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IN THIS WEEK'S LOCAL -- Dec. 19

Ice storm renders hundreds of residents powerless

Town highway and village DPW workers continued clearing debris throughout the week after an ice storm hit last Thursday. Lower elevations were basically unaffected, but higher elevations were hit with ice that downed trees and power lines. About 800 town and 80 village residents were left without power. Central Hudson worked diligently to restore power as quickly as possible, but about 25 village residents had to wait until Monday. Page 1.

District uses first snow day

Power outages and downed trees led to Superintendent Timothy Rehm using the first of the Cornwall school district's six snow days. He cited concern for the safety of the students as his first priority. By cancelling classes Rehm took extra traffic off the road allowing road crews to clear debris. Page 1.

School district struggles with the loss of state aid

State aid to Cornwall schools will go down by $2.1 million in the next fiscal year if Gov. Paterson's proposal passes legislature. The district is already working on the budget for next school year. Principals and directors will submit their budget proposals before the holiday break. Page 1.

Two Cornwallites see Petraeus get award

Ron Salvatore, of Cornwall-on-Hudson, and County Legislator Alan Seidman were two Cornwall residents in the crowd when General David Petraeus received the Distinguished Service Award from the USO of Metropolitan New York on Dec. 15. Salvatore was there as a former member of the USO Board and Seidman knew the general when they were both at Cornwall Central High School. Page 1.

Board approves records program

The Cornwall-on-Hudson police department will be able to join the county-wide records management program after the Board of Trustees narrowly approved a motion by a 3 to 2 vote. Once the system is in place, officers will be able to retrieve background information from other departments rather than having to make calls. The program will allow officers more time on the street than at the station filling out paperwork. Page 1.

Storm King starts vacation early

Students at Storm King School started their Christmas vacation a week early when last week's ice storm took out a transformer and left the campus without power. Central Hudson said it would be two to five days before power could be restored, but reported no outages on Monday. Classes will resume Jan. 12. Page 1.

Young patient waiting for her "N.E.D."

Ryan Wenke, a 10th grader at Cornwall Central High School, is hoping for no evidence of disease after undergoing surgery in August to have a bone malignancy removed from her leg. A few weeks after the operation she was deemed 97 percent cancer free and began chemotherapy. She's completed 16 of 19 treatments and hopes to return to school, for at least half days, in the latter part of January. Her ultimate goal is to return to the high school tennis team. Page 5.

Drama Club hosts breakfast with Santa

This Sunday high school Drama Club members will serve as tour guides during the breakfast with Santa at the middle school on Main Street. Community members will not just head for the cafeteria for breakfast, but the drama club will lead them through the halls of the building which have been decorated to resemble Santa's workshop at the North Pole. Page 5.

Interior work to begin on Cancer Center

Construction of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital's comprehensive treatment center is aheard of schedule. Exterior work is nearing completion. By the end of January windows will be in and the building will be fully enclosed. Partitions are up inside for all the rooms and walls are starting to go up. The heading, ventilation and air conditioning system will be installed by the first quarter. The center is expected to be completed in the fall. Page 10.

School district to refund Tarkett

The Board of Education will have to refund $229,603 in property taxes to Tarkett, Inc. The refund covers a portion of the taxes paid in 2003 through 2006. After the Route 94 building was sold for less than its assessed value the company contested its assessement and was successful in getting it reduced. The district anticipated the outcome and had money set aside. Page 10.

Cornwall's grapplers win their own tournament

On Dec. 13 the Cornwall wrestling team hosted its own tournmanet and won, beating Carmel 39-33. They beat Pearl River 78-3 and Onteora 78-6. Team captain Kevin Barry was named outstanding wrestler. Page 16.

Aisling Cuffe finishes 12th in the nation

Cross country runner Aisiling Cuffe finished 12th in the Foot Locker National Championships held in San Diego on Dec. 13. Aisling's time of 18:03 was the second best of her career. The winning time was 17.21 . Page 16.

Cleary free throws finish Burke

Allison Cleary sand two free throws in the closing seconds to help the girls' basketball team beat Burke 36-34 in the team's home opener. The victory was the first over Burke in three years. Page 16.

BREAKING NEWS

The Board of Education meeting originally scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 at the high school has been moved to 6 p.m. at Lee Road School. Tonight's concert at the high school has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Monday night.

IN THIS WEEK'S LOCAL -- Dec. 12

New pastor of Bethlehem Church planting seeds

Rev. Paul Min became the pastor of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church on Route 94 last summer. While attending collage in Korea, Rev. Min helped a woman read her bible and began reading it himself on his own. When he was given a chance to study in the United States he pursued a degree in financial management, but after leading a bible study group he felt the calling to enter the ministry. His goal is to reach out to the community and plant seeds of faith in an area that's still growing. Page 1.

