Tuesday April 16, 2024 
Four Albany-Schenectady-Troy Area TV Stations Changing Frequencies
Some local TV stations across the U.S. will be changing their over-the-air broadcast frequencies. Viewers will need to rescan their TV to continue to watch those channels.
As part of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) work to make more airwaves available for new high-speed wireless services, many TV stations in cities across the United States are changing their over-the-air broadcast frequencies.
While the channel numbers you see on the TV are not changing, you will need to rescan your television to update to the new frequencies, so you can continue receiving those channels. You will not need to buy a new TV or purchase a converter box. Only people who use an antenna to watch local channels need to rescan their TVs. Cable and satellite subscribers are not affected by these changes. You should be on the lookout for announcements on your local TV channels and rescan whenever the stations alert you to any changes that are taking place.
In the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area, four TV stations that will be transitioning to new frequencies from now through August 2, 2019: WTEN-TV (ABC10), WMHT-TV (PBS17), WCWN-TV (CW15) and WYPX-TV (Ch55).
A good rule of thumb is to rescan your TV anytime you notice that a channel is missing. If you haven’t rescanned in a while, you may be surprised by how many channels are now available.
Instructions and Tips from the FCC to Help TV Viewers Rescan Their TVs: · The FCC has posted an instructional video showing viewers how to rescan their TV.
· To rescan, viewers will need their TV remote control or analog TV converter box, then choose “Channel Scan,” “Channel Tuning,” or “Auto Search” in the “Setup” or “Channel” menu. Once you find either the “Channel Scan” or “Channel Tuning” buttons, choose the automatic option to rescan.
· By rescanning, viewers who watch TV for free using an antenna will keep their existing channels and may even discover new channels in their broadcast area.
How can I find more information? For more information and tips on how to rescan, visit fcc.gov/TVrescan or call 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322).
Thank You!
A special thank you to Troop #1028 for planting the tree saplings, received from the Arbor Foundation, at the Sand Lake Town Hall. These trees will be a great addition to our community for years to come.
Councilman Andy Bulmer
Riders Mills Historical Association Presents Stop The Bleed on August 3rd at SABBA Vineyard
Riders Mills Historical Association is proud to present, “Stop The Bleed” a program by Albany Medical Center, developed for a non-medical audience to address the needs of the immediate responder to control life-threatening bleeding until help arrives.
Dr Thomas Moran will present this life saving program. Dr. Moran is with the Trauma Education, Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at Albany Med Trauma Program traumaprogram@nullamc.edu. He is a Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, EMT-Paramedic, Clinical Instructor, HVCC Paramedic Program, Rescue Captain, Niskayuna Fire District #2, Commissioner, Niskayuna Fire District #2, National Ski Patrol, Maple Ski Ridge.
The event will be held at the SABBA Vineyard at 383 Pitts Road Old Chatham, NY 12136. A wine tasting will follow the program.
For more information please visit www.ridersmillsschoolhouse.org
Riders Mills Historical Association is a 501(c)(3) corporation and donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
‘Just For Kids’ 2019 Free Summer Movie Series
July/August at Cohoes Music Hall, Wednesdays at 1pm on the Big Screen. August 7: Night at the Museum, August 14: Ice Age: Collision Course, and August 21: The Jungle Book. Admission is Free to all children, parents and chaperones. Parking is Free across from the Music Hall. Doors open at noon with activities Just For Kids with chance to win some cool prizes. Children 12 and under receive a free small popcorn and small bottled water. Tickets may be picked up in advance at the box office 10am-1pm weekdays, day of show or reserved online. Please call 518-953-0630 for more info and group reservations. Cohoes Music Hall at 58 Remsen Street, Cohoes, NY 12047. Check out more movie info at www.thecohoesmusichall.org.
Hopes Kitchen Received Grant
Due to the tireless efforts of Emily Purtell, a Hope Lutheran Church member, Hopes Kitchen has been awarded a grant of $250! The grant was awarded by Thrivent Insurance, a company with a long history of affiliations with Lutheran Churches, and their community projects.
Hopes Kitchen is an outreach ministry of Hope Lutheran Church, Winter street extension Church in North Greenbush. Having been a sister congregation of St. Paul’s Lutheran 3rd Street in Rensselaer it was felt that Hope was in a position to reach out to the city of Rensselaer Community.
Pastor David Moore of Rensselaer Presbyterian church welcomed the idea of housing Hope’s Kitchen at his church. Free community meals are prepared and served the second Thursday of each month. Dinner is between 3:30 and 6:30. The dinners are open to anyone in the community, seniors, families, homeless, teens, and singles.
Hope’s head chef, Marion Daus, of Wynantskill has a crew of up to 15 helpers and servers, including some young people from the Rensselear Middle School. Marion has a history of preparing meals for groups as large as 150, it is the goal of this ministry to match those number. Please join us on August 8th.
