News digest

Household hazardous waste collection takes place Friday and Saturday New Hampton - Orange County’s final household hazardous waste collection event will be held Friday, Oct. 22 for small businesses, farms and schools, and on Saturday, Oct. 23, for any Orange County residents. This event will be held both days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orange County Fire Training Center, 19 Training Center Lane (off Route 17M) in New Hampton. Call 291-2664 for more information or e-mail efs@co.orange.ny.us. This event is free for residential customers. St. Mary’s in Tuxedo hosts multi-family yard sale Tuxedo - On Saturday, Oct. 23, from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., St. Mary’s in Tuxedo will hold a multi-family yard sale at the Tuxedo Train Station on Route 17 in Tuxedo. The event takes place whether it rains or shines. Clothes, kitchen equipment, decorative items, books, toys, sports equipment, furnishings and other items will be available. Proceeds will benefit St. Mary’s CARRYOU Orphans and local family need. For more information, call Sue at 845-351-3473 or St. Mary’s at 845-351-5122. Characters Restaurant helps Tuxedo PTO provide food for children Tuxedo - The Tuxedo PTO will hosting its second annual “Dine Out to End Hunger” fundraiser on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at Characters Restaurant on Route 17 in Sloatsburg. Dine-in or take-out during lunch or dinner on that day and inform your server that you are supporting the Tuxedo PTO and 15 percent of your bill (excluding tax and gratuity) will be donated to the PTO to support its “BackPack Program” this year. Since December 2009 the Tuxedo PTO and Tuxedo School District have partnered to aid financially disadvantaged families in the communities served by the Tuxedo schools. Each week BackPack Program volunteers fill back packs with child-friendly, shelf-stable foods such as peanut butter, cereal, fruit cups, granola bars, and other healthy foods. These necessities are sent home on Fridays to help to keep school-age children from going hungry on weekends when nutritious free or reduced meals are not available to children through schools. The BackPack Program is funded solely on donations. For information about Characters Restaurant, call 753-5200 or visit online at http://charactersresturant.com. People also can make a direct donation to support the BackPack Program by sending a check to Tuxedo PTO, c/o George Grant Mason School, 11 Hillside Avenue, Tuxedo, NY 10987. For more information on the Tuxedo PTO BackPack Program, contact Angela Mulvaney, Tuxedo PTO Co-President, at apm1@optonline.net. Free flu shots available at St. Anthony Community Hospital on Oct. 27 Warwick - St. Anthony Community Hospital will provide free flu shots on Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the main lobby. While the shots are free, donations to the hospital are welcome. Call the flu hotline at 291-4300 for additional information. League of Women sponsors program on food issues on Oct. 27 Warwick - The League of Women Voters of Orange County will sponsor a Power Point presentation on “Genetic Modification of Our Foods, the health risks to humans, animals and the environment,” on Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway. According to a press release from the league announcing the program, “In the past 20 years our food chain has gone through drastic changes. Large chemical and pesticide corporations have genetically changed the nature of (DNA) many of our food crops. “A recent survey,” the press released continued, “revealed that 66 percent of Americans polled did not know about genetic modification and 64 percent of those who knew a little did not know if they were in our food markets.” HRC Endorses David Carlucci for state Senate WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign - the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced the endorsement of David Carlucci for New York State Senate (38th Senate District which includes Warwick and Tuxedo). “David Carlucci stands with the fair-minded people of New York in supporting equality,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “He will be a strong advocate in the senate to ensure that all of his constituents are accepted and welcomed as part of the American family.” “As a Town Clerk, I have married hundreds of couples,” said David Carlucci. “If elected, I will look forward to voting in favor of marriage equality, and seeing the love and joy of committed couples being available to all New Yorkers.” HRC’s endorsement of Carlucci is part of the Campaign for New York Marriage. With the goal of closing the eight-vote gap blocking marriage equality in the New York state Senate, the campaign will work closely with allies and key campaigns to deliver the help they need such as campaign workers, door-to-door canvassing and phone banks. Monroe CROP Walk will stride forward on Oct. 24 Monroe - The Monroe CROP Hunger Walk is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24, and has set a goal of 125 walkers and hopes to raise $14,000 to help stop hunger and poverty here in our community and around the world, through self-help initiatives. A portion of the funds raised here in Monroe will go to the food pantries of Monroe, Woodbury, Chester and Washingtonville. Last year, approximately 110 walkers raised more than $12,000 in the CROP Hunger Walk. Registration is at 2 p.m. The walk starts at 2:30 p.m. from the Monroe United Methodist Church, located at 47 Maple Ave. in Monroe. For more information call 783-6371.