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Editorial» State should repeal the SAFE Act now
Clinton County, New York
PAGE 4
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Educator lauded for four decades
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diGGinG oUt
This Week PLATTSBURGH
By Shawn Ryan shawn@denpubs.com PLATTSBURGH Ñ Seton Catholic Central Vice Principal Mary Forbes was honored recently for her 40 years as an educator at Seton Catholic Central, and St. JohnÕ s Academy before that. At a girlsÕ volleyball game this past week, Forbes thought nothing of the standing room only crowd which filed into the auditorium to capacity toward the end of the junior varsity game, or the presence of two reporters at that game. Forbes, who also serves as SetonÕ s Athletic Director and is a math teacher as well, was preparing to announce starting line-ups for the game when junior varsity coach Bernie CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
the sound of a billion feet ... well, almost. PAGE 3 STYLE & SUBSTANCE
Paula Cormier shovels snow at her home recently, after another powerful winter storm blanketed the region. Photo by Shawn Ryan
Film series features black history in the U.s. “My mind is blown by this crap. Blown.” Ò The topic of the civil rights struggle throughout American history is totally on the mark with our mission which is to educate people about the history of the Underground Railroad and the ongoing struggle for freedom and full rights in our society,Ó said Peter Slocum, programs director for the board of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. Ò The topic was a perfect match for our historical story, and the library system is always looking for ways to provide historical resources to the whole region.Ó So far, Ò The AbolitionistsÓ and Ò Freedom RidersÓ were shown with J.W. Wiley, director of the Center for Diversity, Pluralism and Inclusion at SUNY Plattsburgh and author of Ò The Nigger In You,Ó and Jackie Madison, president of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, as discussion leaders.
Ò The Abolitionists,Ó released in 2013, shows the struggles of men and women who led the battle to end slavery in the late 1800s featuring faces such as the daughter of a rich South Carolina slaveholder, Angelina Grimke, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Ò Uncle TomÕ s Cabin.Ó After the documentary, the floor was open for discussion, with one discussion of how Harriet Tubman was not mentioned. Ò There were some interesting omissions in that piece,Ó Wiley said. Ò We had quite a few very knowledgeable people at that first showing, so a lot of people contributed to our conversation. Ò It was nice.Ó Even though the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, abolished slavery on Feb. 1, 1863, discrimination continued in the United States. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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J.W. Wiley
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Funding to clean-up Lake Champlain cut. PAGE 10
Index
PLATTSBURGH Ñ Hiding outside of the kitchen, Frederick Douglass heard desperate screams of help. He looked through the crack of a door and saw a black slave woman being pushed to the ground by a white man. Later picking her up and tying her hands with rope, dangling from the ceiling, he ripped the back of her shirt to whip her, making her scream louder until she hushed. This scene marked part one of the Ò The AbolitionistsÓ shown Feb. 1 as part of the Created Equal Film Series at the Plattsburgh Public Library celebrating Dr. Martin Luther KingÕ s Birthday, the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and Black History Month. The series, co-sponsored by the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, the Clinton-EssexFranklin County Library System and the Plattsburgh Public Library, received a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund the five-part film series, giving also over 400 grants around the country.
PAGE 5 LAKE CHAMPLAIN
By Teah Dowling denpubs@denpubs.com
style & substance ask their own question this week.
DUPREY RUNNING
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PUBLISHER’S COLUMN
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PLATTSBURGH SCENE
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ELMORE SPCA
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HOLOCAUST REMEMBERED
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MAN FACES LIFE
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CALENDAR
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SENIOR PAGE
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CLASSIFIEDS
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AUTO ZONE
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