Late afternoon on Sunday, November 27th, Warren County Sheriff’s office and State Police responded to a shooting incident in the parking lot of Walmart on Rt. 9 in Queensbury. The shooting occurred around 4:00 PM, where the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the hip, and was then transported to an area hospital. The shooter has not been found; however, the police do not think that there is an active threat to the public. Employees were informed of the incident, and the store was evacuated and closed.
The Walmart opened on Monday morning with business as usual. Employees stocked the shelves as customers meandered in from the parking lot where the shooting occurred. There was no police tape or evidence that the event had happened. An employee who preferred not to be named said, “Doesn’t much have anything to do with me, just one of those things that happens I guess.” When asked if the incident scared her, she said, “I wasn’t here last night, it’s just another day at work to me.”
A spokeswoman for Walmart said that they were aware of the incident, but did not have a specific comment as it was a police matter. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident with the support of the New York State Police; this investigation is currently ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Warren County Sheriff’s office at (518) 743-2500, Option 1.
Park 26 – the restaurant in the Queensbury Hotel – offers a unique dining experience for the winter season: Patrons can reserve an igloo and dine outside in heated comfort. The igloos provide a cozy dining experience, including radiant heat and blankets for extra comfort. The igloos seat a maximum of 6 guests, and there is a $25 non-refundable rental fee. There are two seatings for both lunch and dinner, and three igloos are available. For lunch service on Saturdays and Sundays, the Igloos can be rented at 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM; For dinner reservations the igloos are available daily at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
The concept of serving dinner in igloos was born out of the COVID pandemic, as a solution for restaurants that were struggling to accommodate guests and maintain social-distancing restrictions; however, this concept caught on, and has been popular ever since. The Queensbury Hotel recently updated the experience by installing radiant heating under the patio; this will help keep guests warm while they enjoy the wintry views of The Glens Falls City Park.
Inside the Queensbury hotel on this past holiday weekend was the 31st Annual North Country Festival of Trees. This event was sponsored by Berkshire Bank, and benefits the Prospect Center – an affiliate of the Center for Disabilities. Decorations for the event included skillfully decorated trees with carefully selected themes and colors. There were handmade ornaments and gifts for sale, as well as raffles.
Queensbury Hotel
Breakfast with Santa was available from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM on both Saturday and Sunday Morning. Children’s activities include taking a picture with Santa, writing letters to Santa, and decorating cookies and ornaments. This event draws hundreds of people to The Queensbury Hotel every year, and it looks like that’s a tradition you can count on!
It’s Monday again and to start off the week, Gary discusses Officer Thomas Pratt of the Glens Falls Police Department receiving special Drug Recognition Expert certification. Also in the news: a record-breaking turnout for Christ Church United Methodist’s Hometown Thanksgiving, Johnsburg’s upcoming town-wide holiday festival, and the 31st annual Festival of Trees at the Queensbury Hotel.
00:02 – Intro 00:35 – Ad Break 1 01:25 – Story 1: Hometown Thanksgiving 02:52 – Story 2: “Lights On” in Johnsburg 04:43 – Ad Break 2 05:09 – Story 3: Queensbury Hotel Festival of Trees 06:07 – Story 4: Glens Falls PD Officer Pratt 08:25 – Outro
Today, Gary discusses two workers injured with severe burns after an explosion. Other stories include Cerrone Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning currently seeking hard-working plumbers, a man arrested following a domestic dispute and a burglary, and a look ahead to the region’s many holiday tree-lighting ceremonies.
00:02 – Intro 00:33 – Ad Break 1 01:13 – Story 1: Cerrone Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning 02:55 – Story 2: Granville Man Arrested, Domestic Dispute/Break-In 04:10 – Ad Break 2 04:35 – Story 3: Two Workers Burned in Explosion 06:09 – Story 4: Holiday Tree-Lighting Ceremonies 09:22 – Outro
Happy Thanksgiving! For today’s Morning Brief, Gary discusses local food pantries working hard to keep food stocked amid struggles with inflation and the supply chain. Other stories include a woman and her two dogs rescued after getting lost while hiking, and the town of Johnsburg’s plans to upgrade its water systems.
