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FRONT PAGE HEADLINES
April 20, 2016

Quinn Thanks His Supporters
It was another tense week on �The Voice� as America voted on whether Clinton native Ryan Quinn stayed on the show or had to go home. Unfortunately, Quinn�s time on �The Voice� came to an end, as he did not get the votes needed to advance in the singing competition. On last Monday�s episode, the Live Playoffs began for Team Christina and Team Blake. Singers from each team performed live, hoping to get enough votes from the viewers to stay on the show. Before Quinn performed �I�m Not the Only One� for the playoffs, coach Christina Aguilera had some advice for him. �Don�t be afraid to be vulnerable,�� Aguilera told Quinn. �Let�s tap into, like, who Ryan is whenever he�s hurt.� Quinn reflected on his previous stage performance. �I didn�t win the Knockout because there was a little bit of a disconnect between me and the lyrics of the song. I guess I have to prove to myself that I do have what it takes to connect with people through music,� he said. Aguilera also suggested Quinn perform without his glasses, saying, �I want to see your eyes coming out of your shell a little bit.� When he was done singing, all four coaches gave him a standing ovation.  For the Complete Article, Click Here to Subscribe!

Solution Sought For Vacancy
The Brookfield Town Board called for a special meeting this week to resolve who will serve as Highway Department superintendent for the next four months. At last week�s meeting, the board voted 4-0 to grant the unpaid leave of absence requested by Highway Department Superintendent Robert Piersma. But the board rejected - with a 2-2 vote- Piersma�s plan for who would fill his spot for those months. To complicate the matter further, Piersma resigned as Highway Department superintendent Thursday. He was voted to another term last November. Piersma told the board he requested the leave for personal and health reasons. Piersma is also the contractor chosen to build a new house for Salka and his family, which, although it did not come up at the meeting, has a number of town residents angry over why Piersma requested a leave. Salka said he checked with the town attorney and it is legal for the board to grant the request. The request was for no more than four months unless the board grants an extension. Piersma's last day before the leave - before his resignation - was April 20. Who will actually run the department for the next four months and perhaps beyond will be the topic of the special meeting. Piersma recommended that Adam Bennett, who was at the meeting, serve as interim superintendent. But the vote for that resolution was supported only by Salka and Councilman Jeff Mayne, while Councilmen Joe Walker and Clint Abrams voted no. Councilman Dewitt Head was absent from the meeting. Salka said he talked earlier that day to Head and Head supported the leave and solution proposed, although he could not give a formal vote from Florida. During the discussion prior to the vote, Abrams asked why the department had a deputy who was not recommended. Mark Zediker is the deputy highway superintendent chosen by Piersma. Piersma said there is a conflict with the deputy doing it who is part of the union, which qualifies him for overtime. Under the proposal for Bennett to do it, he would have made $12,50 an hour, up to $500 a week, a temporary increase from his $10 an hour rate as a part-time member of the department. He would not receive benefits during the four months.  For the Complete Article, Click Here to Subscribe!
 

Explaining The Science Of It All
Right from the start, Neil deGrasse Tyson shut down any talk about Pluto being asked to rejoin the planets of the solar system. �Get over it,�� he said over the good-natured groans of the 5,000 or so people in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House at Hamilton College. �It�s half ice. If it got near the sun it would be a wreck. That�s no kind of behavior for a planet.�� For two hours, Tyson, an astrophysicist who has written books and won awards for his broadcast work about space, spoke as part of the college�s Sacerdote Great Names series. He was, as Hamilton President Joan Stewart said, the first scientist to do so. Tyson called his talk Adventures in Science Illiteracy. But science acted merely as the glue that held together a talk that looked at economics, geography, sports, religion, cultures, word origins, history and media, with some dance moves and stand-up comedy thrown in. Tyson showed currency from around the world that honors scientists.  For the Complete Article, Click Here to Subscribe!
 

Kirkland Wants Answers About Sales Taxes
Town of Kirkland Supervisor Bob Meelan presented the usual spring paperwork outlining the lawn mowing service agreement between the town and Oneida County to the town board at their April 11 meeting. Then he promptly recommended not signing it yet. Council members Donna Yando, Frank Lomanto and Garry Colarusso, who were joined at the head table by town Clerk Donna Maxam and town attorney Anthony Hallack, agreed with Meelan�s recommendation. They tabled the agreement until they learned more about the upcoming disbursements of local sales tax revenues. Oneida County Legislator Chad Davis came to the board�s March 14 meeting with a dreary forecast for the future receipt of sales tax revenues from the county. Because of a variety of reasons, the town would likely see a decrease in those revenue checks, Davis explained.  For the Complete Article, Click Here to Subscribe!
 

Film Finalist Shown Friday
'Conowingo Dam Bald Eagles', the film made by Waterville native Mike Lemery, will be shown on the Nat Geo Wild channel Friday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. along with the other three finalists videos in a recent contest. Lemery will also be featured during the program.

Five Picked By Legion
The American Legion Helmuth-Ingalls Post 232 has selected four delegates for Boys State and one delegate for Girls State. Going to Boys State: Thomas J. Labayewski, son of Thomas and Kimberly Lab-ayewski; Dominic Pascucci, son of Richard and Carla Pascucci; Spencer Carr co-sponsored by Clark Mills American Legion, son of Christopher Carr and Kristen Martin-Carr, and Josh Houle, co-sponsored by Holland Patent American Legion, son of Christopher and Cheryl Houle. Gabrielle Dewhurst, daughter of David and Regina Dewhurst, will be attending Girls State.
 

BCS Sets Budget
Brookfield Central School District residents will again be asked to approve a budget by a super majority. The BCS Board of Education adopted the 2016-17 budget of $6.2 million at last week�s meeting. It carries a tax levy increase of 6 percent, requiring approval by at least 60 percent of voters. Superintendent Jim Plows said virtually any budget put before voters would require the super majority over the state�s tax cap limit for the third straight year. Brookfield could have raised $3,000 more, or one-quarter of one percent, in taxes with a simple majority vote. �We were not treated all that favorably in the state aid process,�� he said. �At 6 percent we still won�t have a balanced budget.�� For the Complete Article, Click Here to Subscribe!


 

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