Child daycare

By Laura Schmidt

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Children are the future and a daycare facility in Clinton County is doing all they can to ensure safety and proper care for the children and parents of Plattsburgh.

The subsidized child daycare is run by the Department of Social Services in Clinton County and has been providing care for children for seven years. The business is always enthusiastic when it comes to helping those in need.

This daycare provides a safe and healthy environment for children ages six through 12. Their main goal is to provide children with proper meals, exercise and basic education during their time there. Another important aspect of the daycare is to lend a helping hand to parents who may be struggling financially.

Some who attend the daycare are children of young parents, some still in high school, and for those people, staying at home may not be an option. This daycare is actively trying to create a better community and brighter futures for both children and parents.

Self-sufficiency is something the daycare is constantly promoting.

Grace Cassidy is a mother of twins who have attended the daycare four days a week for the last five months.

Cassidy feels the care providers who work there are trustworthy and know how to treat children with the right amount of care and nourishment as well as discipline and education.

“When I drop them off every morning I know they're in good hands,” Cassidy said.

Another great quality of this daycare is it's flexibility when it comes to paying for weekly care. The daycare assesses a households gross income and family size, then chooses a price from there that's reasonable and, most of the time, affordable.

For parents who leave for work early and stay late, care providers even offer their services at home before or after school. For commuting parents like Todd Motisi this is a life-saving service.

“I leave for work at six in the morning every weekday and I'm not home until dinner time,” Motisi said. “When I'm not around I want to know my son's safe and with someone qualified.”

Not only are the care providers highly qualified, but they genuinely care about the children and their learning experiences.

“This is definitely the most rewarding job I've ever had,” Casey Reed, 20, a care provider, said. “The kids are so sweet and seeing them learn and grow is really awesome.”

Reed has been working at the daycare for over a year and says she has learned a lot about child care and responsibility in her time there.

Before becoming a provider there are a few requirements each provider must fulfill such as attending an orientation, completing 10 hours of health and safety training and even finger printing.

“I had to get my fingerprints taken before I could start working,” Caitlin Zach, 20, a care provider, said. “At first, I thought it was weird but then realized it only made the place safer for the kids and everyone else.”

Along with preliminary requirements, each care provider must complete a total of 30 hours of training every two years in order to refresh their memory on safety procedures and other plans.

Children play and engage in academic games, enjoy healthy meals and interact with other children their age.

“Getting the kids to socialize and pal around with each other is a really important part of development,” Theresa Collins, 22, a care provider, said.

Collins started working her senior year of high school and believes her job has a great impact on the lives of the children. Collins is very thankful for her job and wants nothing but the best for the kids.

“I love watching the young kids slowly turn into functioning children,” Collins said. “It makes me feel like my job is doing some good for the community.”

The child daycare wants to provide the best environment for children and their parents and they truly care about the well-being of everyone who passes through their doors.

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Concussion concerns in sports

By Kyle Richardson

PLATTSBURGH—Head injuries and concussions in contact sports is a growing concern for athletes.  Lack of proper diagnosis and treatment of a concussion may result in serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death.

                        A concussion is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to either the head or the body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull.  Concussions change how the brain normally functions. 

            According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teen’s ages 14 to 19 in the last decade.

            Derrick Denteh, a counselor at Behavioral Health Services North, sees kids come in with these head injuries from time to time. Counselors just try to limit and monitor their activities until doctors clear them.

            “These kids and there safety are our top concern, although we aren’t doctors, we do anything we can do to help ease the symptoms.”

            During the 2015 NFL season, concussion spotters will hold more power than ever. The NFL has now changed its policies regarding concussions and, now, concussion spotters who are not on the sidelines but are watching from the press box will be able to stop the game when they spot a player showing concussion-like symptoms according to CBS sports.  If the spotter stops the game, the player will be forced to sit out at least one play while undergoing a concussion test. Neither team will be charged with a timeout, but time will stop for a medical timeout.

            “I feel spotters should be in all contact sports with high cases of concussions,” said Ross Sloan, Plattsburgh State hockey player. Sloan suffered a concussion last year during a game; however, he didn’t realize until after the game when he started having symptoms.

“If there had been spotters, I could have been taken out the game and not at risk to causing more damage,” said Sloan.

After a concussion, athletes are usually out for at least two weeks, possibly more depending on the severity.  They have to go through a series of tests, and a resting stage before they can return to the playing field.

