📆 BETHELEHEM AREA EVENTS

🌡️BETHELEHEM AREA WEATHER

🏆🏈 CAPITAL REGION PunisHERS STRIKE GOLD! LOCAL 14U GIRLS WIN AAU JUNIOR OLYMPICS! 🥇🔥

🔋⚡ BATTERY STORAGE EXPANDS NEAR BETHLEHEM: NEW SCOTLAND APPROVES FIRST BESS AS TWO MORE MOVE FORWARD

🔥🍖 TASTE THE SMOKE TODAY! LOCAL BBQ FAVORITE COMES TO SLINGERLANDS MARKET 32! 😋🛒

🍝🏆 THINK YOUR MEATBALLS ARE THE BEST? IT’S TIME TO PUT THEM TO THE TEST! 😋🔥

🧩☕ TUESDAY MORNING MATH PUZZLER SOLVED! ☕🧩

Introducing the Bethlehem Area Live Community Calendar

August 17th- Monday

August 18th- Tuesday

August 19th- Wednesday

More Events at: https://BethlehemAreaLive.com

The Capital Region has some new Junior Olympic champions — and they're showing just how quickly girls' flag football is taking off! 🙌🏈

The All-American Sports PunisHERS 14U girls' flag football team returned home from Des Moines, Iowa, with GOLD after an undefeated run at the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games earlier this month. 🥇

The PunisHERS competed against 11 other teams in their bracket and delivered when it mattered most.

🔥 Six games. Six wins. Undefeated. CHAMPIONS.

After four consecutive victories, the team advanced to the semifinals on August 2 before winning both the semifinal and championship game to finish the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record.

And this wasn't their first major championship of 2026! 👀

Earlier this year, the 14U team competed at the 5-on-5 Youth Flag Football World Championships at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. Nine All-American teams ranging from ages 10 to 17 participated — and the 14U girls were the organization's lone champions. 🏆🏈

Coach EJ Hakala credits the success to hard work, demanding practices and an emphasis on creating a true team atmosphere.

That bond was evident both on and off the field in Iowa. Players celebrated each other's defensive stops, big plays and contributions — demonstrating that every play and every teammate mattered.

Among the roster were Zoe Dunlap of Broadalbin-Perth and Kayla Shain of Shenendehowa, two original PunisHERS who can now celebrate two major championships in the same year.

Dunlap contributed at quarterback, receiver and safety, while Shain helped anchor the defense at cornerback and middle linebacker.

🥉 The organization had even more reason to celebrate in Iowa, as the All-American Sports 18U team earned a bronze medal.

The PunisHERS' success comes as girls' flag football continues its rapid expansion throughout New York and right here in Section 2.

More than 120 girls reportedly tried out for the organization's travel teams, which range from 10U through high-school age — another indication of just how much interest in the sport has grown.

And these champions aren't finished dreaming big. 🌟

The PunisHERS are now looking toward another major goal: competing in an NFL FLAG Regional Tournament in Indianapolis next summer, with an opportunity for even greater national exposure.

👏 CONGRATULATIONS to the players, coaches and families of the All-American Sports PunisHERS!

Bringing home Junior Olympic GOLD with a perfect 6-0 record is an incredible accomplishment — and another exciting chapter for girls' flag football in the Capital Region. 🥇🏈❤️

👇 Let's give these young athletes a big Capital Region CONGRATULATIONS in the comments!

READ MORE: DAILY GAZETTE

#BethlehemLocalNews #PunisHERS #GirlsFlagFootball #FlagFootball #AAUJuniorOlympics #JuniorOlympics #GoldMedal #Champions #Section2Sports #CapitalRegionNY #518Sports #GirlsSports #WomenInSports #YouthSports #LocalSports #NewYorkSports 🏈🥇🏆

NEW SCOTLAND — Battery energy storage continues to be a major local issue, with one project now approved and two additional proposals moving through the Town of New Scotland's review process. 🔋🏗️

The developments are particularly relevant to Bethlehem residents because one of the proposed facilities would sit in Vista Technology Park near the Bethlehem-New Scotland border and would be served by the Slingerlands Fire Department.

In July, the New Scotland Planning Board approved its first special-use permit under the town's 2024 Battery Energy Storage System law.

RIC Development LLC received approval for a 5-megawatt, 20-megawatt-hour facility at 1543 Indian Fields Road in Feura Bush.

The approximately 11,300-square-foot installation would include:

🔋 Five Tesla Megapack 2XL battery units
⚡ Two transformers and associated electrical equipment
📍 Approximately seven acres of the New Scotland Beagle Club property

The approval came after roughly a year of review and includes 45 conditions addressing issues such as emergency response, fire protection, noise, landscaping, lighting, insurance and eventual decommissioning.

