Ritchie

As we usher in the New Year here in Central and Northern New York, winter is just getting started. As such, the area’s need for blood donation grows. That is one of the reasons why January is recognized as National Blood Donor Month

Every day, parents across New York State send their children off to school to develop the knowledge, experience and skills they need to be successful in the future. School should be many things, educational, fun, and most importantly, safe. No parent or guardian should ever have to worry about his or her child being in harm’s way while in the classroom.

There is nothing like seeing the joy in a child’s eyes when he or she opens up gifts on Christmas morning. However, as a parent it is just as important to know that the gifts your children get for Christmas are as safe as they are fun.

The Christmas spirit is alive and well once again in the village of Waddington this year as one of its most historic buildings is serving as the centerpiece for its third annual “Christmas in Waddington” event.

It is that time of year again. Snow has already arrived in most of Central and Northern New York and for many of us, the snow will be begin to be counted in feet. Now is the time to prepare your home, and your vehicle, for what the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting will be a cold and snowy winter.

November is National Military Family Appreciation Month, a time dedicated to showing support for our country’s more than 2.7 million active duty military family members. That number includes the nearly 15,500 family members of the more than 15,000 troops stationed at Fort Drum.

Thanksgiving is the time of year when families come together to enjoy a special meal and most importantly, each other’s company. It is when people can show how grateful they are for all of life’s blessings, especially our friends and families. Unfortunately, here in the United States, far too many children are still waiting for their forever family to come along.

In the last decade, heroin and opioid addiction have affected every community in New York State, creating a public health crisis that we have never seen before. However, some statistics show that the numbers of overdoses and deaths might be improving thanks to efforts we have made to fight back against the spread of drugs in New York State.

Dating back some 175 years, the tradition of sending Christmas cards to family and friends around the world has become one of the most important ways we let the people we love and care about, know that while they may not be in our immediate presence, they are still with us. As the home of the 10th Mountain Division, the most deployed division in the entire United States Army, our brave men and women in uniform are often deployed far away on the holidays, or perhaps they or a veteran are recovering in a hospital.