“Although we want our guys out on the field, there health is our main concern,” said Chris Manning, assistant basketball coach at St. Lawrence University.  We work along with the training staff to ensure that when our athletes return to the floor, they are 100 percent.”

At Plattsburgh State, athletes are required to take an ImPACT test before there season there first year.  It’s a sophisticated test of cognitive abilities that can help health care professionals track recovery of cognitive processes following concussion. 

If an athlete suffers a concussion, after they are symptom free for 24 hours, they retake the test and the results are analyzed to see if they are concussion free.  However, is this a true indication that an athlete is concussion free?

“What if there was an underlining injury that we didn’t know about when you first took the exam originally so when you first take it the results are skewed already,” said Alan Siergiej, an athletic trainer at SUNY Plattsburgh. “So now the second time you take it the results may show you don’t have a concussion when you do and vice versa.”

To reassure that the concussion is gone, athletes take an exertion test after the ImPACT following 24 hours being symptom free. It’s a physically demanding work out, where trainers try to bring back concussion like symptoms. 

“We do this to try and bring back symptoms, because if you feel light headed, dizzy, or nauseous, you still have a concussion,” said Siergiej.

The test consists of strength testing, balance testing, and senses testing, and had eye coordination.

“The worst test I ever took in my life,” said Shamoy McIntosh, former Plattsburgh State basketball player, “when I passed that, I knew my concussion was gone.”

It is very possible for a person to play, come out and then test normal according Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, the co-chair of the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee, in 90 percent of concussions, symptoms can disappear just minutes after the injury.

This poses the question, how do you truly test and cure a concussion and are athletes at risk of potential fatal repercussions?

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Looking for local leadership

By Anthony Calabrese

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.- “From the outside our families are all so positive but behind the scenes there are many heartaches and struggles. Even with these any family will tell you that they would not trade it for anything” said Co-founder Tracy Rotz of the former North Country Down Syndrome Association.

The NCDSA was the only formal support, and fundraising, group specifically for families with members who have Down syndrome. Cindy and Tracy Rotz started NCDSA in 1998 and led the Plattsburgh chapter for 15 years. They stepped down in the spring of 2013 to spend more time with their family.

They have not been able to find anyone else to take over the association leadership. Because of this the Facebook page is now outdated with the last post being made in May 2013. None of the other jobs of a Down syndrome association president have occurred either. According to the past president Cindy Rotz the job included, “Setting up all fund raisers, public speaking events to raise awareness of Down syndrome in our area, help other parents with new children with Down syndrome, match families up with similar situations, buy books and other materials for schools, doctors and families, established relationship with area teams and groups to help promote friendships and raise awareness, we also supported financial needs for medical care outside our area.”

According to Cindy were more than 20 families who participated in the annual events such as the Buddy Walk held every fall.

One of these families was the Thomson’s. Jane Thomson, mother of Matthew Thomson said, “We participated in the Buddy Walks as a family, and helped at the event when able. The organization hosted parties and other events that we also attended. Our favorite activity was when Matthew modeled for the annual calendar. We supported the group financially with Buddy Walk pledges and calendar sales. As older parents, we often shared our experiences with other families.”

Jane said, “NCDSA brought awareness and understanding of Down Syndrome to the local community.  Public events and press contacts educated the public and lifted some of the stigma that had followed Matthew.  The organization helped Matthew to feel that he was part of a group.  He was made to feel that he was a role model, or in his words, a “rock star”.  The group helped us to network with younger families who were new to dealing with Down syndrome.  As older parents, we often shared our experiences with other families.”

Jane’s husband Mark adds, “We looked forward to the annual Buddy Walk, the signature event of the NCDSA. My office sponsored the event for a number of years. Our family gave calendars as gifts, this became very popular and eagerly anticipated.”

When asked about no longer participating in the Buddy Walk, Cindy and Tracy’s son Brett said, “I miss selling my papers, I color pictures (from coloring books) and sell them.”

Restarting an official organization may not happen. Jane said, “It would be wonderful, but is unlikely. I sat on a steering committee that looked to recruit new leadership soon after the NCDSA disbanded.  It was unsuccessful.”

“I would love to have someone take over; we still have a small amount in the bank. I miss seeing the kids and families. I also think the members miss the activities. I have always said that we are here and will help in any way possible.” said Cindy. “The reason for us stopping has to do with Brett being older and we need to focus on what path and opportunities we can make for him now.”

Tracy added, “It is a tremendous amount of work but one of the most rewarding endeavors you will ever do.”

