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IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- Sept. 26 Red Cross volunteers aid Gustav evacuees Cornwall-on-Hudson residents Len and Judy Rothman worked for two weeks in a shelter with 3,000 evacuees in Louisiana. They flew into the state ahead of the storm. "This is all a response to Katrina," Judy explained. "With Katrina everything happened after the fact. Now FEMA and the Red Cross are trying to evacuate people ahead of time." See page 1.
Free Family Fair is going to be fun There's a catch to the October 4 Free Family Fair at the high school. It's being organized by SEPTO (Special Education Parent Teacher Organization). The organizers want the event to be fun, but they are also hoping that fair-goers will meet the Special Education kids and get to know them. "With a little understanding, they can be like everyone else," Holly Borzacchiello said. See page 1.
Bad neighbors move out of town A group of tenants made life so unpleasant on Cherry Hill Road that residents of the street asked the Town Board to adopt a "bad neighbor law" on July 14. Now the tenants are gone. A next door neighbor is buying the house and will be tearing it down. The people on the street still believe that a "bad neighbor law" is a good idea. See page 3.
Betty Jurgens shares golden memories The Munger Cottage parking lot was filled long before the Cornwall Historical Society meeting on Sept. 22. At the meeting, Betty Jurgens read the book she compiled after interviewing 34 people who grew up in Cornwall in the 1930s and 1940s. The day after the meeting, Mrs. Jurgens said that she was pleased to have taken on the project. "If we don't get these stories now," she said, "we'll never get them." See page 5.
Appletime Fair returns for 33rd year Volunteers are baking 300 pies for the Appletime Fair that will be held at Cornwall Presbyterian Church on Oct. 18. A month in advance, a group of volunteers met at the church to start peeling apples for the big event. The pies take the place of the apple butter that used to be a tradition at the fair. See page 8.
Coach Parisi goes to Denmark "Coaching in college had become a grind," Cornwall's Jim Parisi said on Sept. 20, "but I still had to have football in my life." So he put his resume on a European web site and eventually accepted an offer from a team in Denmark. See pages 8 and 11.
Village becomes Hollywood on the Hudson The independent company filming "Handsome Harry" was at Braden Place on Sept. 17 and then the company invited Peter Neuman to join them for a day's shoot in Westchester. Peter said that the director of location, Peter McGonigle, loved Cornwall-on-Hudson and planned to share his experience with other people in the industry. See page 9.
New parking lot for Main Street? On Sept. 22, the town supervisor and the head of the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce met with the owner of a grassy lot at the corner of Torrey Place and Clinton Street. There's a possibility that the area may be transformed into a municipal parking lot. See page 9.
Board of Education won't tape meetings For now the Board of Education is not planning to videotape its meetings on RNN, but the idea is not completely dead. The problem is that RNN could only accommodate an hour's worth of tapes, and the board did not believe that it would be appropriate to televise a shortened version of the meeting. See page 9.
Sports round-up Stephanie Strine has scored eight goals in her first six soccer games this year; the volleyball team has won 22 matches in a row; Cornwall swimmers defeated New Paltz after losing to five double-A opponents. Football coach Marcus Hughes said that quarterback Kevin Arduino was so good against Saugerties, it was ridiculous. See pages 12 and 14.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- Sept. 19 Cornwall remembers its heroes on Sept. 11 The dedication of the emergency services monument followed the traditional Sept. 11 observance at Chadeayne Circle. Patrick Hines, the Cornwall Fire Department chief, was one of the last speakers of the evening. He read an honor roll of nine people who had died in the line of duty, and also thanked the families of all the emergency service workers for their sacrifices. He then turned and faced the stone that had just been unveiled. "I hope this monument inspires us to continue," he said. See page 1 of today's Local.
Local golfer helps movie production Local golfer Mike Rostanzo had an unusual role when the movie "Handsome Harry" was filmed at the Storm King Golf Club on Sept. 16. The script called for two friends to play a round of golf. One was supposed to be an accomplished player and the other a novice. But, in reality, neither actor had ever swung a golf club. With Rostanzo watching, they hit about 50 practice shots before heading to the sixth tee for the filming. The performers took a few smooth cuts after the camera started to roll. But the actors didn't actually hit the ball; Rostanzo did later in the day. See page 1.
Bottled jellyfish light up Fall Festival There was good weather and a big crowd for the 35th annual Fall Festival. An unusual attraction was a table with colorful objects inside glass casings. The objects were jellyfish that had died naturally and were then frozen in liquid nitrogen. See page 3.