France Magnifique
La Fédération Franco-Américaine du NY is sponsoring a trip to France, featuring the 75th Anniversary of D-Day & Normandy, April 23 – May 7, 2020. Rates include round trip air from New York, air taxes and fees/surcharges, hotel transfers, and 20 meals. Highlights of the trip: Paris, River Seine cruise, Normandy, Omaha Beach, Le Mont St. Michel, Loire Valley, 2-night Chateau stay, winery tour, Lyon, Les Halles de Lyon, Paul Boscuse Market, Avignon, Creme Brûlée Cooking demonstration, Nice, Monaco. Plenty of time to explore on your own. For more information, pricing or a brochure, call Lisa at Plaza Travel at 518-785-3338 or lisa@nullplazatravel.net.
Circles of Mercy Honors Local Volunteer Group with Award Photo by Sister Barbara Roman, RSM):
Richard S. Zazycki (left), Executive Director of Circles of Mercy, presents the Gail A. Reith, RSM 2019 Volunteer Award to the “Friends of Frank Jaklitsch” band members (left to right) Michael Roche, Michael Donegan, Frank Jaklitsch (Posthumously) accepted by Eileen Jaklitsch, Robert Long, Kathy Quinlan and Chris Gill (missing Michael Eck), for their outstanding volunteer service.
Circles of Mercy and the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community recently presented their annual Sister Gail A. Rieth, RSM Volunteer Service Award honoring the “Friends of Frank Jaklitsch” band members for their volunteer work assisting Circles of Mercy in Rensselaer.
Frank Jaklitsch for more than 10 years saw to the coordination of the musicians, singers and musical selections for our yearly fall Irish Night fundraiser. The generous sharing of his time and talent raised substantial funds for our programs here at Circles of Mercy. For the past 13 years, the “Friends of Frank Jaklitsch” have raised approximately $90,000!! As with the planning of any musical event, it takes talented musicians and singers, and the “Friends of Frank Jaklitsch” always came though. The group does a terrific job with the playing and singing of the music and have continued Frank’s tradition of supporting non-profits like Circles of Mercy.
On behalf of the Sisters of Mercy and the Circles of Mercy Board of Trustees, we are grateful to the “Friends of Frank Jaklitsch” for their kindness and support in promoting and nurturing this ongoing collaboration. We are very happy to recognize the group with our volunteer award.
The volunteer award was presented during the “A Taste of Mercy” annual fund raising gala recently held to celebrate “Catherine’s Circle of Friends” and to benefit Circles of Mercy. Circles is an out-reach center for those in need, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. It was established in 1997 in the City of Rensselaer and has a twenty-one year tradition of offering programs and services to provide hope, hospitality and empowerment to individuals living in and near the Rensselaer Community.
Circles of Mercy Honors Virginia L. Golden
Photo by Sister Barbara Roman, RSM):
Honoree Virginia L. Golden (left), former President of St. Peter’s and Albany Memorial Hospitals, poses with the 2019 Hope and Hospitality Award, after receiving it from Richard S. Zazycki, Executive Director and Mercy Associate of Circles of Mercy (right).
Circles of Mercy and the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community recently honored Virginia L. Golder, the former President of St. Peter’s and Albany Memorial Hospitals, with their annual Hope and Hospitality Award.
Mrs. Golden received the recognition during “A Taste of Mercy” annual fund raising gala recently held to celebrate “Catherine’s Circle of Friends, Continuing the Mercy Tradition…” The gala was to benefit Circles of Mercy and to honor Virginia who completed an exemplary 48-year career at St. Peter’s Hospital. During that period she has shared her time, talent and treasure, serving people who are socially disenfranchised, suffering from poverty and especially those who are sick and in need of medical care. Most recently she served in the role of president for both hospitals from April 2016 to July 2018. We are very happy to recognize Mrs. Golden’s work with our annual award and offer our sincere congratulations and best wishes.
Circles of Mercy is an out-reach center for those in need, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community. It was established in 1997 in the City of Rensselaer and has a 21 year tradition of offering programs and services to provide hope, hospitality and empowerment to individuals living in the Rensselaer Community, especially women and women with children.
Rensselaer County Recovery Helpline
1-833-467-3123
Do you need help with substance use issues? Are you interested in volunteering for the helpline? The Rensselaer County Recovery Helpline offers information, local resources, and referrals for individuals and their families regarding substance use issues. The toll-free line is available 7 days a week from 9am-9pm. Each volunteer chooses shifts of 4 hours at a time to be on-call. When someone calls the number, a volunteer answers on their own smartphone, and can enter information to a database on their own computer, allowing for easy and quick access to resources. The information is sent to one of the 9 leaders, who will then assist the caller. If you or someone you know needs information, resources, or a referral for a substance use problem, call 1-833-467-3123. For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact Renscohelpline@nullgmail.com
Girl Scouts Visit Disney
Girls from Girl Scout troop 1474 of the East Greenbush Service Unit 136 celebrated several years of fundraising with a trip to Disney world. Fundraisers included wreath making, face painting and of course cookie sales. The girls learn key skills including goal setting, decision making, money management, budgeting, people skills and business ethics through their fundraising and trip planning activities. Thanks to all area residents who supported troop 1474!
