Warren County Department of Social Services announced a new collaboration this week with Justice For Orphans and CarePortal to help local families in need. This program coordinates assistance from volunteer church groups to help families that DSS works with, at no cost to taxpayers. You can learn all about this great program at https://www.warrencountyny.gov.
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Rabid Fisher Attacks Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve Parkgoers
Officials say a rabid fisher, a member of the weasel family, attacked parkgoers at Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve Wednesday morning. Two incidents are being investigated. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and State Department of Environmental Conservation found the likely suspect at the park’s entrance. One of the responders was also bit.
New Budget Ratified In Glens Falls
The Glens Falls Common Council ratified the 2024 general fund and Glens Falls Water and Sewer Department’s budgets at their meeting this week. The Post Star reports Mayor Bill Collins said the $24 million budget continues the City’s efforts to support critical infrastructure investments and increase the compensation for the police department—all while ensuring the city can pay for the increases in contractual obligations such as health insurance premiums and fuel.
Whitehall Man Cops Plea To Child Porn Charges
A Washington County man has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. According to WNYT, 35 year old Kevin Smurphat of Whitehall, admitted in court this week to uploading images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct to a file hosting service, prosecutors said. He also participated in a group chat in which he distributed and received child pornography.
Police Say Attack At Lake George Motel Was Unprovoked
An apparent unprovoked attack at a local motel left one person with facial injuries and another facing charges. Sun Community News reports on Nov. 27, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Travel Lodge in Lake George for reports of a man stabbed in the face by an occupant of a nearby room. The suspect, Tony Velasquez, 47, had fled on foot into the woods behind the motel, but was taken into custody a short time later as a ground search got underway. The victim was treated at the motel by Lake George EMS and transported to Glens Falls Hospital for further medical attention.
Winter’s Dream On The Verge Of Public Opening
Winter’s Dream, staged inside the walls of Fort William Henry is scheduled to open Friday, Dec. 8th. The Sun Community News reports it will be open to the public from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Tuesdays through March 31, with some Tuesdays exempted from the shutdown but closures on Christmas, New Year’s Day and Jan. 2.
Report: Road Salt Use Still Heavy Along Lake George Highway
A plan to use 10% less road salt as part of a pilot project notwithstanding, the New York State Department of Transportation still spreads roughly 290 tons of the stuff every winter on the highway along Lake George’s west shore. The Lake George Mirror reports not only has the DOT continued to deposit the same amount of salt on Route 9N that it has every winter since 1980, it failed to reduce the use of salt on state highways throughout the Lake George basin, said Navitsky
Two Charged With Planting Skimmer Devices
Eariler this month, State Police arrested two Romanians, Laurentiu Urziceanu and Christian A. Sima were suspected of using skimmer devices in Warren and Saratoga Counties. Urziceanu faced charges for having a fake ID and two counts of skimmer device possession. Sima was also arrested for owning two skimmer devices. The investigation started on November 8, 2023. A card skimmer was found at a Family Dollar store in Warrensburg.
Local Recipients Of State Paving Funds
New York State is providing $100 million in funds to support roadway renewal due to extreme weather. The funds will go directly to support repaving projects at dozens of sites this spring. Among the local recipients:
$2.4 million to resurface Route 28N from the Essex County line to Route 28 in the Town of North Creek, Warren County
$1.2 million to resurface Route 4 from the Whitehall Southern Village line to Route 18 in the Town of Whitehall, Washington County
Former Lake George Watershed Coalition Official Transported To Prison
David Decker, who was convicted in March 2020 of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of public money between 2012 and 2016 through his role as director/project manager of the Lake George Watershed Coalition, was transported to state prison Nov. 17 to begin an 8-to-24 year sentence. Sun Community News reports Decker was convicted of felony counts of Grand Larceny, Scheme to Defraud, and four charges of Offering a False Instrument for Filing, based on how he handled state and federal grant money.