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School Enrollment Falls Again

School enrollment figures for school districts across the state were updated recently for the 2018-2019 school year (last year) and the Whitehall School District’s total enrollment fell to 699 students. This is the lowest number since I have tracked this and the first time the number has fallen below 700.

The complete enrollment figures for 2018-2019 school year can be found here.

I have been tracking and reporting on the enrollment for a number of years. To put this number of 699 students into historical context I have updated my yearly enrollment chart below:

School Year 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13
Students 885 860 858 845 815 779 753 742 755
School Year 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19
Students 757 736 736 758 708 699

The district has now reached the lowest enrollment since I have been tracking this.

During this time, local property taxes have increased every year. State aid has also increased every year. Sadly, the Board of Education has not passed on any savings from this plummeting enrollment to the local taxpayers, in spite of increased state aid during the same time period.

Instead of managing the decline in enrollment to help the taxpayer, we are in this perpetual cycle where enrollment falls and taxes go up.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

We have now lost 10,056 New Yorkers to this vicious virus. We lost 671 people on Easter Sunday — an unfathomable loss. Behind each of these numbers is a face, a family and untold suffering. We are #NewYorkTough for them.

The Lake George Park Commission has announced that it is delaying the start of the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program for a month until June 1. Read the announcement here.

“The Commission must balance the risk of new introductions of aquatic invasive species versus the health and safety of the public and our staff,” notes Chairman Bruce Young. “An analysis of launch data from the past six years of the mandatory inspection program shows a lower risk for invasives introductions in the month of May compared with the summer months. Only 4% of annual decontaminations occur in May, and most boats are being launched for the first time of the season.”

Boaters are still required to have a Lake George boat registration sticker for 2020, and all boats still must arrive at Lake George “clean, drained and dry” notes Dave Wick, the LGPC Executive Director.

The New York State DEC has issued new guidelines on social distancing while out on the Lake. With anglers and early boaters getting out on the Lake, this is important reading.

Reminder: To ensure boater safety during “cold water” weather — from Nov. 1 to May 1 — state navigation law states that everyone on a boat that’s 21 feet long or shorter must wear a personal flotation device.

Elsewhere:

Celebrated Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli gave an Easter performance from the Cathedral of Milan that was seen by over 26 million people around the world — although no one was in attendance in person.

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Happy Easter


“The Angel is Opening Christ’s Tomb” by Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp, c. 1640. On display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

There is an old Irish folk story that puts forward that on Easter morning the rising Sun literally dances in the sky with joy at the risen Christ.

I wish everyone peace and joy this Easter and throughout the year!

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Good Friday 2020


Crucifix on the side of the exterior of the Chapel on the Paulist Father’s Harbor Islands opposite the south end of Huletts Landing.

Today we observe Good Friday, the day of the death of Jesus. Many Christian Churches have different ways of observation, to prepare us for the coming resurrection of the Lord on Easter Sunday.

“Row out into the deep. When the storms come, try to remember that He who calms the storm is always in the boat with you.”

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Holy Thursday 2020


“Kiss of Judas” attributed to Lippo Memmi circa 1340
Collegiata of San Gimignano, Italy

The kiss of Judas (known in art) as the Betrayal of Christ, is how Judas Iscariot identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him, according to the Synoptic Gospels. It happens in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper and leads directly to the arrest of Jesus.

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NYS Coronavirus Update


The Full Pink Moon, the largest full moon of 2020, rises above the White House | April 7, 2020

As of yesterday, the Federal Small Business Administration has processed more than $70 billion in guaranteed loans for qualifying small businesses. More loans are being approved every hour. President Trump called on CEOs from America’s largest financial institutions to join him for a conference call yesterday. His message: Keep doing everything you can to support our nation’s small businesses during this pandemic.

To honor those we have lost to COVID-19, Governor Cuomo is directing all flags on state government buildings to be flown at half-staff. Every single New Yorker we have lost to this vicious virus is in our hearts. The flags will remain lowered while New York remains on PAUSE.

The Governor will issue an Executive Order to ensure New Yorkers can vote by absentee ballot in the June 23rd elections. The Governor previously issued an Executive Order to move the presidential primary election from April 28 to June 23rd, aligning it with the congressional and legislative primaries in New York.

The State Department of Labor will immediately make $600 in additional weekly unemployment benefits available to all New Yorkers. New York is also extending the period covered by unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks, for a total of 39 weeks. A reminder for those who have difficulty enrolling for UI: any claim you file will be backdated to the date you became unemployed. If you are eligible, you will be paid all benefits due.

Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United are offering free travel to New York for COVID-19 medical workers. To date, more than 90,000 health professionals, including more than 25,000 out-of-state individuals, have signed up to serve as part of the state’s surge healthcare force during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful to these airlines for supporting our front line workers.

Elsewhere:

The Dominican Sisters of Nashville, TN have an interesting description to explain what faith is, and are praying for everyone.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

How to Make a Face Covering

By tomorrow, the Federal Government will have deployed over 3,000 military and public health professionals to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other parts of our country most affected by Coronavirus.

The government is delivering an additional 600,000 N95 masks to New York City to support its public hospital system, as requested by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Another 200,000 will be delivered to Suffolk County on Long Island.


Forest Rangers assist at the new COVID-19 mobile testing site at the State University at Albany campus.

DEC personnel from across agency divisions and regions statewide are supporting the State’s response to COVID-19. Personnel from more than 20 New York State agencies are working on response efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. DEC Forest Rangers’ expertise in the Incident Command System (ICS) and experience in applying ICS to wide area searches and large wildland fire have made them a key part of this statewide effort. Several DEC Forest Rangers are part of the New York State Incident Management Team, or IMT, an interagency team comprised of personnel from various state, county, and local agencies who represent a variety of disciplines. The IMT assists Incident Command personnel and emergency managers in ensuring a prompt, efficient, and organized response to complex incidents.