The open plea to community members for organization leadership is still on top of the North Country Down Syndrome Association’s Facebook page. “The opportunity is now here for someone else to step in and organize the Buddy Walk. If you or someone you know might be interested, please let us know either on Facebook, or by emailing us at NCdownsyndrome@gmail.com.”

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There could be family living under your porch

By: Madison Winters

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.— The population of stray cats that call the streets of Plattsburgh home is growing at an alarming rate. Residents are starting to take notice.

“It started out as paw prints on my car in the morning,” Jason Morrill said “and before i knew it, my wife had names for them.”

Morrill, a Plattsburgh resident, had a family of stray cats living in his garage.

Morrill noticed the first set of prints on his car at the end of August, two weeks later he found a cardboard box with blankets, water, food and a new mother with three kittens.

“After my wife saw the kittens it was a done deal,” Morrill said.

“I was looking for the garden hose and i found them lying in the corner on top on some old newspapers,” Kristen Morrill said.

Kristen Morrill found a box, some old blankets and looked online to figure out what food was “the best” for the new mother and her babies.

“She was hesitant to let me near her at first but I think after an hour or so she could tell that i was just trying to help them,” she said.

The Morrill’s took care of the family for five weeks.

“One day I came home from work and the box was empty,” she said “I just assumed that they found somewhere else.”

 The Morrill’s experience with stray cats didn’t end there. Within two weeks of finding the first liter, a second appeared.

“One family was one too many,” Morrill said. “I knew that it was time to take action.”

Morrill repaired the hole in the wall of his garage, the cats have since relocated.

Plattsburgh resident Carlene Keegan and her roommates recently took in a stray cat.

Keegan found 10 kittens under a porch of a Plattsburgh home.

“They were covered with fleas and had mud all over them,” she said.

Keegan and her roommates decided to rescue one of the kittens.

“We brought it to the shelter,” she said “they gave it medicine that would get rid of the fleas.”

Living in poor conditions and being exposed to harsh weather can have detrimental effects on the animals.

Dr. Jamie Miller is a veterinarian in upstate N.Y., knows all too well how cold winters can be in the area.

“Imagine walking across the snow in just a pair of socks,” Miller said. “Their paws are designed to withstand exposure to the elements but not for long periods of time.”

Stray cats reproduce at alarming rates, kittens born during the winter face extreme danger.

“With winter approaching this issue is a very sensitive topic for me to talk about,” Miller said.

Last winter a women came it Miller’s office with a box of kittens that she found living in her wood shed.

 According to Miller, the kittens were severely malnourished and infected with worms and fleas. The women who rescued the kittens didn’t want her cat to come in contact with the parasites, so she brought them to Miller for treatment.

“I treated all of the kittens for a two week period,” she said. “During that time is when I fell in love with Mittens.

Miller formed a strong bond with one of the kittens and decided to bring him home with her every night.

“The first few nights were a little scary, i felt like a new mother,” she said. ”I woke up probably once an hour just to make sure he was warm enough and breathing fine.”

Miller’s kitten took a turn for the worse by the end of their first week together.

“He was wheezing constantly and couldn’t handle taking nutrients,” she said “that’s the issue with these animals, because of the poor environment they are born into disease spreads like crazy.

The diseases that stray animal carry can easily be contracted by the pets of Plattsburgh residents.

John Bailey is an animal control officer in the Plattsburgh area.

“If I had a dollar for every time I’ve received a call about stray cats, i would be a millionaire”

Bailey said that he gets at least seven calls per week to report issues with stray cats.

“Usually they’re reporting cats that appear to be sick or if they appear to have an aggressive demeanor,” he said “But lately it’s been a lot of calls for removal of a cat or  litter of kittens.”

Bailey says that with the temperatures at night getting colder cats are finding their way into garages,sheds and even basements of houses.

“They’re very agile, they can squeeze through even the smallest opening,” He said, “They carry disease and toxins into your home and could spread it to your pets and family.”

Most of these animals aren’t vaccinated like a pet of a responsible pet owner would be. One scratch from one of these cats could have pretty serious side effects.

“The community just sees these cats as someone's neglected pet and by feeding them they are doing a good deed,” Bailey said. “If they knew how sick they could get from contact with these animals they would view the situation much differently.”

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Womens rights

By Antonea Griffin

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y – In society today, women are looked at as incapable, weak-minded individuals, says some men. Though times have changed and the world still goes on, women still lack basic freedom and opportunities as well as face huge inequalities within the world of work.

