WLGR/WVNR Local News

Craig Ross Jr., the man accused of kidnapping a little girl from Moreau Lake State Park, has a new attorney. WNYT reports
Matthew Maiello will be representing Ross going forward. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors appointed Maiello as the new county conflict defender early Wednesday evening.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 36 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places and one property to the State Register of Historic Places. Locally, on the list, Thomson District No. 10 School, Washington County – Built in 1915, the former Thomson District No. 10 School in the town of Greenwich is a three-story, hipped-roof, brick masonry school building with Craftsman detailing and the standardized public-school designs of the Progressive Era.

A Glens Falls man is accused of possessing child pornography. According to WNYT, 23 year old Asher E. Williams had images consistent with child exploitation, following an investigation that stemmed from a cyber tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He turned himself in to the State Police station in Queensbury.

The attorneys for the man accused of killing a woman in his driveway last April are seeking to bar prosecutors presenting testimony from her family and friends. WNYT reports the trial for Kevin Monahan is scheduled to begin on Monday. Monahan has been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Kaylin Gillis in his Hebron driveway.

A South Glens Falls man was arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop on Monday evening. Deputies observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation in the area of Clinton Avenue at Lexington Avenue. WTEN reports police located a crack pipe and approximately a half ounce of crack cocaine in the vehicle. The driver, Richard A. Friedman, 58, was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and a traffic violation.

A New Year’s Eve accident involving a horse-drawn carriage has left three people injured and claimed the life of a horse. The accident happened in the Town of Chester at about 3:25 p.m. Dec. 31. Gene B. Gritzbach, 68, of Pottersville was driving a 2018 Nissan SUV south in the area of Circle Drive when he crested a hill and crashed into the back of the horse-drawn carriage being driven by Anthony M. Willett, 22, of Queensbury. All three in the carriage were transported to Glens Falls Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The new year means new laws go into effect across the state. On Monday the New York state minimum wage will rise to $15 an hour. An additional $.50 increase goes into effect in 2025 and again in 2026 to bring it to $16 an hour. WTEN reports people against the increase said businesses will pass along that cost to consumers.

The two people accused of stealing a puppy from a pet store in Queensbury have been arrested. WNYT reports
Brianna D. Cushion, 18, of St. George, Vermont, and a male juvenile were arrested in the theft of a Mashi puppy from Pet Zone in Aviation Mall on Dec. 13. The male tucked the dog under his hooded sweatshirt and both left the store. They went through the mall and exited out the Target store.

Four entrepreneurs are busy developing a new business on upper Main Street in Warrensburg. Sun Community News reports “Bandstand Brew Works,” the brewpub/tavern, is to be open by August. It is to be located at 3922 Main St. just south of the Warrensburg Post Office and the Krystal Chrysler dealership.

State Police rescued two people from Lake George late last week, when their motor home caught fire on I-87 in Catskill.
The RV, which was towing a 2018 Jeep, experienced a mechanical failure causing it to become fully engulfed in flames that rose higher than 20 feet. The driver, Raymond J. Hanas, 82, and passenger, Patricia A. Grabley, 81, suffered minor injuries and smoke inhalation. They were evaluated by EMS at the scene and declined further medical treatment.