📆 BETHELEHEM AREA EVENTS

🌡️BETHELEHEM AREA WEATHER

🇺🇸🛠️ HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT LABOR DAY IS REALLY ABOUT? 👷‍♀️👨‍⚕️👨‍🏫🚒

🚨🚔 POLICE: DRIVER CHARGED WITH DWAI-DRUGS AFTER ROUTE 9W CRASH IN GLENMONT

🛝💙 PLAY FOR EVERYONE! NEW ADA-ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND OPENS AT NORTH BETHLEHEM PARK 🎉🌳

🚔⚖️ TWO OUTSTANDING BETHLEHEM WARRANTS LEAD TO ARREST OF ALBANY MAN

🧩☕ MONDAY MORNING MATH PUZZLER SOLVED! ☕🧩

Introducing the Bethlehem Area Live Community Calendar

September 7th Monday

More Events at: https://BethlehemAreaLive.com

The first Labor Day was hardly a national holiday. Workers had to strike to celebrate it.

For many of us, Labor Day means the unofficial end of summer — one last barbecue, a long weekend, back-to-school preparations and maybe a few Labor Day sales. ☀️🌭

But behind the holiday is a story that is easy to forget: Labor Day was created to recognize America's workers and the struggle for better working conditions and more time away from the job.

The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882. At the time, the day wasn't an official holiday, and participating workers effectively had to leave work to take part in a parade and gathering.

And working life looked very different then. 🏭

In the 1800s, many manufacturing employees routinely worked extraordinarily long weeks. The labor movement pushed for shorter hours, additional days away from work and eventually the eight-hour workday.

New York was among the states that recognized a Labor Day holiday in 1887, and in 1894 Labor Day became a federal holiday. 🇺🇸

More than 140 years after that first celebration, it's worth remembering that the holiday isn't really about the end of summer.

❤️ It's about people who work.

And that certainly hits home here in Bethlehem.

It's the teachers and school staff preparing to welcome our children back to school. 🍎

It's our police officers, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders who don't necessarily get the holiday off. 🚒🚑

It's the nurses and health-care professionals caring for our neighbors. 🏥

It's the employees at our local restaurants, grocery stores and shops — many of whom are working while the rest of us enjoy the holiday. 🛒🍽️

It's our town employees, tradespeople, construction workers, small-business owners and the countless other people whose work helps keep Bethlehem, Delmar, Glenmont, Slingerlands, Selkirk and our surrounding communities moving every day. 🏡

Labor Day has changed considerably since 1882. Parades and organized labor gatherings are no longer the defining experience for most Americans, and the holiday has largely become a three-day weekend.

But perhaps its original message is still worth carrying forward:

Take some time to appreciate the people behind the work. ❤️🇺🇸

So while you're enjoying the barbecue, spending time with family or squeezing a little more fun out of summer, here's a question worth considering:

👇 Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day — or is taking a well-earned day to relax exactly what the holiday's founders were fighting for?

📰 Source: Jay L. Zagorsky / The Conversation, republished by U.S. News & World Report

#BethlehemLocalNews #LaborDay #LaborDayWeekend #BethlehemNY #DelmarNY #GlenmontNY #SlingerlandsNY #SelkirkNY #WorkingPeople #AmericanWorkers #CommunityStrong #SupportLocal #CapitalRegionNY #KnowYourHistory

GLENMONT — A 51-year-old Cohoes man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges following an early-morning crash on Route 9W that Bethlehem Police say involved drug impairment.

Police responded at approximately 6:10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, to the area near Walmart after a blue Jeep reportedly crossed the center line, struck a utility pole and came to rest in a field.

The driver, identified by police as Michael Schoonmaker, 51, of Cohoes, was not injured.

According to the police report, officers observed signs they believed were consistent with impairment while speaking with Schoonmaker. Police said he reported taking Xanax several hours earlier and was traveling to work in Selkirk.

🚔 Police administered field sobriety tests, which they said Schoonmaker failed.

During the investigation, officers searched a bag and reported finding several containers and packages containing pills, medication and a crystal-like powder. Police said testing identified the powder as methamphetamine, weighing approximately 1.25 grams, and that some of the other substances were not legally possessed.

According to the report, a breath test did not indicate alcohol, and Schoonmaker subsequently submitted to a blood draw.

Police charged him with:

• Criminal possession of a stimulant — felony
• DWAI-drugs — misdemeanor
• Criminal possession of a controlled substance — misdemeanor
• Failure to stay in a single lane — traffic violation

Schoonmaker was arraigned before Judge Erin Lynch and released under probation supervision. He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 15.

