Since 2006, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office has been partnering with the Warren County Office of the Aging to promote Project Lifesaver: established in April of 1999, Project Lifesaver was an initiative of the 43th Virginia Search & Rescue Company from the Chesapeake Virginia Sheriff’s Office. This program was pioneered to use specialized equipment and procedures to locate people who are affected by a cognitive impairment and “wander”.
This program was started due to the increase in people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, Down Syndrome, Autism spectrum disorder, Dementia, and other cognitive impairments. Project Lifesaver has become one of the leading organizations addressing the need to protect the people affected by these impairments, and bring comfort to their families and caregivers. Since the program has been in place, search and rescue times have been reduced from hours to minutes! Project Lifesaver reduces the time, funds, and manpower needed for search and rescue missions involving special-needs individuals.
Warren County residents (ages 5 and older) who have a history of wandering or potential to wander due to cognitive impairment are eligible for this program. The Project Lifesaver’s mission is to use radio technology to locate a person affected by cognitive impairment. A person who is lost due these types of impairments represents a critical emergency – these persons are often unaware of the danger of the situation, and therefore are unlikely to call for help, and also may not respond to people calling out to them.
Project Lifesaver utilizes a bracelet that emits a unique radio signal, allowing officers to locate the wearer in the event that they wander and become lost. This bracelet can give much needed comfort and peace of mind to caregivers, and help keep vulnerable members of the community safe.
To apply for Project Lifesaver, please call Warren County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Officer Cortney Howse at: (518) 743-2593
The much anticipated ‘Fire & Ice’ event will be delayed until the ice conditions for the event improve. Organizers are hopeful that the rescheduled event will take place on Friday, February 10, 2023. Although colder weather is anticipated for later in the week, there is concern about the thickness and uniformity of the ice on Crandall Pond… The event organizers will continue to monitor the ice.
The “Fire & Ice” event is on Friday nights at Crandall Pond, and begins at 5:30 PM, running until 9:00 PM. Admission to the event – and hot chocolate – is free, though organizers ask that you bring your own skates, a mug, and a chair. Anyone who is interested in volunteering is asked to sign up via signupgenius at: http:www.signupgenius.com/go/10CoF4AA5A92BAF$9-fire, or call the recreation department at (518) 615-0446.
The half-acre property located at 920 Route 9 in Queensbury – previously known for Gambles Bakery – is currently under contract to be purchased by Real Estate developer and Dunkin franchisee Tom Burke III. John Jarosz’s family owned and operated Gambles Bakery for about forty years, but recently, the bakery had struggled to find employees, and closed in early January of 2023.
This location is a well-traveled, high-capacity section of Route 9 in Queensbury, and a variety of franchises have recently invested in this highly visible location.
The developer is currently seeking approvals to build a WellNow Urgent Care facility; WellNow Urgent Care has been expanding to provide better access to quality healthcare for more patients in more communities. The mission of the company is to provide quality convenient urgent care services to individuals and families.
In 2012, WellNow (formally Five Star Urgent Care) was founded by Dr. John Radford, a former emergency room Physician. WellNow employs very few Physicians, instead opting to primarily employ mid-level providers: Physician assistants, Medical Assistants, and LPNs as clinical staff. The services provided include treatments for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries. WellNow Urgent Care is growing exponentially – the Albany area had five locations three years ago, and now has over twelve, with five more in the planning stages… And this former bakery may well become their sixth.
Queensbury 66, Johnstown 4: the Queensbury Girls Basketball team held visiting Johnstown to just 4 points on Thursday night. The Spartans easily took the victory in their 15th game of the season.
Dyllan Ray recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists. Kendra Ballard scored a season high of 14 points. Kayla Zehr posted 9 points and 5 rebounds, while Liz Rowey & Caleigh Johnson each scored 8 points, and had 4 rebounds apiece. Shea Canavan had 5 assists, and Kaitlyn Barton had 4 assists for the win.
