July 4, 2015

STRIDE RECEIVES $25,000 GRANT

STRIDE ADAPTIVE SPORTS RECEIVES $25,000 GRANT FROM
THE UPS FOUNDATION
Rensselaer, NY – June 30, 2015 –  STRIDE Adaptive Sports received a $25,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, which drives global corporate citizenship and philanthropic programs for UPS (NYSE:UPS).

             The grant will be used toward its 2015 outdoor education programs for youth with disabilities and Wounded Warriors at the SCORE Center in Chatham, NY.  These programs focus on life skills development through tent camping, hiking, archery, fishing, nature & environmental programs and social skill development.

            STRIDE’s outdoor education programs aim to improve the quality of life and extend the lifespan of individuals with disabilities by adapting outdoor educational experiences and activities to accommodate special needs and using these activities to promote lifelong health.  Many program participants do not have access to outdoor recreation opportunities or require special adaptive support that can be difficult to obtain.  With the support of the UPS Grant, STRIDE will be able to improve its outdoor education capabilities through expansion of adaptive activities and improvement of facilities.

July 1, 2015

Eve of Destruction Tragedy

Tragedy on the Track - Lebanon Valley Speedway 

The event was called 'Eve of Destruction.' 


It may not sound like a family-friendly event, but old fashioned Demolition Derbys brings big crowds to the Valley. It is an annual event. A demolition-derby which involves a large vehicle and a series of smaller vehicles. The goal of the smaller vehicles is to disable the larger vehicle. Screaming yelling, outdoor fun year after year for generations.

43-year-old Shawn Rivers of Castleton, was  driving a Winnebago RV while other cars chased the camper. A car a smaller car crashed into the motor home, causing it to rollover. It flattened when it rolled.

Lebanon Valley Track EMS and track officials extricated Rivers and he was transported to Albany Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

No one did anything intentionally wrong.
Shame on the media outside our community to try to make it into some kind of criminal investigation.
Regardless, the investigation into the collision is continuing pending toxicology tests.


Commodores Banquet

Frack that!

High-volume fracking banned in New York

By: WNYT Staff  WNYT
It's official, New York has formally banned high-volume fracking.
The Department Of Environmental Conservation reached the decision after a 7 year environmental and health review.
The agency concluded that existing safety precautions are inadequate to protect water, air, ecosystems, wildlife and public health.

June 29, 2015

Got him!

Updated: Sunday, June 28 2015, 11:22 PM EDT CONSTABLE, N.Y. (AP) -- 
The latest on the manhunt following the escape of two convicted murderers from a maximum-security prison (all times local): 8 p.m.Read More...

A prosecutor says the surviving inmate who broke out of an upstate New York prison three weeks ago will be charged with escape, burglary and other counts.
David Sweat was captured Sunday afternoon after being shot twice by a state police sergeant less than two miles from the Canadian border.
Sgt. Jay Cook was by himself when he shot and wounded Sweat after the fugitive refused a command to stop.

Sweat and fellow inmate Richard Matt escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6. Matt was shot and killed after being spotted by authorities on Friday.
 

Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie says Sweat has not been formally interviewed by investigators but any information he provides could be critical to the ongoing investigation. Sweat transported to Albany Med for treatment.

Two jail employees face charges in connection with the escape.

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/features/top-story/stories/breaking-state-police-take-2nd-escapee-into-custody-26759.shtml 

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/06/28/david-sweat-new-york-manhunt.cnn

June 26, 2015

It's now the Law of the Land

Landmark: Supreme Court Rules Same-Sex Marriage Legal Nationwide
www.dailykos.com
"It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves," Kennedy wrote. "Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

"When all Americans are treated as equal we are all more free," the president said.

"Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

"There are days like this, when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt."