CROTON CHRONICLE PROFILE; JEAN AVOLIO, PRESIDENT OF AIDES OF CROTON UNITED, FIGHTING FOR LOW PAID SCHOOL WORKERS--AND FOR OUR KIDS

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BALTER

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship---in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Chronicle profile: Jean Avolio, president of Aides of Croton United, is fighting for low paid school workers--and for our kids.

Plus: A description of tasks performed by school aides, in their own words.

MICHAEL BALTER

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Jean Avolio has never considered herself a natural born leader. But at age 18, after a tough childhood, Avolio left home, and she has been on her own ever since. That school of hard knocks gave her the grit and determination to look out for herself, and also to look out for others. Today, at age 55 and with 18 years’ tenure as an aide in the Croton-Harmon school district, she is leading a fight for better working conditions for the roughly 65 teacher’s aides and lunch workers employed in the district’s three schools.

“I am watching out for others because no one watched out for me,” Avolio says.

On Tuesday of this coming week, June 11, the Aides of Croton United (ACU) will resume negotiations on a new contract with Croton-Harmon school district officials. If they can come to an agreement with the district—something that is not at all sure—it will be the ACU’s third three-year contract, all negotiated under Avolio’s leadership.

Avolio has traveled a long road to union activism. She was born in Peekskill, but moved to Croton with her family beginning in the 10th grade. She graduated from Croton-Harmon High School in 1986...READ MORE AT Chronicle profile: Jean Avolio, president of Aides of Croton United, is fighting for low paid school workers--and for our kids. (substack.com)

ETHICS HEROES: NY TIMES READERS---ETHICS ALARMS---JACK MARSHALL

Who would have thought that New York Times readers could do such a terrific Peter Sellers impression?

Paul Krugman, once a Nobel Prize winner, now the very model of a modern progressive hack, issued his contribution to the current “Protect Joe Biden!” hysteria among pundits and journalists. It’s called “Why You Shouldn’t Obsess About the National Debt,” and if this won’t get the Nobel people to demand their prize in economics back, nothing will.

The intellectual dishonesty of the piece is stunning even for Krugman—READ MORE AT Ethics Heroes: New York Times Readers | Ethics Alarms

HOLY NAME OF MARY, YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A ROSARY MARATHON

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship---in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

HOLY NAME OF MARY--You are invited to attend a Rosary Marathon! The full rosary will be recited at 6PM on June 14th and 21st. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed during this time. As we recite the rosary, we will pray for people’s intercessions along the way based on the Mysteries of the Rosary. On Friday, June 28th a Healing Mass will be celebrated in honor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary for those in need of any form of healing.
 

HERO'S SACRIFICE: ISRAELI COMMANDER FATALLY WOUNDED IN DARING GAZA RAID THAT BROUGHT 4 HOSTAGES HOME

Israeli commander fatally wounded in daring Gaza raid that brought four hostages home.  Zamora lived in the village of Sde David, near the Israeli city of Sderot — less than 15 miles from the Gaza border...... The lone Israeli soldier killed in the daring raid to rescue four hostages in Gaza was a commander in the country’s élite Counter-Terrorism Unit, officials said.....Arnon Zamora’s unit played a pivotal role in the successful return of hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andri Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv who were being held captive at the Nuseirat refugee camp. READ MORE AT Israeli commander Arnon Zamora killed in daring raid in Gaza that brought four hostages home (nypost.com)

BACKGROUND ON THE RESCUE FROM THE NATIONAL REVIEW--AND THEY FOUND NOA ARGAMANI; GO TO THE NEW EVERYTHING CROTON: ISRAELI MILTARY RESCUE 4 HOSTAGES---AND THEY FOUND NOA ARGAMANI

7/26 SAW MILL RIVER AUDUBON, SHOREBIRD ID WORKSHOP

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship---in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Shorebird ID Workshop | Facebook--Event by Saw Mill River Audubon

Croton Point Nature Center

Duration: 1 hr 30 min--7/26

Public · Anyone on or off Facebook

Join us for this refresher/intro multimedia workshop on identifying shorebirds. Cost is $15/person for members of any Audubon group or youth age 10-18 and includes an ID book and handouts; $30/nonmember adult which includes above plus new membership in Saw Mill River Audubon. Payable at the door. SPACE LIMITED, ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. No walk-ins possible for this event, sorry. For adults and youth age 10 and up. Register by emailing us at office@sawmillriveraudubon.org or by calling 914-666-6503.

A WORD FROM THE CROTON CHRONICLE--THOUGHTS ON "AFFORDABLE HOUSING", ETC.

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship---in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

A WORD FROM THE CROTON CHRONICLE--THOUGHTS ON "AFFORDABLE HOUSING", ETC.

As everyone here knows, The Croton Chronicle has often taken a critical stance on the village’s affordable housing efforts, not because we are opposed to affordable housing but because of the somewhat devious way that they have gone about it, minimizing or eliminating transparency, playing bait and switch with property purchases (Katz project a good example), etc. But we believe in free speech and representing the wide variety of views in the village. To that end, and taking advantage of our new Guest Editorial feature, I have invited the Croton Housing Network and its members (that would include Nance Shatzkin, Adam Decker, Carol Shanesy, et al.) to write an editorial of up to 3000 words, unedited and uncut, explaining their positions and saying whatever they want. I have asked them twice now without any response at all. Perhaps they think that if they do this in the Chronicle they will be giving this village newsletter more credibility—but too late on that, the publication is widely read and a typical post gets around 1000 views. I don’t know what the real circulation of the Gazette is but that is pretty respectable. I have not even gotten the courtesy of a no, thank you, which (and I say this as a life-long member of the left) is kind of a cowardly liberal non-response. But no hard feelings, the invitation is open to them at any time. Same goes for any other community group in Croton, just give us a holler.

ISRAELI MILTARY RESCUE--4 HOSTAGES---AND THEY FOUND NOA ARGAMANI

Israeli security forces rescued four hostages from Gaza on Saturday morning who had been held hostage for eight months, Israel Defense Forces said. The hostages had been kidnapped from a music festival in Israel during the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.....Among the hostages rescued from central Nuseirat was Noa Argamani, whose kidnapping was captured on camera and shared widely online. A ten-second clip of the kidnapping showed Argamani screaming as she was taken away on the back of a motorcycle. MORE AT Israeli Military Rescues Four Hostages from Gaza | National Review

UPDATED

THE NEW EVERYTHING CROTON: HERO'S SACRIFICE: ISRAELI COMMANDER FATALLY WOUNDED IN DARING GAZA RAID THAT BROUGHT 4 HOSTAGES HOME

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GAZETTE FROM JESSICA DIECKMAN AND A LINK TO THE CHRONICLE EDITORIAL: CROTON-HARMON SCHOOLS, STOP THE THUGGERY AND GIVE LOW-PAID AIDES AND LUNCH WORKERS A LIVING WAGE

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship---in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

OPEN LETTER TO THE BOE, RECENTLY APPEARING THE GAZETTE

To the CHUFSD BOE,

I am dismayed to see how the Croton-Harmon Schools teacher aids and cafeteria workers are treated. They should be given a living wage, health benefits, have paid lunch breaks and be able to collect unemployment during the Summer months. I am friends with several of these employees and the raises they describe getting are literally the smallest I have ever heard in any line of work. For a board that spends so much time talking about “equity” and spends money on fancy consultants for things we don’t really need, please instead focus on giving these dedicated hard working employees the pay and respect they deserve. It’s dehumanizing and embarrassing otherwise.

Sincerely,

Jessica Dieckman

AND FROM THE CROTON CHRONICLE: THE NEW EVERYTHING CROTON: CHRONICLE EDITORIAL: CROTON-HARMON SCHOOLS, STOP THE THUGGERY AND GIVE LOW-PAID AIDES AND LUNCH WORKERS A LIVING WAGE 

MORE ON THE AREA'S SHOPLIFTING SCOURGE

Dollar General Shifts 12,000 Stores Away from Self-Checkout Due to Thefts

Dollar General is taking drastic steps to end the retail theft that has been plaguing its stores across the nation. MORE AT

https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2024/06/07/dollar-general-shifts-12000-stores-away-from-self-checkout-due-to-thefts/

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 CONFIRMANDI AT HOLY NAME OF MARY.

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 CONFIRMANDI AT HOLY NAME OF MARY.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FROM HNM'S MOST RECENT BULLETIN.

For more info about Holy Name, visit Holy Name of Mary - Croton-on-Hudson, NY

You may also have an interest in THE NEW EVERYTHING CROTON: TOP THREE MOST READ HOLY NAME OF MARY ARTICLES AT EVERYTHING CROTON IN 2023