           

            The focus that are being looked at with workplace inequalities is that women are being held back from working in corporations and other jobs because of the idea of maternity leave and finding someone to watch the child.

 

            But it doesn’t just have to do with being a mom because even women who aren’t moms go through inequality in the workplace.

 

            The Women Ice Hockey Team assistant coach is a female and when you hear the word hockey most people look at that as a sport for males. But women are just as capable and athletic; which some are better, as guys. The Women Hockey team has won multiple games and championships.  The Women team averages out 500 fans a game, which is more than most male’s sports on campus with the exception of Men's hockey who has had a program for a lot longer than that of the Women's team.

 

            Danielle Blanchard, Women’s Ice Hockey Coaching Staff, “I don't think that the Women's game is a sport only looked at in the eyes of males and I don't believe that I coach in a sport that is dominated by males.  I would understand if I was coaching a men's team but I am coaching a Women's game. Women's hockey is a completely different game than that of the Men's game and many people have come to appreciate the difference.”  

 

            Although women look as if they are not capable of completing the job there are a lot of women who set great examples to show it’s not about who’s doing it, its about how its being done and if the job is being completed.

 

            Janet L. Duprey, Council Assembly Woman,

 

“ Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about hanging the way the world perceives that strength”, said G.D. Anderson.

 

Connie Oxford, Gender Women Studies Professor,

 

 

Leigh Mundy, Rotary International/Secretary for The Strands Center for Arts, 

 

Butterfly Blaise, Title IX Coordinator,

 

Inequality has played such a big role in society today and each different characteristics of it are shown how we are divided as people. Whether it’s through gender, social class, economic, wealth and many more.

 

An example of inequality is the upcoming elections, on the next president of the United States of America. There have been on going debates between Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump. Donald Trump criticizes Fiorina looks and bashes her and the work she does in her business career. Trump, who is also a candidate, shows a massive amount of sexism and bullying on live TV. Although he tries to explain his reasoning’s on why she wouldn’t be a great fit, in his own perspective, do you think this was a good idea?

The right to know

By Kevin Morley

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.-- In the year 2013, the state of Vermont passed a bill of legislation that would change how people look at their food for years to come. Better known by the people of Vermont as the “Vermont Right to Know GMO’s ” campaign, the organization looks to put an abrupt end to the use of genetically engineered products.

            GMO’s, which stand for genetically modified organisms, have been present in our daily lives for quite some time now. In the year 1982, the FDA approved the first genetically engineered product in the form of Humulin, insulin that is a genetic mutation of E. coli. Roughly a decade later in the year 1994, The U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of genetically modified tomatoes that could remain on store shelves for longer periods of time due to their delayed ripening features.

Dee Morse, a retail sales associate at Harlow Farm, looks past the benefits of genetically modified foods to take a deeper look into how they are bad for a consumer.

“We’ve been selling non-GMO products for over three years now.” Morse said. “It’s important to me because I know the effect that sprays and chemicals can have on the body.”

Although GMO’s are believed to increase both the lifespan as well as the taste of some products, there still is a dramatic price that the customers pay. One of the consequences to having mutation in food is that the product becomes less resistant to dangers such as pesticides and disease. Harlow Farm, one of the farms in support of “Vermont Right to Know GMO’s,” has a constant mission of trying to educate consumers.

“Lately, people have become more fearful of how GMO’s can harm them.” Farm Manager, Jon Slason said. “People always come to me with questions and my answer is always really simple; with organic products, you know what you’re getting.”

Slason along with many other farmers hope to educate more people so they can make the healthier choice. In addition, the fact that companies can patent their genetically modified foods has taken a toll on local farmers.

Once a company patents their seed, they have complete control over that product. In other words, if the seed accidentally enters a farmer’s crop and eventually blossoms, the company that created the seed has rights to that crop rather than the farmer who actually owned it. This is a problem that the people at Wild Carrot Farm have become all too familiar with.

“My neighbor once bought genetically modified seed from a company.” Owner, Jesse Kayan said. “I guess the wind picked up some of that seed and transferred it to my crops and I wasn’t able to sell that crop.”

Through various testing, companies are able to prove in cases such as Kayan’s that it is, in fact, their crop. This poses a financial burden for many farmers due to the fact that they had no intention of stealing the seed.

Even though farmers such as Kayan and Slason fight the battle against GMO’s daily, the people of Plattsburgh are still not fully aware of the harms of genetically modified organisms. New York State has not yet adopted the legislation that is necessary to place GMO labels on food products, and as a result the people of the state are bewildered by the thought.