Two players scored in the opening quarter of the game for Johnstown: J. Hisert, and M. Kortz. Then, Johnstown was held scoreless for the remaining three quarters of play! Queensbury is currently ranked 21st in the Section 2 High School Girls Basketball Rankings, and improved their record to 9-1 in the Foothills Council – and 9-6 overall.
Next up, the Spartans will travel to face Glens Falls (6-7 overall, 2-6 foothills council) on Monday, January 30th – tip-off at 7:00 PM.
Twice a week, 25 Hudson Falls students come to school at 6:40 AM to participate in the Zero Block Strength & Conditioning PE class in the fitness center. This program – newly started for the 2022-2023 school year – is a class that teaches strength, mobility, and body-composition training, and has also helped to build a positive school culture. It is taught by physical education teacher Chris Doody, and has the full support of Athletic Director Ryan Carpenter.
Carpenter is pleased to have the opportunity to expand the physical education program available in the Hudson Falls Schools: “We’ve seen other schools implement this program and have success with it, and we wanted to build not just a zero block, but a whole strength and conditioning program. It integrates a number of dimensions into our physical education curriculum. We are seeing improvements in our students’ physical and mental well-being. They are developing lifelong knowledge and skills and recognizing the value it has for not only their athletics, but their overall health” he said.
Chris Doody is a Hudson Falls Alumni. His goals for strength and conditioning align with the district’s mission to provide broad opportunities for students to grow and reach their potential: “This class is for students with an above average interest in fitness” Doody said.
Zero Block offers students a new dimension to their physical education, and students have a variety of motivations for participating in the program – students who had previously been reluctant in the standard PE class have now found success in the weight room, and students who play sports participate to improve their competitiveness.
Senior Chris Simmons’ motivation was to get to gym more often, and Zero Block created the perfect opportunity: “It’s worth it … but, you’ve got to have discipline to get to it” Simmons said; he has lost 20 pounds since starting the class. Junior Seneca Williamson – a three sport athlete who runs cross-country, and plays basketball and lacrosse – is taking the class to improve her performance. She has found that since starting in September, she is stronger and “more explosive” as an athlete.
Each class starts with some type of multidirectional speed work – the students have sprint races, and play mini-games of tag. “We start each class with competitive mini games that not only get us warmed up, but also help us become more explosive in our athletic events.” Doody said.
A.D Carpenter is pleased with the program: “Chris has done a good job getting kids to buy into his program and the philosophy around strength training and conditioning” Carpenter said.
Hudson Falls is also dedicated to helping the community become more physically fit – the fitness center is open to the public on Tuesday and Thursday nights, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
Project: Cameron’s Story is a 501c(3) public children’s charity. This organization helps families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – the babies in the NICU are often so fragile that they can’t be touched. Through the efforts of this foundation, each family with a baby at an NICU unit in area hospitals receives a book to read to their baby. Books can be donated through Scholastic Books, or online through Wishlist on Amazon.com. Book donations are due by February 10, 2023.
Project: Cameron’s Story was named for Cameron Quartiers, who proved that this type of bonding can be tremendously helpful to families in the most difficult of circumstances – Cameron was born 16 weeks premature, weighing 530 Grams (just under one pound, three ounces), and was on a special ventilator for the first weeks of his life. His mother decided that reading to him would be a way that she could bond with him without being able to touch him… She found that Cameron became responsive to her voice. Cameron spent 213 days in the NICU/PICU, and was able to spend a brief period at home, but passed away on October 20, 2009.
Project: Cameron’s Story helps families bond with their children, and assists with the child’s development while in the NICU. Cameron’s story is one of strength, hope and love… This book raiser helps to empower parents to form unique bonds with their children in an environment which can be overwhelming.
Project: Cameron’s Story donates books to these area hospitals:
Queensbury Union Free School District will be recognizing and honoring athletes, coaches, teams, administrators, staff and community members who have significantly contributed to the district’s athletic program with an Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Athletics Hall of Fame committee will be accepting nominations through April 1, 2023; inductees will be notified by mid-June, and a ceremony will be held in October. To be considered for the inaugural class, nominees must have graduated from Queensbury High School in 2000 or earlier, and/or participated in athletics at QUFSD during the 20th century.
