Belmont, NY – As its 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service project, the Allegany County Democratic Committee (ACDC) is proud to announce its partnership with the Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (ACASA) to help provide vital support for unhoused individuals in the county. Together, these organizations are collecting winter essentials to address the needs of those facing harsh conditions.

Observed each year on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King and improve their communities.

“Our members recently attended a forum on poverty in Allegany County, which reinforced that low wealth and homelessness often go hand-in-hand,” said Karen Ash, ACDC Chair. “The local statistics are eye-opening. We hope our collaboration with ACASA will help shine a light on this issue and cause government leaders to devote attention and resources toward finding actionable solutions.”

A donation drive is underway to gather high-priority items, which include:

Shinglehouse Borough Water Department will be shutting off the Borough water approximately between 12:00 PM and 6:00PM on Sunday January 5,2025 for repairs to a main line. Please plan accordingly for water usage beforehand.

Loss of water system Pressure:

If the distribution system experiences a loss of positive pressure a PN (Public Notice) must be issued. The

PWS cannot lift the PN/Boil Advisory until 2 sufficient clean bacteriological samples have been collected

And analyzed. Verification after water main repairs where the main was depressurized or partially

dewatered, one set of samples is collected that is representative to the affected area to ensure that the

water is safe to consume. Once the samples are found to be satisfactory, the PWS may lift the PN/Boil

Advisory. The Shinglehouse Borough will publish notification when you no longer need to boil your water for consumption after the repairs. You DO NOT need to boil your water before the repairs.

As stated above we need to have 2 sufficient clean bacteriological samples that have been collected

And analyzed. Before we can announce and lift the boil advisory. Please plan to boil your water until Wednesday January 8^th 2025. A notice will be sent out to the public when boil advisory is lifted.

What should I do? After the water line repair

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.  Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using; or use bottled water.  You should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms.  These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors.  If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.

Guardians of infants and young children and people at increased risk, such as pregnant women, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems, should seek advice from their health care advisors about drinking this water.  General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426‑4791.

The Farmers Market will be the first Saturday of each month until May, held in the Riley Gallery, next to the Crittenden, on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm (NEW HOURS). The next market will be this Saturday, January 4th. Here is a list of who plans to be there and what they plan on bringing to the Market:

*  STARTING JANUARY 4TH,  NEW WINTER MARKET HOURS ARE 11AM TO 2PM. 

*  Beginning in January the winter Farmers Market will be the first Saturday of each month until May. The Saturday dates are January 4, February 1, March 1, and April 5.  In May, the market will again be on the square

*  Market times have been established after many trial times over the years.  If you are not able to visit us and would like something particular from one of the vendors, please contact them directly.  They are willing to try to accommodate your request.

 *  If you are interested in joining the market this year or have any questions please contact …. Netra Baker, 814-598-0649 netrabaker2@gmail.com]

CARD CREEK BAKERY will be at the  Farmers Market January  4th. The winter hours are the first Saturday  of each month with new hours 11 to 2 pm at the Riley Center next to the Crittrnden Hotel. I will be brining sweet and some healthy breakfast treats, snacks, jams, jellies, and desserts. I will have brown eggs in the cooler. Cookies are always on the menu. Fresh healthy breads are my signature items. I love making bread. If you have any requests for market day or during the month, please call or text me. I enjoy having requests. netrabaker2@gmail.com Cell 814-598-0649 text or call

ME AND MY BOYS SOAP will be there on Saturday. We will have a selection of goat milk based products. We accept cash or card payments.

We are saddened to announce the retirement of Chief Louis (Dutch) Bloom. Dutch joined the department in 1978 and quickly rose through the ranks. He became an assistant chief in 1986 and then became the chief in 2001 and with the exception of a few years he was the chief up until the end of 2024. Dutch selflessly served the department and the community year after year. He mentored, guided, and trained many members through out the years.

He fearlessly commanded countless incidents ranging from motor vehicles accidents, rescues, structure fires, and main street fires. The stories are interesting and endless. Thank you Dutch for your many years of service, your leadership, and your unwavering and selfless commitment to the organization and community. Dutch will continue to be a part of the department but in different capacities. You might not hold the position anymore but you will always be “Chief” to us. Thanks Chief!!

Local funeral directors Benjamin R. Olney, Dylan P. Foust, John W. Embser, and Walter D. Gardner are pleased to announce the merger of businesses to better serve the community and ensure the future of our funeral homes. Olney-Foust locations in Wellsville, Ulysses, and Port Allegany and Embser locations in Wellsville and Belmont will all continue to operate. Mr. Foust will oversee operations of locations in New York and Mr. Olney will oversee operations of locations in Pennsylvania. Mr. Embser and Mr. Gardner will remain as active funeral directors, continuing the long tradition of service and legacy of compassion of the Embser and Gardner families.

Please use the following link for more information. Departments – Allegany County, New York