K’hook Town Board ponders pot biz options

by EMILIA TEASDALE

VALATIE—As the Town Board waits for guidance from the state on cannabis dispensaries, Supervisor Patsy Leader announced at the August 2 board meeting that she is forming a committee with the mayors of villages of Kinderhook and Valatie to review the issue. Supervisor Leader asked anyone interested to contact her with a letter of interest.

In March Governor Cuomo signed a bill legalizing adult-use cannabis. As part of the law cities, towns and villages may opt-out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by adopting a local law by December 31, 2021 or nine months after the effective date of the legislation. “They cannot opt-out of adult-use legalization,” according to the state website of the Office of Cannabis Management.

At the Town Board meeting on Monday, Supervisor Leader said she spoke to the Office of the State Comptroller and Assembly personnel about guidelines. She said the state does not yet have any committees on the issue but that the State Police are planning to giving guidance. She said state police “want to write a whole new thing.” Read more…

Local firefighters honor their colleagues

by DIANE VALDEN

STUYVESANT FALLS—Firefighters from the 32 volunteer fire departments across Columbia County converged on the Stuyvesant Falls hamlet for the 96th annual Columbia County Volunteer Firefighters Association (CCVFA) Convention, July 29 to 31.

Established in 1925, the CCVFA, a social organization, “fosters and extends the interests, welfare, and growth of firefighter’s interests and good feeling in Columbia County,” according to an account of the organization’s history on its website: www.ccvfa.org

Annually on the last weekend in July, the organization assembles for a convention in the hometown community of a fire company in Columbia County; the host locations change each year. Read more…

Both parties praise broadband funds

by EMILIA TEASDALE

Funds for digital speed might meet a need Ghent Councilwoman Patti Matheney (D) introduced Congressman Antonio Delgado (D-19th) at a press conference August 2 at the West Ghent Community Center. Rep. Delgado announced approval of funds for broadband access in remote parts of Ghent, Canaan, Austerlitz and New Lebanon in the House 2022 budget. Photo by Emilia Teasdale

GHENT—Representative Antonio Delgado (D-19th), along with state and local officials, held a press conference at the West Ghent Community Center August 2 to discuss federal funding of $829,594 the congressman secured “that will allow more than 300 rural upstate homes and businesses in the towns of Ghent, Canaan, New Lebanon, and Austerlitz to be connected to high-speed broadband” internet service, according to a press release.

On July 29, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4502, a package of seven appropriations bills funding various federal agencies for Fiscal Year 2022. Rep. Delgado led his colleagues in securing funding for programs including agriculture investments, workforce development, addiction treatment, and Lyme disease research as well as an increased capacity for maternal healthcare, addressing first responder needs, and this funding for local broadband.

Rep. Delgado also secured $82,000 for the Village of Philmont Fire Department to purchase 12 new air packs and replace the currently broken 81-year-old fire siren. Read more…

It’s fun but use caution

by LANCE WHEELER

Early anglers on the banks of the Hudson River at Henry Hudson Waterfront Park on Monday, July 26, report there’s “good fishing.” These fishermen hauled in a number of catfish before 10 a.m. But anyone casting a line in the Hudson should check online with the New York State Department of Health, which posts fishing advisories. Sadly, because of PCB pollution, many species carry a “Do Not Eat” warning. Also, the majestic Hudson is an estuary, its currents are strong and move in different directions depending on the tide. Photo by Lance Wheeler

New recruits sworn in at Veterans’ Service Agency

by DAVID LEE

Pictured (l to r) are Jacob Rippel, Matthew Guido, Erik Doty and Angela Marin. Performing the swearing-in was Captain Matthew Sims, Company Commander for the Bear Mountain Recruiting Company. Photo by David Lee

GREENPORT–On Tuesday, July 6, the Day Room of the Columbia County Veterans’ Service Agency at 389 Fairview Avenue was the scene of the induction of four new high school graduates into the ranks of the United States Army.
Attending the ceremony, in addition to the recruits and their families were First Sergeant Daniel Carmack of the Bear Mountain Recruiting Company; Sergeant First Class Gregory Leavitt, the Station Commander for the Hudson Army Recruiting Office which encompasses Columbia and Greene counties; and Captain Matthew Sims, Company Commander for the Bear Mountain Recruiting Company which has seven stations in a district extending from Hudson down to Spring Valley.
The four new recruits were Erik Doty, Matthew Guido, Angela Marin and Jacob Rippel. Mr. Doty graduated from Taconic Hills Central School. His basic training assignment was yet to be determined, but his job would be in the specialty of intelligence. Mr. Guido is an Ichabod Crane graduate from Valatie. He will perform his basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and specialize in Human Resources. Read more…