“It’s an opportunity to appreciate and recognize the successes of our athletes of the past, and introduce their accomplishments to a new generation of Queensbury athletes” said Richard Keys – the director of Health, PE, and Athletics.
The district’s sports information analyst Tim Jones said, “Researching the history of Queensbury athletics revealed so many wonderful stories in addition to the outstanding numbers and statistics. There are a lot of people that… seem to be unaware of this rich, deep history that could motivate today’s and future student athletes to reach higher for their goals.”
“We are very excited to be able to have our first ever Hall of Fame Event. This will acknowledge the athletes that are so deserving for committing themselves to the Queensbury school district” said Superintendent Kyle Gannon.
The NYSED has ordered all school districts in the state to remove the “Indian” mascot and associated icons – arrowhead included – from the public school system by the end of the school year. The penalty for not complying with the order includes removal of school officers, and the withholding of state aid.
The Glens Falls Indian was chosen for the athletic teams in 1941, and the Indian was the theme of the 1943 yearbook… Since this time, additional icons have been added and the Indian symbol became expressive of all the activities in the school. In 1970, there was a dedication to the artist “Tom Two-Arrows – Iroquois, Onondaga Nation”, who sketched the classic Iroquois Chieftain’s head; also in 1970, the arrowhead icon was added. The most recently used arrowhead icons have the GF initials inside of the arrowhead.
The Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs have long held that the mascots are offensive, and this position is supported by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe: “We adamantly object to the ongoing practice of using Native images, names, likenesses – including in the form of caricatures and logos – and view their continued usage as offensive and a form of institutional racism; particularly by educational institutions and systems that should strive to be supportive environments for inclusiveness and diversity” The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe said in a statement.
The National Congress of American Indians responded to an inquiry regarding the harm that the mascot is causing: “ ‘Native American sports mascots, logos, or symbols perpetuate stereotypes of American Indians that are very harmful. The ‘warrior savage’ myth has plagued this country’s relationship with the Indian people, as it reinforces the racist view that Indians are uncivilized and uneducated, and it has been used to justify policies that forced assimilation and destruction” The National Congress of American Indians stated in response.
Glens Falls intends to create a framework of compliance with the NYSED; their goals include to keep the community connected, to get input from students, staff, families, the school community and alumni, and to have the student cabinet lead the process and make the final recommendation to the Board of Education.
It is anticipated that the proposed amendment will be presented for permanent adoption at the April 2023 Regents meeting. If that happens, then the proposed amendment will become effective as a permanent rule on May 3, 2023.
Dr. Bryn Schockmel Ph.D. is the new curator of the permanent collection at the Hyde Museum, located at 161 Warren Street in Glens Falls. The Hyde Collection is housed in the refurbished historic home of Louis and Charlotte Hyde – Charlotte Hyde established a trust in 1952 that dedicated her home and her extensive art collection to the community.
Charlotte Hyde’s vision was stated in the trust: “To establish and maintain a museum for the exhibition of art objects… and to promote and cultivate the study and improvement of fine arts, for the education and benefit of the residents of Glens Falls and vicinity and the general public.“
As curator, Dr. Bryn Schockmel will be responsible for carrying out Charlotte’s mission at the Hyde Museum. Bryn has strong ties to the Glens Falls area – a decade ago, she had an internship at The Hyde, and she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College.
Bryn’s education continued overseas at The Courtault Institute in London. This is where she earned her Masters Degree in Northern Renaissance Art History; then, she attended Boston University, where she earned her Ph.D in Italian Renaissance Art History. Bryn began her career in Oklahoma City at OKCMOA with a fellowship of provenance research – through this research, the ownership and history of a piece of art is traced. Bryn stayed in Oklahoma City for a total of about three years, and stayed on as curator of several exhibitions after completing her fellowship.