Village Board discusses Maple turnaround No one has come forward to purchase the old water department building on Maple Avenue in Cornwall-on-Hudson. Residents of the avenue are concerned about losing the parking lot, because drivers used it to turn around on the dead end street. "I think we need to discuss what we want to get out of that property," trustee William Fogarty said. "There's no sense going forward if neighbors don't want what we propose." See page 3.
Garden flourishes under green thumbs Sue Mitchell, a high school science teacher, started an organic garden in 2005. She and her students tended it during the school year. But who took care of it when school was out? Mitchell recruited a team of parents and students to look after the garden during the summer. And the volunteers have kept it going. See page 5.
Board moves forward with hydro-electric study The Cornwall-on-Hudson Board of Trustees authorized a $5,000 study to determine if it would be feasible to run a hydro-electric facility in Black Rock Forest. The object would be to use the water running in the forest to generate electricity. See page 5.
Volunteers help Food Bank The Food Bank, which routinely helps other people, got some help of its own on Sept. 5. To mark the United Way's 16th annual Day of Caring, a team of volunteers painted the inside of the Food Bank and helped with its landscaping. See page 6.
What the Hudson Valley has to offer The ninth annual Hudson River Ramble will feature its largest event roster ever. A total of 202 events will take place from Saratoga County (and the capital region) to New York City on the weekends of Sept. 20-21 and 27-28. See page 7
Many surprises in Canterbury production of "Mame" Justin Milliren, the assistant head of Storm King School, is directing the Canterbury production of "Mame." That sounds surprising. But before he was an academic administrator, Mr. Milliren was an accomplished ventriloquist and magician. He's put together a cast that varies in age from nine-year-old Eliozabeth Klosky to 79-year-old George Gully (Mr. Spoons). The show will be performed on Sept. 19-21 and Sept. 26-28. See page 8.
Local trap shooter has Olympic dreams Dan Wagner, a 47-year-old local contractor, is currently in Colorado trying out for the 2009 World Clay Target Championship. He and his family have lived in Cornwall for 13 years. The first time he tried skeet shooting, he hit 18 out of 25 clay birds -- and he's been hooked on the sport ever since. See page 9.
Lieutenant Ringlehan meets the general Jason Ringlehan's mother, Karen Ringlehan Kiesel (formerly Karen Brennan) grew up on Avenue A across the street from the Petraeus family. When her son was deployed to Iraq, she had two hopes -- that he would return safely and that he would have his picture taken with her former neighbor, Gen. Petraeus. See page 11.
Who wants a barn? Doug Cooper of the Cornwall Historical Society reports that three local people have expressed interest in owning the barn and blacksmith shop that are on the old DPW property. Mayor Joe Gross indicated that he could visualize the barn near the chapel at the river front, where it could be used as a center for youth boating. See page 11.
Sports roundup The high school football team blanked Rondout Valley 45-0. It was Cornwall's fifth straight shutout of a league opponent. The girls soccer and volleyball teams are still undefeated. Allison Cleary was named the 845.com athlete of the day after the she won two swimming races against Warwick. The girls cross-country team, led by Aisling Cuffe and Amanda Fasano, handed Warwick its first loss in 15 years. See pages 13, 14 and 16.
SPORTS UPDATE --Sept. 13 Cornwall 45 Rondout Valley 0 SCORING SUMMARY Corn: Smith 20-yrad interception return. Kick good (1Q: 7-0) Corn: Arduino 4-yard run. Kick good (1Q: 14-0) Corn: Kirshner 33-yard field goal (2Q: 17-0) Corn: Babcock, 45-yard pass from Arduino. Kick good (2Q: 24-0) Corn: Zuzek, 35-yard pass from Arduino. Kick good (3Q: 31-0) Corn: D'Esposito, 33-yard run. Kick good (3Q: 38-0) Corn: King 17-yard run. Kick good. (4Q:45-0). UNOFFICIAL CORNWALL STATISTICS Touchdowns: Smith, Arduino, Babcock, Zuzek, D'Esposito, King. Extra points: Kirshner 6. Field goal: Kirshner. First downs: D'Esposito 3, Arduino 2, Babcock 2, Blythe 1, Watts 1, Wroten 1. Passing: Arduino 9 for 15 for 158 yards, two touchdowns. Receptions: Babcock three for 81 yards, D'Esposito two for 22 , Zuzek one for 35 , Watts one for 10, Kelly one for 5, Smith one for 5. Rushing: D'Esposito seven carries for 61 yards. Arduino four for 17, King one for 17, Blythe one for 10, Cruz two for 8. Sacks: Babcock 2, Smith 1. Interceptions: King, Roth. Forced fumble: Roth. Fumble recovery: Ryan Staudle.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- Sept. 12 Fall Festival is not just a sidewalk sale The 35th annual Fall Festival will be held tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Main Street will be closed to all traffic and cars will not be able to park on the street from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking will also be prohibited on thje south side of Clinton Street and the south side of Broadway. In addition to the 100 vendors that are expected on Main Street, there will be amusements and entertainment. A highlight of the festival will be the handstand contest at 1 p.m.