Among the most significant requirements, RIC must either construct a water line and new hydrant while contributing $200,000 toward improvements to the Feura Bush Water District's fire-protection system, or construct a dedicated water-storage tank of at least 23,000 gallons.

The company is also required to maintain at least $5 million in insurance, including environmental liability and cleanup coverage, and provide financial security for eventual removal of the facility.

The Planning Board is now considering two additional projects.

New Leaf Energy is seeking approval for another 5-megawatt facility at 39 Wormer Road, also utilizing Tesla Megapack 2XL batteries.

That review has been temporarily tabled while the town awaits additional information, with access to sufficient water for fire protection among the major issues being examined.

The third proposal may be of even greater interest to Bethlehem residents.

Adaptive Infrastructure Partners (AIP) is proposing a 4.5-megawatt lithium iron phosphate battery system at 125 Vista Boulevard in New Scotland's Vista Technology Park.

National Grid selected the project as a temporary alternative to additional traditional electrical infrastructure while it rebuilds an aging substation on New Krumkill Road, which is targeted for completion around 2030.

The Vista battery facility could potentially remain afterward to provide additional grid support.

Although the Vista property is technically in New Scotland, the proposed facility abuts the Bethlehem border and falls within the Slingerlands Fire Department's service area.

AIP has already met with Slingerlands Fire Department representatives and, according to the report, agreed to 12 fire-safety measures.

Those include:

🚒 An $80,000 contribution to the Slingerlands Fire Department for fire-suppression equipment
🎓 Firefighter training
🌡️ Thermal cameras
🚨 Fire-alarm interfaces
⚠️ Specialized signage and other emergency-response measures

Slingerlands Fire Chief Craig Sleurs indicated that, provided those agreed-upon measures are implemented and the town ultimately approves the project, the department would be prepared to respond.

The Planning Board is still seeking additional technical information, including details concerning the battery system's coolant and plans for controlling a potential spill. A public hearing is not anticipated before October.

Bethlehem officials have no regulatory authority over the Vista project because the property lies within New Scotland, but AIP has met with Bethlehem officials because of the site's proximity and involvement of the Slingerlands Fire Department.

Bethlehem Senior Economic Developer Brianne Conner sees potential benefits from additional electrical capacity, particularly after power reliability and infrastructure limitations have affected residents, businesses and prospective development.

Bethlehem Supervisor David VanLuven also indicated he would not support a moratorium on battery-storage facilities similar to Bethlehem's current data-center moratorium, citing potential benefits to the electrical grid and differences between the two types of development.

According to the report, there are currently no BESS applications pending in the Town of Bethlehem.

Fire protection continues to receive extensive scrutiny during the reviews.

Officials and project developers argue that modern utility-scale battery systems incorporate increasingly sophisticated safety systems. Fire officials also note that the response to certain battery incidents can differ significantly from fighting a conventional structure fire — with an important objective being preventing fire from spreading to surrounding equipment or property.

At the same time, residents have raised questions about fire behavior, water availability, emergency response, environmental impacts, noise and the long-term consequences of placing large battery installations in their communities.

Those concerns are likely to remain part of the conversation as New Scotland considers the remaining two projects.

⚡ Supporters say battery storage can strengthen the local electric grid, reduce stress on substations, help prevent outages and support future economic development.

🔋 Critics and concerned residents continue to seek assurances that emergency planning, fire protection and environmental safeguards are sufficient for a technology that remains relatively new at this scale.

With one project approved, two more under consideration and one sitting immediately adjacent to Bethlehem, this is a local issue Bethlehem Local News will continue to follow.

💬 WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do the safety requirements and local fire-department involvement give you confidence in these projects — or do you believe additional safeguards or study are needed before more battery-storage facilities are approved?

SOURCE: Spotlight News

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #NewScotlandNY #SlingerlandsNY #FeuraBush #BESS #BatteryStorage #EnergyStorage #TeslaMegapack #VistaTechnologyPark #SlingerlandsFireDepartment #NationalGrid #LocalNews #CommunitySafety #EnergyGrid #CapitalRegionNY

SLINGERLANDS — If the smell of slow-cooked BBQ gets your attention, you missed making a stop at Market 32 yesterday afternoon! 🔥🐷

Locally owned Smith’s Smokeshack & Kitchen has made the jump from a Capital Region food truck to the shelves of select Market 32 and Price Chopper supermarkets — and yesterday, Monday, August 17, the tasting tour came to Bethlehem! 🎉

📍 Market 32 – Slingerlands
📅 Yesterday — Monday, August 17
⏰ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
🥩 FREE SAMPLING

Shoppers will have an opportunity to sample some of the Smith’s Smokeshack flavors and learn more about this homegrown Capital Region business.

