Author: Kate Haggerty

Morgan & Co Treats GFPD to Holiday Lunch

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 26, 2022. Posted in Community, Downtown, Featured, Food, Local Leads.

Photo Credit:City of Glens Falls Chef Rebecca Newell-Butters & Manager Jolene of Morgan & Co.

The popular Glens Falls restaurant Morgan & Co showed their appreciation for the Glens Falls Police Department on Thursday, December 22, 2022, with lunch for the entire staff. Chef Rebecca Newell-Butters and the restaurant manager Jolene presented the luncheon to the Glens Falls City Police Department, which has 30 sworn members and two civilian employees.

“The holidays can be a sad time of year for some. Giving back makes you feel better, especially when you give back to the community. This year, we decided to do this for the Glens Falls Police Department because they do a lot of hard work around the city. We have a great police department, and the work they are doing in drug enforcement to keep drugs away from our kids is very important. It’s pretty amazing what our police department does” Chef Rebecca Newell-Butters said. The Chef and Co-owner of Morgan & Co said that she was doing it in the name of her father Ron Newell who was born and raised in Glens Falls. “He loved Glens Falls and helped a lot of people in the community.”

Police Chief Jarrod Smith thanked Morgan & Co: “On behalf of the police department, I wanted to say thank you very much for arranging the lunch. It was delicious and everyone was very appreciative. Thank you for thinking of us, and have a Merry Christmas.”

Morgan & Co is located in the historic 19th century McEchron House in Downtown Glens Falls. It has been owned by Chef partners Rebecca Newell-Butters & Steve Butters since 2014. Rebecca is a graduate of Glens Falls High School, and attended New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, Vermont. Rebecca’s international travel helped her sample a variety of cuisines and further develop her palate, helping her to win on an episode of the Food Network reality show “Chopped” in 2009.

Chef Steve Butters grew up in Norwood Massachusetts, and started cooking at a young age. He worked summers in restaurants on Cape Cod, and attended the famous Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Steve also garnered culinary fame on the Food Network – he appeared on the show “Sweet Genius”, where his humor earned him a cameo on E! Entertainment’s “The Soup with Joel McHale”. The couple married in 2010, at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing.

Morgan & Co is located t 65 Ridge Street in Glens Falls, which is also known as The McEchron House; the house was originally built by William and Sarah McEchron in 1891. The McEchron’s were philanthropists and involved in many local businesses – William McEchron was a charter member of the YMCA, and was involved in the construction of Christ Church. In 1984, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Morgan & Co is open year-round, and features gourmet catering, private parties, and outdoor dining in the warmer months. For more information, visit MorganRestaurant.com

GFSD Extends Community Communication and Support For Students

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 26, 2022. Posted in Community, Education, Featured, Local Leads.

The superintendent’s update via the parent-squared email system provided a link for family members and caregivers to opt into the email news system. This system delivers information about district activities and events, which includes Board of Education meetings, the school budget, and school closings and delays.
Community members who opt into receiving the emails can choose to provide a cell phone number to get text messages about school closings and delays due to snow or other unplanned events as well; and this source for the information would be available before announcements are made on local television or radio. This school news notifier is being made available to anyone in the greater school community.

The Glens Falls School District is also making an effort to “meet students where they are and accelerate them to where they need to be” by offering extra support to children that need it. This program takes place in each of the elementary schools on Mondays and Wednesdays, and focuses on math and reading. There are approximately 130 students who currently participate in this program.

In January, the Middle School and High School will be launching “evening school” for students who struggle to attend regular school day hours. For more information, please visit GFSD.org.

Liquid Gold: Theft of Restaurants’ Used Cooking Oil On the Rise

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 22, 2022. Posted in Business, Community, Featured, Local Leads.

The Oil Container from China Wang Restaurant

Restaurants use gallons of cooking oil a week, and that oil can be used as fuel… The used oil that had previously been a waste for a restaurant has been turned into a revenue stream; Biofuel production has evolved into a multi million dollar industry. Biodiesel – a form of diesel fuel that is derived from vegetable oil, animal fat or organic waste – can run diesel engines and blend with other alternative fuels. As this market emerged, the original waste-haulers shifted from providing the service of picking up the oil to paying customers for the waste oil. The hauler provides covered containers to store the oil until it is picked up… However, there has been an increase in thefts of this oil.

Two companies that recycle used cooking oil are Western Mass Rendering Company and Buffalo Biodiesel. These companies supply restaurants with vats to hold used oil – these vats are kept locked outside in the back of the restaurants, and then picked up by drivers on a planned route. Western Mass Rendering Company has over 10,000 customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Eastern New York , Southern New Hampshire, and Vermont.

According to Buffalo Biodiesel, a whopping 96% of cooking oil thefts reported to the company are in the Capital Region. The Albany area is the most significantly hit area; from January to early November of this year, Buffalo Biodiesel had 440 reported cooking oil thefts. Break-ins are up 30%, and expected to increase to 50% in the coming year. The thieves are making more than $1,000 a night stealing the cooking oil and selling it on the black market.

Western Mass pays customers $100 for a 300 gallon tank, and a man who was accused of stealing cooking oil admitted to being paid $3 a gallon for the oil. Thieves typically drive box trucks or work vans with pumps or hoses that are used to transfer the oil to an onboard holding tank. If they are caught, they are charged with petit larceny or possession of stolen property, which are both misdemeanors; they are then issued an appearance ticket.

Restaurant owners have had success catching people who are stealing the oil by installing cameras, and Buffalo Biodiesel posts the thefts on their Facebook page. They recently posted that China Wang reported an oil theft: “ Our supplier at China Wang reported an oil theft from the vat where they recycle their used cooking oil. Theft hurts the community and your local restaurants, as we pay for their oil.”

Due to limited legal ramification to the thieves and the large markup for the oil on the black market, this problem is expected to increase in the coming year. This hurts restaurant owners who are paid for the oil, and there is also a concern that someone will get hurt during the commission of these crimes.

Open Door Mission’s Men’s Transitional Shelter: Phase One

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 22, 2022. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads.

The Open Door Mission is moving some of their program participants to the 3rd floor of the mission which is located at 226 Warren Street in Glens Falls NY; this is phase one of the plan to set up a 52-bed men’s shelter. Jamie Munyon is the Executive Director of the Open Door Mission. He explained phase one of the program via a YouTube video: “We’re really excited about this opportunity to serve this community in this way. We want to say thank you to our staff and our volunteers. We want to thank Maureen and Elka and Lee and Bob for all of the hard work that was put in to facilitate this move.”

The program participants are moving from the first floor of the mission to the third floor of the mission. The individuals that are participating in this program will be in the Life Path Program; these individuals will be addressing some of the cycles that keep them stuck in poverty and homelessness, including addiction, mental health, and financial concerns. They will have the opportunity to participate in small groups. With the support of the staff, they will have individual care plans, which ensure that their basic needs will be cared for, and they will be able to pursue growth in areas that they find themselves getting stuck in.

The Open Door Mission would like to thank the frontline staff and shelter volunteers for their amazing work; the Federal Home Loan, which funded the third floor; and Hilltop Construction Company, for their execution of the building plans.

Co-Ed Pick-Up Field Hockey at The Dome

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 22, 2022. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads, Sports.

The Adirondack Sports Complex – better known as “The Dome” – is a multi-sport facility located at 326 Sherman Ave in Queensbury. One of the programs that The Dome features is co-ed pick up field hockey; people of all ages and skill levels meet once a week and play field hockey for an hour and a half. This program has varied in participation over the years… Jeff Rocas started out when the program was at its height. “We had so many players that I was in charge of substitutions” he said.

It wasn’t until attendance numbers began to dwindle that he picked up a stick himself. Jeff found a love of field hockey when his daughter Alyssa began playing the sport. As Alyssa’s high school career came to a close, Jeff took over the Gloverville Youth Field Hockey Program.

Jeff makes the trip from Gloversville each week to play: “It’s hard to find places to play, so I make the drive. There are other players that come from the Albany area. We drive so that we can play. We have a good group here, and it’s fun and everyone is friendly.”

Currently, the pick-up field hockey league has about eight to ten players a week. “We are always posting on Facebook to try and get more players. College kids come home and play during their breaks, people who played in high school play because they miss the sport, and boyfriends play with their girlfriends. It’s just fun.”

This week (most likely due to the holidays) there are four sets of parents playing with their children: “That is always fun to see. I play with Alyssa when she’s home, but to have four sets of parents playing with their children is wild.” Co-ed pick up field hockey plays on Thursday nights, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. For more information, go to adirondacksortscomplex.com, or ADKSC Pick-Up Field Hockey’s Facebook page.

“Ghost” Bill A8378 Stirs Vaccination Controversy

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 21, 2022. Posted in Community, Education, Featured.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our lives in previously unimaginable ways… From the early days of quarantine to today, different variants and strains of the virus continue to mutate and affect people’s lives in different ways. As a society we continue to live with COVID-19; and as the virus mutates and changes, so does our societal and governmental response to it. Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz recently put forth a bill in the New York State Assembly to include the COVID-19 vaccination in the mandatory vaccinations needed for schools; however, this bill never reported out of the Health Committee! A bill is assigned to a committee for discussion and analysis; if a majority of members on the committee support it, the bill is reported to the floor. If not, the bill is said to have “died in committee”.