Village decides not to consolidate

At a special meeting on Dec. 3 the Village Board of Trustees voted to abandon the idea of consolidating the Town of Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson police forces. At a joint meeting between the town and village, Town Supervisor Kevin Quigley said he was not in favor of a combined force that would answer to both boards. He later indicated by letter that if the village were to disband its police force, the town would step in. The village board however was not in favor of a combined police force. Page 1.

County grant to improve police radio signals

The town council approved on Monday a resolution authorizing the town's police department to enter into an agreement to participate in a countywide project to improve the interoperability of radio communications. The county received a $1.7 million grant from Homeland Security and will investigate a plan that would improve radio signals. Chief Todd Hazard said police radios lose their signal when they leave a geographic area. Page 1.

Resident told to turn down holiday music

Ray Williams has been decorating his house for Christmas for the last eight years. For the last three years he's been playing holiday music to coincide with the blinking lights, but on Monday a neighbor complained that the music was too loud. Williams received a visit from Bill Lee, the building inspector, who asked him to turn down the music. Williams questions the point if no one can hear the music. Page 1.

Sponsor mittens for the troops

Winters are cold in Afghanistan and our troops need mittens to keep their hands warm. The Cornwall Yarn Shop will be supplying yarn for mittens and is looking for volunteers to help knit, sew or crochet mittens, or sponsor a pair for five dollars. A table will be set up on Saturday and Sunday during the Canterbury Theatre Ensemble's musical celebration at the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre at Storm King School. Page 3.

Studio prepares for super Saturday

Step by Step Dance Studio held a dress rehearsal on Dec. 6 and will present "The Nutcracker" at 4 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Cornwall Central High School. . Page 3.

Around Village Hall

After adopting its budget for the next fiscal year, the village board will hold  apublic hearing on the proposed comprehensive plan. The village is requesting a study of its police department to see if there are areas to save money. The village is saving money by borrowing $36,000, a third less the amount of money it borrowed last year and repayed with revenue it received from garbage rents. Page 5.

Middle school kids respond to Rachel

On Nov. 25 students at Cornwall Middle School were introduced to Rachel's Challenge. Ciara Bishop, Brooke Garfinkel and Tommy Horvath are among the students who have since been chosen to start a chain reaction of compassion and kindness in the middle school. The three students received additional training to become Friends of Rachel. Rachel was one of the students killed in the Columbine shooting. Page 8.

Couple falls in love with coffee shop and moves to Cornwall

Aurelia Winborn and Mikey Jackson have been the new owners of Two Alices Coffee Lounge since the end of October. While living in Brooklyn, the couple took a drive through Cornwall with their son. They came across Two Alices and immediately fell in love with it. This prompted them to start looking for a home for sale in the village. Although neither has any business experience, when they learned the coffee shop was for sale they couldn't refuse purchasing it. Page 10.

Cornwall captures five Youth in Government nominations

On Nov. 20 five Youth in Goverment Students were nominated for offices ranging from governor to sheriff. Matt Epstein was selected as a candiate for Congress, Josh Hawthorne as governor, Ryan Malone as sheriff, Justin Van Wygerden was selected for a seat in the state senate and Travis Beard earned a nomination for attorney genera. Elections will be held in February and students who are elected to state positions are usually invited to Albany while the legislature is in session. Page 10.

Unique two-pointer helps Cornwall retain its title

The Dragons beat Warwick 70-67 on Dec. 5 to repeat as champions of the Coaches against Cancer Basketball Tournament. An off-blance shot by Anthony Gagliano helped keep the Dragons in the game and eventually win in overtime. Page 16.

Lady Dragons beat defending state b-ball champ

The Lady Dragons finished second in a tournament this past weekend beating state double-A champion Rush Henrietta before losing to Kingston in the finals.Page 16.

Sophomore is Storm King's first female wrestler

Taryn Manastersky, of Toronto, Ontario, is Storm King's first female wrestler. Despite losing her first exhibition match, Taryn kept getting up until she was eventually pinned. She was able to score two points, but is determined to improve through constant training and practice. Page 16.

IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- Dec. 5

Records should stay at local level

On Monday the town board approved a resolution opposing the recommendation that vital records such as marriage licenses and birth and death certificates be moved to the county level rather than kept at the local level. Fees for certified copies of these docments would increase from $10 to $30 if the plan goes though. Page 5.

Town board to consider land purchase

Lucille Hand approached the council on Monday and asked if they would be willing to purchase 20 acres of property adjacent to the town garage at a cost of $1.2 million. Future discussion will include who is in favor of the purchase and what possible uses the land may hold. Page 3.