Speaking of debt -- a look at Cornwall-on-Hudson When people started to talk about police consolidation on Sept. 2, the conversation shifted to the village's long-term debt. Part of the concern is related to phraseology. Put any dollar figure in front of the words "in debt" and it sounds like the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson is in serious trouble. As of last March 9, the total principal of the village's outstanding bonds was $6,725,000. The breakdown between the general and the water fund was $2,429,445 (general fund) and $4,295,555 (water fund). See page 1 for more details.
Fighting cancer with a smile Ryan Wenke is a sophomore at Cornwall Central High School. She and her family had never heard the term "osteosarcoma" until she was diagnosed with it last May. A rare form of cancer, osteosarcoma has often led to amputation. But surgery saved Ryan's leg, and after weeks of chemotherapy she is 97 percent cancer free -- and still smiling. You can meet this remarkable teenager on page 1.
Cornwall-on-Hudson's stone arch bridges at risk The stone arch bridges in the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson are being considered for National and State Registers of Historic Places. Mayor Joe Gross has been told that once the bridges are landmarked it will be easier to get a grant to cover the considerable cost of having them fixed. Details are on page 1.
District received high marks on report card Cornwall students surpassed the state average in statewide tests in math, language arts and science. In most cases, the percentage of Cornwall kids passing these exams was 10 to 20 percent higher than the state average. See the breakdown on page 3.
Residents resisting sale on Maple Avenue Several residents of Maple Avenue in Cornwall-on-Hudson showed up at a Board of Trustees work session on Sept. 8. The people were concerned about the village's plan to sell the storage building at the end of their dead-end street and have the property rezoned for residential use. With the building and its parking lot gone, it will be hard for drivers to turn around at the end of the street. See story on page 3.
Delarose to duel Larkin for Senate seat Larry Delarose is the Democratic candidate who will be trying to keep Bill Larking from returning to the state Senate for a 10th term. Mr. Delarose, a former Republican, was a councilman in the Town of Blooming Grove from 1987 to 1991. He served as supervisor for a year after Nancy Calhoun left the position to serve in the assembly. An interview with the candidate appears on page 3.
Advice on planning a wedding and honeymoon Cornwall Local reporter Jason Kaplan returned from his honeymoon on Sept. 7 and compiled some tips for people who are due to get married. "Planning for the wedding began," he wrote, "almost immediately after I proposed." His advice appears on pages 10 and 11.
Sports Roundup Almost 2000 people attended the Sept. 5 football game between Cornwall and Monroe-Woodbury. The Dragons scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, but lost 24-19. All of Cornwall's high school teams were in action. Aisling Cuffe finished first in the girls cross country race in Washingtonville. Brienne Ryan has posted the fastest times in Section 9 in four individual swimming events. The girls' soccer team opened its season with a pair of shutouts. Sports coverage appears on pages 13-16.
SPORTS INFORMATION -- Sept. 6 Monroe-Woodbury 24 Cornwall 19 SCORING SUMMARY M-W: Boyle, 30-yard field goal, second quarter (0-3) M-W: Scalo, one-yard run, second quarter. Boyle's kick good (0-10) Corn: Arduino, two-yard run, third quarter. Extra point blocked (6-10) M-W: 12-yard pass (Scalo to Young), third quarter. Kick good (6-17) M-W: Scalo, 47-yard run, third quarter. Kick good (6-24) Corn: Wroten, one-yard run, fourth quarter. Two-point try failed (12-24) Corn: 13-yard pass (Arduino to D'Esposito), 4th quarter. Kick good (19-24) UNOFFICIAL CORNWALL STATISTICS Touchdowns: Arduino, Wroten, D'Esposito. Extra points: Kirshner 1-2. First downs: Arduino 3, Babcock 2, D'Esposito 2, Smith 2, Kelly 1, King 1, Watts 1. Passing: Arduino 16-27 for 177 yards; King 1-2 for 4 yards Receptions: Smith four for 58 yards, Babcock four for 39 yards, Kelly three for 31 yards, King two for 23 yards, D'Esposito two for 17 yards, Watts two for 13 yards. Rushing: Arduino 11 carries for 65 yards. D'Esposito nine carries for 9 yards. Wroten three carries for one yard. Fumble recoveries: Roth 2. Sack: Watts
SPORTS INFORMATION -- Sept. 5 The unofficial statistics from tonight's football game will appear on this web site on Saturday, Sept. 6.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- September 5 What's the next step on consolidation? After meeting with the Town Board on Sept. 2, the Cornwall-on-Hudson Board of Trustees met in executive session to discuss police personnel. The next day the mayor said that he believed that the town would support having a free study done by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. But Supervisor Kevin Quigley seemed to have a different viewpoint when he was questioned on Sept. 3. "I'm opposed to involving the state," he said. "We would agree to a study -- but what kind?" Details are on page 1.
