone casino license handed out in the Capital Region.

Career Expo 2014 – Wednesday, May 7

Students in grades 8-10 who are interested in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are encouraged to visit the Career Expo 2014 on Wednesday, May 7 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Franklin Terrace Ballroom in Troy. This is a free event for students, parents and educators. 

May 4, 2014

Jobless in Seattle



If Seattle succeeds in raising its minimum wage to $15, the city will suffer.
By Jordan Weissmann

Seattle skyline.
Seattle could regret raising its minimum wage by so drastic an amount.
Photo by Maxvis/Thinkstock

Economists everywhere may soon be thanking Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Not because of his inspired policymaking, but because Murray seems ready to turn his city into a gigantic laboratory for one of the most ambitious, and quite possibly misbegotten, labor market experiments in recent memory.
“There are concerns that it might lead to the substitution of automation for workers.”
Read more...

May 3, 2014

Pancake Breakfast Sunday May 4

Maple Hill Lacrosse will be holding a breakfast at the Castleton Ambulance Hall at 1700 Brookview Road in Castleton.

Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. members of Maple Hill Lacrosse teams will be serving breakfast to the community to raise funds for their program. 

Cost - $10.00 per person 
Seniors and children (ages 6 to 15) - $5.00 per person 
Children under 5 years old – Free 

Includes: Beverage 
Pancakes or French Toast 
Bacon and Sausage

Raffles, door prizes and and the ever-popular pie sale!

May 1, 2014

Early morning fire destroys historic barn



Stuyvesant Fire Chief Steve Montie said the fire was exacerbated by several explosions from gas tanks inside the barn. Tanks containing propane, oxygen the gas acetylene, used for acetylene torches, were stored in the barn, he said.

“It appears to be accidental, but we have a lot to go through,” he said.