The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

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Democrats Call for McLaughlin Resignation

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On February 8, the Rensselaer County Minority Office filed a legislative resolution calling for Steve McLaughlin to  resign from his position as Rensselaer County Executive.  

In December, McLaughlin was indicted by a County grand jury with grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing, allegedly stealing $5,000 from his campaign account in 2017 and paying a former female member of his NYS Assembly staff.

While McLaughlin continues to claim his innocence and his defense attorney Ben Hill is preparing a motion to dismiss the indictment for a lack of sufficient evidence, the State Attorney General’s Office told Rensselaer County Court Judge Jennifer Sober that the Attorney General’s case is ready for trial.  [Read more…] about Democrats Call for McLaughlin Resignation

Major Representative Changes in the Offing

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by Doug La Rocque

When it comes to who represents Rensselaer County in Congress, the State Senate and to a degree the State Assembly, the winds of change are howling. And naturally, there is a lot of howling about that. On Sunday, the Democratically controlled State Legislature unveiled their redistricting maps, after the commission tasked with the redistricting was unable to come up with one set of maps. They had presented two maps to the State lawmakers, one favoring Democrats and the other favoring Republicans. What the Legislature finally came up with has the GOP screaming gerrymandering at the top of their lungs. Here are some of the changes.

Congress

The vast majority of the County is currently represented by Democrat Antonio Delgado, with Democrat Paul Tonko’s district including the Cities of Troy and Rensselaer. Under the new district set up, [Read more…] about Major Representative Changes in the Offing

Dam Update

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Statement Courtesy of the NYS Department of Parks and Recreation

In the January 7 edition of The Eastwick Press, our front page story was a report on four area dams and their recent designation by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as unsound. As we initially reported, this designation doesn’t mean there is a threat of imminent failure, and a recent statement from the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation reads as follows: [Read more…] about Dam Update

Woelfersheim Pleas to Multiple Crimes

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office

District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly announced today that Matthew Woelfersheim, 45, of Schaghticoke pled guilty in Rensselaer County Court before the Honorable Jennifer G. Sober to Arson in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony, along with Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a Class E Felony, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, [Read more…] about Woelfersheim Pleas to Multiple Crimes

High School Bowling – Wasaren League Tournament

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Hoosick Falls Wins Bowling Tournament

Submitted by James Lynch

On Tuesday the teams of the Wasaren League gathered at Saratoga Strike Zone for this year’s Wasaren League Tournament. Berlin-New Lebanon, Hoosick Falls, Hoosic Valley, Mechanicville, Saratoga Catholic, Stillwater and Waterford-Halfmoon all sent teams of seven bowlers. 

During the morning block of three games, Hoosick Falls 3276, Mechanicville 2906 and Stillwater 2860 had separated from the rest of the field. In the afternoon, Hoosick Falls was able to add to their lead, [Read more…] about High School Bowling – Wasaren League Tournament

Grafton’s Cabin Fever at GLSP 

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by Amy Modesti
Extreme cold? Check. Swimmers in crazy costumes jumping into Long Pond? Check. Petting huskies, Newfoundlands, bloodhounds, exotic animals and horses? Check. What do all these things symbolize? Cabin Fever! 

Single digit temperatures didn’t stop visitors from attending and taking part in this year’s Cabin Fever at Grafton Lakes State Park (GLSP). Gutsy swimmers dressed in costumes, active wear and bathing suits braved the elements to dive into [Read more…] about Grafton’s Cabin Fever at GLSP 

Man Charged With Drug and Weapons Possession in Brunswick

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office

On Tuesday, January 25, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 659 Church Street in the Town of Brunswick. The search warrant yielded an amount of methamphetamine, U.S. currency and several firearms. The Deputies report Kenneth R. Lozo, 36, was arrested and charged with: [Read more…] about Man Charged With Drug and Weapons Possession in Brunswick

Berlin Central School District Board Meeting

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Contradictory Information

by Chris Tergliafera

At the January 18 regular meeting of the Berlin Central School District Board, Superintendent Joseph Dhara discussed some contradictory information the District has received from the State of New York regarding contact tracing for COVID-19. The State is telling schools they no longer need to contact trace, however they also told districts they need to do their due diligence and notify parents when their child has come in close contact with someone who is infected, which would require contact tracing. The District will look to get some clarification on the matter.

In other COVID-19 news, the number of days required to quarantine after being in close contact with someone who’s tested positive has been reduced from ten to five. [Read more…] about Berlin Central School District Board Meeting