The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Front Page

Traffic Concerns Linger at Aldi Site in Brunswick

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by Doug La Rocque
David Leon’s representatives, MJ Engineering, were back before the Brunswick Planning Board on Thursday evening, May 12, with a new rendering of what the proposed addition of an Aroma Joe’s Coffee Drive Thru would look like. The problem the Planners have is that it is not just drive thru but has a walk up window as well. Several members of the Board voiced their concern about pedestrians crossing an increased traffic flow, particularly since the rendering did not show any crosswalks or other protective features leading to that walk up window. [Read more…] about Traffic Concerns Linger at Aldi Site in Brunswick

New Jobs for the Green Economy

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The Town of New Lebanon, NY is mapping out the new jobs being created by the green economy. On May 6, students from Cornell’s Brooks School of Public Policy presented their analysis of 11 emerging jobs that are relevant to New Lebanon. Working with regional educational institutions and businesses, the team identified training pathways and potential salaries. The recommended jobs include solar panel and heat pump installation, electric vehicle repair, as well as hydrogen cell engineer and wind turbine service technician. The list reflects the growing footprint of green technology businesses around the Capital Region. [Read more…] about New Jobs for the Green Economy

Roland W. Bugbee – Obituary

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Johnsonville – Roland W. Bugbee, born October 22, 1938, died April 30, 2022, surrounded by loving family at his beloved farm. He was the son of Phyllis and Perry Bugbee. His earliest cherished memories are of working in the fields with his Dad and going to farm auctions with him.

Roland and Janet Pine married September 1, 1957. Roland built the house in White Creek farm where they started their family of 8 children. They moved to the farm in Johnsonville where he farmed, milked cows, sold wood stoves and opened a Lawn and Garden shop [Read more…] about Roland W. Bugbee – Obituary

Howard Leibensperger – Obituary

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Stephentown – Howard Leibensperger, 95, passed away on April 23, 2022 in North Providence, RI. Born in Tampico, Mexico on July 29, 1926, Howard grew up in The Hague, The Netherlands, speaking both English and Dutch. He was the son of Raymond and Bertha Leibensperger, who raised their family in different parts of the world through Raymond’s job in the oil industry. The family eventually returned to New Jersey, where Howard graduated from Montclair High School. In 1944, Howard took college classes at the Virginia Military Institute, and in 1945, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as a battery clerk in Germany in the immediate aftermath of WWII. He received an Honorable Discharge in 1947. From then until his retirement in the early 1990s, Howard worked as an auto mechanic. [Read more…] about Howard Leibensperger – Obituary

Eva K. Calhoun – Obituary

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Hoosick Falls – Eva K. Calhoun, 90, passed away on April 30, 2022, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington, Vermont. 

Born in Hoosick Falls on November 16, 1931, Eva was the daughter of the late Marcus and Mary (Wolf) Kipp. She was a graduate of Hoosick Falls High School. She was a 50-year member of the First Baptist Church. She also was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. For over 20 years she volunteered at American Red Cross blood drives. After the death of her youngest sister, Mary, she served many years on the Victim’s Impact Panel for RID (Remove Intoxicated Drivers).  [Read more…] about Eva K. Calhoun – Obituary

DWI Victims Memorialized

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Poestenkill Victim Latest Name on the List

by Doug La Rocque
Families of those killed by a drunk driver, County and local officials gathered at the Rensselaer County DWI  Memorial Tuesday, April 26, to remember those whose names are on the memorial wall and to plead with people not to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly conducted the yearly ceremony reminding all it is important to share our concerns about people’s awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and touched on another topic as well: marijuana. She noted the recent legalization of marijuana has opened a new door for law enforcement with the ramifications of smoking and driving still undefined. Unlike alcohol use, which can be measured with a breathalyzer, there is no such yardstick for marijuana use. She again touched on the awareness factor, pointing to the sign in front of the speaker’s podium that said “If you feel different you drive different.”

Ms. Donnelly remarked about the horrific accident in Poestenkill last Thursday night that took the life of a local man and saw the driver of the second vehicle charged with Driving While Intoxicated. Please see the related story on page 4.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin also read a proclamation marking the annual event, held every year since the memorial was dedicated on September 8 of 2000. The Memorial is located on a strip of land on Congress Street in Troy, opposite Prospect Park, the very site where a popular Troy teenage girl was struck and killed by a drunk driver. [Read more…] about DWI Victims Memorialized

Aldi Site Change Deemed a Major Revision

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by Doug La Rocque
When the developer of the new Aldi store site currently under construction along Hoosick Road first approached the Brunswick Planning Board at their April 7 meeting, they proposed what they considered to be a minor buildout change. At the Planners’ Thursday, April 21 meeting, they informed David Leon’s representatives that changing the size of the Wendy’s fast food restaurant, modifying the parking, adding for electric vehicle charging stations and sticking an Aroma Joe’s drive thru coffee site between the Aldi and Planet Fitness building was indeed a major site change, and would require reviewing the environmental effects of the proposal, as well as another public hearing. Some of the prosed parking lot changes would also require a new review by the Zoning Board of Appeals, which would also dictate a public hearing. [Read more…] about Aldi Site Change Deemed a Major Revision

Cox Guilty of Second Degree Murder of a Child

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office
Following a nearly two-week long trial, a Rensselaer County Court Jury on Wednesday, April 27, convicted 42-year old Kevin Cox on two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The charges stem from the February 11, 2020 death of six-year-old Davonte Paul of Lansingburgh. 

District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly confirmed that according to the evidence, Davonte was found after a 911 call by his mother stating that he had drowned in the bath tub, although no water was found in the child’s lungs. [Read more…] about Cox Guilty of Second Degree Murder of a Child