The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick Falls PFAS Study Open House

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The Hoosick Falls Area Community Advisory Panel for the Multi-site PFAS Study is hosting a rain or shine open house on Saturday, May 7, from 1 to 4 pm, at the research clinic at 140 Main St. Area residents are invited to this family-friendly event to learn more about New York’s Multi-site PFAS Health Study, meet study staff and even sign up to participate if eligible. Please join us and help make sure that the Hoosick Falls Area is represented in this important, first ever national study of the relationship between PFAS exposures in drinking water and health outcomes.

For more information contact co-investigator Dr. Erin Bell at pfas@albany.edu or 1-833-732-7697.

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

Delgado Appointed Lt. Governor

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U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado has been appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul as her new Lt. Governor, replacing the resigned Brian Benjamin. Congressman Delgado currently represents New York’s 19 Congressional District which includes most of Rensselaer County.

In the press release from the Governor’s Office, Mr. Delgado is quoted as saying “New York deserve a Lieutenant Governor  who’s working day and night to make lives better for working people and their families. Upstate, downstate, doesn’t matter. We all want the same things, security, family and opportunity. The key is to listen to New Yorkers from all walks of life and then be their voice to get the job done.

The Eastwick Press will have more on the appointment and local reaction in this week’s edition

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

Grafton’s Mass Food Distribution

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Volunteers, including Toni Dolan, Pat Poleto, Belinda Goyer, Doug La Rocque and others, placing food into boxes at the mass food distribution event at Grafton Lakes State Park on Friday, April 22. The event was put on by Catholic Charities Mobile Outreach Vehicle Extension Program, the Capital District Area Labor Federation, the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office, the Regional Food Bank of Eastern New York, Grafton Lakes State Park and The Eastwick Press.

If one should doubt that need for such events still exists, they need only look at the numbers. Food this day was handed out to 1,797 people representing about 597 households.

[Read more…] about Grafton’s Mass Food Distribution

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

Hoosick Falls Central School Budget Approved

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by Chris Tergliafera
At the April 21 regular meeting of the Hoosick Falls Central School District Board of Education, the 2022-2023 budget was approved. The new budget will see an overall increase of 5.3%, with a tax levy increase of 1.96%. There will also be a large increase in state aid for special education. Board President Joseph Patire stated how happy he was with the budget, and that the district was able to stay under the 2.65% tax levy increase limit, while still providing a budget that will have the district in good shape moving forward. This sentiment was echoed by fellow Board members, as well as Superintendent Patrick Dailey.  [Read more…] about Hoosick Falls Central School Budget Approved