This bill, which has been sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz and co-sponsored by Assemblyman Phil Steck and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, has caused opposition, especially on social media – a petition against the bill, which is on Change.org, has been circulating around Facebook for about a year. This petition reads: “New York State Parents Against Bill A8378 Requires Immunization for Kids K-12” and currently has just under 100,000 signatures; the goal of the petition is 150,000 signatures.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Federal Government has declared a public health emergency – a Public Health Emergency (PHE) was initially declared by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in late January of 2020, pursuant to Section 319 of the Public Health Services Act. A PHE lasts for 90 days, and must be renewed to be continued; the PHE for COVID-19 had been renewed as recently as October of 2022, and is scheduled for the next renewal mid-January 2023.

This proposed bill A8378 would add the COVID-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations to attend school. The summary of the bill reads: “Authorizes the commissioner of health to develop and supervise the execution of immunization against COVID-19 for purpose of state aid to schools; requires immunization against COVID-19 for attendance at school”.

Assemblyman Dinowitz represents the 81st assembly district in the Bronx. His district includes Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Norwood, Woodlawn, and Wakefield. Via an email interview, Dinowitz said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has killed nearly 1.1 million people, including more than 77,000 New Yorkers. The vaccine is incredibly effective at reducing the risk of severe effects from a COVID-19 infection, and community immunity has a significant impact on reducing transmission of the virus. Children already have to be vaccinated against viruses like measles, tetanus, polio and many other deadly diseases. My bill would simply add the COVID-19 vaccine to the existing list once it receives full approvals from the CDC and FDA.”

For this bill to go to a full floor vote, it would have to be reported out of the Health Committee and subsequent committees, which has not happened. This is among the many hurdles that this bill faces – the vaccines are currently in use under an emergency use authorization, and need to receive full approval from the CDC and FDA before they would be considered for the bill.

Parents who have signed the petition to stop bill A8378 support the parental right to decide what vaccines are best for their child. The petition says: “The COVID-19 vaccine has not had sufficient study trials for children, nor has it been tested long enough.” Comments in the “Reason for Signing” section of the petition include, “I DO NOT CO PARENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT”, “Our children are not science experiments”, and “My kids my choice…my choice!”

Assemblyman Matt Simpson of Assembly District 114 – which is Essex County, Warren County and parts of Saratoga, Washington and Fulton Counties – is not in favor of the mandate. He said via phone interview: “I am opposed to mandating the vaccine. I believe that is a parental rights decision.” Simpson is hopeful that we are on the other side of the pandemic, and that a vaccine mandate is not in line with the current status of COVID-19 – he pointed out that this legislation may be from the height of COVID-19, when some “Draconian” measures were being looked at to control the spread of the disease.

The petition has been circulating on Facebook for almost a year, and new signatures are constantly being added to it; within the last hour, two more people have signed the petition, showing an active public concern with the state of the issue.

Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is still being used in an emergency capacity. The bill has not been reported out of committee, and therefore has “died in committee”; although this bill has been drafted, the State Assembly is not in session, and there are no State Assembly committees currently in session. This parental movement against immunization requirements continues to maintain their dissent of this bill as the petition continues to circulate on Facebook, with concerned parents continuing to sign it… As this issue continues to change and evolve, talking to local representatives is important – both Assemblyman Simpson and Assemblyman Dinowitz were very responsive to questions and inquiries about this issue.

Lake George, Lakefront Terrace Resort Sold for $7.4 Million

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 21, 2022. Posted in Business, Featured, Local Leads, Property.

Ken McGurk sold the Lakefront Terrace Resort to family members recently for $7.4-million. The property was put on the market after McGurk completed a multi-year $2-million renovation. McGurk bought the 73-room resort for $3.4-million in 2018. He then moved to Lake George, and ran the Lakefront Terrace for four years. The $2-million investment was used for paint, upgrading patios, and replacing beds, linens and floors throughout the resort. McGurk listed the 1.76-acre resort in September – the resort features a 150-foot private beach, and is located half a mile from Lake George Village. There were multiple offers prior to the sale agreement.

The Lakefront Terrace was purchased by a limited liability company called Tahoe LG, that is controlled by McGurk’s cousins Michael Menter, Chris Menter and Patrick Menter. The transaction closed December 14, 2022 according to the deed filed with Warren County clerk’s office. Glens Falls National Bank financed the mortgage.

The three Menter brothers grew up in the hospitality industry. The Menter family has long-standing ties to the community: David and Teresa Menter (Michael, Chirs and Patrick’s parents) have restaurant and hotel holdings throughout the Adirondacks; they have owned Scotty’s Lakeside Resort in Lake George, and Country Inn & Suites hotel, which is near the Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury.