On January 9, 2023, Bryn started as the curator of the permanent collection at The Hyde. “My background is in Renaissance, and I wanted to be back in the Northeast. I wanted to be in a museum with a strong renaissance collection, which the Hyde has; we’ve got our Botticelli, and early modern in general like the Rembrandt, and the El Greco, so I saw this opportunity as a good fit for me” Bryn said.
Bryn has an abundance of energy and enthusiasm when she talks about both her role at the Hyde and Charlotte’s Collection: “As I’ve been learning more and more… reading about Charlotte and going through our collection’s database, I’m impressed by how diverse her tastes were… We have some medieval stained glass windows, and we have all of these early modern paintings. We also have our Picasso, so it’s such a broad spectrum. There is a lot of furniture and decorative art… It’s going to be a lot of fun to work with because there is such a variety, and there are so many things that I can do.”
This year is the 60th Anniversary of The Hyde Museum. To celebrate, The Hyde is putting on a David Smith exhibition – Smith, an American Abstract expressionist sculpture and painter, is best known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures, and is recognized as one of the great sculptors of the 20th century. This exhibition will feature around 25 pieces, on loan from both public and private collections and the estate of David Smith. Smith was a friend of Charlotte Hyde, and a key figure in the founding of The Hyde Museum – he was one its earliest trustees.
For the celebration, Bryn will be putting together a show in one of the smaller galleries in the museum. This show will focus on Charlotte, and feature items from the vault that have not recently been on display, showcasing Charlotte’s diverse taste in art. There will also be a recent acquisition show, to remind the public that the Hyde Collection is still growing: “The recent acquisition show will feature the works that we have acquired over the last five years or so. These are pieces that maybe haven’t been out on view yet… Some people might think that our collection is static, but we are constantly acquiring new works of art” Bryn said.
Dr. Bryn Schockmel has an intrinsic enthusiasm for The Hyde family, Charlotte herself, the house, and the art collection, and this enthusiasm has been recognized by Norman Dasher Junior, the CEO of The Hyde Museum: “We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Schockmel to The Hyde Collection team. A dynamic expert in her field, she is joining The Hyde at an incredibly exciting time as we celebrate the museum’s 60th anniversary. Dr. Schockmel shares our passion for the mission of The Hyde: To maintain a museum for the exhibition of the permanent collection and to promote and cultivate the improvement of the fine arts education and benefit of the residents of Glens Falls and vicinity and the general public” he said.
In her role as curator, Dr. Schockmel will be able to advance the vision of Charlotte Hyde, as well as a greater understanding and appreciation of the collection through research, lectures, and writing. The Hyde Museum is open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; for more information, please visit hydecollection.org
The Third Annual “Fire & Ice” event at Crandall Pond will be hosted by The City of Glens Falls beginning on Friday, February 3rd. This event will go on – weather and ice safety permitting – every Friday night for the month of February, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The city will be providing hot chocolate, and they ask that people bring their own skates, mugs for the hot chocolate, and a chair. This year, a warming tent will also be provided, thanks to Garden Time and Glens Falls Motors. Admission is free to this event, but parking is limited, and all children will need to be accompanied by an adult.
“Skating at Crandall Park is always a fun experience. But, there is something to be said about a snowy scene, a cup of hot chocolate, and a bright warm fire. ‘Fire & Ice’ is becoming one of the things that makes Glens Falls special” Mayor Collins said.
Ward 3 Councilwoman Diana Palmer has helped manage this event. “What makes ‘Fire & Ice’ so special is that Crandall Pond will be specially lit with six bonfires. Adding to the ambiance will be music provided by DJ Peter Wilhelm to make “Fire & Ice’ a unique skating experience. Last year because of the mild weather we had to postpone ‘Fire & Ice’ into March. Thankfully, the upcoming forecast looks promising, but we still have a need for volunteers to run our event.” Palmer said. The Glens Falls Fire Department require one adult to supervise each fire/burn barrel. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up via SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AA5A92BAAF49-fire.
