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Saturday,ÊJ anuaryÊ30,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 13
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Jaguars take on Mountaineers
In OPINION | pg. 4
Who’s minding the store
Along with a look at inter-divisional games
Are there strings on the checkbook?
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In LOCAL | pg. 2
Firefighters on ice Rescue crews train
Quinoa adds crunch and punch to new Barkeater bar By Christina Scanlon
christina@suncommunitynews.com
NORTH CREEK — Quinoa — It’s pronounced “KEEN-wah” — in ancient times was believed to be a sacred grain. Today, it’s known for it’s health value and is said to pack a powerful nutritional punch. It’s also the latest ingredient added to a line of chocolate bars at Barkeater Chocolates, where the new creation was unveiled last week to rousing approval. “We gave about 100 bars out Saturday,” said Deb Morris, co-founder and chief chocolatier. The full-size 2.5 ounce bars were free as part of the unveiling and celebration of the expansion of the line of bars, which includes sleek new packaging. The newly named bars, “Quinoa Ka-Pow!” is a bit of a play on words, said Morris. While it’s fun to say, it’s drawing great reviews from tasters, too. Morris said orders from the 150 retailers they supply to are coming in, as well. While Morris was aware of the “superfood” title quinoa has earned itself, that wasn’t the drive behind adding it to the bar. “We tried a lot of things out, this just had that crunch,” she said of experimenting with different ingredients. The texture, mixed with dark chocolate was a clear winner in their trials >> Story Continued | pg. 8
School heads react to GEA news By Christina Scanlon
christina@suncommunitynews.com
LONG LAKE —There were cheers heard in the crowd earlier this month when Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during his combined state of the state and executive budget address, called for the state legislature to end the Gap Elimination Adjustment within two years. For area school superintendents, however, there are no shouts of celebration. “It means the bleeding has stopped,” said Long Lake Superintendent Donald K. Carlisle, Ed.D. The GEA was introduced in 2010 to close a $10 billion shortfall in the state budget. That translates to $361,000 in cuts for Long Lake over the last five years. In 2015, the school received $9,438 in restoration funding with $6,600 planned for 2016. In a school district with just 59 students, those numbers could be devastating. “Financially, we’re in a different ball park,” he said, crediting a “wonderful manager” that’s kept the school’s finances healthy. “The impact here, it’s been no big deal,” he
said. For that reason, he said, the school has not looked into shared services or mergers, such as those that other small districts have considered or been forced into. A total of $433 million across the state has been cut since GEA’s implementation. “The concept has always been horrible for my school,” said Minerva School Superintendent Timothy Farrell. Without benefit of the numbers in front of him, he quickly estimated the losses. “The first year it was $131,000, the second year it was over $267,000.” Though Minerva’s school enrollment is double Long Lake at 120, it’s still a small district. “We’re approaching a million dollars cumulative,” he said of the losses since 2010. “For a tiny school, it’s had quite an impact.” For districts that already had responsible budgets and shared services in place, additional cuts can be nearly impossible when there’s no place left to trim. Farrell was also frustrated with the plan >> Story Continued | pg. 3
J-burg properties called in question by state
Found to be in park land, state wants a plan By Christina Scanlon
christina@suncommunitynews.com
JOHNSBURG — A confusing matter of park land maps in Johnsburg has Supervisor Ron Vanselow in a holding pattern, awaiting answers from state and federal officials on how to proceed. “It’s really a matter of one part of the state not knowing what the other is doing,” said Vanselow, while explaining the mass of red tape concerning the town’s sand pit, transfer station and DPW garage. All three, as Vanselow was officially informed in November by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, fall into state park land. That red tape is further tangled as a portion of the land was improved using a $137,262 federal Land and Water Conservation Grant awarded in 2001. A letter written to the town in November by Joseph Grimaldi, Assistant Director, Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, directed the town to update the state with its conversion plans for the named sites. Failure to correct the situation, wrote Grimaldi, “will require the town to provide substitute parkland of equal or monetary value and recreational usefulness.” Representatives from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation did not return requests for comment. >> Story Continued | pg. 8