The Roe Jan Food Pantry Thanksgiving food distribution was Saturday, November 21 at the Hillsdale firehouse. This year recipients had to pack their own boxes, wear masks and have their temperatures taken. Elwin Moore said 144 families signed up—a total of 692 individuals—about the same as in the previous few years. Stewart’s donated milk, Big Y provided bread and baked goods. Groceries were purchased from IGA. Above, Betty White (r) arranged canned goods for pick up. Photo by David Lee
ANCRAM—Residents and businesses in town now have a chance to save money on their electric bills while saving the planet.
Anyone who has ever considered switching to solar energy to power their homes or businesses can do it now—with no solar panels in sight or installation costs.
At the Ancram Town Board’s November 19 meeting via Zoom, Jill Henck, clean energy coordinator from the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, and Alex Goldfarb from company called Solstice, delivered a presentation about “solarizing” Ancram. Read more…
On Saturday, November 14 members of the Garden Club of Kinderhook undertook the task of cleaning the garden in the village center next to the gazebo and under the watchful eye of President Martin Van Buren, the 8th president of the United States. He was a Kinderhook native whose 238th birthday will be celebrated December 5 at his gravesite on Albany Avenue in the village. Geraldine Smith picked up the leaves from the sidewalk and shrubbery around the Van Buren Statue with fellow volunteers Sandi Van Alstyne and Betsy Seeley. The garden that was being cleaned is the Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Fisher Memorial Garden, dedicated in 1994. Photo by David Lee
NEW LEBANON–Monte Wasch recently chaired an in-person and phone meeting of the New Lebanon Business and Economic Development Committee (BEDC), which heard the good news from Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling: sales tax revenues for the third quarter of 2020 were up $144,000, well ahead of the same period in 2019 and 2018.
Michael Tucker, president of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation, and Jeff Hunt, (now former) president and CEO of the county Chamber of Commerce, were credited for success countywide and Columbia County doing better than most counties statewide.
It was reported that 80 homes were for sale in New Lebanon in early 2020 and 50 were sold, which is driving up business in construction and remodeling. Businesses offering excavating, landscaping, fuel, heating and cooling systems. It seems home buyers are looking to get away from congested areas, whether that is New York City, Boston or Albany. Read more…
Pictured are Christa MacDonald and Richard Lindmark, the last toll collectors to work at Exit B-2 East Chatham where the Taconic State Parkway ends and meets the Thruway. Photo contributed
EAST CHATHAM—Gone are the days of scrambling for loose change between the car seats and the nanosecond of human contact while handing it over at a Thruway toll booth.
After 66 years, the Thruway has gone cashless.
At 1 a.m. Saturday, November 14, the New York State Thruway successfully converted to an entirely cashless tolling system. Read more…
Copake’s new animal control officer Kyle Miller (l) is pictured with his pal, Lenny the Great Dane, who is an occasional boarder at the Humane Society. Photo contributed
COPAKE—Sometimes dogs help find lost people, so it seems only right that there is a person out there dedicated to helping lost dogs find their way home.
His name is Kyle Miller and this 27-year-old, originally from Ancram and now a Copake resident, is the town’s newest animal control officer. He also performs that service for the towns of Austerlitz, Ghent, Hillsdale and Taghkanic.
“Kyle is a wonderful, super dog control officer,” Copake Supervisor Jeanne Mettler announced at the November 12 Town Board meeting as a segue into a discussion about which dog shelter the town should use in the coming year. Read more…