Category Archives: Communities

Community briefs for April 9 through 16

by STAFF
Grange offers wide variety of help
COPAKE– The Copake Grange #935 is offering bandanna masks for anyone who is in need. They are made based on CDC guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html). To get one, email: and Grangers will make arrangements to get the masks to those who need them..

Also, the Grange has a Match-Up Program, in which volunteers will help with picking up groceries and medications. To get this help, email a request to or call 917-270-5989. Volunteers are standing by, ready to be of service.

Franny Alexander is a Copake community member who has a background in holistic nursing/health counseling and is an RN, a licensed yoga teacher, and a retired pediatric nurse practitioner. She is volunteering her time as a “listener.” In this time of social isolation, those who live alone may want to talk with someone and learn some simple ways to handle the stress with gentle stretching, breathing, and other ways to relax. She is available for telephone discussions for two hours a day from 9 to 11 a.m. (except Sundays). Schedule a time to talk with Ms. Alexander by contacting her at . She offers general support, not psychological therapy.
With Covid-19 so much in the spotlight, people may have forgotten that this is tick season and it is especially bad this year. Here is a tip: check yourself frequently and if you find a tick on your body put a dab of Dawn liquid detergent on it. The tick will start wiggling out, making it much easier to remove.

No chicken now

COPAKE—The Copake Fire Company #1 chicken barbecue at the fire station, 390 Center Hill Road (County Route 7A), April 11, has been canceled.

Egg hunt off for this year

MELLENVILLE—Following the CDC’s recommendation discouraging gatherings of 50 or more people, the Claverack Republican Club has canceled the annual Easter egg hunt scheduled for April 11 at the Claverack Town Park in Mellenville.

The event traditionally draws hundreds of area youngsters, their parents and grandparents but must be canceled this year for fears of the Corona Virus. Read more…

College nursing dept. donates PPE to CMH

by STAFF

GREENPORT—Columbia-Greene Community College’s Nursing Department recently donated several cases of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Columbia Memorial Health.

The gowns and masks were given to the hospital as part of a national effort to supply front-line medical staff with these items, which have fallen into short supply as the Covid-19 pandemic reaches a fever pitch world-wide.

“We packed up everything we could in our lab and filled a trunk with boxes. CMH has been an extraordinary supporter of C-GCC’s Nursing program, and we will do anything we can to help them,” Dawn Wrigley, C-GCC professor of nursing and department chairperson, said in a press release. Read more…

Canetto named to Capital District Sports Women of the Year

by STAFF

Taconic Hills High School senior Amelia Canetto.

CRARYVILLE – Amelia Canetto, a senior at Taconic Hills High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2020 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year.

Amelia, who competes in field hockey and track & field, will be recognized at the first-ever Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala, which is scheduled for May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year (CDSWOY) honors the best and brightest female student athletes from high schools and colleges in the Capital District of New York State. The student-athletes will be recognized for their achievements in academics, athletics and community service. More information is provided at the website, cdswoy.com. Read more…

Library news

by STAFF

Social distancing does not mean social isolation

POUGHKEEPSIE—All libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) have closed the doors to their facilities in response to the public health crisis of the Coronavirus (Covid-19).

Nevertheless, all MHLS libraries are still serving their communities with digital collections and innovative approaches to delivering programs and services online and in nontraditional ways.

More than 300,000 residents in the MHLS region hold library cards and rely on libraries for access to information, education and cultural experiences, according to a press release, and libraries pride themselves on being available during critical times in their communities. Read more…

Join K’hook neighbors in candle lighting

by STAFF

KINDERHOOK–The Village of Kinderhook has sent out an invitation to neighbors in the Village of Kinderhook, the Village of Valatie, the Hamlet of Niverville, and the Town of Kinderhook to join in a lighting a candle outside their homes every Friday night at 8 p.m.

The invite says, …”local teachers, firefighters, sheriffs, state troopers, emergency rescue workers, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, postal workers, FedEx and UPS drivers, farmers, food and drink providers, supermarket staff, and many more are working every day to help keep our communities functioning during the Covid-19 emergency. We invite you to help us acknowledge their dedication… Your candle will also acknowledge the many individuals who have tragically lost their lives to the coronavirus.”