⚠️ NoticeMotorcycle parade on Route 40 today. The Toys for Tots ride from Brunswick Harley-Davidson is expected through Speigletown, Melrose and the village of Schaghticoke from late morning into early afternoon on Sunday, October 18. Expect a long column and short waits at side roads. What to expect.
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News

Albany wants to tax the paychecks of people who work there but live here. The Common Council votes on asking Albany for the power Monday night.

Nine of Albany's fifteen council members have signed a resolution asking the State Legislature for authority to tax the earnings of nonresidents who work in the city. It is on the agenda Monday, October 19. Roughly 15,000 Rensselaer County residents hold jobs in the city, about 600 of them from the Town of Schaghticoke. Nothing can happen without a state law, and the city's own senator says her colleagues "would have a hard time on that." The Rensselaer County Legislature's majority calls it a cash grab.

Civic Desk
News

The Johnsonville Fire District, which covers part of our town, holds its 2027 budget hearing Tuesday night

The Johnsonville Fire District's Board of Fire Commissioners will hold a public hearing on its 2027 budget on Tuesday, October 20 at 7 p.m. at the Johnsonville firehouse, 5 River Road. The district serves parts of Pittstown and Schaghticoke. This is the week state law sets aside for every fire district's budget hearing; the Speigletown Fire District's is Monday at 6 p.m.

Civic Desk
News

The Speigletown Fire District holds its 2027 budget hearing Monday at 6 p.m. at the firehouse

The Board of Fire Commissioners' public hearing on the Speigletown Fire District's 2027 budget is Monday, October 19 at 6 p.m. at the firehouse, 146 Speigletown Road, at the board's regular third-Monday meeting. The only posting we have found is the electronic sign out front. The fire line is the one piece of your tax bill that gets a hearing of its own, and this year's budget is $671,477.

Civic Desk
News

Traffic advisory: the Toys for Tots motorcycle parade comes up Route 40 through Speigletown and Melrose today

The Brunswick HOG Chapter's 27th annual Toys for Tots ride leaves Brunswick Harley-Davidson after registration closes at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 18, and its flyer sends the parade through Troy and Melrose on the way to Mechanicville. Figure on a long escorted column on Route 40 from late morning into early afternoon, short waits at side roads, and a slow few minutes at the village four corners and the Hudson bridge.

Community Desk
News

The state tax credit for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers goes from $200 to $800. Here is what it means at the Speigletown firehouse.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill Saturday that quadruples New York's income tax credit for active volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers, the first increase since the credit was created in 2006. Our own Assemblymember Scott Bendett and Sen. Jake Ashby were co-sponsors. The governor's office says it starts with the 2027 tax year; the bill as passed says 2026, and the fine print on stacking it with the 10 percent county property tax exemption is not settled yet.

Civic Desk
News

The 2027 town budget hearing is November 5 at 6 p.m. The notice lists what the town would pay its officers.

The Town Clerk posted the notice of hearing on the 2027 preliminary budget on October 16: Thursday, November 5 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, the same hour as the tax cap override hearing. The preliminary budget is on file at the clerk's office. The notice proposes 3 percent raises for the Town Clerk, Highway Superintendent and Tax Collector, and no change for the Supervisor, the four council members or the two justices.

Civic Desk
News

County Legislature, October 13: road salt, a tax foreclosure auction, and a December hearing on farmland in our ag district

What was on the Rensselaer County Legislature's October 13 agenda: $750,000 in road salt at $100 a ton, authority to auction the 2025 tax foreclosure parcels, a local law moving the sewer rent deadline to December 15 with a vote November 10, and a December 8 hearing on adding two parcels to the agricultural district that covers Schaghticoke. The county's 2027 budget is still to come.

Civic Desk
News

The county has more state money to help replace failing septic systems, up to $10,000 a household

The Rensselaer County Health Department accepted another $150,000 from the state's Septic System Replacement Fund on October 13. The program reimburses homeowners half the cost of replacing a cesspool or failing septic system near a priority waterbody, up to $10,000, or three quarters of an enhanced system, up to $25,000, and now runs through 2036.

Civic Desk
News

County sewer rents rise 18 percent in January, with two more increases to follow. Here is who pays it and who does not.

Rensselaer County Sewer District No. 1 is raising its rates for 2027, 2028 and 2029: the metered charge goes from $4.20 to $4.96 per 1,000 gallons on January 1 and the quarterly minimum from $58.28 to $68.77. The Legislature held its hearing October 13. If your sewer bill comes from the Town of Schaghticoke, this is not your rate.

Civic Desk
News

Fire Prevention Month, Speigletown edition: the ten minutes that matter, and the one habit the fire service wants changed this year

October is Fire Prevention Month, and our own volunteers put the reminder on their breakfast flyer: test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, review the plan. Here is what to do this week in a Speigletown house, the chimney check the state wants done before the first fire of the season, the lithium-ion charging habit the national campaign is aimed at, and what the last three years of fires on our own roads taught.

Community Desk
News

Hannaford’s website, app and To Go pickup are down after a cyberattack on its parent company. The Lansingburgh store and pharmacy are open.

Ahold Delhaize, the parent of Hannaford and Stop & Shop, took systems offline on October 12 after what it calls a security issue in its network. Stores and pharmacies are open, but Hannaford's website, app and To Go pickup and delivery are affected, and the company says it has no evidence so far that customer data was taken. What that means for the 126th Street store most of Speigletown uses.

Civic Desk
News

A 13-year-old was caught with a handgun at 5th Avenue and 102nd Street, Troy police say

Troy police say detectives tried to stop a 13-year-old near 5th Avenue and 102nd Street in Lansingburgh on the evening of October 8, that he ran, and that he was caught with a handgun. He faces juvenile charges equivalent to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and obstruction. We do not name juveniles.

Civic Desk
News

National Grid says gas heat will cost about $9 less this winter, and electric bills a bit more. Here is where the help is.

National Grid's Upstate New York outlook for November 1 through March 31 forecasts a typical gas-heating customer paying about $9 less than last winter, assuming normal weather, while electric bills rise 3 to 5 percent, $22 to $39 over the five months. The assistance programs, who qualifies, the one phone number to call, and the tips that actually move a bill.

Community Desk
News

Free Fall Fest at the Bruno Stadium Saturday: trick-or-treat at 3, Big Sky Country, and a movie on the field at dusk

Rensselaer County and the Tri-City ValleyCats host their free family Fall Fest at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Saturday, October 17. Big Sky Country plays from 2:30 to 5, trick-or-treating starts at 3, with pumpkin painting, giveaways and family activities, and a movie on the outfield at dusk.

Community Desk
News

Truck or Treat with the Speigletown Fire Department at Town Hall, Sunday, October 25

The Speigletown Fire Department invites kids in costume to Schaghticoke Town Hall on Sunday, October 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Truck or Treat: candy from the fire trucks, a daytime hour before Halloween week, and a chance to meet the volunteers. Bring the trick-or-treat bag.

Community Desk
News

Troy proposes a 3.4 percent tax increase and a 50-cent water rate hike for 2027. The hearings run through December 1.

Mayor Carmella Mantello's proposed 2027 budget raises Troy's property tax levy 3.4 percent, about $7.12 a month on a $150,000 home, adds 50 cents per 1,000 gallons to water rates for corrosion-control treatment, holds the garbage fee flat, and carries more than $16 million in fire spending including the new Lansingburgh fire station. The City Council receives it October 15 and votes December 1.

Civic Desk
News

The Abenaki of Odanak put Schaghticoke in their record. The resolution now hangs in Town Hall.

A framed resolution of the Abenaki Council of Odanak, adopted July 10 for the 350th anniversary of the Peace Treaty at Schaghticoke, is now on the wall at Town Hall. The Town Historian presented it to the Town Board on October 14, and the board posed with it for a photograph. Here is what it says, in full.

History Desk
News

Nearly 2,000 eighth and ninth graders tried on careers at HVCC last week

Career Jam Explore brought students from 14 Capital Region schools to Hudson Valley Community College for a day of hands-on exhibits with local employers, from laying bricks with a fifth-generation mason to nursing and nanoscience. The organizers' count ranged from 1,700 to nearly 2,000.

Community Desk
News

Troy passed the state’s first local law reining in plate-reader cameras. The mayor says veto, and Schumer wants answers from Flock by Thursday.

Troy's City Council voted unanimously on October 1 for a local law that cuts Flock camera data retention from 30 days to 72 hours and limits searches to felony cases; Mayor Mantello says she will veto it. Senator Schumer has now written Flock's CEO demanding answers about its national lookup tool and a hacked camera by October 16. What it means for the cameras on Oakwood Avenue and Northern Drive that every Speigletown commuter passes.

Civic Desk
News

La Capital Tacos takes Chowderfest in the rain. The full 2026 lineup, and who finished where.

Updated October 13: the Downtown Troy BID named La Capital Tacos' birria chowder the People's Choice winner of the 20th annual Chowderfest, with Bootleggers on Broadway second and The Ruck third, after a rainy Sunday that still drew crowds. Below, the results and the full 17-stop lineup as it was served.

Community Desk
News

The Town Board will hold a hearing November 5 on a law to override the state tax cap. Here is what that means.

Corrected October 14: the public hearing on a local law permitting the town to override New York's property tax levy limit is Thursday, November 5 at 6 p.m., not October 14. The town's notice carried the wrong date, which is why it was pulled. The town passed the same law before its 2020 and 2023 budgets. What the cap is, what an override law does and does not do, how it went last time, and the budget dates that follow.

Civic Desk
News

The Toys for Tots ride rolls out of Brunswick Harley-Davidson on Sunday, October 18, and it comes through Melrose.

The Brunswick HOG Chapter's 27th annual Toys for Tots event is Sunday, October 18. Registration is 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Route 7 dealership, then a motorcycle parade through Troy, Melrose, Mechanicville and Clifton Park to The Mill on Round Lake to deliver the toys. Admission is a new, unwrapped toy or $20 per person. Here is the flyer and what to expect.

Community Desk
News

The noise law has been in force since August 18. The town just posted the proof, plus two laws you never heard about.

Over the weekend the town posted the filed copies of all three of its 2026 local laws. The noise law, Local Law 3, was filed with the Department of State on August 18 and has been enforceable since that day. Local Laws 1 and 2, adopted in April, moved dog-license fees out of the code and into Town Board resolutions, and let the Highway Superintendent live anywhere in Rensselaer County.

Civic Desk
News

The county’s fight over its ICE jail agreement is in two courts. Here is where each case stands.

Rensselaer County is the only county in the Capital Region with a 287(g) agreement letting jail deputies act on federal immigration detainers. The state's new Local Cops, Local Crimes Act bans such agreements. Sheriff Kyle Bourgault and 14 other sheriffs have asked a federal judge to block the law, and the Attorney General has sued in state court to end the county's agreement. Neither judge has ruled, and the issue is on the November ballot by proxy.

Civic Desk
News

Rensselaer County has $4.4 million to get lead paint out of 115 older homes. Most houses around here qualify by age.

The county Health Department has won its third federal lead-hazard grant, $4.41 million from HUD, to remediate lead paint in 115 homes built before 1978 over the next four years. Enrollment runs through the department's voluntary inspection program, and families with young children come first. Much of the housing in Lansingburgh, the village and the older parts of Speigletown is old enough to be eligible.

Civic Desk
News

Field of Horrors rebuilt after its July fire and is open for the season, with two new haunts

The haunted attraction on Farrell Road lost three of its five haunts to an electrical fire on July 20. Ten weeks later it is open, with two new attractions, Night Stalkers and Panic at Pinewoods, replacing what burned. Expect the usual Friday and Saturday night traffic on Farrell Road and Route 40 through Halloween.

Civic Desk
News

Brunswick is at 45 percent color, and for once there is no drought. Peak is about ten days out.

The state's weekly foliage report puts Brunswick at 45 percent change this week, with yellows, reds and bright orange showing more at elevation. Peak in the Capital-Saratoga region historically lands around mid-October. After two drought-dulled autumns, foresters expect brighter reds this year; drought.gov shows Rensselaer County clear.

Civic Desk
News

The Hawks are 8-3-1: a midseason check on Hoosic Valley and Lansingburgh fall sports

Hoosic Valley's boys soccer team is 8-3-1 and 5-2 in the Wasaren League with three straight shutouts; Senior Night is Monday. Girls soccer sits at .500, volleyball is 9-9-2 after sweeping Tamarac, and football is still looking for a win. Lansingburgh's Knights are 2-3 with Averill Park coming to the Burgh on October 16. Sectionals start mid-month.

Civic Desk
News

If you bought a puppy in the Hoosick Falls area this summer, check its parvo shots

Two puppies sold from a Center Street home in Hoosick Falls died of parvovirus, nine dogs were seized on September 5, and two people face animal-neglect charges. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society answered with a free clinic that vaccinated 73 dogs and five cats. Parvo spreads easily and kills unvaccinated puppies, so this is a county-wide reminder, not a Hoosick Falls problem.

Civic Desk
News

A young moose toured Rensselaer County last week. It did not survive the rescue. Here is what to do if the next one turns up on Route 40.

A 600-pound yearling bull moose wandered the county over the weekend of September 26 and 27, crossed I-90 in East Greenbush, and was tranquilized by DEC in South Troy on Tuesday. It was meant to be released on the Rensselaer Plateau, but its condition failed overnight and it was euthanized Wednesday. It is moose breeding season, and the northern towns see them too.

Civic Desk
News

Five-hour search in Poestenkill ends with an arrest and two guns recovered

State Police and sheriff's deputies searched the Chain Mountain Road area of Poestenkill for about five hours on September 23 after a man reportedly left a home with two long guns following a dispute. He was found unarmed that evening, the guns were recovered nearby, and he was arraigned in Sand Lake Town Court and held on bail.

Civic Desk
News

Dick Donah, who taught Hoosic Valley its American history, dies at home in Troy

Richard F. "Dick" Donah, formerly of Schaghticoke, taught American history at Hoosic Valley Central School to a generation of students and kept running marathons long after most people stop. He died September 24, 2026 at home in Troy. He and his wife, Marilyn Mercier Donah, were married 61 years.

Civic Desk
News

The Route 2 bridge in Petersburgh now carries Robert Bornt’s name

The state Department of Transportation unveiled signs Thursday dedicating the Route 2 bridge over Route 22 in Petersburgh to Robert Bornt, the DOT highway supervisor, Hoosick Falls fire chief and rescue squad member who was struck in a work zone on Route 7 in Pittstown in May 2025. For every volunteer in our fire companies, his is a name worth knowing.

Civic Desk
News

The fire company is at your door: the calendar drive, a new chief, and the whole fall and winter schedule

Speigletown firefighters spent the weekend walking the district with the annual calendar and a letter that doubles as the company's year in review. Dean Rysedorph is chief after five years under Larry Funk. The 1936 American LaFrance needs engine, transmission and brake work. And the dates are set: monthly breakfasts start October 11, the chicken BBQ is October 24, Santa tours the district December 6 and the kids' Christmas party is December 19.

Civic Desk
News

Around the county, early October: ten stories in brief

A digest of the smaller stories from the last two weeks, each with its own full piece: the Route 2 bridge dedicated to Robert Bornt, the county's $4.4 million lead-paint grant, the moose that toured the county, Field of Horrors rebuilt, the 287(g) lawsuits, a Poestenkill search, a parvovirus warning out of Hoosick Falls, Hoosic Valley's fall teams, the foliage outlook, and the death of a longtime Hoosic Valley teacher.

Civic Desk
News

Two flood items with deadlines: federal loans for July storm damage, and where the new maps stand

The U.S. Small Business Administration has declared a physical disaster for Rensselaer County from the July 28 and 29 storms, opening low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses with a November 23 deadline for property damage. Separately, FEMA's new preliminary flood maps for the county are out for review but the formal 90-day appeal clock has not started. What each means and what to do now.

Civic Desk
News

A powder coating shop wants the old garage lot at 751 Route 40. The Planning Board hears it Wednesday.

The Kustom Addiction, a powder coating and metal finishing business, has applied for a special use permit at 751 Route 40 in Melrose, the Hamlet district lot that spent 2022 and 2023 in front of the town's boards as a proposed auto repair and towing shop. The Planning Board's public hearing is Wednesday, October 7 at 7 p.m. Here is the application, the history of the address, and how to comment.

Civic Desk
Event

October around here: ghost tours at the Knick, a powder-coat hearing, Foodstock, and the last farmers market Sunday

A full refresh of the community calendar for the fall. Highlights: Knick at Night ghost tours close the Knickerbocker Mansion season October 23 and 24, the Rustic Barn's November slate is up (including Foodstock 15 for the food pantries), Liberty Ridge runs through November 1, the fire company's chicken BBQ pickup is October 24, the Pittstown historians host Chris Kelly on the Tree of Peace, and both school districts' fall dates are now on our calendar.

Civic Desk
News

Rensselaer County has banned kratom. What that means at the counter on Route 40.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin has signed Local Law T-4 of 2026, which the County Legislature passed 15 to 2 on September 9 after an emotional public hearing on September 24. The law bans the sale of kratom and its concentrated derivative 7-OH countywide, with fines of $500 to $1,000 per item. Here is what was banned, why, who objected, and what we still don't know about when enforcement starts.

Civic Desk
News

After the 13th Street fire: a vigil Sunday at Bulldog Field, and how to help the boy who got out

Three members of one Troy family died in a three-alarm house fire on 13th Street the night of September 27. Their 13-year-old son escaped through a second-floor window. A remembrance gathering is Sunday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Brunswick Bulldog Field, and neighbors are collecting clothing and donations for him. Here is what is known and where help is being gathered.

Civic Desk
News

Chickens, a rooster and a quarter-acre lot: the zoning board takes up the hamlet henhouse question October 1

The Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled two public hearings for Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m. One asks whether a family at 5 Bickford Lane can keep chickens and a rooster on a 0.27-acre lot in the Hamlet district, where the zoning law wants five acres for a coop. The other is a garage addition on Master Street that would sit 3.33 feet from the side line. Written comment is open now.

Civic Desk
News

Buttermilk Falls Road closes at the tracks this weekend, Sunday morning through Tuesday

The town says Buttermilk Falls Road will be fully closed at the railroad crossing from 7 a.m. Sunday, September 20 until it reopens by 7 a.m. Tuesday, September 22. No vehicles get through, including emergency responders, so plan the long way around and let anyone who might need to reach you know.

Civic Desk
News

New flood maps are coming for Rensselaer County. FEMA will explain them in person on September 29.

FEMA has drawn new preliminary flood maps for Rensselaer County, and the agency is holding a drop-in open house at Hudson Valley Community College on Tuesday, September 29 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Whether your property lands in a flood zone can change your insurance bill and your mortgage requirements, so this is worth the trip, especially for anyone near the Hoosic, the Tomhannock or a creek.

Civic Desk
Event

Harvest Festival returns to the Town Hall lawn next Saturday

The Hoosic Valley Community Partners' Harvest Festival is Saturday, September 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Schaghticoke Town Hall grounds in Melrose: live music, food, vendors and kids' entertainment. It shares the morning with the fire company's golf scramble and a coffee hour with the school superintendent, so plan the day.

Civic Desk
News

New faces at Hoosic Valley: a bus boss, a resource officer and an athletic director

The district's fall newsletter is out, and it comes with a run of new names: Joe Barton takes over transportation from the retiring Wayne Akin in November, Deputy Andrew Etman is the new school resource officer, and PE teacher Jimmy Acker is the new athletic director. Plus a coffee hour with the superintendent on September 26 and the next school board meeting.

Civic Desk
News

Rett Fest is Saturday. Here is how a firehouse barbecue became a million-dollar mission.

Five Septembers ago the Otis family threw a barbecue at the Speigletown firehouse for their son Barrett and 1,500 people showed up. Saturday the fifth Rett Fest opens at 11 a.m. with more than $1.2 million raised for Rett Syndrome research behind it. Here is the story, what the money does, and your plan for the day, from the 9:30 motorcycle ride to the dunk tank.

Civic Desk
News

Your November 3 ballot: who is running, what they stand for, and where Speigletown votes

The county has posted the official sample ballots, so we can tell you exactly what you will see on November 3: governor, comptroller, attorney general, Congress, State Senate and Assembly, two Supreme Court seats, the district attorney and three uncontested town offices. No propositions. Here is the whole ballot in plain English, plus the registration deadline, early voting sites and hours, and the fire house where your district votes.

Civic Desk
Event

Home Runs for Hope: a ballgame with a bigger purpose this Sunday

Rensselaer County, the Nopiates Committee and the Tri-City ValleyCats are turning Sunday's game at the Joe into Home Runs for Hope, recognizing Overdose Awareness Day and bringing the recovery community to the ballpark. Gates at 3:30, first pitch at 5, fireworks after.

Civic Desk
News

Why the sea lions aren't coming to the fair

The Sea Lion Splash show booked for the Schaghticoke Fair was cancelled after the truck carrying three of its sea lions crashed on a Missouri interstate on August 13. The animals came through unhurt, a reptile show takes their slots this year, and the fair says the sea lions are expected in 2027. Federal inspection records about the show's operator are worth knowing before then.

Civic Desk
Event

Two more nights of summer at Grafton Lakes: tot time Thursday, a moonlit hike Friday

The state park up the hill is closing out August with a free toddler nature hour Thursday morning and a guided full-moon hike Friday night under the Sturgeon Moon, $5 and worth every dollar of it. Both take registration, one phone call: 518-279-1155.

Civic Desk
Notice

Hoosic Valley heads back September 10, with a new superintendent at the wheel

First day of classes at Hoosic Valley is Thursday, September 10, and elementary dismissal moves to 2:12. There is also a new hand on the wheel: Michelle Gabree-Huba took over as superintendent July 1, and she is asking families and neighbors to tell her what the district does well and where it can grow. Plus a 7th-grade open house September 1 and the rest of the opening week.

Civic Desk
Notice

Lansingburgh's back-to-school week: orientations, a clothing giveaway, and one changed location

All Lansingburgh students return Tuesday, September 8, and the week before is orientation week: 6th graders Tuesday, Pre-K/K and 9th graders Wednesday, 3rd graders Thursday, plus the free Clothing Giveaway Wednesday evening. Also in here: free K–5 after-school care, which doesn't start until the 14th, a 9th-grade orientation location change, and the rest of the district calendar at a glance.

Civic Desk
Notice

Lansingburgh fall sports: registration is open, so sign up before the whistle

Registration for Lansingburgh's Fall 2026 sports is open now on ArbiterSports, and the district's advice is simple: do it as soon as possible, so your athlete is cleared before the season starts. Cross country, football, golf, soccer, volleyball, and Unified Bocce, where students with and without intellectual disabilities play on the same team.

Civic Desk
News

The Rustic Barn's new deck is done, just in time for the good evenings

"The deck is done!!" the Rustic Barn Pub announced over the weekend, and the photo backs it up: fresh decking, café tables, a railing strung with lights, and Speigletown sky where the hard part used to be. More tables, shade and plants are coming, but the door to eating your ribs outdoors is officially open.

Civic Desk
Event

The Fair is back: six days at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, starting Wednesday

The Great Schaghticoke Fair opens Wednesday, September 2 and runs through Labor Day, September 7. Opening day is $2-ride day, kids 13 and under get in free all week, and 2026 brings two new free shows: a big-top circus and a live reptile show, the latter a late substitution after the sea lion act's truck crashed en route to another fair (the sea lions are fine). The tradition dates to 1819, and it is ten minutes from your driveway.

Civic Desk
News

The storms did spin: two tornadoes confirmed just north of us

Update: the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday evening's storms produced two tornadoes near Wilton in Saratoga County, an EF-1 with 110 mph winds and a brief EF-0, with no one hurt. The forecast had said "a tornado or two." Our Wednesday heads-up, and the 2020 Schaghticoke tornado history it recalled, follows as published.

Civic Desk
Event

Five Sundays to fix the cat — and one Friday night to dress like one

Kitten Angels has posted its fall calendar, and there's something on it for both kinds of cat people: five low-cost spay/neuter clinic dates for owned cats between now and December, sign-up by online form — and the fifteenth annual Black Cat Gala, an old-Hollywood night at Troy's Franklin Terrace Ballroom on October 30 that pays for all that compassion.

Civic Desk
Event

Box the cat, leash the dog: $20 shots in Troy on September 19

Mark the fridge calendar: Operation Snip's walk-in vaccine clinic comes to Troy on Saturday, September 19 — rabies and distemper shots, twenty dollars apiece, no appointment, 11 to 3 in the Old Taylor Apartments lot on River Street. Your dog's town license needs that rabies certificate anyway. Might as well get it for twenty bucks.

Civic Desk
News

Chrissy's Cravings turns twenty today, and the whole town's invited

Twenty years ago Christina Newton spent her birthday opening an ice cream shop on Main Street. This afternoon Schaghticoke returns the favor: music until nine, a bounce house, a dunk tank for a good cause, and a dinosaur-roar contest. Bring a chair — the ice cream's covered.

Civic Desk
News

Your trash bill is going up in January. Here is what to watch, and when.

The town opened bids on its next garbage and recycling contract on August 6, and the Town Board says it will award it at the September 9 meeting — with a rate increase residents will see on their bills at the first of the year. Here is what you pay now, where that charge actually lives, and the three meetings that will set the number.

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News

The hamlet noise law passed: what Chapter 92 does, and what the town said about enforcing it

The Town Board adopted the hamlet noise law on August 12, 2026 as Local Law No. 3 of 2026 — no amplified noise in Speigletown, Pleasantdale, Hemstreet Park or Melrose between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., with fines from $250 to $1,000. At the hearing the town explained how it intends to enforce it: a warning first, no decibel meters on purpose, the Sheriff's Office doing the enforcing, and ATVs and sand-pit parties handled by other laws entirely.

Civic Desk
Notice

Mechanicville DPW is hiring a Skilled Laborer — $26.04/hr, apply by August 7

The City of Mechanicville's Department of Public Works has an immediate opening for a Skilled Laborer — 40 hours a week at $26.04/hour with health insurance, dental/vision, a pension, and paid time off. A short drive from Speigletown, and applications are due August 7, 2026.

