Sunday, December 31, 2017

IN MEMORIAM 2017

Welcome to Everything Croton--a collection of all things Croton, our history, our homes, our issues, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

HERE ARE ONLY SOME OF THE VILLAGE NOTABLES CROTON LOST IN 2017; this list will be periodically updated as additional info is received:

--John Thomas Sekelsky, a former well known Croton resident, 2011 Knights of Columbus honoree, and a WWII veteran, passed away in October; burial at Bethel cemetery. Read and see more about John here: 2011, TOM FARANDA'S FOLLY, KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HONOR SEKELSKY http://tomfaranda.typepad.com/folly/2011/01/my-friend-john-sekelsky-honored-by-the-knights-of-columbus.html

--Stanley Jack Pezanowski, September, a lifelong resident of Croton-on-Hudson, leaving only to serve in the Navy in Hawaii during WWII. Jack owned and operated his own roofing and siding company for over 40 years and he was highly regarded for both his skills and his generous nature, always helping those who needed a hand. Read more here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/09/services-obituary-for-stanley-jack.html

 --Larry Kanterman, long time Temple Israel member and former Temple Israel President, passed away in November. The funeral and interment was in Florida. Messages of condolence may be sent to Pam Kanterman, 17529 Via Capri, Boca Raton, FL 33496. 

--David Gittleman  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/08/services-for-david-gittleman.html

--Erica Illescas, who passed away in Panama...http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/08/services-for-erica-ilescas.html

--Iris Stevens D'Alvia, life long resident, member of St. Augustine's Episocpal church...http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/08/service-info-for-iris-nee-graves.html

--Rosalind Morrisey, founder of the Croton blood donor program  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/05/rosalnd-morrisey-has-died.html

--Charles Ellison, Class of 2014, CROTON EMS, http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/03/rip-charles-ellison_28.html 

--Josephine Van Asselt http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Josephine-Van+Asselt&lc=7336&pid=186695817&mid=7566361

--Robert H. Sherblom http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Robert-Sherblom&lc=7336&pid=187165331&mid=7628876

-Daniel Shure http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/09/services-obituary-for-daniel-shure.html 

--Anne Dorien, life long resident, member of the hist. society http://bit.ly/2lxTC3

--JAMES "JIMBO" EDWARD BURNETTE JR., details here http://bit.ly/2vEHqp0

VIA EFSP: EUROPEAN STARS WHO PASSED AWAY IN 2017

Courtesy of our friends at European Film Star Postcards...

Stars Who Passed Away in 2017 


On the last day of the year, EFSP remembers twelve stars of the European cinema we had to say goodbye to in 2017. Thank you for your films which will live forever.  See and read more here http://bit.ly/2lrPKCf

Saturday, December 30, 2017

THE STORY OF ART & MARY'S SANTA & REINDEER DISPLAY

The story of Art and Mary’s Santa & reindeer display — and of the guy who liked them...

Gerry — knotty pine salvager — has saved another treasure. This story is just… so wonderful.

COURTESY OF RETRO RENOVATION http://bit.ly/2q23KY7

REMEMBERING ARTIE SHAW

Who died this date in 2004...Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and actor. Also an author, Shaw wrote both fiction and non-fiction. 

Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists," Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had numerous hit records, he was perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine."  

READ MORE HERE http://bit.ly/2pUS5tW

Friday, December 29, 2017

4 COLLECTORS OF COLOURGRAPH

Courtesy of our friends at European Fim Star Postcards...

COLOURGRAPH...

We continue our series with British film star postcard series with Colourgraph. This series was issued by Picturegoer in the 1930s. All postcards were hand-coloured. (CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE A BEAUTIFUL HAND COLORED GARBO.)

SEE AND READ MUCH MORE HERE http://bit.ly/2lhQEBo

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY  http://bit.ly/2pUaUh2

ROSE MARIE, WHO STARRED IN DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, HAS DIED

Rose Marie, the actress made famous for her role as Sally Rogers on famed 1960 sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” has died at age 94.  The news comes from the star’s official Twitter account, which announced on Thursday that she had passed at her home in Van Nuys California.  READ MORE HERE http://fxn.ws/2BO4hON

CLICK ON THE PHOTO COURTESY OF CLASSIC FILM TO SEE ROSE MARIE IN 1962; READ MORE HERE http://bit.ly/2zLByYV

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM CHRISTMAS 2017 AT OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM CHRISTMAS 2017 AT OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH:

--During Christmas Eve worship, Alea Strasser sang "Maria Wiegenlied" by Max Reger. Here is some of it http://bit.ly/2lhzSBi

--See the creche and altar decorated for Christmas http://bit.ly/2Cd9hzS

FOR MORE ABOUT OUR SAVIOUR, VISIT http://oursaviourcroton.org/

1948 TRUMAN VISITS CROTON, THE CROTON CONNECTION

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

WE LOVE THE 40'S--A BLAST FROM CROTON 1940'S PAST---PRESIDENT TRUMAN VISITS CROTON--OCTOBER 1948--courtesy of the outstanding archives maintained by the volunteers of The Croton Historical Society, Click on the images below. 


Saturday, December 23, 2017

A LOOK BACK @ MARIE JENNEY HOWE OF "HARMON ON HUDSON"

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

COURTESY OF THE OUTSTANDING ARCHIVES MAINTAINED BY THE CROTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, A LOOK BACK @ MARIE JENNEY HOWE OF "HARMON ON HUDSON", champion of woman's suffrage and author, 1931. Click on the images below. (Incorrectly identified as MABLE in the article).

You may also have an interest in http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/02/inez-milholland-scotts-chronicles-of.html

  

Friday, December 22, 2017

FOR COLLECTORS OF VALENTINE'S CO. POSTCARDS, NEW FROM EFSP

For collectors of Valentine's Co. Postcards--New from our friends at European Film Star Postcards:

Valentine's Postcards 


Valentine’s Co. (1825-1963) was one of the largest postcard publishers in the early 1900s. It's thought that more than a million photographs were taken for the company. (Click on the photo to see a Douglas Fairbanks Jr. British postcard by Valentine's, no. 5904 N. Photo: London Films. Publicity still for The Rise of Catherine the Great (Paul Czinner, 1934)).

Read and see much more here http://bit.ly/2zeCFjz

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

THANK YOU CROTON GIRL SCOUTS

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

FROM THE CROTON F.D. FB PAGE: Members of the Croton Girl Scouts (all Troops) came together last night at our Washington Engine Company No. 2 to make care packages for the members of the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department, as well as Croton On Hudson Emergency Medical Services.

The group of Girl Scouts - about 30 of them - also filled out greeting cards with personal notes of gratitude for all that we do. READ AND SEE MORE HERE https://www.facebook.com/CrotonFire/posts/938964786251079

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

TOP THREE 2017 CROTON POINT ARTICLES, EVERYTHING CROTON

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

TOP THREE 2017 CROTON POINT PARK ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON:


#1 FEED THE BIRDS AND SAW MILL RIVER AUDUBON TEAM UP TO ESTABLISH PURPLE MARTIN COLONY AT CROTON POINT  http://bit.ly/2q2WIBW

#2 COURTESY OF CROTON UNITED, PHOTO ALBUM, ARCHAEOLOGY DAY 2017 AT CROTON POINT PARK http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/10/archaeology-day-2017-photos-courtesy-of.html  

#3 WE LOVE CROTON POINT PARK IN THE WINTER SEASON http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/02/we-love-croton-point-park-in-winter.html

REMEMBERING HOPE LANGE

Who died this date in 2003--Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003 was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lange was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Selena Cross in the 1957 film Peyton Place. In 1969 and 1970, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Carolyn Muir in the sitcom The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. (Click on the photo to see her in the 1977 stage production of SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR).

Read more here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Lange

1897 CHRISTMAS AT LUDWIG BAUMANN & COMPANY

Oh to step back in time and visit this store at Christmas! From 1897--LUDWIG BAUMANN & COMPANY--once located on 8th Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets in Manhattan.

Click on the photo. 

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-eatons-christmas-1920-21.html

TOP THREE 2017 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON

Welcome to Everything Croton--a collection of all things Croton, our history, our homes, our issues, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "TOP", "MOST READ" LISTS AT EVERYTHING CROTON...AND NOW....THE TOP THREE 2017 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON:


#1 PHOTOS, SEPTEMBER GOLF OUTING  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/10/photo-album-knights-of-columbus-golf.html

#2 A LOOK BACK AT, AND FORWARD WITH, THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-look-back-at-and-forward-with-holy.html

#3 KNIGHTS PRESENT SEPTA WITH $2,000 CHECK  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/01/holy-names-knights-of-columbus-present.html

Monday, December 18, 2017

IN MEMORY OF KIM WESTPHAL

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

NEW AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH--CLICK ON THE PHOTOS---This beautiful bench was donated and installed by Ty West and Mark Anzani in memory of longtime parishioner and past Warden, Kim Westphal, who passed away earlier in the year (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/croton-on-hudson-ny/kim-westphal-7369770). 

