The Star Spangled Banner

The flag that inspired the National Anthem:

Francis Scott Key was a gifted amateur poet. Inspired by the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry the morning after the bombardment, he scribbled the initial verse of his song on the back of a letter. Back in Baltimore, he completed the four verses (PDF) and copied them onto a sheet of paper, probably making more than one copy. A local printer issued the new song as a broadside. Shortly afterward, two Baltimore newspapers published it, and by mid-October it had appeared in at least seventeen other papers in cities up and down the East Coast.

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Jeff Simons Starts as New Superintendent of Schools

The East Greenbush Central School District’s new Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey P. Simons officially starts today.

Mr. Simons, who was appointed on March 2 after an extensive search that began last fall, met with staff members this morning and will be touring each of the schools and surrounding neighborhoods later in the day.
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Block Party

Castleton Public Library

Friday, Jun. 17, 10:00-11:00 a.m. 

Bring your baby, toddler, or preschooler in for group play with wooden blocks, and help develop their skills in early literacy, math, logic, social know-how, and more! Recommended for ages 4 and younger. 

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News Release

MEDIA ADVISORY
Thirty New York Community and Environmental Groups Form United Front to
Demand that Albany Halt the Harm from Fracked Oil and Gas Development

CONTACT: Pramilla Malick: (646) 498-1742/ Ruth Foster: (518) 588-0187
WHO: United Against Fossil Fuels
WHAT: Halt The Harm Press Conference
WHERE: NYS Capitol, Million Dollar Staircase, 3rd Floor
WHEN: Tuesday, June 14th at Noon

A newly united coalition of frontline communities, grassroots groups, environmental
organizations, and concerned citizens will gather to speak out against the harmful
impacts of fracked oil and gas development on New York’s residents and natural
resources, as well as the state's policies which enable that harm. Assemblyman Frank
Skartados (D-Milton) will speak about the importance of the “Pilgrim Pipeline Bill” he
sponsored (A10468/S07979), and prominent actor and activist, James Cromwell, will
also speak. Working together under the banner United Against Fossil Fuels (UAFF), the
coalition demands a statewide halt to fossil fuel development which severely impacts
community and public health and speeds climate change. Specifically, we demand an
immediate halt to construction of the Spectra AIM Pipeline and the CPV Valley Gasfired
Power Plant, and the rejection of permits for dozens of other projects like
Crestwood Gas Storage, the Dominion New Market Pipeline, and the Pilgrim Oil
Pipelines. United in our mission, the coalition intends to build upon the momentum of
the powerful anti-fracking movement until all of New York is free from the devastating
impacts of fossil fuels.

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'The Greatest'

Muhammad Ali, the three-time world heavyweight boxing champion who helped define his turbulent times as the most charismatic and controversial sports figure of the 20th century, died Friday in a Phoenix-area hospital. He was 74.

Ali was as polarizing a superstar as the sports world has ever produced — both admired and vilified in the 1960s and '70s for his religious, political and social stances. His refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War, his rejection of racial integration at the height of the civil rights movement, his conversion from Christianity to Islam and the changing of his "slave" name, Cassius Clay, to one bestowed by the separatist black sect he joined, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, were perceived as serious threats by the conservative establishment and noble acts of defiance by the liberal opposition.

In later life Ali became something of a secular saint, a legend in soft focus. He was respected for having sacrificed more than three years of his boxing prime and untold millions of dollars for his anti-war principles after being banished from the ring; he was extolled for his un-selfconscious gallantry in the face of incurable illness, and he was beloved for his accommodating sweetness in public.

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Making way for a better Columbia Turnpike

Weathervane restaurant demolished in East Greenbush
By Eric Anderson Updated 8:45 pm, Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Photo: PAUL BUCKOWSKI

Columbia Turnpike has long been East Greenbush's "main street," Conway said. But traffic in recent years has been drawn away by nearby Interstate 90.

The town plans to announce a package of incentives for Columbia Turnpike, and also will step up enforcement of existing codes addressing issues ranging from signs to abandoned vehicles.

It's also seeking grants to install sidewalks along the road, and Conway said the town will "do a lot of landscaping" at the water treatment facility on the town's western edge to make a more attractive entry.

Wednesday's demolition of the derelict restaurant building "signals the end of the decline of Columbia Turnpike," Conway said.

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Exciting Things Are Happening on Main Street!

Volunteers & Participants Needed

The Castleton-on-Hudson Farmers and Artisans Market will be held the first and third Friday of the month from 4 PM to 7 PM, starting June 3 and ending in September. The market will be located on the NW corner of Scott Ave. & North Main Street. Space for vendors is still availabe. Contact committee chair Rachael Kerner at lillianandgracephotography@gmail.com or visit the COHFAM Facebook page for detailshttps://www.facebook.com/events/836806556423805/
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