🔥 FROM FOOD TRUCK TO GROCERY STORE SHELVES

Smith’s Smokeshack & Kitchen was created by the Smith family in 2021 and is led by smokemaster Tim Smith Jr.

The business spent three years serving rubbed and smoked foods from its food truck before expanding its focus to packaged BBQ products, sauces, condiments and seasonings.

One of its early creations was Soul Sauce #1, a smoky, sweet and tangy sauce designed for everything from mopping BBQ to dipping.

Now, the company's slow-cooked pulled pork and ribs are also being offered at select Market 32 and Price Chopper stores — giving local shoppers another way to bring BBQ home. 🐷🍖

🏪 Smith’s products are currently available at 25 Market 32 and Price Chopper locations, according to the Daily Gazette.

The Bethlehem stop is part of a regional tasting tour that has also included Latham, Clifton Park and North Greenbush, with additional stops scheduled for Malta Aug. 23 and Saratoga Springs Aug. 24.

❤️ WHY WE LOVE THIS STORY

There is something special about watching a locally created business grow — from serving customers out of a food truck to earning space on the shelves of a major regional supermarket chain.

And to, Bethlehem residents who got a chance to taste that success for themselves! 🙌

👇 BBQ FANS — what's your choice: PULLED PORK or RIBS? 🍖🔥

This Article was First Published to our Facebook Page on Monday August 17th 2026.

SOURCE: SCHENECTADY GAZETTE

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #SlingerlandsNY #DelmarNY #SmithsSmokeshack #Market32 #PriceChopper #SupportLocal #ShopLocal #CapitalRegionNY #LocalBusiness #BBQ #TasteTheSmoke #518Eats #BethlehemEats

Calling all home cooks, family-recipe keepers and serious meatball enthusiasts! If friends and family are always telling you that your meatballs deserve an award, here's your chance to find out. 😂🍝

The New Baltimore Conservancy Meatball Competition is coming to Rail to River Brewing in Ravena, and organizers are searching for competitors ready to put their recipes — and maybe a little family pride — on the line! 👨‍🍳👩‍🍳

📅 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 1:00–3:00 PM
📍 Rail to River Brewing
109 Main Street, Ravena

And yes... there are prizes and bragging rights at stake! 🏆

🥇 Grand Champion — $100
❤️ People’s Choice — $50
🎨 Most Creative — $50

Maybe yours is an old-school Italian family recipe passed down for generations. Perhaps you've perfected your own special blend of meats and seasonings. Or maybe you've created something completely unexpected.

Whatever your meatball strategy is, this is your opportunity to see how it stacks up against the competition! 🍝🔥

📧 WANT TO COMPETE?
Email [email protected] for competition details and information on entering.

And for everyone who would rather EAT the meatballs than MAKE them... this sounds like your kind of competition too! 😂🙌

👇 LET'S SETTLE AN IMPORTANT DEBATE: What's the secret to a great meatball — the meat, the seasoning, the sauce... or Grandma's recipe that nobody is allowed to change? 🍝❤️

#BethlehemLocalNews #RavenaNY #RCSCommunity #NewBaltimoreNY #NewBaltimoreConservancy #MeatballCompetition #MeatballChallenge #RailToRiverBrewing #CapitalRegionNY #518Eats #CommunityEvents #SupportLocal #FoodCompetition #MeatballLovers 🍝🏆😋

Good morning, math puzzlers! 🌞 Today’s challenge is:

It may look like we simply work from left to right — but that would give us the wrong answer. The key is the order of operations.

Using PEMDAS, multiplication must be completed before addition.

So:

5 × 3 = 15

Our problem now becomes:

3 + 3 + 15

3 + 3 = 6

Then:

6 + 15 = 21

Someone working strictly from left to right might do:

3 + 3 = 6
6 + 5 = 11
11 × 3 = 33 ❌

But multiplication has priority over addition, so 5 × 3 must happen first.

💡 REMEMBER PEMDAS:

P — Parentheses
E — Exponents
M/D — Multiplication & Division, left to right
A/S — Addition & Subtraction, left to right

👇 Did you get 21 on your first try — or did this Tuesday puzzler catch you? 😎

And remember... don't give away the answer too quickly. Let your friends work it out! 😂🧮

#TuesdayMorningMathPuzzler #BethlehemLocalNews #MathPuzzler #MathChallenge #BrainTeaser #PEMDAS #OrderOfOperations #TuesdayMath #CanYouSolveIt #BethlehemNY

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