Emergency services honored with a monument A six-foot emergency services monument was lowered into position at Chadeayne Circle on Sept. 2. The monument will be unveiled at a special ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 11. The area around the monument has been upgraded into a small but tranquil park. Details are on page 1.
Hudson-Fulton grant application filed Cornwall-on-Hudson Trustee Barbara Gosda has applied for a grant that would cover the expense of a special event at the riverfront. If the application is successful, Aug. 29 would be a big day at Donahue Memorial Park. There might be a one-man play, a banjo concert and a series of lectures on area history. See page 1 for details.
Hoodies shoot to benefit charity When local photographer Jimi Ferrara decided to photograph adults and children in hooded sweatshirts on Sept. 14, he had three things in mind. He would use the photos for an exhibit at Fiddlestix; he would charge people a special rate and provide them with an 8x8 mounted photograph, and he would donate the profits to the Autism Move-a-Thon of Orange County. See page 3 for details.
Parents busy when school starts The first day of school is a busy time for parents as well as students. There are forms to sign, a long list of supplies to buy, and a 31-page booklet to read and digest. See the story on page 3.
Senator Larkin honored at back-to-school meeting Senator Bill Larkin received a plaque from the school district at an end-of-summer meeting that included all district employees. Tim Rehm, the district superintendent cited the many times the senator had helped Cornwall schools and read a long list of the senator's accomplishments -- dating back to his service during World War II. Details on page 5.
District introduces last phase of math program A new math course at the high school this year is the last of three steps to phase out the old Math A and B system. Michael Brooks, the assistant superintendent for instruction, said that the changes were required by the state and do not involve local decisions on the curriculum. Details are on page 5.
Idlewild residents marvelous at any age The residents of Idlewild Creek Apartments were invited to a buffet luncheon on Aug. 29. Monica Henry, the residence manager, greeted them and said she hoped this would be an annual celebration. The inscription on the sheet cake for the occasion read "Simply marvelous at any age." Story is on page 6.
Sands Ring Homestead being renovated When the siding was removed from the homestead on Aug. 28 it revealed the wood work done by Nathaniel Sands in 1760. It will take a few weeks for the siding to be removed and replaced. Story on page 7.
Officer Pena's special role Since John Pena returned to the Cornwall-on-Hudson police staff two years ago, he's been called about a dozen times to serve as a translator. He's helped other departments as well as his own. Officer Pena was born in Brooklyn, but lived in Puerto Rican for seven years while he was growing up. He is fluent in both English and Spanish. See page 8.
Concert organizers happy with event The Aug. 30 music festival at the riverfront didn't draw as many teenagers as expected, but the organizers weren't disappointed. Six different bands performed. And once, when there was lull in the entertainment, three musicians raced home, got their instruments, and held a jam session. "I thought it was a really positive thing," organizer Zach Gioia said. "We're definitely planning on doing it next year." Story on page 9.
Night golf at Storm King Golf Course Night golf has become an annual tradition at Storm King Golf Club. One night in August for the last three years golfers can be seen (or not seen) on the course after 9 p.m. A company called Nightflyer supplies the equipment, which includes glowing golf balls, glowsticks to mark where the holes are and paraphernalia to illuminate the golf carts. See page 9 for a description.
Sports roundup A group of high school and college girls formed a club that plays field hockey for fun at Laurel Crest Park (page 12). Dede Hall and Jenn Timmerman won the Ladies Flight of the member-member tournament at Storm King Golf Club. Stan Thomas and Keith Maloney won the men's championship flight. Quarterback Kevin Arduino says that the Dragon football team is ready for its opening game against Monroe-Woodbury. The boys soccer team played upstate on Labor Day weekend and split its first two games (page 14).
COMMUNITY NEWS -- September 2, 10:15 p.m. Waiting for next step on consolidation The town and village boards did not reach a conclusion at their joint meeting on consolidation tonight, but they did succeed in getting input from the public. Most people urged them to proceed with a study that would be provided without charge by the New York State Department of Criminal Justice. Most people indicated that they would not be willing to sacrifice response time in order to save money. Sue Lennon, a spectator, was the first person to draw applause from the overflow crowd. "It's admirable that you're getting together," she said. It's great that you're making people part of the process. I appreciate your effort to include us." |