Rev. David Carlson--past Rector at St. Augustine's and long time friend of Kim’s--returned to officiate at the bench dedication. A fund in Kim’s name was also established to decorate the altar each year for Christmas.

FOR MORE ABOUT ST. AUGUSTINE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, VISIT:  http://www.stacroton.org/

CONGRATULATIONS CORMICAN, SHARMA AND STEPHENS

Congratulations to Croton's Alma Cormican, Deven Sharma, Rhoda Stephens--Westchester Seniors Honored at 35th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon - read more and see the list of recipients AT THE EXAMINER NEWS http://bit.ly/2kcMmL1

PART TWO, MORE WAXING NOSTALGIC FOR CROTON CHRISTMASES FROM DAYS GONE BY...A COLLECTION OF LINKS

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

BY SPECIAL REQUEST AT THE EVERYTHING CROTON MAILBOX... WAXING NOSTALGIC FOR CROTON CHRISTMASES FROM DAYS GONE BY...A COLLECTION OF LINKS--PART TWO.


SEE PART ONE HERE http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/12/waxing-nostalgic-for-croton-christmases.html

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE A PORTION OF ALICE'S LOCALLY FAMOUS CHRISTMAS PORCH 2009

2011, 2012 CROTON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE VILLAGE :
GRAND STREET http://bit.ly/2AosWtr and http://bit.ly/2iysuEl
VAN WYCK ST. http://bit.ly/2AwVT94
HARMON http://bit.ly/2ivszsk


1983 BARBARA GILBERT'S MINI SANTA WORKSHOP http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/11/vintage-croton-barbara-gilberts-mini.html

2015 PHOTOS BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AT HOLY NAME'S MONTESSORI SCHOOL https://www.facebook.com/HolyNameOfMaryMontessoriSchool/posts/1077285122316389

A VERY VINTAGE CROTON SANTA CLAUS 1963-2014  http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-croton-santa-claus-1963-2014.html

HOLY NAME CHRISTMAS DECORATED, THE BIG CHURCH 2013 http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/12/holy-name-of-mary-all-decked-out-for.html

1933 CHRISTMAS AT ASBURY http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/12/1933-christmas-asbury.html 

Sunday, December 17, 2017

PHOTOS - 2017 CROTON FIRE DEPT. CANDY CANE RUN

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

JUST A FEW SNAPS FROM THE 2017 CROTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CANDY CANE RUN. Here's Santa and company on Grand Street. Click on the photos below, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


SEE MORE PHOTOS--COURTESY OF THE CROTON FIRE DEPT.---HERE   https://www.facebook.com/CrotonFire/posts/937491749731716

Saturday, December 16, 2017

FROM EFSP, URSULA ANDRESS

New from our friends at European Film Star Postcards: URSULA ANDRESS--Stunning Swiss sex symbol, starlet and jet-setter Ursula Andress (1936) will always be remembered as the first and quintessential Bond girl. In Dr. No (1962) she made film history when she spectacularly rises out of the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini. (CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE HER WITH ELVIS IN 1963'S FUN IN ALCAPULCO). READ AND SEE MUCH MORE HERE http://bit.ly/2CF7Vew

Friday, December 15, 2017

TOP THREE CROTON LIONS ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON IN 2017

Welcome to Everything Croton--a collection of all things Croton, our history, our homes, our issues, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "TOP", "MOST READ" LISTS AT EVERYTHING CROTON...AND NOW....THE TOP THREE 2017 CROTON LIONS ARTICLES AT EVERYTHING CROTON:


#1 UNLOADING THE 2017 CHRISTMAS TREES  http://bit.ly/2jUlUFI 

#2 WALK WITH THE LIONS, MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, BOB ANDERSON, DON DAUBNEY AND MORE http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/09/walk-with-lions.html

#3  PHOTOS, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, BLUEPATH, LIONS http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/10/photos-dog-day-afternoon-croton-lions.html

FOR COLLECTORS OF THE BRITISH ROTARY PHOTOGRAPHIC CO. POSTCARDS, A REAL TREAT

From our friends at European Film Star Postcards:

The British Rotary Photographic Co. Ltd was active in London between 1897 and 1916. It was a huge publisher of real photographic postcards. Real photographic cards were actual photographs produced from negatives directly onto photographic paper that was postcard sized. Rotary published several elegant postcards of actresses and actors. Its series included the S-series and the Rotary Photographic Series. For this post, we chose 12 delicate portraits of female stars of the British stage and the early British cinema.  READ AND SEE MORE HERE http://bit.ly/2B1MCnh

Thursday, December 14, 2017

THE 2017-2018 CROTON HARMON GYMNASTICS TEAM

Courtesy of the Croton Harmon Booster Club FB Page - Introducing the 2017-2018 Croton Harmon Gymnastics Team!! The joint Somers/Yorktown/Hen Hud/Croton Harmon team came in first place!!! Way to go girls! SEE THEM HERE http://bit.ly/2j48zKh

WAXING NOSTALGIC FOR CROTON CHRISTMASES FROM DAYS GONE BY...A COLLECTION OF LINKS

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

BY SPECIAL REQUEST AT THE EVERYTHING CROTON MAILBOX... WAXING NOSTALGIC FOR CROTON CHRISTMASES FROM DAYS GONE BY...A COLLECTION OF LINKS:

A CROTON CHRISTMAS 1938 THRU 1950 https://www.flickr.com/photos/22283683@N07/sets/72157627810031344/


A CROTON CHRISTMAS 1961:
Part 1 here: http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-croton-christmas-1961.html
Part 2 here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-croton-christmas-1961-part-2.html

 CONCLUSION http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-croton-christmas-1961-final.html

A CROTON CHRISTMAS SEASON 1967:
See Part 1 here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-croton-christmas-season-1967-part-1.html
See Part 2 here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-croton-christmas-season-1967-part-2.html
See Part 3 here http://www.everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-3-croton-christmas-season-1967.html
See Part 4 here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-4-croton-christmas-season-1967.html

--A WORLD WAR II CROTON CHRISTMAS http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-croton-christmas-world-war-ii.html


--INDEX TO A CROTON CHRISTMAS 1973 http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-croton-christmas-1973-final.html

--A CROTON CHRISTMAS 1958-1978 https://www.flickr.com/photos/22283683@N07/sets/72157627770614519/with/6240207013/

--1937 OUR SAVIOUR http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-christmas-snippet-from-our-saviour.html

--1983, PARTS 1 AND 2   http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-croton-christmas-season-1983-part-one.html

A CHRISTMAS SNIPPET FROM OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN--1937

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

A CHRISTMAS SNIPPET FROM OUR SAVIOUR EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH--1937--CLICK ON THE IMAGE...

FOR MORE ABOUT OUR SAVIOUR, VISIT http://oursaviourcroton.org/

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

EVERYTHING CROTON'S TOP THREE HOLY NAME OF MARY ARTICLES FOR 2017

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship, in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

EVERYTHING CROTON'S TOP THREE HOLY NAME OF MARY ARTICLES FOR 2017:


#1 PHOTOS, 2017, BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS http://bit.ly/2fGzf25

#2 CONGRATULATIONS FATHER BRENNAN http://bit.ly/2ATe4n8

#3 HOLY NAME OF MARY FEAST DAY, OUTDOOR MASS AND... http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/08/holy-name-of-mary-feast-day-91717.html

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

THANKS TONY GAGLIOTTI

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Thanks Tony! And now a word from the Croton Fire Department:

Last week, the men of Columbian Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 honored Mr. Anthony Gagliotti for his decades of service as their Company Secretary. Click on the link to read and see more http://bit.ly/2iWQFsz

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE HIM IN 2014.

PHOTOS - 2017 SERENATA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AT HOLY NAME OF MARY

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

On 12/12 from 3:30 to 7 a.m., the Spanish Ministry at Holy Name of Mary held their annual "Serenata" (with Mariachi) in honor of the feast day for OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE. Mexican hot chocolate, sweet bread and tamales were served after Mass--the church was packed--and festooned in traditional colors. The ministry also thanked Holy Name for providing a venue for these celebrations for over ten years. Father Nelson officiated the bi-lingual five a.m. mass. Click on the photos below. 

