ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS P.O. BOX 338 ELIZABETHTOWN, NY 12932 POSTAL CUSTOMER POSTAL PATRON
A Denton Publication
FREE
January 1, 2011
Animal Farm Birds of prey and other various wildlife made a stop at Ti Middle School. See Page 3
Schroon girls rally for victory
Moving on
Horsin’ around
Charlie Gibson will step down as head of Literacy Volunteers.
Adirondack Horse Club hoofs it up at their new meeting place .
See Page 4
See Page 12
Sayward, Duprey defend pension decision By Chris Morris
Schroon Lake pulled away late to beat Elizabethtown-Lewis, 36-28, in Mountain and Valley Athletic Conference girls basketball play Dec. 20. See sports.
Ti highway department taking oil TICONDEROGA — The Ticonderoga highway department will accept waste motor oil -Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the town shed.
Sherman Library officers elected PORT HENRY — The Sherman Free Library Board of Trustees has elected new officers. The following officers will begin their terms in January 2011: Staley Rich, president, Sue Nephew, vice president, Janet Strack, secretary, and Linda Du Ross, treasurer.
THIS WEEK Ticonderoga...................3-5 Opinions ......................6 Obituaries ....................8-9 Moriah ..........................10-12 Schroon Lake ................17 Calendar ......................19 Sports ..........................20 Classifieds....................23-25 Auto Zone ....................25-28
denpubs@denpubs.com LAKE CHAMPLAIN — Two North Country lawmakers are defending their decision to take pension payments. Earlier this week, it was reported that Assemblywomen Teresa Sayward and Janet Duprey will retire from office effective Dec. 31 and then go back on the state payroll Jan. 1. That allows them to collect pension from the State Retirement System while also receiving their pay as members of the state Assembly. Taxpayers are already crying foul over the so-called “doubledipping” – and officials with watchdog groups like the New York State Public Interest Research Group say constituents have the right to be angry. But Teresa Sayward is defending her decision. “It's incorrect in to say our pension diminishes – it does not,” she said. “What diminishes is our death benefit. After you reach 60-years-old, your death benefit keeps decreasing every single year. It was also incorrect to use the $75,000 figure – I've lost nearly $50,000 in my death benefit. If I die while I'm in office, my husband just gets the death benefit; he'll never get any of my retirement.” Sayward says she's worked more than 20 years for her retirement, both as an Assemblywoman and as supervisor for the Essex County town of Willsboro. She notes that her pension won't be very large – less than $40,000 annually. She says she took her pension to protect her husband. “We were dairy farmers,” Sayward said. “All he has is social security and the little bit we were able to put aside.”
See PENSION, page 21
Duncan Bolten, Jermiah Taylor, Mason Swinton and Ryan LaFountain enjoy recess on the Moriah Central School playground. Photo by Nancy Frasier
Twelfth Night to be marked By Fred Herbst fred@denpubs.com TICONDEROGA — Twelfth Night will again be celebrated by the Ticonderoga Festival Guild. The annual event will be held Thursday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Ticonderoga. Area choirs will perform their favorite Christmas music. An instrumental prelude will welcome those attending. Choirs from St. Mary’s Church, Putnam Presbyterian Church and the First United Methodist Church will perform. Carols will be sung by the audience. Light refreshments will follow the program. The program is free to all, but do-
nations will be accepted following the program. For more information, call the festival guild office at 585-7015. The Ticonderoga Festival Guild, Inc., was established in 1980 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the performing arts in the Ticonderoga area. The mission of the Ticonderoga Festival Guild is to promote, develop, sustain, present, and advance a diverse program of performing arts in the Ticonderoga area. The Twelfth Night tradition dates to the Middle Ages. In early times, Christmas was 12 days of celebration, starting on Dec. 25 and culminating on the 12th night, which was considered “Christmas Day.” Hence, the song “Twelve Days of
Pre-Season Furnace Cleaning Early Bird Special! Call For Details
• Sales • Service • Installation Commercial & Residential
Air Conditioning, LLC
“We do whatever it takes.”
Locally Owned & Operated 130 Pine Springs Park, Ticonderoga, NY
Call Today! 518-222-7483
91175
C V
HAMPLAIN ALLEY
FREE Estimates!
BeCool
Christmas” and the play “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare. In 529, Roman Emperor Justinian named Christmas to be a civic holiday. Work and public business not associated with the celebration of the holiday was strictly forbidden. In 563, a decree from the Council of Braga declared that fasting on Christmas was prohibited and in 567 the Council of Tours elected the 12 days from Dec. 25 to Epiphany to be sacred. As a result, in the Middle Ages Christmas was not one day to take off work and spend with family, but 12 days of celebration. In older times, the “Twelfth Night” brought great festivities. In some areas of the world, it is still proper to erect a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and leave it up until a week after New Year for this reason.
HEATING & PLUMBING SERVICE
ADDITIONS • DECKS • REMODELING • SIDING ROOFING • ELECTRIC • PLUMBING Fully Insured - Free Estimates PO Box 230, Ticonderoga, NY 12883 Phone/Fax: 518-585-2271 • Cell: 518-570-7319 90981
HEATING • PLUMBING • AIR CONDITIONING
SERVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT 24/7 PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICE SINCE 1985
585-3600
www.cvhp.net
90908