⚖️ The charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The incident is also an important reminder that impaired driving isn't limited to alcohol. Prescription medications and other drugs can affect reaction time, coordination and the ability to safely operate a vehicle.

📰 Source: The Daily Gazette / Spotlight News

#BethlehemLocalNews #GlenmontNY #BethlehemNY #Route9W #BethlehemPolice #PublicSafety #TrafficSafety #DWAI #AlbanyCounty #CapitalRegionNY #LocalNews.

BETHLEHEM — There's a brand-new place to play at North Bethlehem Park — and this playground was designed with inclusion and accessibility at its heart. ❤️

Last Week, State Senator Patricia Fahy joined Bethlehem Town Supervisor David VanLuven, town officials, residents and families to celebrate the opening of the new ADA-accessible playground at North Bethlehem Park, 562 Russell Road.

🎀 A ribbon-cutting marked the completion of the project, which was supported by a $100,000 CREST grant secured by Senator Fahy's office.

The goal is simple but important: give children of different abilities greater opportunities to play, socialize and enjoy the outdoors together. 🛝👧👦

Accessibility remains a challenge at playgrounds across the country. Information released with the announcement noted that while many children with disabilities live near playgrounds, the equipment and facilities aren't always designed so they can fully participate.

That's what makes this investment particularly meaningful for Bethlehem families. ❤️

The Bethlehem Parks & Recreation Department led the playground's design and construction, with town leaders emphasizing the importance of creating recreational spaces that welcome residents regardless of mobility or ability.

🌳 More than new playground equipment, this is an investment in an inclusive community — a place where more children can play side-by-side and more families can enjoy Bethlehem's parks together.

👏 Congratulations to Bethlehem Parks & Recreation and everyone involved in bringing the project from planning to completion!

📍 North Bethlehem Park
562 Russell Road, Albany

💰 State grant supporting the project: $100,000

💬 Have you and your family checked out the new playground yet? We'd love to hear what you think! 👇

📰 Source: Office of NYS Senator Patricia Fahy

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #NorthBethlehem #NorthBethlehemPark #InclusivePlayground #AccessiblePlayground #ADAAccessibility #BethlehemParks #BethlehemParksAndRecreation #CommunityInvestment #FamilyFun #AlbanyCounty #CapitalRegionNY #CommunityForEveryone

DELMAR — Bethlehem Police took custody of an Albany man on Friday, Aug. 28, after authorities said he had two active warrants connected to separate alleged shoplifting cases in Bethlehem.

Steven Herbst, 44, of Albany, was being held by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office when he was transferred to Bethlehem Police.

The first warrant dates back to March 2025, when Herbst was accused of taking merchandise from Hannaford on Delaware Avenue in Delmar. Police said he subsequently failed to appear in court in connection with that case.

A second warrant involved an alleged April 2025 larceny at Marshalls on Route 9W. Herbst was issued an appearance ticket following that incident but, according to police, did not appear for the required court proceeding.

After being returned to Bethlehem on the warrants, Herbst was arraigned and released under probation supervision. He is due back in court on Sept. 15.

⚖️ The underlying charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

📰 Source: The Daily Gazette / Spotlight News

#BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemNY #DelmarNY #GlenmontNY #BethlehemPolice #AlbanyCounty #PublicSafety #CrimeNews #LocalNews #CapitalRegionNY

Today’s challenge is:

10 − 5 × 3 + 4 = ?

It looks simple, but order of operations makes all the difference!

P — Parentheses
E — Exponents
M/D — Multiplication & Division
A/S — Addition & Subtraction

There are no parentheses or exponents, so we move to multiplication.

5 × 3 = 15

That changes our problem to:

10 − 15 + 4

Here's another important PEMDAS rule:

👉 When only addition and subtraction remain, solve them from LEFT TO RIGHT.

First:

10 − 15 = −5

Then:

−5 + 4 = −1

It can be tempting to start at the left and calculate:

10 − 5 = 5 ❌

But that ignores the order of operations. Multiplication must be completed before addition or subtraction.

So if you got −1, you nailed today's puzzler! 🏆🧠

👇 Did you get −1 before checking the solution — or did this Monday Morning Math Puzzler catch you?

📬 Answer + step-by-step teaching solution in today's Bethlehem Local News Insider!

#MondayMorningMathPuzzler #MathPuzzler #BrainTeaser #PEMDAS #OrderOfOperations #MondayChallenge #BethlehemLocalNews #BethlehemLocalNewsInsider #BethlehemNY #DelmarNY

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