FOR MORE ABOUT HOLY NAME OF MAY, VISIT THEIR NEW WEBSITE AT http://www.holynameofmary.org/

FOR MORE ABOUT THE SPANISH MINISTRY, http://www.holynameofmary.org/hispanic-outreach

 

TOP THREE 2017 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ARTICLES AT EVERYTHING CROTON

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "TOP", "MOST READ" LISTS AT EVERYTHING CROTON...


AND NOW...THE TOP THREE 2017 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON:

#1 HAMLET, THE 1983 PRODUCTION  http://bit.ly/2kAWfnQ

#2 BRIGADOON, 1983 PRODUCTION http://bit.ly/2kZnrK7

#3 MORE FESTIVAL, 1970 http://bit.ly/2pTG6LL

AND CLOSE BEHIND, FRED GWYNNE AND THE FESTIVAL CONNECTION, 1967 http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/03/fred-gwynne-croton-shakespeare-festival.html

Monday, December 11, 2017

1933 CHRISTMAS @ ASBURY

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

AND NOW A SNIPPET FROM DECEMBER 1933 AND ASBURY METHODIST: CHURCH WOMEN AT CROTON HOLD CHRISTMAS PARTY.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO.

THE TOP THREE 2017 OUR SAVIOUR EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON

Welcome to Everything Croton--a collection of all things Croton, our history, our homes, our issues, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "TOP", "MOST READ" LISTS AT EVERYTHING CROTON...AND NOW....THE TOP THREE 2017 OUR SAVIOUR EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH ARTICLES @ EVERYTHING CROTON:

#1 THE EVERYTHING CROTON SERIES ON THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LUTHERAN REFORMATION AND OUR SAVIOUR IN CROTON -- SEE PARTS 1, 2 AND 3 HERE http://bit.ly/2kkU0Sy


#2 1967 FASHION SHOW AT OUR SAVIOUR http://bit.ly/2B2MkOL

#3 OUR SAVIOUR WELCOMES A NEW PASTOR: REV. ARDEN STRASSER http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2017/09/welcome-rev-arden-strasser.html 

Sunday, December 10, 2017

NEW FROM THE INTERCEPT: US MEDIA SUFFERS MOST HUMILIATING DEBACLE IN AGES...

THE INTERCEPT: GLENN GREENWALD -The U.S. Media Yesterday Suffered its Most Humiliating Debacle in Ages: Now Refuses All Transparency Over What Happened

December 9 2017, 10:17 a.m. - Friday was one of the most embarrassing days for the U.S. media in quite a long time. The humiliation orgy was kicked off by CNN, with MSNBC and CBS close behind, with countless pundits, commentators and operatives joining the party throughout the day. By the end of the day, it was clear that several of the nation’s largest and most influential news outlets had spread an explosive but completely false news story to millions of people, while refusing to provide any explanation of how it happened. READ AND SEE MORE HERE https://theintercept.com/2017/12/09/the-u-s-media-yesterday-suffered-its-most-humiliating-debacle-in-ages-now-refuses-all-transparency-over-what-happened/

Saturday, December 9, 2017

POST ELECTION 2017: WESTCHESTER TAXES TO GO UP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE

LOHUD--Westchester: Legislature budget deal raises taxes, has votes to override veto--It appears Westchester residents will be paying higher property taxes for the first time in nearly a decade. The deal hashed out by the Board of Legislators Friday calls for a 2 percent property tax hike to balance a $1.8 billion budget — and they say they have the votes to override any veto from outgoing County Executive Rob Astorino.

"It's not a good budget, but as good a budget as we could get under the circumstances," said legislature Majority Leader Catherine Borgia, D-Ossining. READ THE REST HERE http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2017/12/08/westchester-legislature-budget-deal-raises-taxes/936297001/

Friday, December 8, 2017

NOV. 9TH GAZETTE CCA ARTICLE INACCURACIES & MORE

The following letter appear in today's Gazette from Paul Steinberg. It is re-printed here with permission.

To the Editor:
Despite several years of public discussion, some politicians in Croton continue to make false and misleading statements about residential electricity purchasing and “green” energy.

Most recently, the article in the Nov 9 Gazette made statements regarding “Community Choice Aggregation” (“CCA”) and electric usage which are not entirely correct.

CCA is a type of “Energy Service Company” (“ESCO”).

These have existed for 20 years in NY State, and any consumer (except those on low-income energy assistance programs) may choose an ESCO. Con Ed itself shed the generation side of the business and is now an energy network operator.