Single Speed
Old man got him a new bike…
Old fashioned…Cruiser type;
Single Speed..!!
Started riding it around the neighborhood
In the early morning hours
Hoping to peel off a few pounds.
Still, neighbors saw him;
They smiled…pointed…laughed;
Some made snide comments.
Such bothered him, not……
He knew what he was….
What he was doing.
When he heard….
“Here comes old Single Speed”;
It didn’t bother him.
He knew he had been operating
At a single speed for years.
His life was single speed only….
SLOW !!!!!
~Llyod Barnhart
West Sand Lake, NY
Memoirs of an Amnesiac: Tabasco Squeegee
Our son, Paul, turned 24 recently. When we first brought him home from the hospital, he was so tiny, we bathed him in the sink. We even had to line the sink with a towel to keep Paul from rattling around in there. Eventually he graduated to a plastic bin inside the bathtub. Over the next few years, that was the place where I read stories to Paul, introduced him to music, and had many a father-son discussion.
Captain Salty and sidekick Eskimo Pie have earned a place in the Bath Toy Hall of Fame. Honorable Mention goes to the sock-balls I used when showing Paul how to juggle. The first time he witnessed it, Paul’s eyes were out on stalks; he’d never seen anything like it. Of course, he hadn’t seen much of anything back then. Recently I came across the official juggling music (Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance”), and when I played it for Paul, he burst out laughing. Many songs bring back bathtub memories: including Beatles music, “Ghost Busters”, “Convoy”, “Big Bad John”, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”, and “Sixteen Tons”. I taught Paul the words to that last one when he was two.
The bath was over at towel-off time. I dried Paul’s hair with a short, vigorous burst of towel action; a technique we called “Tabasco Squeegee”.
Paul made the transition from baths to showers during the Summer we attended Harbor Fest in Oswego. All the local hotels were booked up, but we found a motel miles away, in a town where salmon-fishing is popular. A notice on our door asked patrons not to gut and clean fish inside the motel room. That made us wonder if something fishy had gone on in the bathtub recently. Instead of sitting, Paul learned how to stand and take a shower. He’s never looked back.
I’m not at liberty to divulge everything which went on at bath-time. Did we ever read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? That’s Narnia business.
Ron McKee
Averill Park
Cub Scout Troop 526 News
Members of Cub Scout Pack 526 and their parents and grandparents visited Stratton Air National Guard Base in Schenectady on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Despite the persistent rain, a good time was had by all! We started our day with a presentation led by Air National Guard Senior Master Sergeant William Gizara. His photographs, taken over many years, chronicle the mission of the 109th Airlift Wing, which is to support people conducting research projects in Antartica. We learned about the living conditions for the men and women who work there, the weather conditions and the types of supplies and equipment needed in this part of the world. We saw some great pictures of emperor penguins and polar bears. We then got a special tour of one of the C-130 ‘ski’-bird’ airplanes that fly supplies and people to and from Antartica. These planes actually land on the ice itself and are large enough to fit snowmobiles and other important supplies. The Scouts got to sit in the seats that the pilots, flight engineers and navigators use. Finally, we toured the base’s fire station where we met a few of the enlisted and civilian firefighters. They spoke to us about fire safety, they suited up in their protective gear and even demonstrated how an airfield firefighting vehicle water turret works. If we weren’t already wet enough from the rain, we definitely were after this demonstration! Scouts from Pack 526 enjoyed learning about the incredible airmen of the 109th and earned progress towards their Hometown Heroes scouting achievement.
Letters to the Editor
On Medicine Regulations,
We have restaurant inspections, car inspections and whole host of other controls on our quality of life, however when it comes to our health, the import of crucial prescriptions, most often generics, is allowed almost totally unregulated from third world countries.
Numerous times prescription medications originating in Mainland China have been recalled because of adulteration due to improper compounding or contamination with foreign substances. Heart medications and other critical preparations are the focus of this problem. Foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers are often left without proper regulatory supervision while drugs of American manufacture, in factory sealed containers are denied re-entry into this country from Canada.
The cry “it’s cheaper” is often heard in defense of generics made in unsupervised third world sites. Just how much of a savings makes it worth buying such products?
Supposedly a generic manufactured in India is the same as the “identical” product formulated in a first world nation. Although claiming to be the same, one works and the other doesn’t.
Perhaps it’s time to assess our medical care and focus on effectiveness of what we are using rather than concentrating on saving a few cents.
Steve Sevits