Other Lake George real estate holdings have stayed within families as well – on November 16, 2022, Dennis Quirk sold his Lake George real estate holdings and businesses to his daughter and son-in-law. The real estate in that deal was sold for $3.53-million, according to the Warren County Clerk’s office.

Common Council Highlights Youth in our Community

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 20, 2022. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads.

Photo Provided: The City of Glens Falls, Adele Squadere

The Glens Falls Common Council meeting last Tuesday (December 13, 2022) was opened by Adele Squadere, a 6th-grade student at Abraham Wing School – Squadere sang the National Anthem to open the meeting.

The City of Glens Falls would like other singers or performers to open the meetings with the National Anthem, or a quick display of cultural dance or music! To participate in this program, reach out to Kate Roos at: ksroosgf@gmail.com.

Mayor Bill Collins said, “We all were absolutely delighted with Adele’s performance, and I’m proud to be part of this new program. We have a solid history of promoting the arts in Glens Falls. It is especially important to include the talented young people in a community that has so many gifted artists and musicians. It provides our younger generation with an ability to learn and grow in a public setting while encouraging them to be part of the community. We all felt she added some energy to what typically is a formal setting.”

Adele is one of the featured performers at the upcoming holiday concert “Christmas Soul” at Abraham Wing School, on Wednesday, December 21st, 2022.

Saratoga Biochar Solutions Virtual Public Meeting December 19, 2022

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 20, 2022. Posted in Business, Community, Featured, Local Leads.

On December 19, 2022, Saratoga Biochar Solutions held a virtual public meeting to discuss the proposed facility at the Moreau Industrial Park. CEO Raymond Apy, President Bryce Meeker, hired engineer Andrew Millspaugh, and Chief Operating Officer Lee Wulfekuhle hosted the virtual public meeting. This meeting was the first of several public information meetings to be held as part of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s application requirements. Community members had the opportunity to email their questions, or ask a question via the zoom meeting function, or through the phone; or, add a question to a chat stream. Each community member was given 2 minutes and 30 seconds to speak; however, that time limit was not enforced. Apy and his team went through the community’s questions until just after 8:00 PM on Monday evening.

More than 100 area residents attended the virtual meeting. When the question and answer period began, the challenges of the virtual meeting format became apparent; the first participant in the public question and answer period was Tom Masso. That call was lost, but he was able to reconnect and successfully ask his question. Gina Laclair could not successfully enable her microphone, and was not able to comment. Apy and The Baker Public Relations team worked to communicate with community members and try to direct community members on how to enable their microphone and camera.

The Baker Public Relation team, who were on hand to assist with the meeting, could be heard giving direction so that the questions could be asked and concerns from community members addressed. On several occasions, CEO Ray Apy went back to community members who could not successfully connect and tried to reconnect with them and answer their questions.

Community members voiced their concerns regarding the safety of the facility for their children and grandchildren. Questions were asked regarding the steps to take if community members did have complaints when the facility was opened, as well as truck traffic. After several failed attempts to connect, Therese Gillis – Co-founder of Hands Off Our Hudson (which Gillis clarified is not an environmental group) – was able to participate in the meeting. She spoke for almost 10 minutes, before the meeting ended just after 8:00 PM. Gillis mentioned the PCBs pollution caused by General Electric that the area is still recovering from.

To view Saratoga Biochar’s 35-page Public Participation Plan, visit SaratogaBiochar.com, click on the menu, and Choose “PPP”.

Queensbury Girls Varsity Basketball Takes On Glens Falls

Written by Kate Haggerty on December 20, 2022. Posted in Community, Featured, Local Leads, Sports.

Queensbury 47, Glens Falls 24: the Queensbury Girls Varsity Basketball team hosted the Glens Falls Indians on Monday night, with the tip-off at 7:00 PM. The Indians dropped their second game in a row, coming off the recent loss to the Schuylerville Black Horses.

The Spartans out-scored the Indians in the first quarter, 14 to 6. At halftime, the Spartans had scored 24 points, and the Indians were held to 11 points. The third period was the most competitive for the Indians; they matched the Spartans point for point as each team scored 9 points. The Spartans then pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points to the Indians’ 4 points.

Dyllan Ray led the Spartans with 19 points, followed by Aislynn Dixon who scored 13 points. C.J. Lunt led the Indians with 9 points.

Next, the Queensbury Spartans (2-3) will face the Bethlehem Central Eagles (5-0) on Tuesday, December 20th, in a non-league away game. On Thursday, December 22nd, the Glens Falls Indians (2-4) will host the South Glens Falls Bulldogs.