COVAC to discuss next year's budget

The town council is expected to meet with COVAC on Dec. 29 to discuss next year's budget. The town has already approved its budget and appropriated $148,000 for COVAC, but the ambulance corps' estimated budget is $198,000. Captain Michael Bigg said services may need to be cut in order to stay within budget. Page 3.

Marina dredging nears completion

The marina at the Cornwall Yacht Club is being dredged to allow more depth in the water so boats can dock and leave shore during low tide. Dredging will be performed to an average depth of two feet within the maring, resulting in the removal of approximately 6,725 cubic yards of material. Page 3.

Graduate returns home from the military

Anne Marie Benitez, a 2008 graduate from Cornwall High School, returned home Nov. 21 after 14 weeks of training in the Air National Guard. She spent seven weeks at basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and another seven weeks at technical training school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. While home, Benitez will look for a job and apply to SUNY New Paltz to obtain a bachelor's degree in either criminal justice or something in computers. Page 1.

Beacons light up night sky

Although it was a cold, overcast night, beacons from various locations in the Hudson Valley could be seen, representing the bonfires the Continental Army would use to communicate with troops and other villages. The beacons were lit to mark the 225th anniversary of the British leaving the area at the end of the Revolutionary War. Page 1.

Police investigating Firth Street break-in

Police are still investigating a break-in that occurred on Firth Street shortly after dark on Saturday, Nov. 29. A 20-year-old man told police that he was by himself when he heard someone knocking. He said that as he opened the door two Hispanic males wearing black hoods forced their way inside. Both men were armed.

The victim told police that a brief struggle ensued and the two men fled without taking anything and without using their weapons. Page 1.

Cornwall Commons keeps moving ahead

The Town of Cornwall Planning Board adopted the findings statement for Cornwall Commons and thus concluded the environmental portion of its review. The next step will be for the developer to get go-aheads from the Department of Transportation, the Board of Health and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Mr. Amato, the developer, said that he would begin to seek those approvals in six to 12 months. Page 1

Village employee out of surgery

Tom Veseley, a Cornwall-on-Hudson employee, had surgery on Dec. 1 to insert a rod in his leg and a pin in his arm. He had been critically injured in a two-car accident on Nov. 15.

It's expected that he will need six to eight weeks to heal before he can begin therapy. "Tommy still has a long road ahead of him," Dave Halvorsen, the DPW superintendent, told the Local. "But he's in very good spirits and he's more concerned about everyone else. He's disappointed that he's not yet back to work." Page 1.

General Petraeus to be honored

General David H. Petraeus will be in New York City on Dec. 15 to accept an award from the USO of Metropolitan New York.

The general, a 1970 Cornwall graduate, will be honored with the organization's Distinguished Service Award. Past recipients of the award include Bob Hope, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Page 1.

"Wonderful Life" is a wonderful idea

The Stormy Weather Players have chosen "It's a Wonderful Life" for their annual holiday performance, but instead of trying to duplicate the movie, they're presenting it as a live radio play.

The show will be performed at Cornwall-on-Hudson Elementary School at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Tickets are available at the door. Call 534-1012 or 534-5733 for information or visit www.stormyweatherplayers.org. Page 5.

No strangers at the community service

It was hard to tell the members from the visitors at the Cornwall Presbyterian Church on Nov. 25. People seemed to know one another and there were no strangers at the Community Thanksgiving Service.

Karen Cummings, a representative of the New York Organ Donor Network, delivered the message and told the congregation that there are 100,000 people waiting for organs. Page 5.

College frosh say "hey" on Alumni Day

On the day before Thanksgiving, the "welcome alumni" sign was up in the high school. Recent graduates either packed the lobby or led panel discussions in a room at the back of the auditorium. The event has become a tradition in Cornwall like the long holiday weekend.

In addition to being a reunion, Alumni Day is intended to be instructional for the high school's upper classmen. The panel discussions offer them practical advice for making the transition to college. Page 9.

A new holiday tradition

Lots of towns have Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving weekend, but Jessica Suarez and her friends and family added a new dimension to the tradition. They made turkey costumes and ran through the center of Cornwall. They hope to do it again next year. Picture on page 1; see the column on page 12.

Sports Roundup

Aisling Cuffe finished third in a regional cross country race and qualified for the national championships in San Diego. Ben Jebb and Stephanie Strine have made commitments to play for service academies next year. Ben will be playing football for Army and Stephanie will be playing soccer for Navy. A contingent of local runners ignored the cold on Sunday morning, Nov. 23, and competed in the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon. Pages 11-12.