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Saturday,ÊD ecemberÊ26,Ê2015
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In FEATURES | pg. 3
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Local youth making a huge difference
In NEWS | pg. 10
No more electric bills
Local teen sends out 800 Christmas cards to wounded vets
Peru library shares successes of solar panels
Volunteers ensure local food shelves are packed for the holidays By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — Volunteers in dozens of communities have mobilized to ensure not a single family will go to bed hungry this holiday season. Food shelves across the tri-county region are reporting sizable hauls of gifted items and monetary donations. The community food shelf in Elizabethtown is in good shape, reported director Marilyn Jordan, owing to a group of regular donors. It’s because of this generosity — including 25 turkeys donated by Elizabethtown Community Hospital staffers, fresh produce of-
fered at discount rates from local farmers and bread from Dogwood Bakery — that they’re able to assemble 50 gift baskets, which will be distributed on Monday. The shelf serves 400 families from New Russia, Elizabethtown, Westport, Wadhams, Lewis and Essex. “We feel like we’ve been very, very fortunate,” said Jordan. “We’re able to take care of a lot of people at Christmas.” Additional help has come from an unlikely source: Inmates from Moriah Shock who help unload and shelf stock alongside other volunteers, including those who ferry items from Plattsburgh. “That’s a huge help,” Jordan said. The Mooers Wesleyan Food Pantry is
ground zero for families across northern Clinton County. They typically serve 160 families a month. “We’ve been very busy since Thanksgiving,” said Luanne Willette, the pantry’s codirector, adding volunteers are always welcome. St. Augustine’s Church Soup Kitchen, in Peru, serves 100 people each week and also relies heavily on donations, including those from corporate sponsors. While closed for Christmas Day, they plan on serving a holiday meal a few days beforehand. While the menu consists of items donated that week, the organization is seeking funds for a walk-in freezer and cooler to allow for longer preservation of donated perishables.
LucilleÕ s
West Chazy woman hand makes dresses for girls in Nicaragua
Tourism officials fret over Grinch-like conditions
By Natasha Courter
By Pete DeMola
news@suncommunitynews.com
pete@suncommunitynews.com
Lucille, a Utica native, eventually made her way to SUNY Plattsburgh. She married and raised a family. Daughter Jo eventually found herself in Nicaragua. Before long, they began sponsoring children. “I was very interested in what they were doing,” Lucille said. “It’s a really nice thing.” Jo suggested she take all of her scrap material and make something for the girls.
ELIZABETHTOWN — What happens when you expect a winter wonderland, and just one week from Christmas, it’s more Miami than the North Pole? The extended stretch of spring-like weather is expected to last for another week, say meteorologists. Andrea Lang, a professor of atmospheric science at SUNY Albany, said the trend can be attributed to two factors: the polar vortex is one of the strongest on record, keeping cold air trapped at the poles. And in the tropics, the El Nino is among the three strongest since the 1950s, which typically leads to mild temperatures in the northeastern US. “Those two things together are giving us some exceptional warmth this time of year,” said Lang. It’s a development that has baffled the North Country and threatened to upend the tourism industry in what’s traditionally one of the busiest times of year. “The weather outside is frightful,” Regional Office for Sustainable Tourism CEO James McKenna told Essex County
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West Chazy resident Lucille Dargoon has knitted 39 dresses for children in Nicaragua. For the 87-year-old, it’s a way to give back. She’s pictured here with her husband, Edward. Photo provided
Mission of Hope The North Country chapter for The Mission of Hope began in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated the nation. “It stalled over Nicaragua and El Salvador and more than 2,200 people lost their lives,” said Sister Debbie Blow. The trickle of refugees into the country, including to the Plattsburgh school where Blow worked as a principal, led to the formation of the North Country chapter. Since their formation, the group has taken 61 missions to the country. While there, the group aids in education and reconstruction efforts, among other services.
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Mixed weather presents mixed verdict
mission
WEST CHAZY — Lucille Dragoon is going to make 39 little Nicaraguan girls very happy this holiday season with handmade cotton sundresses. The 87-year-old West Chazy resident has worked on the project since spring and her dresses will be sent down to Central America in February.
The Ticonderoga Food Pantry, too, is aiding 80 local families. “Every little while, we find people who have no food, which is so sad,” said Margaret Beuerlein, the pantry’s director. Students from AuSable Valley Central donated 1,326 items as part of their Thanksgiving drive. Area businesses chipped in $1,000 in cash and $545 in gift cards, with proceeds split between food shelves in Black Brook, Chesterfield, AuSable and Jay. The support has been overwhelming, said Jason Castine, the teacher who spearheaded the drive, now in its second year, after being inspired by his students. “It’s great seeing a staff, students, and local
Lucille’s Mission