Civic Desk
News

Archaeologists dug up Schaghticoke's mill-town past. The 143-page report is now online.

Before the Route 40 bridge over the Hoosic was replaced, state archaeologists excavated thirteen historic sites in the village — mill workers' houses, shops, and the factories themselves — and wrote the most substantial published history of Schaghticoke's industrial era. It quietly appeared on the town's new website, and it's a remarkable read.

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News

Record rain floods southern Rensselaer County — Speigletown spared the worst

Wednesday's record rains brought flash flooding and road closures across the southern and western parts of Rensselaer County — Schodack alone took about a foot of rain, the equivalent of 10 feet of snow. By Thursday only two county roads remained affected, though several town roads were still closed. No deaths or injuries were reported, and Speigletown escaped the worst.

Civic Desk
News

The Town of Schaghticoke is live at townofschaghticoke.gov

The town has moved to a new website at townofschaghticoke.gov — a .gov address, which only verified U.S. government bodies can hold. Old .org links redirect, meetings and notices have clearer homes, and the filed local laws are online for the first time. A few things got left behind in the move, so here's where they went and what we've done about it.

Civic Desk
News

Rett Fest comes to the firehouse September 19 — and the fund behind it is now a nonprofit

The beloved fall fundraiser at the Speigletown firehouse has a new name — Rett Fest — and a big milestone behind it: organizers Alyssa and Rick Otis have established the Barrett D. Otis Charitable Fund as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit for Rett Syndrome research. The festival runs Saturday, September 19, 11 AM–5 PM, with live music, food, raffles, kids' activities, a motorcycle ride, cornhole, and a dunk tank.

Civic Desk
News

Grant Hollow bridge repair underway; Barton Road repair starts this week

The town's highway department confirms the Grant Hollow bridge repair has been underway for about a week, and the Barton Road bridge repair is starting this week. The Town Board financed the $710,000 Barton Road work on July 8, authorizing borrowing over five years.

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News

Dollar General proposed at Route 40 and East Schaghticoke Road gets its first hearing

A 10,600-square-foot Dollar General is proposed for the corner of Route 40 and East Schaghticoke Road, on one lot of a new three-lot subdivision. At its July 1 public hearing, neighbors and the Planning Board pressed on screening, lighting, truck traffic, and water — and the chairman and one member recused themselves, each intending to bid on the build. Written comment is open, and the plan returns August 5.

Civic Desk
News

Registration is open for DEC's 'Becoming an Outdoors-Woman' fall weekend on Lake George

New York's long-running Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is holding a fall skills weekend October 2–4, 2026 at the Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George. Registration is a lottery, open only July 21–30 — so if you're interested, the window to enter is now.

Civic Desk
News

What the Dark Skies Protection Act could mean for Speigletown

A bill in Albany, the Dark Skies Protection Act, would set statewide rules for outdoor lighting — requiring most fixtures to be shielded and aimed downward starting January 1, 2028, and dimming late-night lights at recreational facilities. Here's what's actually in it, where it stands, and what it would and wouldn't change for homes and businesses here, from backyard floodlights to new commercial construction along Route 40.

Civic Desk
News

DEC hosts a free webinar on accessible outdoor recreation — Wednesday, July 29

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is holding a free, public webinar on accessible outdoor recreation for people with disabilities on Wednesday, July 29 (1:00–2:30 p.m.), and has launched a statewide interactive map to help people find accessible trails, campgrounds, waterway access, and day-use areas near home.

Civic Desk
Notice

Town finances the Barton Road bridge repair — $710,000, subject to referendum

On July 8, 2026 the Town Board voted to fund the long-troubled Barton Road crossing — authorizing the $710,000 repair and agreeing to borrow the money over five years. The borrowing is subject to permissive referendum, so it takes effect unless residents petition for a public vote within about 30 days (by roughly August 7), and the highway department expects work to begin the week of July 13.

Civic Desk
Notice

Town puts trash & recycling collection out to bid for 2027–2028

The Town of Schaghticoke is taking sealed bids for its residential garbage, recycling, and yard-waste collection contract for 2027–2028. Bids are due by 3:00 p.m. on August 6, 2026. For residents, the service the contract describes looks much like today's — weekly curbside pickup with carts provided.

Civic Desk
News

Three Flock cameras destroyed in Troy as surveillance debate sharpens

Troy police are investigating after three of the city's Flock automated license-plate cameras — including ones on Oakwood Avenue and Northern Drive, near Speigletown — were destroyed late Thursday. The vandalism lands in the middle of a running fight over the cameras: police call them a valuable investigative tool, while residents and civil-liberties groups warn about privacy, data-sharing, and wrongful stops. Updated August 2 with the new negotiated safeguards — data-sharing limits, use restrictions, and annual audits — and the council's proposed charter change on emergency powers.

Civic Desk
News

A $50,000 Powerball ticket was sold at LaPosta Brothers Market

The New York Lottery says a third-prize Powerball ticket worth $50,000 from the July 22 drawing was sold at LaPosta Brothers Market, the neighborhood grocery at 181 Speigletown Road. If you played Wednesday's drawing, check your numbers.

Civic Desk
News

Fire destroys structures at Field of Horrors on Farrell Road

A July 20 fire tore through structures at the Capital Combat Zone and its "Field of Horrors" haunted attraction at 100 Farrell Road in the Town of Brunswick. Speigletown firefighters and a long list of mutual-aid partners fought the multiple-alarm blaze for about an hour and stopped it from spreading. No injuries were reported; investigators ruled the cause electrical.

