The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Front Page

Hard Work Holds The Petersburgh Budget To A 6.3% Tax Increase

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by Alex Brooks
The Petersburgh Town Board has come to agreement on its budget for 2014. Bill Seel and Duane Goodermote had spent a good deal of time over the weekend revising the budget, and the budget they presented would have resulted in a 5% tax levy increase, as requested by the public at the last budget hearing.
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Rev. Joseph L. Halloran

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New Lebanon – Rev. Joseph L. Halloran, 87, died Tuesday, November 5, 2013, at the Teresian House in Albany, NY. Born in Cohoes, NY, on May 30, 1926, he was the son of the late Joseph L. and Elizabeth L. Geiger Halloran. He moved to Troy, NY, at the age of four and was a 1944 graduate of Catholic Central High School in Troy. He attended St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, and did his philosophical and theological studies at Our Lady of Angels Seminary at Niagara University. He was ordained a priest on his 26th birthday, May 30, 1952, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany by Bishop Edmund Gibbons.
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Donald Joseph Decker

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Hoosick Falls – Donald “Flea” Joseph Decker died on November 1, 2013, surrounded by his three children. He was born on March 18, 1946, to the late Edward and Rosella (Gates) Decker.
As a young man in the Vietnam era, his plans for college were disrupted by the draft, and at the age of 18 he was sent to war. His ability to run under a five minute mile with full gear on earned him the distinguished honor of joining the Green Beret attachments in Vietnam as a radio operator. He earned a Bronze Star for his service as well as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Oak Leaf Cluster and a Presidential Unit Citation.
Upon returning stateside, he went to work at Bijur in Bennington, VT, where he worked his way up over the course of 47 years. He spent the last nine years with Bijur living in Greenville, NC, cheering on his beloved ECU Pirates.
Don was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Southern Vermont College in Bennington. He was a dedicated community member and was a member of the Elks Club in Hoosick Falls, NY, for over 40 years, President and coach for the Hoosick Falls Little League and a Board Member at the Hoosick Falls Youth Center.
In 2012 he retired from Bijur and was able to move back to his hometown of Hoosick Falls to be closer to family. He was devoted to his family and thoroughly enjoyed the company of his grandchildren. Don is pre-deceased by his older brother, Edward, his twin brother, Denny, and his younger sister, Sally. He is survived by his younger brother, Pat Decker of Pownal, VT, his three children, Robert Decker of Hoosick Falls, Scott and Aimee Decker of Sarasota, FL, and Barbara and Jon Moore of Essex Junction, VT, his seven grandchildren and a very special friend, Kathleen Ferguson. He also leaves behind the entire Village of Hoosick Falls in which he had too many friends to count. In the words of Flea, “You gotta laugh every day…”
Relatives and friends may call at the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street, in Hoosick Falls on Saturday, November 9, from 10 am until 1 pm. Services will be at 1 pm from the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ed Carknard Memorial Fund through the funeral home.

Leon A. Morse, Sr.

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Hancock – Leon A. Morse, Sr., 81, passed away on Saturday, November 2, 2013, at the Hillcrest Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pittsfield, MA.
Born in Bennington, VT, Leon was the son of the late Wayne and Ethel Montgomery Morse. He was raised in Bennington where he received his education. He later served his country proudly in the U.S. Army from the time of his enlistment in 1952 until his honorable discharge in 1961. Leon owned and operated Leon’s Shell Service in both North Lebanon, NY, and Stephentown, NY, and Hancock Auto Repair in Hancock, MA. He retired in 1992, as a truck driver, from Henry V. Rabouin, Inc. Trucking Company in Hancock.
Leon enjoyed the times spent with family and friends, restoring antique cars and fishing. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and avid wood worker.
Leon is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara L. Cure Morse, to whom he was married on June 16, 1960, in Rutland, VT. He was the loving father of Kelly L. Morse and wife Maggie Brown Morse of Hancock, Tracy Jo and husband Martin Rogers of Pittsfield, Whitney L. Morse-Koffi and Emile Koffi of Pittsfield, Leon A. Morse, Jr. and wife Julie of Berlin, NY, Wade Morse and wife Niki of Hancock and Joanne George of Bennington. He was the brother of Eleanor Harvey of Shaftsbury, VT, and the late Doris Babson, Marjorie Bond, Kennen, Wayne, Ted and Marie Morse. He is also survived by 23 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren as well as several nieces and nephews.
A funeral service for Leon was held on Tuesday, November 5, at 11 am in the Hall & Higgins Funeral Home, 457 NY Route 43, Stephentown. Interment followed, with military honors, in Hancock Cemetery. Friends were invited and visited with Leon’s family on Monday, November 4, from 4 to 7 pm at the funeral home. For those wishing to remember Leon in a special way, his family asks that donations be made to the Hillcrest Commons Nursing Home, 169 Valentine Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, in his memory.

The Rest Of The Grafton Town Board Kerfuffles

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by Kieron Kramer
One can infer from Grafton Town Supervisor Frank Higgins’ remarks at the Grafton Town Board meeting on October 21 that there have been complaints about the job Town Clerk Sue Putnam has been doing lately and about the fact that her friend, Jim Remington, spends time in the Clerk’s office with her. [Read more…] about The Rest Of The Grafton Town Board Kerfuffles

HFCS Board Votes For Pellet Fuel Heating

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by Alex Brooks
At its meeting on October 17 the Hoosick Falls School Board voted unanimously to move forward with the pellet fuel heating project proposed by Bioenergy Partners LLC. The resolution does not fully commit the District to building the pellet fuel heating system – that will happen when a contract is signed, probably in a couple of months. [Read more…] about HFCS Board Votes For Pellet Fuel Heating