CCA is a sub-group of the ESCO universe. The distinction is that unlike a normal ESCO where you affirmatively choose to have a particular company supply your electricity, the government forces you into the CCA unless you affirmatively take action in writing to use a different company.

The Gazette quote about the savings from CCA being “speculative” is correct insofar as the projections from Sustainable Westchester (“SW”, whose electricity affiliate is now known as Westchester Power) were purely guesswork back in 2015.

But it is also true that the calendar year 2016 “savings” of $26 now being claimed by Westchester Power is misleading insofar as WP compares a market-rate product (kWh purchased from Con Ed) to a tax-preferenced product (kWh purchased from an ESCO). 

Any ESCO should be cheaper for a consumer than the regular Con Ed rate. This is due to the fact that ESCOs are subsidized pursuant to NY Tax Law 1105-C.

That law was passed in 2000 to override a 1999 ruling from the NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance which taxed ESCOs the same way as Con Ed. Legislators wanted to stimulate electric choice.

The 1105-C tax subsidy has grown from $30M in 2001 to $118M today, without evidence that the subsidy has resulted in increased competition, reduced retail price, or reduced carbon output.

That $118M is going to grow exponentially as the entire customer base is pushed into CCAs, and it already results in a regressive tax burden as consumers living in large private houses benefit most from the tax exemption.

In addition there is empirical research showing that the tax exemption is resulting in higher prices to consumers, since ESCOs can sell for a higher price and still undercut Con Ed since ESCOs don’t charge sales tax.

As a result, there is now a bill pending in the NY Senate which would eliminate the tax exemption.

The thought is that the ESCOs are getting windfall profits (Westchester Power netted  $223k on $393k gross in just the first 8 months of operation) by not passing along the tax breaks to their consumers, and that repeal of 1105-C will result in lower cost to electricity consumers.

Whether this is objectively true is a separate issue, but the perception (and politicians salivating over getting an additional $118M in revenue) is driving introduction of repeal legislation in Albany.

No doubt Westchester Power and other beneficiaries of the tax subsidy will be lobbying heavily to stay on the gravy train, but as CCAs start to see the millions roll in they are going to become increasingly attractive targets to legislators.

Most of the “savings” claimed by CCA advocates don’t actually come from any bulk buying power, the “savings” come from use of a tax subsidy which any consumer can get by selecting an ESCO. In fact, it is sometimes cheaper for a Croton resident to get electricity directly thru an ESCO than thru the SW (now Westchester Power) CCA program.

The SW program used Con Edison’s ESCO subsidiary. Due to collapsing margins in the wholesale market, Con Ed sold that subsidiary to what is now called Constellation (The wholesale electric market entails significant pricing risk which can be offset by hedging on the futures markets, but it is not clear as to the exposure of SW/WP nor any risk mitigation efforts in place).

For much of 2017, you could sign up with Constellation at a price slightly above SW’s rate but you also got a $50 cash back card which meant that for most households the individual ESCO price was slightly better than the “bulk buying” SW price.

The original SW CCA price was 7.38 cents for regular and 7.68 cents for “green”. As of May 2017 those rates increased by 0.32 cents due to state-mandated taxes to subsidize nuclear power plants and infrastructure development.

The current Constellation rate to lock in for 36 months is 7.59 cents. The Con Ed non-contract rate for October was 8.30 cents with an adjusted rate of 8.80 cents.

In short, it is misleading to say that savings are “speculative” because an apples-to-apples comparison is always going to result in an ESCO being cheaper than remaining on Con Ed. That has nothing to do with any savvy negotiating by the CCA but rather due to a built-in tax break resulting from a statutory override of otherwise-applicable NYS law.

Parenthetically, lower electric cost can result in increased environmental damage. A study in the current issue of Science Advances documents a global surge in electricity use and light pollution as LED lighting has made it less costly to light outdoor areas.

I also object to the Gazette statement that SW offers residents “the opportunity to buy their power from 100 percent renewable resources.” Apart from the fact that individual residents can sign up right now to get energy from the same provider as SW, there is the inaccurate assertion of fact regarding “100 percent renewable” electricity.

I doubt that this is even possible with current technology, and I don’t see any support for this statement with regard to Westchester Power.

SW/WP is touted with the implication that you can leave your house lights burning bright and still reduce your carbon footprint because you are using “green” power. That may be true, but the SW proponents don’t tell us how that is possible.

In fact, it appears from Westchester Power statements that they are not using 100% renewable power but rather are buying Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”) and that is a vastly different concept.

