CHEERS to Dan and Shane Raymo, father and son, who for years have been donating more than 300 pounds of turkey every year to the Salvation Army for its annual free Thanksgiving dinner. This is the fourth year for Shane, a Plattsburgh High graduate and tennis star. The dinner was held at the Elks Lodge in Plattsburgh. The Raymos are not turkey farmers or processors. They are just a family with a big heart.
JEERS to scammers who have sunk to new depths in trying to fleece the public. Get a load of this notice from Susan Patterson, Franklin County public health educator: "Franklin County Public Health Services has recently become aware of an H1N1 scam circulating on the Internet. It is sent through e-mail and asks people to open an attachment to create a profile for the CDC. They look legitimate, but don't click on any links or open any attachments. The sender tries to trick users into clicking on links/attachments that harbor malicious pieces of software. These links/attachments can infect your computer and/or network. Good rules of thumb are to delete any e-mails from an unknown source and do not provide personal information in response to e-mail." Some people will try to capitalize on any opportunity — even mass fear during a pandemic.
CHEERS to the employees of Pfizer Chazy (known better as Wyeth Chazy), who despite the adversity they face knowing their workplace is going to be closed, donated a record-high 42 Thanksgiving baskets of food to the Interfaith Food Shelf. Most of the baskets, which were distributed to families throughout Clinton County, included enough food for at least 20 people. Such generosity of spirit is a bright light in a dark time and offers hope for the future.
JEERS to joggers who go out after dark and wear clothing that doesn't show up well. What a needless and dangerous risk this presents. The death of locally renowned early morning jogger Anthony Morette last week when he was hit by a truck underscores the importance of runners making themselves visible while on the road. He always wore reflective clothing and was still hit. You can imagine how the chances of a tragedy increase when the jogger cannot readily be seen by drivers. We're now into the season of short days and long nights. Runners will be out during the dark hours. Drivers should beware. Just as important, runners should make themselves as obvious as possible. These avoidable tragedies are the saddest of all.
