The Kiwanis Club of Glens Falls is one of the oldest civic service clubs in Glens Falls… Their mission is to empower communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. All children deserve to wake up in a community that believes in them, nurtures them, and provides the support that they need to thrive, and throughout the year, the Kiwanis Club hosts numerous events to accomplish exactly that, by benefiting the community and helping to create lifelong friendships.
The Kiwanis Club’s current 2022-2023 leadership team includes:
President: Doug Shaver
President Elect: Laura Flower
Past President: Matthew Taormino
Vice President: Lee Cleavland
Treasurer: Mark Quakenbush
Secretary: Patricia Van Buren
The “Taste The Future” Event will be held at Seasoned, which is SUNY Adirondack’s full service student-run restaurant, where students learn and fulfill restaurant and hospitality roles, on location at 14 Hudson Ave in Glens Falls. This event will feature a four-course menu created by Chef Matt Bolton, with a beer pairing provided by Mean Max Brew Works. Tickets are $79, doors open at 5:30 PM, and dinner is served at 6:00 PM!
Mean Max Brew Works will be providing libations for this event. They are located at 193 Glen Street, #2, and are locally owned and operated. The Mean Max recipes are handcrafted and home tested, and they use both green processes and traditional brewing processes alike. Mean Max is open Tuesday through Thursday, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Friday & Saturday from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
The Kiwanis Club of Glens Falls is always looking to welcome new members. If you are interested in becoming a member or finding out more about membership, the Kiwanis Club members and guests meet for lunch at the Queensbury Hotel at 12:00 noon on the third Wednesday of each month. For a reservation, contact the Club Secretary at pvanblsg@aol.com. Newcomers and visitors are welcome!
For the 2023–2024 school year, Big Cross Street Elementary School will have a new principal – the Glens Falls Board of Education appointed Paul Morcone, who will take over from current Big Cross Principal Debbie Hall, who is retiring after 29 years as a Principal, Chief Information Officer, and Teacher.
Mr. Morcone comes to Glens Falls from Mary J. Tanner Elementary School in Granville, where he has worked for the past five years as principal. Prior to that, Mr. Morcone served as the Pre-K-12 assistant principal in Stillwater, New York. He also spent 13 years teaching at the elementary level in the Shenendehowa and Hoosic Valley Central School District.
“It is an honor to become part of Glens Falls Nation. It is exciting to be able to partner with the families, faculty staff and community of Big Cross Elementary. I look forward to collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure that safety, academics, and student needs are met. My family and I are embracing this opportunity and excited for this journey,” Morcone said.
Mary J. Tanner Elementary School will be welcoming Breanne Taylor as their new Principal, who is taking over for Mr. Morcone. She joins the Granville School District from North Colonie, where she worked with a diverse community and developed a new curriculum.
Paul Morcone will take over at Big Cross following in the footsteps of Principal Debbie Hall, who was appointed to the position in August of 2008… Debbie Hall had been a student at Big Cross during her elementary years. 2008 was a big year for Debbie Hall – that year, she became the first woman inducted into the Glens Falls Athletic Club’s Hall of Fame, for excelling as both a four-sport athlete and an outstanding coach.
As one of the first initiatives to begin his tenure, Mr. Morcone will be working with Big Cross faculty members on instructional programs. During his tenure at Mary J. Tanner Elementary, he led research-based implementation of ELA and math programs, and hopes to do the same for the Big Cross community.
Glens Falls Junior Jaelyn Graham beats out the throw to first
Glens Falls, 12… Hudson Falls, 0.
The Glens Falls Girls Varsity Softball team improved to 2-0 in the Section 2 Foothills Council and 3-1 overall with a decisive win over Hudson Falls. Glens Falls scored in the first inning, and the score remained 1 to 0 until the fifth inning, when the Glens Falls bats came alive – Glens Falls scored six runs in the fifth inning, and added another five runs in the seventh inning while holding Hudson Falls scoreless!
Coach Arch was pleased with the team effort: “Great hitting, great pitching, great team effort, good win for us,” he said.