“We don’t have labels on any of our products.” Jenna Lieberman, Manager of the local smoothie joint, Smooth Moves said. “I can’t recall one customer that has ever asked about GMO’s.”

Although awareness of genetically modified products is indeed less sufficient here in Plattsburgh, there are select individuals making a push for organic products. Caitlin O’Donnell, a member of the Botany Club at SUNY Plattsburgh is passionate about her mission. She hopes to one day have GMO labeling on campus and hopes to educate her peers on the benefits of organic products.

“Most of the time you can’t know for sure what you’re putting in your body.” O’Donnell said. “All the chemicals and other things that are added could be harmful.”

Vermont has proven to be the head of the non-GMO movement and their consumers seem to be supportive of the results. American Flatbread, an organic pizza restaurant, has teamed up with “Vermont Right to Know GMO’s,” as they have rid of GMO products in their menu.

“The food tasted better and appeared to be more fresh than generic restaurants.” Customer, Tilo Moeller said. “If I’m paying for something, especially a service, I have every right to know exactly what is or isn’t in it.”

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Friends of library influence community

By Laura Schmidt

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — A local nonprofit organization has been making strides in the development and improvement of the Plattsburgh Public Library and has no intention of quitting.

            The Friends of the Plattsburgh Public Library — or simply the Friends — celebrated 25 years of supporting the library this past year and expect more successful years to come.

            The Friends have a mission to promote the library and its programs by advocating for public support, public use of the library and facilitating financial support, according to Pat Loughlin, president of the Friends.

            In other words, “showing people that the library is more than just books,” Loughlin said.

            Loughlin has been an active member of the Friends for 12 years and took on the position of president about four years ago.

            The group became an official charitable organization five years ago and since has continued to spread knowledge about what the library has to offer. They've been trying to get the community involved by hosting a number of events and fundraisers open to all members of the Plattsburgh community.

            Events such as their biannual book sale and dinners with guest speakers have been extremely successful in providing money needed to replace old items with new, updated ones and introducing the library with items it has never had before. Book sales are usually successful but result in a surplus of unsold books.

            Volunteers from SUNY Plattsburgh take part in helping the Friends with their book sales by packing up unsold books and transporting them into trucks to be taken to Better World Books, a business that collects and sells books online to donate books and promote literacy around the world.

            “Recently we've been using the EOP (educational opportunity program) from SUNY and that's working out very well,” Loughlin said.

            There are usually five to eight volunteers ready to help out, according to Jonathan Reid, assistant director of the EOP.

            “We put up a sign up sheet and let everybody know that it's going down,” Reid said.

            Students volunteer only an hour or two of their time but it really improves the efficiency of the book sales.

            Another way the library supports local community members is by having dinners with guest speakers such as local artists or authors. This gives locals a chance to talk about their work and educate people about topics not all are familiar with.

            Events aren't always about money but rather getting information out to the public about what great facilities the library has to offer and recruiting new members. Membership has been lacking in past years but the Friends have been working very hard to encourage new members to join and spread the word about the library and its events.

            “We, almost every year, fund summer programs for children” Kim Bailey, vice president and treasurer of the Friends, said.

            Over the years, the Friends have done a lot in the children's room of the library, according to Anne de la Chapelle, director of the library.

            “They (the Friends) are a part of our community outreach program,” Chapelle said. “They come in and help with special projects and host events.”

            The library has started a community outreach program in hopes to get feedback and suggestions from city members on how to improve the library.

            The Friends are vital when it comes to the efficiency and modernization of the library. They recently replaced a 1970 version of their book check machine, a machine that checks magnetization strips in books to ensure no one steal them, with a new one. They also allocate $3,000 for the library to buy new and best-selling books and new videos so the community has access to new and desirable material.

            “The Friends paid for new LED lights in the director’s office,” Chapelle said. “And that was really terrific.”

            PSUC student Haley Mooney, 19, enjoys going to the public library because some days it helps clear her mind and focus.

            “I like walking to the public library because sometimes the school's is too noisy and distracting,” Mooney said. “I also really like going to look at the art work.”

            The Hale-Walter Art Gallery is located in the library and features four local artists each year. Artists have a chance to showcase their art for a few months out of the year and this is a great opportunity for many.

            The Friends work to support the public library, Plattsburgh as a community, and all of its citizens. They have been a vital part of Plattsburgh's library for many years and have an incredibly positive influence on the entire town.

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