T IMES
MID
Lujan seeks
plastic bag
ban for
Orange
County
By KATELYN CORDERO
[email protected]
Orange County is looking to join
surrounding municipalities with a
potential plastic bag ban. Orange County
Legislator Kevindaryan Lujan has taken
the lead on opening up discussions for a
plastic bag ban in Orange County.
The resolution has yet to be drafted.
It is early in discussions but the fact
that it has made it to the agenda of the
Orange County Green Committee is a
step in the right direction.
“We are still discussing the logistics
behind the ban,” said Lujan. “My hope is
that we will be able to do something like
what was done in Ulster County.”
Lujan has seen the ban work in Ulster
and Dutchess County and hopes to find a
model that will work in Orange County.
The “Bring Your Own Bag”
Legislation in Ulster County implements
a complete ban of plastic bags and a 5
cent fee for paper bags. This resolution
gives fines ranging from $100 to $500
depending on the number of offenses.
Lujan sees the “Bring Your Own Bag”
legislation as a reference for drafting the
Orange County resolution. Other options
for the legislation would be a straight
plastic bag ban as passed in Dutchess
County to be implemented in 2020. A
third option would be to charge a fee
Continued on page 4
HUDSON
Vol. 31, No. 1
3
JANUARY 2 - 8, 2019
American
hero 2 out
of 3
Page 5 Page 32
3
ONE DOLLAR
SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR
Celebrating the season
Newburgh’s Black History Committee celebrates Kwanzaa
By KATELYN CORDERO
[email protected]
On December 28, the Mt Calvary Fire
Baptized Church Hall was filled with
music, laughter and food as the Black
History Committee of the Hudson Valley
held its annual Kwanzaa celebration.
The holiday is held for seven days
starting on December 26, and ending on
January 1.
“The community wide event helps
bring together families, friends and
neighbors to pay homage to the first
harvest,” said Black History Committee
Executive Counsel, Tiombe Tallie
Carter. “The BHC chose the third day
of Kwanzaa, Ujima which represents
the principal of collective work and
responsibility to hold this year’s
celebration.”
The goal of the event is to reach the
youth of the community by showing
them what it is to embrace their African
American Culture. The seven days of
Kwanzaa are reflective of the seven
principals of unity, self-determination,
collective work and responsibility,
cooperative
economics,
purpose,
creativity, and faith.
The celebration on Friday talked
about collective work and responsibility,
highlighting the role we play in the
community, society and the world.
Shawna Newkirk-Reynolds, presider
of the event, hopes to plant a seed in
the youth of the community about their
responsibility to their elders and those
around them.
“We want the youth to understand
that it is okay to embrace who you are,”
said Newkirk-Reynolds. “We want them
to know that it is okay to learn who
you are, to talk about our community,
Katelyn Cordero
Pamela Woodard with help from the youngest member of the group lit the candle in honor
of Ujima.
respect our elders and embrace our
culture just by learning about Kwanzaa.
It is really about learning and respecting
our culture and learning who you are
as an individual and as an African
American.”
WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM
Newkirk-Reynolds took charge of
the event, leading the group in hymn,
libation, and meditation. She looks to
reach the children in the room so they
can continue to pass on and embrace the
Continued on page 2