Glens Falls will host Scotia-Glenville on their home field at Morse Athletic Complex on Friday, April 14th, at 4:30 PM – this is a league match-up!
Republican State Senators Dean Murray, Jim Tedisco and Mark Walczyk have introduced a bill in the state legislature that would elevate “Swatting” from a class A misdemeanor to a class E felony. This bill would increase the sentence if convicted of “Swatting” from its current standard of one year in jail, to one and a half to four years in state prison.
Recently, more than 30 New York Schools received false threats, which included bomb threats as well as shooter threats. Area schools that were affected by this either were on a two-hour delay, or fully suspended classes for the day. Schools were encouraged by the State Education Department and New York State Police to review their safety measures.
Lawmakers are hoping that increasing the penalties will reduce and prevent the number of threats. Governor Kathy Hochul said on Friday: “ Our State Police went to over 226 schools, as well as encouraging and having law enforcement visit as well… I want parents to know… we are taking every single incident very seriously, we treat it as if it’s real, but the reality is this is meant to disrupt and cause chaos in our school system and indeed society… It is incredibly stressful on our families at this time, and there is nothing we want more than to restore some sense of calm and normalcy to our kids who have been through so much over the last few years.”
Coach Arch finishing up conference with freshman pitcher Izzy Johnson and catcher Jaelyn Graham
Chatham, 4… Glens Falls, 2.
On a cold and blustery Friday afternoon, the Glens Falls (soon to be) Black Bears took the field and faced the Chatham Panthers. The Panthers took the win over the course of a nine-inning nail biter!
The winning pitcher Emily Mesick (Senior) threw for Chatham, and Izzy Johnson (Freshman) racked up the loss in the extra innings effort by Glens Falls. Chatham Sophomore Addison Perry had two hits and the game winning RBI in the 9th inning for the Panthers. Lily Haggerty (Senior) had an RBI double, and Kiersten Stevens (Junior) had two hits in the game. This effort was an improvement for Glens Falls over last year – when they fell to Chatham 4 to 0.
Last Year, the Glens Falls girls varsity softball team was 8-6 overall, and fourth in Section 2 Foothills League with a record of 2-3. They lost in the Sectional Final against a powerful Ichabod Crane, who were 25-0 overall and 16-0 in Section 2 Colonial League.
The extra inning loss to Chatham was the first loss for Glens Falls, having won the season opener against Queensbury… Glens Falls followed that win up with a win over Granville. The Glens Falls varsity softball team has both youth and experience on its side.
This program has built a strong team with expectations of winning. Seasoned Coach Craig Achambault has watched these players develop over the years; fondly known as Coach Arch, players know that they are expected to both perform and learn under his leadership. Coach Arch has help from Scott Endieveri and Coach Endo, and he both motivates and instructs the team from his position along the first base line.
Last season, Glens Falls graduated two seniors… Although their contribution to the team is missed, Glens Falls is still primed to have a successful season, and are considered a team to watch!
Next up, Glens Falls will be facing Hudson Falls today, April 10th, at 11:00 AM at Hudson Falls.
On Thursday April 6th, 2023 the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting at 37-40 Lawrence Street. This event was held to celebrate the partnership of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, with the WAIT House. The partnership added 10 affordable rental units to the Glens Falls Community! This initiative helps to put individuals and families on the pathway to home ownership with stable and affordable housing.
Glens Falls and the surrounding area are experiencing a housing shortage… The evolution of the short term rental market has had an effect on affordability of homes in the area. The idyllic concept of knowing your neighbors and feeling a true sense of community faded long ago; as society shifts and changes, and our values shift and change along with it, we individually and collectively find ourselves changing how we use resources and income. The boom of the short term rental market has created challenges for the members of our community who are looking to become first time home buyers, and those who are in the rental market as well.
When you think of AirBNB and VRBO, you may be thinking of your next vacation… The concept of short term vacation rentals has reinvented the tourism and the homestay market. Short term rental have facilitated a peer-to-peer trading platform in an unprecedented way, and has intensified an existing housing shortage in towns across the country. Housing units that are converted into short term rentals are removed from the open rental market, which leads to an increase in rent costs as supply diminishes. The decrease in the supply in housing spurs displacement of people who can not afford the increase in the rent.
Currently, The City of Glens Falls has 78 short term rentals – an increase of 59% from last year. Short-term rentals have decreased the availability of regular rental properties for the community, so The WAIT House and Habitat for Humanity have partnered up to help underprivileged community members build a pathway to stability and home ownership.
The mission of the WAIT House is to provide stability to youth who present themselves as homeless. WAIT House started in 1998 when a group of community leaders came together to address the issue of youth homelessness in Warren and Washington County. WAIT House opened in 2003 and has provided shelter, support and services to homeless youths and those at-risk of homelessness.
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington County is part of a global nonprofit housing organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing. Habitat works locally and worldwide through the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of homes, and advocates for fair and just housing policies. The housing shortage helped to facilitate the partnership between these nonprofit organizations – it’s created the opportunity for these two nonprofits to work together to help bridge the gap for those in need.
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner was on hand for the ribbon cutting: “I am here to say congratulations and to lend my thanks to our phenomenal Wait House and Habitat for Humanity. The partnership that you bring to this is really powerful and you each bring expertise and a dedication to the mission and I think it is really wonderful to see and I hope that it is one of many. And, I celebrate your willingness to work outside the box and think outside the box to accomplish something amazing for our communities” she said.
Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins was also on hand for the event: “I am just so grateful to be here and in the last few years we have had Habitat projects; three on Hovey street, one on Orville street. The City is very happy to support Habitat. For those of you who have not noticed, we have a housing shortage in Glens Falls, Warren County, and the surrounding area, and THIS is helping to address that. If you had a chance to drive by these properties just six, nine months ago, you would have seen a completely different scene… I like the fact that these are not all done. So you can walk into this one and see what a new apartment is going to look like… I agree with Carrie, how to change your model and be flexible so you can help people… Housing prices all over the region have risen, and we need to make sure that people can get out of apartments and into homes… Owning homes in Glens Falls is what we need more of; Thank you for all you have done,” The Mayor said.
Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties Adam Feldman said a few words at the ribbon cutting as well: “Those were all very kind words and I am humbled to hear everyone’s support and I was reflecting on our journey… About 6 years ago I had the Chamber come to a single family home in Lake George when I recently took the position, and at that (event) we recorded it and one of the things I said was ‘This is just the first step. I am committed to being a leader in not just home ownership but housing in the greater community.’ Three years later… We raised the first wall as a new partnership with the city. So, thank you very much. That sort of set the tone. And now two years after that, we have expanded and have 10 new rental units here,” Feldman said.
The members of the community that are supported by WAIT House are between 16-24 years old. When they age out of the program, they often don’t have any place to go… Creating affordable housing helps to create stability and community for the segment of the community that needs the help and support.
Glens Falls Fire Department 134 Ridge Street Glens Falls
On Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, Senator Chuck Schumer stood along local officials at the Glens Falls Fire Department on Ridge Road. He visited the Glens Falls Fire Department to announce his plan to save a program known as “SAFER’” which helps provide fire departments with funding for crucial equipment and supplies… The funding for this program is expected to run out this year.
Senator Schumer is championing the Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023 to reauthorize funds through the U.S. Fire Administration. This bill would reauthorize appropriations for the operations of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), and for two grant programs that the organization administers. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funds training and purchases equipment and vehicles. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) helps state and tribal fire departments hire and retain firefighters and first responders. This bill was introduced to the Senate on February 28th, 2023.
Warren and Washington County have received nearly a million dollars from these programs in the past three years, and Senator Schumer is rallying support to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act in the Senate by the end of this month: “We really depend on these folks, the Capital region in the last three years has gotten over 16-million dollars to help our firefighters. New York State over the life of the program has gotten 700-million, and they pay for things like up-to-date pumper trucks. The kind of breathing equipment is much better now, so firefighters can breathe pure oxygen. This is a very important program we have to fight for it. We believe in our firefighters and they need the help,” Schumer said at the event.
This bill would authorize the appropriation of $95-million each year over the 2024 to 2030 period for the USFA’s operations. Congress would collect and provide $58-million for that purpose in the fiscal year of 2023.
On Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, dozens of schools across the Capital Region received unfounded bomb threats, causing delayed opening and cancelled classes throughout the district. These threats came in at 4:00 AM as anonymous emails sent to the individual schools. These kinds of threats and unfounded reports are referred to as “Swatting”. Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, “I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school. Swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers, and families.”
Officials believe that these threats were most likely computer generated overseas.
“I have directed the New York State Police to investigate these threats and work closely with all levels of law enforcement to identify the perpetrators, hold them accountable, and restore the sense of safety and security our children deserve. Since the first round of swatting incidents occurred last week, State Police have been working closely with the State Education Department, county leadership and local school boards to provide support and necessary resources to address these incidents.” Governor Hochul said in a statement.
The FBI defines swatting as calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement – usually a SWAT team, hence the name.
In a statement, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik condemned the incident: “The soulless criminals who committed these shameful and cowardly illegal acts must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I thank our local and state law enforcement who are working to investigate these threats, so perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice.”
On Wednesday, April 5th, Glens Falls High School hosted the inaugural 2023 Job Fair and Career Expo event. 35 employers set up tables in the gym, and 12 area business leaders held seminars in classrooms. There were also workshops to help students with resumé building, work/life considerations, and financial management. This event gave high school students the opportunity to get a head start on their career search, and develop valuable skills.
There were also job fairs at Queensbury High School and Lake George Junior-Senior High School. Employers from both large and small companies attended the event, as well as companies associated with the Lake George tourism industry. These job fairs give the employers an opportunity to prepare for the summer hiring season; summer jobs fill an employment need and help young people contribute to the workforce, and also provide students with valuable social skills that set them up for future employment. Criteria for the businesses to participate in the job fair included location and number of positions available. All attending businesses took part in a 30-minute virtual orientation program to ensure success in recruiting teens to their open positions.
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) President and CEO Tricia Rogers was also on hand for the event. The job fair featured many of the ARCC members and regional businesses with employment opportunities… The mission of the ARCC is to partner with and support regional businesses to grow, succeed and thrive. It unites industries collectively to positively impact continued growth and continual investment.
Glens Falls High School Principal Kevin Warren, Tricia Rogers, Director of Warren County Employment Liza Ochsendorf and Glens Falls Assistant Principal Bill Levett
Warren County expanded the high school job fair to Glens Falls High School and Queensbury High School this year as a result of the successful 2021 and 2022 job fairs at Lake George Junior-Senior High School.
Applause and cheers rang out as the Glens Falls student cabinet announced the new Glens Falls mascot – The Black Bears! This announcement came yesterday at a special meeting of the Board of Education. The Board of Education members approved the student cabinet recommendation, and the mascot and icons will change over on July 1, 2023; this change will include the school’s apparel, fixtures, and turf field, along with other items.
The process of rebranding the Glens Falls mascot began when the New York State Education Department ordered all districts to remove “Indian” mascots and associated Native American imagery from the public school system.
Along with the mascot rebranding, Glens Falls School City District also established their core values of Unity, Support, Passion and Grit. Establishing these values was the first step in developing their mascot, and to establish these core values, 829 participants shared 404 ideas, which were rated by 29,447 participating students, employees, families, alumni, and neighbors. As the process continued, the four mascot finalists were announced: Knights, Wolves, Black Bears, and Hawks.
Beside the total vote count, there were other factors that were considered in making the final decision – the Corinth Central School District recently chose their new mascot; The River Hawks. There was concern about having a similar mascot as a nearby school… Also, the Knights mascot garnered concern about unity.
With these two no longer in consideration, The Black Bears was chosen over The Wolves. The next step in the process of rebranding is developing the icons and logos; however, red and black will remain the school colors, and GF Nation will still be used as a moniker.