RECs may have zero impact on carbon reduction and in fact may result in an increase in carbon output. It is for this reason that many environmental progressives oppose the current REC marketing hype.

This lack of efficacy is because of how most RECs work; not all RECs are created equal. Most people don’t know the difference between types of RECs.

Mr. Pugh has experience with the energy markets (as noted in the Gazette article) and Ms. Horowitz has advocated extensively for Sustainable Westchester since 2015. It is all the more troubling when politicians who have researched the issue (and SW/WP) try to mislead the residents of Croton.

An REC is the modern version of buying an indulgence to expunge the sin of carbon gluttony, and it is customarily every bit as worthless as a medieval indulgence. There are RECs that have a meaningful impact, but they are very expensive and hence rarely purchased by “green” power ESCOs.

The typical consumer with “green” power pays a premium, but her lightbulb is powered by the same “dirty” legacy power generation as her neighbor who uses Con Ed.

The only difference is that the “green” consumer pays extra to a company which takes some of that premium to purchase an REC. So the company might go to the operator of a wind turbine in the California desert and pay the turbine operator for putting a megawatt into the electric grid.

In theory, this will “offset” the Croton resident’s use of a dirty kilowatt. Common sense has led economists and environmentalists to therefore question whether “green” power which merely buys RECs is a waste of money.

The typical rebuttal is that while purchase of an REC doesn’t actually reduce current carbon output, it incentivizes development of new renewable resources.

However, most RECs are very cheap (Colorado even had negative price RECs a few years ago!) and therefore are not a factor in new projects: government subsidies, tax incentives, and regulatory mandates are the dispositive factors.

In 2013, peer-reviewed journal Sustainable Energy noted that voluntary-market RECs are discounted to zero by wind power developers unless they are reliable and for a duration of more than 3 years. This suggests a productive solution: only buy RECs that make a difference.

Some types of RECs work, commonly in cases where the REC parameters are set by regulators as part of a statewide goal of reducing carbon output.

Such “compliance” RECs are mandated by state Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) regulations. Those are structured in such a way as to effectuate reduction in carbon output.

But RECs that actually make a difference are expensive. That is why you see “green” ESCOs such as Westchester Power telling you how many RECs they have purchased but providing no details on the type or cost of those RECs.

Publicity releases putting stress on the raw number of RECs purchased rather than the nature of the RECs purchased is a big red flag when someone tries to get you to pay a premium price for “green” energy. 

CCA “green” energy is pitched as a painless, cost-free way to save the planet. The truth is that it is at best virtue-signaling and at worst it damages the planet: When we think that being energy-efficient has no environmental benefit since we are 100% “green” there is no incentive to reduce kWh usage. 

I have a house which is pushing the century mark. It has taken years of work to replace old appliances with Energy Star models, install new lights, and weatherize the windows and attic. It is not cost-free and it requires work.

But I have made great progress in reducing monthly kWh usage, and while the gas usage is more difficult given Croton winters I have managed to make some headway on that and found that a modest investment in sweaters and attic insulation is quite carbon-friendly.

Beware when people in Croton (especially politicians) speak in vague generalities about how CCA will save the planet while saving you bucketloads of money.

When you hear the talk about how brilliant the folks at SW are in using “bulk” purchasing power to save money, ask about 1105-C and what happens if taxpayers are not compelled to subsidize ESCOs anymore.

When you hear about saving the planet, ask them to tell you in detail about what type of RECs they are going to buy, at what price, and how the RECs will actually reduce carbon output rather than be a giveaway to existing generator companies.

Most importantly, when politicians tell you that your home is going to run on 100% renewable energy, understand that with current technology this is almost certainly an outright lie.

Eventually “100% renewable” may be possible (such as with the massive lithium ion battery being tested in South Australia), but we live in 2017 and need to be honest with ourselves about the current state of science.

Fossil fuel usage is a critical environmental concern. As with most intractable problems, resolution requires hard choices and sacrifice.

If Croton politicians or Croton residents actually wish to reduce carbon output, they can demand that their CCA purchases fund new renewable energy (“forward” RECs) or at minimum that they are paying for RECs that actually reduce carbon output (RECs that are “additional”).

Demand details, and don’t fall for a sales pitch long on environmental platitudes but short on specifics.

Sanctimonious politically-correct virtue signaling makes us feel superior and noble, but it does not solve the very real problem our planet is facing.

--Paul Steinberg

Croton-on-Hudson