Lo c a l
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Volume 9 • Issue 26 • July 4 – July 10, 2014
ROCK SOLID
Future Eagle Scout Pushes Onward After House Burns
I n d e p e n d e n t
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F r e e saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com • (518) 581-2480
LIGHT THE FUSE!
by Brian Cremo Saratoga TODAY MALTA — Eleven days away from his Eagle Scout service project presentation, Eddie Rock found himself and his father, Doug, in dress clothes, digging through the ashes of what was once their home. On Wednesday morning, June 18, Doug was at his good friend John O’Malley’s funeral in Scotia when he noticed there was no music playing. That wasn’t going to fly with Doug. “I looked at [John] and he was laying there with a shamrock arrangement behind his casket and a harmonica in his hand because John was dynamite,” said Doug. “He was unbeatable on the harmonica. So I said, ‘You know, we
FEATS OF CLAY
See Story pg. 3
Firecracker4 See Story pg. 28
Inside TODAY Blotter 5 The Firecracker4 Race is the Centerpiece of Saratoga’s All-American Celebration: Three Days of “Happy Birthday USA.” See Story on pg. 10 and a Race Preview on pg. 28. Photo by Dave Harmon.
BAG IT!
Continues on pg. 11
by Megan Irene Kretz for Saratoga TODAY SARATOGA SPRINGS – Most of us already know how detrimental plastic bags are to the environment. In the United States alone, we use and throw away more than 100 million bags per year and there is strong evidence that suggests bags leech toxic chemicals that ultimately end up in the food chain.
Two years ago, a small group decided to spearhead an effort to reduce plastic bag use in Saratoga Springs, but they didn’t want their approach to rely on environmental scare tactics. “We wanted to do whatever we could to have a positive impact. It’s important not to dwell on the negatives,” said Margie Shepard, cochair of Sustainable Saratoga’s BYOBag project. The small group that Margie was involved with eventually became
Obits 6 Business 14-15 Education 16
Plastic Bag Ban on the Horizon for Saratoga Springs?
Eddie Rock, 17, holds his Boy Scout uniform, equipped with 21 merit badges and sash.
Featured Stories
Pulse 22-25 Sports 28-31
Weekend Forecast FRIDAY
78|55 SATURDAY
80|55 SUNDAY See Bag It! pg. 8
83|60