New York’s “surge and flex” hospital system is being put to work. 802 ventilators have been distributed downstate, where all hospital systems are working together as one and sharing supplies, equipment and staff. Of the 802 ventilators, 38 were deployed to Rockland County, 36 were deployed to Westchester County, 505 were deployed to New York City and 223 were deployed to Long Island.

Elsewhere:

In Tuesday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump announced that “we’re gonna put a hold on money spent to the WHO [World Health Organization].”

The President said:

“The WHO, that’s the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States, and we pay for a majority of — the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it, and they were wrong. They’ve been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn’t want to — they seemed to be very China-centric, and we have to look into that, so we’re gonna look into it. We pay for a majority of the money they get….”

“They called it wrong. They called it wrong. They really — they missed the call. They could have called it months earlier. They would have known, and they should have known, and they probably did know, so we’ll be looking into that very carefully. And we’re gonna put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We’re gonna put a very powerful hold on it, and we’re gonna see. It’s a great thing if it works, but when they call every shot wrong, that’s no good.”

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NYS Coronavirus Update

Governor Cuomo Asks Federal Government for More Hydroxychloroquine

The federal government is deploying 1,000 personnel to New York State. The personnel includes doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians and therapists to help the state’s overwhelmed hospital systems. The first 325 personnel were deployed to the New York City hospital system on Sunday.

The State COVID-19 tracker now includes more comprehensive demographics. The website, www.ny.gov/covid-19tracker, now includes additional data on the gender distribution of positive cases, as well as fatalities by age group.

A mental health hotline is available to New Yorkers who need it. It can’t be underestimated the impact this pandemic is having on mental health. New Yorkers can call the state’s hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to get free emotional support, consultations and referrals to a provider.

A reminder that pharmacies offer free home delivery of prescriptions to New Yorkers. Pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, have agreed to offer free home delivery of prescriptions to help reduce long lines. New Yorkers can easily get the prescriptions they need without putting themselves or others at risk.

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A Greeting of Hope

Fr. Rendell Torres sends a greeting of hope to all parishioners and visitors of Our Lady of Hope in Whitehall, St. Ann’s in Fort Ann, and the Chapel of the Assumption in Huletts Landing.

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Palm Sunday 2020

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
– Zechariah 9:9

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NYS Coronavirus Update

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the below statement following Governor Cuomo’s announcement that he is signing an executive order to shift ventilators from Upstate to Downstate New York:

“I am very concerned about Governor Cuomo’s announcement today regarding his plan to sign an executive order to shift ventilators from Upstate to Downstate New York,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “The North Country comprises the largest number of seniors of any Congressional District in New York State, the most vulnerable age group to COVID-19. Our critical needs and vulnerabilities must be considered. North Country hospitals reached out to my office with this specific concern earlier this week – our rural hospitals are already very limited in resources and we must ensure Upstate New York’s needs for testing supplies and ventilators are fully met. I am committed to working through these concerns with both Republican and Democrat Upstate officials, our hospitals, and county public health offices.”

The Governor announced he will issue an Executive Order allowing the State to redistribute ventilators and personal protective equipment to hospitals with the highest need. He will ask upstate hospitals to loan 20 percent of their unused ventilators to struggling downstate hospitals — and then he has stated he will ask downstate hospitals for similar help when the pandemic wave hits upstate New York. The equipment will either be returned to the hospital it came from or the hospital will be reimbursed for it.

A new COVID-19 drive-thru mobile testing center will open in Albany on Monday, April 6th. The mobile testing center will be located in a parking lot at the State University of New York at Albany campus at 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany. The site will prioritize tests for individuals who are among the highest risk population. Capital District residents who would like to be tested must make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065. There will be no walk-ins allowed and all patients must be in a vehicle.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday issued an emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, decades-old malaria drugs. The agency allowed for the drugs to be “donated to the Strategic National Stockpile to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible,” HHS said in a statement.

Congresswoman Stefanik Unveils New COVID-19 Resources and CARES ACT Information Website. Her office put together a new website with specific information on what the stimulus package does for families, healthcare workers, seniors, small businesses, veterans, students, and rural communities. It also includes Frequently Asked Questions and general COVID-19 resources page. You can access the website at Stefanik.house.gov/coronavirus

The New York State Dept of Labor is waiving the 7-day waiting period for unemployment insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus closures or quarantines.

Brooks Brothers is sewing hope in the coronavirus fight. Instead of churning out preppy staples like seersucker suits and woven-silk ties, America’s oldest retailer is now making masks and gowns for health care workers.” The company’s goal is to make 150,000 masks per day, reports the New York Post.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

CDC Issues Domestic Travel Advisory for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut Due to extensive community transmission of COVID-19 in the area, CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately. This Domestic Travel Advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply. The Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will have full discretion to implement this Domestic Travel Advisory.

A site on Lake George has offered its facilities to New York state should a North Country temporary hospital site be needed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Post Star, The Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center on the west shore of Lake George in Hague, NY, made this offer earlier this week. Read the story here.

New York State will stay on PAUSE through April 15th. That means the non-essential workforce is directed to continue to work from home until at least April 15th. NY State will re-evaluate every two weeks.

Pharmacies will now offer free home delivery to New Yorkers. The state’s major pharmacy chains have agreed to offer free home delivery to help reduce long lines for prescriptions at their facilities.

The USNS Comfort, a U.S. Navy hospital ship, is expected to arrive in New York Harbor on Monday. It is a massive facility with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms, a pharmacy and a medical laboratory. It is fully staffed with 1,200 members of the US Navy. The Comfort’s beds will be used for non-Coronavirus patients to free up hospital capacity.

Elsewhere: