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Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Number 01 • Volume 134
Shady’s liquor license suspended by Albany council
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Melrose researching policing options ... pg. 3 Hiltner happy to carry on legacy ... pg. 7 ‘A Team’ has first baby boy in 2017 ... pg. 16 Gymnasts scoring with the best ... pg. 10
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City leaders cite adult entertainment code violations BY TIM HENNAGIR STAFF WRITER
Shady’s Hometown Tavern and Event Center cannot serve liquor for a 10-day period starting next week. Albany City Council members suspended the establishment’s liquor license during a Dec. 21, 2022, hearing because of violations related to a November 2022 male dance revue. City leaders conducted a special meeting Dec. 28, 2022, to clarify the days and terms of the license suspension, which was recommended by city attorney Susan Dege. Shady’s will not be able serve alcohol from Jan. 10 to Jan. 20 and has to pay a civil fine of $1,000 and reimburse the city for $964 in incurred attorney’s fees. “The hearing was held As sun was starting to rise Monday, Commercial last the Wednesday,” Mayor Tom Contractors Company workers Kasner told a large audience from Melrose were inside the Lisa’s On Main“Ibuilding working on securing attending the meeting. can the west wall. PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN see there is support here (for Shady’s), and I can understand that.” Kasner said the special meeting was not a public hearBY HERMAN LENSING | STAFF WRITER ing, adding audience comment was not allowed. elrose Area Public Schools social “We are here to considworker Jennifer Nietfeld believes in er a resolution clarifying the the positive energy animals can bring. days and terms of the suspenWhen the opportunity came for the school dission that we initially did last trict to obtain Willow, a comfort dog, she was all for Wednesday,” Kasner said. it. She had campaigned for one for a few years. “There is research showing that petting an animal, especially a dog, can release stress hormones and calm us and elicit positive hormones as well,” Shady’s page 3 she said Dec. 2, 2022, during an in-service day.
COMMUNITY COVERAGE 127 YEARS
400 Block update
Comfort dog provides
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Willow lends positive energy to students at Melrose schools
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PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING
Willow arrived at the Melrose Area Public Schools the end of October. The English cream golden retriever and Nietfeld had never met before Willow came to Melrose. “They (Willow and trainer) showed up on a Wednesday,” Nietfeld said. “We worked with them all day. At 2:30 p.m., or so, Willow and I had to pass an obedience test. After a lot of stress, we passed. They left at 3:30 p.m. and we were on our own.”
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(Above) Melrose Area Public School social worker Jennifer Nietfeld and Willow enjoy down time Dec. 2, 2022, at Melrose Area Public Schools in Melrose. Willow is a recent school-acquired comfort dog Nietfeld uses daily when visiting with students. PHOTO SUBMITTED
(Above, Inset) Willow cuddles with a student Dec. 21, 2022, at Melrose Area Public School in Melrose. As a comfort dog, Willow comforts others, whether it is bringing a smile to someone’s face or being a listener when someone shares stories or struggles they are going through.
Helping the homeless in a healthy way Melrose woman learns lessons in compassion BY CAROL MOORMAN | STAFF WRITER
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sunrise on Christmas Eve Day, Dec. 24, 2022, showcased sun dogs near Meire Grove. A sun dog is an atmospheric optical phenomenon consisting of a bright spot to one or both sides of the sun, caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
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Homelessness does not just happen in large cities. It happens in small communities. Thanks to a Melrose woman and Melrose police officer – and their compassionate handling of a situation – a young man is hopefully on the right path to getting the support and mental health help he needs. Around 7 a.m., one early December 2022 day, Nancy Muenchow encountered a man and his dog at a Melrose business. “When he backed his dog back into the bathroom I could see a guitar back there, and I could tell he had been sleeping,” Muen-
PUBLIC NOTICES • Assumed Names - pg. 9 • City of Albany Summary • Budget Data - pg. 9 • Albany Schools Agenda, Jan. 4 - pg. 9
chow said. “Honestly, I had no fear. I had pure empathy for him. To see this happening in our little town made me more aware of what sadness we have in this world and how we need to connect with the less fortunate in a healthy way.” With no fear of what could have happened to her, she listened to this man talk freely about his life, telling her he was raised in the area, with a family life that was almost non-existent, and he wanted to go to Nashville with hopes of a music career. Her gut feeling was that he was not out to harm anyone. “I saw a distraught,
hopeless young man,” Muenchow said. “He didn’t look like he was coming off a high or on a high of some form.” It broke her heart to see this man at such a loss. “He shared so much with me that it made me want help him more,” she said. “He was such a poor, lost soul. I wanted to cry for him.” To possibly get him the help he needed, Muenchow called the business owner who called the Melrose Police Department, and a police officer responded. How the officer handled the situation impressed Muenchow.
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OBITUARY page 4 Margaret L. Scherer
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