The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Boy Scout Troop 222 Brave Cold In The Klondike Derby And Freeze Out 2013

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submitted by Andrew Zlotnick
Ten Scouts  from Troop 222 set out in two sleds on January 26 at the Rotary Scout Reservation located in Poestenkill in temps hovering around 8°F all day. The Scouts tested their scouting skills against other troops in the Mahakin District of the Twin Rivers Council of the BSA in winter team building activities. [Read more…] about Boy Scout Troop 222 Brave Cold In The Klondike Derby And Freeze Out 2013

Hoosick Falls Police Blotter – January 9 to January 22, 2013

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Wednesday,  January 9 – 11:30 am – Aggravated Harassment on McCaffrey Street
– 12:45 pm – Assist NYSP on Beck Road in Domestic Dispute
-8:32 pm – Larceny on Manton Street
Thursday, January 10 – 4:45 pm – Animal Complaint on Fiske Street
Friday, January 11 – 11:14 am – Assist Railroad on Elm Street
-1 pm – Aggravated Harassment on Church Street
– 2:53 pm – Landlord/Tenant dispute on Saratoga Street
Saturday, January 12 – 12:02 pm – Loud party on Church Street
Sunday, January 13 – 12:54 pm – Check the Welfare, First Street
Tuesday, January 15 – 5:30 pm – Tenant Dispute on River Street
– 6:08 pm – Criminal Mischief  on Church Street
Wednesday, January 16 – 8:47 am – Assault on Hoosick Street
– 9:34 am – Assist Rensselaer County Drug Unit on 3rd Street
-3:32 pm – Violation of Order of Protection on Elm Street
Thursday, January 17 – 8 am –  Check the Welfare on Willow Street
– 1:08 pm – Traffic Arrest on Main Street. Arrested was Heath Grogan, age 44, of 480 Fox Hollow Road Hoosick Falls for Suspended Registration, Unlicensed Operation, No Insurance.
– 2:14 pm – Assist NYSP on active trespassing on Rt. 22
– 3:30 pm – Aggravated Harassment on Center Street
– 6:04 pm – Investigation on Martin Street
– 6:40 pm – Warrant Arrest on Main Street. Donald Disorda, age 33, of 1 Hoosac Meadows Way
Friday, January 18 – 8:05 am – Animal Complaint on Hovey Avenue
Saturday, January 19 – 11 am – Assist NYSP with report of a man with a gun on Rt. 7 and 22
Sunday, January 20 – 2:31 pm – Domestic Dispute on Hall Street. Arrested for Criminal Obstruction of Breathing and Harassment 2nd is 55 year old Anthony Bennett of 3 Hall Street, Hoosick Falls.
Monday, January 21 – 10:22 am – Investigation of 911 Hang Up on Mechanic Street
– 6:28 pm – EMS on Danforth Street
Tuesday, January 22 – 10:50 am – Check the Welfare on Waldron Lane

HACA Free Tax Service Begins

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The Hoosick Area Church Association (HACA), for the ninth year, is offering free assistance to the public in preparing income tax returns through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA program. The VITA site will be located at the HACA Center at 26 John Street, Hoosick Falls. The office will be open each Saturday beginning February 2 from 10 am to 3 pm and on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 pm through February.  In March and April, offices will be open on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm and on Thursdays by appointment. Office hours have been scheduled for evenings and weekends to accommodate people who find it difficult to take time off from work.  The service is free and is provided by IRS Certified VITA/TCE Volunteer Preparers.
To help accurately prepare their returns, taxpayers should bring the following:
• photo identification;
• valid Social Security cards for the taxpayer, spouse and dependents;
• birth dates for primary, secondary and dependents on the tax return;
• current year’s tax package, if received;
• wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R from all employers;
• interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099);
• a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
• bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit;
• other relevant information about income and expenses;
• total paid for day care, and
• day care provider’s identifying number.
Call Alison at 686-9491 to make an appointment. Volunteer positions at the site such as reception, filing, photo copying or hostess are also available.
The VITA program offers free assistance to those with low-to-middle incomes (wage earners who make $51,000 or less) who file Form 1040EZ, Form 1040A, or a basic 1040 Federal tax return.  Most returns for both Federal and State (including Vermont and Massachusetts) can be filed electronically and upon request, refunds can be deposited electronically into a checking or savings account.

Letter To The Editor – A Question Of Security At The Grafton Town Hall

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To the Editor:
I would like to elaborate further on the anonymous letter referenced in the January 18 Eastwick Press article titled “Weird Confrontations and A Sander Accident in Grafton.” The purpose for reading the anonymous letter, found in my Town Hall communication box at the January 14 Town Board meeting, was to point out that security within the Town Hall may need to be revisited.
On the surface the letter may seem as a practical joke or possibly a threat. More importantly, it speaks directly to the security of Official Town communications and correspondences. In addition to reading the anonymous letter at the meeting, I suggested the Grafton Town Board investigate additional measures to assure the security of official communication boxes and public safety.
As reported in the Eastwick Press during 2012, issues of Town Hall security were acknowledged, requiring changes in security procedures including securing communication boxes and changing locks on doors. It is apparent these procedural changes have been breached if someone can simply place an un-authored letter in Town Officials’ communication boxes located in a locked room. Residents of Grafton need to be assured their public and private information or correspondence remain secure. Every public servant has a responsibility to uphold these protections.
I would like to assure the people of Grafton as a public servant, I am committed to safeguarding YOUR information and protecting the public at large within the Town Hall and Grafton publicly owned properties.
Barbara J. Messenger
Town of Grafton Board Member

Letter To The Editor – A Feudal Firearms Law?

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To the Editor:
It is with a heavy heart and utter disappointment and disgust that I find myself compelled to write this letter, the causation of which is the enactment of New York’s recent ill-conceived feudal firearms law. This law is an overbearing assault on individual Rights guaranteed by our Constitution! A knee jerk reaction to a heinous crime perpetrated by an insane individual, this does nothing to address the root of the problem, which is the state of mental health in this country, and the treatment (or lack thereof) of those so afflicted. In their haste to trample the Constitution of the United States under the pretense of public safety there was absolutely no thought put into this law, or the ramifications thereof.
While I am certain the 21 gun salute at the close of the Berlin Memorial Day Ceremony will be almost as dignified and respectful with BB guns as it was with the Garand rifles typically used which are now classified as “assault rifles” and illegal, I am not as confident our respected veterans who once carried these same rifles across Europe and the Pacific in defense of liberty and our Constitutional Rights will feel quite as proud or dignified marching down the streets of Berlin in our Independence Day Parade, a celebration of Rights and Freedoms, with broom sticks on their shoulders instead of their Garand rifles!
I must also point out that while we lack the funds to repair roads and bridges, we miraculously have funding to crush honest citizen’s Rights? Or is this destined to be yet another unfunded State mandate to be foisted upon the Counties?
While I maintain this travesty must be repealed immediately, I must applaud our State Senator Kathy Marchione for having the courage and wherewithal to stand up to the Governor and downstaters so eager to seize our Rights! And being in receipt of our copy of the Eastwick Press yesterday, dated January 25, which reported on the Petersburgh Town Board actions, I must also tip my hat to Petersburgh Town Councilman Duane Goodermote for his similar efforts to defend the Constitution.
There is yet another question that arises and that is this: If they can move so swiftly and without public debate to eliminate our Second Amendment Rights, which portion of the Constitution will they trample next? Our Right to voice our disgust with their actions, or perhaps the Right of the Eastwick Press to even be published?
Todd Hermann
Berlin