Civic Desk
Notice

The Town of Schaghticoke is moving to a .gov website

The Town of Schaghticoke is refreshing its website and moving to an official townofschaghticoke.gov domain, with new .gov email addresses for town employees and a slightly updated design. The older townofschaghticoke.org address will keep receiving email and redirect visitors during the transition.

Speigletown Community
News

Dog daycare hearing: board backs personal-service reading — not a kennel — with conditions to come

The Zoning Board's July 20 special meeting on a proposed dog grooming and daycare at Route 40 and Eastover Road filled the room, with traffic safety the dominant worry and several neighbors backing the reuse of a long-vacant building. Attendees say the board rejected treating it as a kennel but approved reading it as a "personal service" use, and a straw vote favored approval with restrictions — likely including no overnight boarding and a 2–3 year review. The town attorney is drafting the stipulations and will post them when ready. Updated October 8: the Planning Board approved the special use permit and site plan on September 2, with conditions.

Civic Desk
Event

Tee up for a good cause: Speigletown Fire's Golf Scramble returns September 26

The Speigletown District Volunteer Fire Company's annual Golf Scramble returns Saturday, September 26, 2026 at Frear Park in Troy — a shotgun-start tournament with lunch, dinner, and awards. This year's proceeds go toward refurbishing the company's 1936 American LaFrance fire truck.

Community Calendar
Event

Live music among the monuments: an afternoon at Oakwood Cemetery this Saturday

This Saturday, July 18, from noon to 5 PM, local musicians play throughout historic Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. Follow the roads, learn the history, and catch Deb Zep at 1 PM.

Community Calendar
Notice

Tomatoes are on the stand at Remington's Harvest

A Friday update from Remington's Harvest: the first tomatoes of the season are out on the farm stand. The family-owned stand is open 10am to 5pm, late June through Thanksgiving.

Community Bulletin
Event

Speigletown Fire's Chicken BBQ is back, October 24, to save a 1936 fire engine

The Speigletown District Volunteer Fire Company's Chicken BBQ returns Saturday, October 24, 2026. Pre-order your dinners by October 16. This year the proceeds go toward restoring the company's 1936 American LaFrance fire engine.

Community Calendar
Notice

Lansingburgh schools are hiring substitute custodians and nurses

The Lansingburgh Central School District, just south of Speigletown, is looking for substitute custodians and substitute nurses (RN and LPN) for the coming school year. Here are the pay rates, shifts, and how to apply.

Community Bulletin
Notice

Air quality alert: wildfire smoke over Speigletown into Thursday

New York State has extended its Air Quality Health Advisory for fine particulates, now in effect until midnight Thursday night (July 16), as Canadian wildfire smoke lingers over our area (Rensselaer County). Sensitive groups should keep limiting strenuous time outdoors.

Civic Desk
Event

Tag sale this Saturday benefits The Animal Support Project

A one-day "Huge Tag Sale" runs Saturday, July 18, from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Veterans of Lansingburgh parking lot, a short drive down Route 40 from Speigletown. All proceeds benefit The Animal Support Project, a local nonprofit that helps at-risk pets and their owners through hard times.

Community Calendar
News

Project Lifesaver: help finding a loved one who wanders

Since 2015 the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office has offered Project Lifesaver, a small wearable radio transmitter that helps trained deputies quickly locate a person with autism, dementia, or another condition who has wandered. Here's how it works and who to contact.

Speigletown Community
News

Calhoun's Farm Stand opens for the season with sweet corn

Calhoun's Farm Stand on Grange Road, the closest fresh produce to the hamlet, opened for the 2026 season on July 12, its first open weekend, with homegrown sweet corn, fresh vegetables, fruit, and more. The family has grown its own corn since 1983.

Civic Desk
Recipe

Lemon–Olive Oil Cake

Our first community recipe: an Italian-style lemon and olive oil cake with a soft, moist crumb and three kinds of lemon. Makes one 9-inch cake.

E. Hinkson
News

Suburb or Country? What Speigletown Really Is

Ask ten neighbors whether Speigletown is a suburb or the country and you'll get ten answers. The honest take: we're the populated, city-connected corner of a town that is otherwise rural, and knowing which is which matters.

A. Luchi
Notice

Two reasons to hit the library: a school supplies drive and summer reading

Troy Public Library is collecting new school supplies for Troy and Lansingburgh students through August 1, and you can even ship from their wishlist. And "Unearth a Story" summer reading runs through August 7 for all ages, with sign-up at either branch.

Civic Desk
Notice

Free summer meals for kids, now through August

Lansingburgh schools are serving free breakfast and lunch to any child up to age 18, with no registration and no income check. The closest site to Speigletown is Turnpike Elementary. Meals run weekdays through mid-to-late August.

Civic Desk
News

What's in Speigletown's water? The 2025 quality report, explained

The town's Annual Drinking Water Quality Report is out. The short version for Speigletown: no water-quality violations, no lead service lines in the system, and everything detected came in under state limits, plus a few details worth knowing if you're on town water.

Civic Desk
Notice

On town water? The Water Department still needs a photo of your service line

State and local health departments require the town to document what kind of pipe supplies each home on municipal water. If you haven't sent yours yet, a single photo of your indoor water connection takes care of it.

