Tag Archives: guest contributor

NYS Alpine Championships: McKenzie Liddle, Daniel Heroux receive Sportsmanship Awards

Standing, from left, are Daniel Heroux, Griffin Kleps, Coach Tom Down, Jessica Hannah, McKenzie Liddle, Lauren Holt, and Corey Down. In front is West Tickner

The Town of Webb School Alpine Ski Team began their competitions at the High School Alpine State Champion-ships on Monday, February 27th at Whiteface Mountain in the Slalom event.

There were seven sections represented from across New York State for a total of 60 girls and 61 boys.

The girl’s kicked it off with McKenzie Liddle placing 11th overall and Jessica Hannah placing 32nd.

Lauren Holt had to relinquish her 14th place when she had a DNF on her second run.

For the boys, West Tickner placed 9th overall, Daniel Heroux had a DSQ on his first run and Corey Down had a DNF on his second run leaving them both without combined placements. Continue reading →

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Now official: Inlet retakes Guinness record

1,902 BOATS: Final count blows Pittsburgh out of the water, by Adele Burnett 

Photos by Barry Lobdell Photography

Inlet’s One Square Mile of Hope Committee has received notification from the Guinness Book of World Records(tm) that on January 31, 2012 their claim for the world’s largest raft formation of canoes, and kayaks, and guideboats was approved.

The new record, 1,902 boats, eclipses the previous record of 1,619 boats that was held by Paddle at the Point on June 5, 2010 in Pittsburgh, PA. Continue reading →

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Webb Varsity skiers capture firsts in team competitions by Beth Tickner, Guest Contributor

AMPLE HARDWARE: Webb Boys Team places 1st in Slalom and Giant Slalom

In past years, Section 3 Alpine High School Ski Teams, which includes the Town of Webb, have been invited to participate in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake’s Winter  Carnival, even though we are outside their section.

Since this year’s event coincided with the Empire State Winter Games at Lake Placid over the weekend of February 2nd through 5th, our Varsity Alpine Ski Team was lucky enough to be able to take part in the historical event.

For Alpine races, sections are combined for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it takes a lot of people to run a race and there are limited times and places to compete. Continue reading →

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Tips to keep you, your family and your home safe during holidays by Jason Pallotta

Area fire departments had a quiet month of November. The Old Forge Fire Department responded to a call-a possible structure fire in McKeever-which turned out to be an electrical problem.

As far as EMS personnel goes, they were fairly busy considering it is the “off” season.

A big thanks to all the EMTs, paramedics, and ambulance drivers!

But now that we are into December and busy decking the halls for the holiday season, we should all be fire smart-especially when it comes to Christmas trees.

I would like to share a few facts with you regarding the subject.

One of every three at-home Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems. Continue reading →

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Webb Student Strands by Guest Contributor Lizzie Riehle

Helen Estabrook: Tree dedicated to former Webb teacher

Helen Estabrook and the Town of Webb School's Helen Estabrook Tree

Helen Estabrook is a much honored and well known member of the Old Forge community. She is a retired teacher from the Town of Webb School and was a dedicated member of the school’s Board of Education for 13 years.

In front of the school is a new sign, and to its left is a newly planted small tree which honors Mrs. Estabrook for all her years of service to our school.

Most of you familiar with Mrs. Estabrook, know her for the wonderful teacher she was.

But outside of her career at school she has led a very interesting life in our community. Continue reading →

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Do you consider yourself a job creator? What’s stopping you?

by Marc Butler (R-Newport), New York State Assembly

Do you ever find yourself wondering what happened to New York’s accessible and good-paying jobs in manufacturing and small enterprise?

It’s almost as though the center of our middle-income economy fell out from underneath us, which has put a troubling strain on the upstate economy.

All those jobs, the positive economic normalcy that existed upstate, have been overcrowded by New York’s large and costly government.

With New York’s unfathomably big and complicated government came all the regulations, taxes and waste that have made our once economically competitive and prosperous Empire State one of the costliest and most difficult states in which to conduct business.

As Albany and its agencies grew, manufacturers packed up and left for southern states.

As Albany came up with yet another rule to follow, small town main street stores closed their doors.

New York’s best opportunities for middle-class jobs and mobility were shut out by big government. Continue reading →

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SAVING FLORELA: Adirondack Mountains give opportunity for employment and life experience to international visitors

by Sheila Brady, Guest Contributor

It was the end of June I was returning from my monthly trip to New York and was waiting for my Amtrak train in Penn Station, which was filled with not only Amtrak passengers, but Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit commuters as well. While standing in the midst of throngs of people, I was approached by a terrified young woman who said she had traveled three days from Romania and needed to be sure she was at the right gate to get the train to Utica.

I assured her that I was going to Utica, and would see to it that she got on the right train.

That’s the first of many times she referred to me as her guardian angel.

We sat together and I learned that she was in graduate school studying Marine Law.

Although her family was opposed to her coming to America, she convinced them that she would be part of a foreign student work program, and showed them the brochure from an agency in CA that offered to arrange for a four month visa, a job, housing, and promised travel and a wonderful cultural experience, all for a $3,000 fee.

She said her family gave her the money at great sacrifice, since the average salary in Romania is $300 per month. Continue reading →

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