Author: Saratoga TODAY

Hudson Crossing Park is thrilled to announce that a brand-new accessible kayak launch will be installed in spring of 2026, representing a major step forward in making outdoor recreation available to visitors of all ages and abilities. The launch will be professionally installed by BoardSafe, a national leader in adaptive waterfront access, ensuring that paddlers with mobility challenges can enter and exit the water with comfort, stability, and confidence.

Hudson Crossing Park is also excited to share that it has received four adaptive kayaks–two tandem and two single–from Rochester Accessible Adventures. These kayaks, designed specifically for individuals who need additional support, will allow more members of the community to the recreational opportunities available while paddling on the Champlain Canal. Announcements will be made in the spring about opportunities to use these new kayaks.

This project was made possible through generous grant support, including a $7,500 Trail Grant from Saratoga County, $24,999 Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and $15,000 from AARP. Hudson Crossing Park extends its deepest appreciation to these partners for their commitment to expanding inclusive recreation opportunities in our region.

The addition of the accessible kayak launch will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. It opens the door for individuals with mobility disabilities, older adults, and anyone who benefits from extra stability to enjoy independent or assisted kayaking. Families, adaptive athletes, and visitors of all abilities will now be able to share the water together, strengthening social connections and improving access to healthy, outdoor experiences. The launch also enhances local tourism by providing a unique adaptive amenity that will attract paddlers seeking inclusive adventures along the Champlain Canal. Most importantly, this project reinforces Hudson Crossing Park’s ongoing commitment to ensure that everyone, regardless of physical ability, can explore, learn, and recreate in a welcoming environment.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life Grants Program supports nonprofit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis. Since the Quality of Life Grants Program’s inception, more than 4,000 grants totaling $48 million have been awarded. Funding for this program was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL grant #90PRRC0006-04).

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all as we age. Through advocacy, information, and service at both the national and state levels, AARP champions positive social change. Guided by a vision of a society where every person can live with dignity, purpose, and the opportunity to fulfill their goals and dreams, AARP works to create a more inclusive and livable future for all generations.

Hudson Crossing Park is centered on Champlain Canal Lock C5 Island just north of the Village of Schuylerville along Historic Route 4. A 501C3 not-for-profit organization, Hudson Crossing Park’s mission is to tie environmental responsibility to economic revitalization, and to engage people of all ages in making informed choices for a sustainable future. Learn more about this and other upcoming events at www.HudsonCrossingPark.org. 

Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved the County’s 2026 budget during its special Board Meeting on December 10, 2025. The budget passed unanimously and preserves investments in public safety, services for seniors, and other essential community programs.   

The Board made no adjustments to the $434 million budget proposed in November.  The 2026 property tax rate will be $1.77 per $1,000 of assessed value, maintaining Saratoga County’s ranking as the only County in New York State under $2 per $1,000. 

In 2026, unfunded state and federal mandates are projected to cost Saratoga County more than $86 million – an amount that exceeds the County’s entire property tax collections by more than $8 million.

 These mandated costs continue to escalate each year, placing pressure on local resources and requiring the use of reserve funds to meet these obligations. Further, county officials warn potential reductions in federal and state funding could impact essential programs and operations. 

“The 2026 budget reflects Saratoga County’s long-standing fiscally conservative principles, protects essential services, including public safety and vital supports for families and seniors, and prudently manages the strain of escalating unfunded mandates,” Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Barrett (Clifton Park) said, “2025 was another successful year as the County solidified plans and completed initiatives that will benefit our economy, increase services for all County residents, protect our animals, and further enhance recreational opportunities through new trail and park projects.”  

For 2026, the County projects $170 million in sales tax revenue, reflecting a prudent and conservative estimate considering ongoing inflation, a tightening labor market, and uncertainty in consumer spending. Debt service remains below 1% of total operating expenditures, supporting the County’s continued AA+ (S&P) and Aa1 (Moody’s) credit ratings, which are among the highest in New York State. 

The budget adoption today brings us to the end of 2025.  In 2025, the Board of Supervisors completed and initiated a number of new programs and services including:

1. Build-out of the Environmental Health segment of the County Department of Health working with the NYS DOH

2. Redevelopment of the County Airport working in partnership with state and federal funding partners

3. Planning for a new homeless shelter to provide a long-term, economical solution to fulfill NYS mandates 

4. Approved the creation of an Animal Abuse Registry

5. Moved a plan forward to provide a permanent solution for the disposal of Biosolids

6. New Trails and park resources

The economy in Saratoga County continues to expand due to the positive environment attracting private sector investment.  The recent announcement of Regeneron redeveloping an empty building in Saratoga Springs, Bass Pro’s arrival in Clifton Park and new medical services in multiple communities are examples of significant investment that will provide more jobs and create sales tax revenue shared by the County and local municipalities.  

Saratoga Jewish Community Arts, with a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and the sponsorship of Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, is pleased to present a panel discussion of the critically acclaimed film Casablanca, on Zoom, Tuesday, January 6 at 7 pm.

A 1940s classic that would come to be hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, Casablanca featured what in retrospect would be viewed as an all-star cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. 

While Casablanca has no battle scenes and a small body count, it remains one of the most powerful war films of all time – driven by the values needed to confront totalitarianism. Its impact is deepened by a supporting cast of real-life European refugees who didn’t have to act to show their hatred of the Nazis.

Based on an unproduced play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the rights were acquired by Hal B. Wallis for $20,000, a record at the time. The writers, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch were still scribbling last-minute dialogue on set, just a few lines ahead of the actors. Memorable lines such as, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” were improvised.

The film is set in the early days of World War II in Casablanca, a city in French Morocco. It is portrayed as a place of transit, filled with refugees desperate to escape the Nazi regime. At the heart of the story is Rick Blaine, an American expatriate who owns a popular nightclub, Rick’s Café American. He is depicted as cynical and nonpolitical, but his past harbors a deep hurt from a failed romance in Paris with Ilsa Lund. 

Ilsa re-enters Rick’s life when she arrives in Casablanca with her husband, Victor Laszlo, a Czech resistance leader. They seek hard-to-get transit papers to escape to America, a quest that leads them to Rick’s Café, the center of various intrigues. The climax occurs when Rick must decide whether to use the letters of transit he has obtained to escape with Ilsa, or to help her and Victor escape, thus aiding the resistance against the Nazis.

“Casablanca,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCA, “explores themes like love, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity in a time of war. It combines personal drama with broader political issues, making it a compelling narrative.”

Made with a wartime audience in mind, it’s impossible not to relate Casablanca’s messaging to the world we live in today. Authoritarianism is on the rise, and war again threatens to embroil Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year. While the final message of Casablanca is hopeful that America’s involvement will turn the tide against Nazi Germany, this, of course, was far from assured when the film was released in November 1942.

Even without knowing the outcome, Casablanca ends on a promising note. Rick makes a noble sacrifice, one that denies him true love, as the Lazslos escape while he and others resolve to take up the fight against the Nazis. It’s a message that has withstood the test of time and is as pertinent today as it was when first released.