Civic Desk
Notice

County Waste: put your cans out the night before

A reminder from County Waste: drivers sometimes start the route earlier than usual, and cans that aren't curbside when they pass get missed.

Civic Desk
Notice

Dog daycare proposed for the old Scriven Press site: hearing continues July 20

A dog grooming and daycare business wants to reuse the vacant building at Route 40 and Eastover Road. The Zoning Board took public comment July 2, made no decision, and left the record open. Here's what was said and how to weigh in before the July 20 continued hearing.

Civic Desk
News

Welcome to Speigletown, online at last

Our hamlet finally has one place that pulls together public safety, town government, local services, businesses, and neighbors. Here's what you'll find and how to help build it.

The Speigletown Community Site
News

On the drawing board: a Dollar General on Route 40, solar on Route 67

Two developments have been working their way through the Planning Board: a proposed 10,600-square-foot Dollar General at Route 40 and East Schaghticoke Road, and a pair of solar arrays along the Route 67 corridor. Here's what's proposed and how to weigh in.

Civic Desk
Notice

Reminder: Town Board meets the second Wednesday each month

Speigletown is part of the Town of Schaghticoke. The Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals all meet monthly and are open to the public. Here's the schedule.

Civic Desk
Issue

Have your say: traffic and safety along Route 40

Route 40 is Speigletown's main street. Speeding, crossings, and shoulders come up again and again. If we gather specifics, we can bring them to the Town and the state as one voice.

Action Desk
Event

Monthly firehouse breakfast returns

The Speigletown District Volunteer Fire Company hosts community breakfasts through the year, a great, low-key way to meet neighbors and support the volunteers who keep us safe.

Community Calendar
News

A dinner remade: Chrissy's Cravings takes care of the rescue squad

When a call pulled the Hoosic Valley Rescue Squad crew away from dinner, their order at Chrissy's Cravings in Schaghticoke went cold on the counter. The restaurant remade the whole thing, no questions asked — and the squad wanted everyone to know.

Civic Desk
News

Forty neighbors turned out to meet the fire company on RecruitNY day

The Speigletown firehouse joined RecruitNY, the statewide volunteer recruitment weekend, on Saturday, April 18 — and the chief made a day of it, billing it as a fire department meet and greet. About 40 people came by to hang out with the volunteers, see the trucks, and ask what joining actually involves.

Civic Desk
News

The Peace Tree at 350: the 1676 story behind our town emblem

That oak tree on the Town of Schaghticoke's seal isn't decoration. It marks a 1676 peace covenant planted right here, said to be the only tree ever planted in North America for the welfare of Native people. In 2026 it turns 350, and the Knickerbocker Historical Society is marking it with a two-day celebration at the Knickerbocker Mansion on August 1 and 2.

History Desk
News

Speigletown Fire honored with a county commendation

Rensselaer County recognized the Speigletown District Volunteer Fire Company at its annual installation banquet, and the company marked a leadership change, with Dean Rysedorph taking over as chief.

Community Desk
Notice

Heads up: town water rates and the meter fee are going up

If you're on town water, your rate is rising again. The Town Board raised the billing rate for Water Districts #1, 3 and 3E (which includes Speigletown) from $4.95 to $5.35 per 100 cubic feet, the latest in a series of supplier-driven increases, and the new-meter fee is now $510.

Civic Desk
News

The Reverse Rett Fall Festival: a record year for a cure, at our firehouse

Each fall the Speigletown Fire House hosts the Reverse Rett Upstate NY Fall Festival, a family fundraiser for Rett Syndrome research. The 2025 event set records: more than $325,000 raised and 2,612 people through the gates.

Civic Desk
News

Fire destroys a Speigletown home; all three residents escape safely

An early-morning fire on July 1, 2025 destroyed a home on Tucker Pond Court in Speigletown. Smoke detectors woke the three people inside and all got out safely. With no hydrants in the area, crews trucked in water by tanker.

Civic Desk
News

A passing driver helps a neighbor escape a Speigletown fire

On the evening of October 8, 2024, a driver passing a home on Fogarty Road in Speigletown noticed a window on fire and is credited with helping the person inside get out safely. The fire was held to one room.

Civic Desk
News

A Christmas morning fire displaces two in Speigletown

On Christmas morning 2023, the Speigletown Fire District battled a structure fire on Valley View Avenue that heavily damaged a home's first floor and displaced the two people who lived there. No one was hurt.

Civic Desk

Elsewhere in the news

We're neighbors, not a newsroom — the working press covers this area too. Speigletown hasn't had a paper of its own since the Schaghticoke Sun stopped its presses in 1983; these outlets pick up where it left off.

The Express

Weekly newspaper

A weekly paid-subscription paper covering Schaghticoke, Johnsonville, Mechanicville, Stillwater, Waterford, and neighboring towns — the closest thing to a hometown paper. Their Schaghticoke tag collects our local coverage.

Read their coverage →

The Record

Daily (digital)

Troy’s paper since 1896, now primarily digital — city and Rensselaer County news, sports, and obituaries.

Read their coverage →

Times Union

Regional daily

The Capital Region’s major daily, based in Albany — regional coverage that reaches into Rensselaer County.

Read their coverage →

NEWS10 ABC

TV news

Capital Region television news with a dedicated Rensselaer County section.

Read their coverage →