Margaretville

By John Bernhardt
The Margaretville Blue Devils found themselves at the top of the Delaware League’s Upper Division Friday night after a 48-42 win on the road in Stamford.

The win concluded a harrowing week of basketball that saw the Blue Devils survive a scare with an overtime win in Davenport and then come from behind in the second half to down Stamford.

By Brian Sweeney
The Auxiliary of Margaretville Hospital and Mountainside Residential Care Center is seeking a few good men and women to help strengthen the organization’s outstanding volunteer efforts.
For nearly half-a-century, auxiliary volunteers have worked as fund-raisers on behalf of the hospital. The group’s efforts have also benefitted the hospital’s sister facility, Mountainside Residential Care Center, which was established in 1994.

By Geoff Samuels
At the Margaretville Central School Board of Education meeting on December 19, a handful of parents expressed their anxiety over their children’s safety at school in light of the recent shootings in Newtown, CT.

Faith Wayman of Arkville, the first parent at to speak, wanted to know what the current safety guidelines were at the school and if there were any “emergency plans in place.”

Halcottsville — Lorraine Anne Mitchell of Queensbury was ordained a Deacon at Holy Innocents Cathedral on Saturday, Dec. 8. 

Bishop Francisco Betancourt, FCR was the ordaining bishop. In attendance were Lori’s parents,  Doreen and Robert Mitchell, relatives, friends and Holy Innocents parishioners.  

The Fairview Public Library in Margaretville will be offering two special programs for children during the December vacation. One program will be in the library and the second program will be in the Community Room, the building next to the library

Pre-School Story Time will be held on Thursday, December 27, 11 am. Children and their parents are invited to join us for a reading of Henry and Mudge and The Snowman Plan by Cynthia Rylant and a snowman craft. This program will be held in the Children’s Room. No advanced registration is required.

By Brian Sweeney
The Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) group has been reactivated this year at Margaretville Central School.

Fifteen students have volunteered to participate in the nationally known organization. The group’s goal is to raise awareness of the consequences of choices made by students and adults.
“What we’re trying to do as a Margaretville chapter is to clearly be positive social role models for the people in our school,” explained MCS history teacher and SADD Advisor Brigitte Nagle. “It’s about doing something good.”

 By John Bernhardt
“Box scores lie,” former New Jersey Nets’ power forward Kenyan Martin growled at reporters when explaining the value of teammate Jason Kidd’s contribution to the Nets after Kidd recorded rather pedestrian statistics in a victory several years ago.  Martin’s claim could have described Margaretville guard Matt VanValkenburg when he was the only Blue Devils’ starter who failed to reach double figures as Margaretville upended Hunter-Tannersville, 66-60, last week. Box scores lie!
 

By John Bernhardt
It was an unusual kind of girls’ basketball game in Tannersville last week.  Hunter-Tannersville downed Margaretville, 41-35, in a contest that proved far more competitive than their first encounter three days previously in the finals of the MCS Booster Club Tourney. 

The Wildcats enjoyed a huge advantage at the foul line, taking 20 foul shots during the game and making nine.  Margaretville wasn’t awarded a single foul shot in the contest.

By John Bernhardt
The first three minutes of the final quarter in Saturday’s MCS Booster Club Boys’ Varsity Basketball Tournament demonstrated the poise the host team showed in securing the title.  Trailing 39-25 late in the third quarter, Gilboa went on a 10-2 run to whittle the Margaretville advantage to six at 41-35.  The Wildcats’ surge included a  long range, three-point Zac Perry prayer that banked off the backboard and through the nets, just beating the third-quarter horn, and a no-look pass from Tyler Latta to Hunter Grace for a layup to start the final period.

By Geoff Samuels
Margaretville Mayor Bill Stanton has gone on the record about the controversy that arose when Freshtown Marketplace owners Dan and Noah Katz erected an “aqua berm” around their building in the hope of averting another disaster like the one caused by last year’s Hurricane Irene.

In an interview with the News last Thursday, Stanton said unequivocally that it was his decision, on that fateful Saturday a day-and-a-half before Superstorm Sandy smashed into the New York-New Jersey Coastline, to permit the owners of Freshtown to erect the protective structure.