To take over as American Legion Auxiliary president, Unadilla resident Carol Johnson said, she had to learn a lot.

She was inducted into the post earlier this month. Some of what she had to study when she decided to strive for the leadership role was Americanism, which includes citizenship, patriotism and flag education, as well as disaster relief and national security.

"We have to learn a lot of the history of the Legion as well as the Auxiliary," she said.

She became eligible to be in the Auxiliary through the service of her late father, Cecil Cook, who served in the Army during World War II. He was a life member of Legion Post 1269 in Sharon Springs.

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Gilbertsville historian Leigh Eckmair talked about a $1,500 matching grant received in mid-July from the Village Improvement Society. It will allow the group to obtain a condition assessment for the 1894 Gilbert Block. The building, designed by Henry Forbes Bigelow of Boston, is the major commercial structure in the center of the village.

If anyone wants to do restoration work on a building on the National Register of Historic Places, he needs a current survey from an approved architect, she said. The last time a survey was done was 25 years ago.

The document will allow the society, which owns the building, to go over it with a "fine-tooth comb" and prioritize what needs to be done, she said.

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Although Martha Stayton’s term on the Oneonta City School District Board of Education will end Tuesday, she will probably be in attendance at a future meeting.

She made it known months ago that will be stepping down from her long-held seat on the board, where she served for many years as either president or vice president. But she presented her letter of resignation before the July 11 meeting, leaving the board unprepared to properly thank her for her service, said Superintendent Michael Shea.

There will be some type of recognition at future meeting he said.

Stayton said, "I’d like to think my legacy is an open-meeting process, where people are respected and we listen to solve problems."

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People in the aisles of the Dollar Tree in Oneonta stopped and watched as the service animal of Kathy Wallace of Springfield Center, pushed and pulled her July 12 as she sat in her wheelchair.

One of the things that is unusual about Magic Mouse is that he is a miniature horse.

While Wallace is able to walk, she said, she is limited in her abilities by a number of ailments.

She also uses the animal to brighten up the lives of others, she said.

This includes residents of Folts Homes Nursing Home in Herkimer, said therapy recreation director Jennifer Durfee.

"Pet therapy is a wonderful form of stimulation," Durfee said.

For those patients with Alzheimer’s disease, many who don’t otherwise respond may try to talk when Magic Mouse pays a visit, she said.

Wallace said that some store owners were skeptical when she first started using Magic Mouse. But with regulations provided by the Catskill Center for Independence, the two are accepted everywhere, she said.

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Staff Writer Mark Boshnack covers public education and agriculture.