00:02 – Intro 00:31 – Ad Break 1 01:14 – Story 1: Lost Hiker Rescued from Mt. Marcy 01:50 – Story 2: Food Pantries Work Through Food Shortages 04:20 – Ad Break 2 04:45 – Story 3: Johnsburg Water System Upgrades 06:37 – Outro
The Warren County Board of Supervisors hired John Taflan as new Warren County Administrator at a salary of $120,000. He is taking the place of Ryan Moore, who will be taking over as CEO at Behan Communications. Ryan Moore had filled the position of Warren County Administrator since 2018; Taflan plans to start the administrator post on December 1st. The Warren County Board of Supervisors was happy to find a candidate with the experience and accomplishments of Taflan: he has both management skills, and a stake in the community. They feel this combination is important to help the board overcome challenges that are bound to arise.
Teflan is coming to the position after having completed his career in Washington D.C. He served as a Director of Human Resources, and as an Intelligence Officer overseas; Teflan is a retired U.S. Army officer who received his commission from West Point. His family has owned a property in the hamlet of Cleverdale on Lake George since 1937, but the Teflan family replaced the original seasonal campground with a newly built, year-round home in 2019.
John and his wife Heidi both have military backgrounds: Heidi is a retired naval officer. The two met at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and now have two grown daughters who live in Maryland.
Teflan is looking forward to working with the Board of Supervisors and the county departments, and acknowledged the competitive group of applicants from which he was chosen. He is looking forward to having a positive impact in the community that’s been his home away from home for the past 25 years.
Officer Pratt has been a member of The Glens Falls Police Department since he was 22 years old. He is originally from Greenwich, NY, and graduated from SUNY Canton. He recently completed the rigorous training to become a Certified Drug Recognition Expert. He is now among 450 Certified Drug Recognition Officers in the state. A DRE is skilled in detecting and identifying persons under the influence of drugs, and identifying the category or categories of drugs causing the impairment.
Drug Recognition Expert school involves demanding, intense training. Two phases of the training must be completed: academic training, and field training. Academic training is broken into two components. The first component is called pre-school: this is a two-day program, with the objective of ensuring that the student is prepared and capable of completing the seven-day DRE school. This component requires passing a standard field training sobriety test proficiency exam, as well as a written exam, in order to progress; failure to pass either test will result in dismissal from the course. The second component is instruction in physiology. This instruction includes learning to take vital signs, as well as extensive material on each of the seven drug categories, abuses, and general indicators.
After completion of the academic portion of the training, there is field certification. This includes a minimum of 12 evaluations on drug impaired individuals. To complete the training, the student must submit a comprehensive resume, correctly identify four of the seven drug categories, and complete a progress log.
To be considered for the program these standards must be met:
2 years of law enforcement service
No record of probation
2 years of experience after successfully completing the NHTSA training
Must have completed the ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impairment Driving Enforcement) within the last 5 years
Have a reasonable background and experience level with making DWI arrests.
Officer Pratt is aware that he would not have been able to complete this training without the support of the community, the department and the Chief of Police: “Everyone in the Department participated”, he said.
Officer Pratt is looking forward to being able to give back to the community with his DRE certification. This certification can assist other officers making arrests: he can tell if a person is chemically impaired or medically impaired. He also understands that his certification has broader uses; it can be used in child abuse cases, to evaluate kids who are impaired at school, and even potentially rule out if someone is actually impaired.
DREs conduct their evaluation in a controlled environment. This happens at the precinct, intake centers, troop headquarters, or other locations where impaired drivers are transported after arrest; as it is not typically done on the road-side, but rather as a post-arrest procedure.
Today, Gary discusses a former NSA executive selected as the next Warren County Administrator. Also in the news: Saratoga’s upcoming Festival of Trees, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Supporting Tourism Around the Region (S.T.A.R.) Awards, and four Queensbury high school athletes honored in a Commitment Day ceremony.
00:02 – Intro 00:34 – Ad Break 1 01:13 – Story 1: Saratoga Festival of Trees 04:49 – Story 2: Lake George S.T.A.R. Awards 06:09 – Ad Break 2 06:34 – Story 3: Former NSA Executive Selected for Warren Co. Administrator 09:00 – Story 4: Queensbury High Honors Student Athletes 09:28 – Outro
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Minich MacGregor Wealth Management, an SEC-registered investment advisor with offices in Saratoga Springs, NY, and St. Augustine, FL, is hosting Tax Strategies to Help Manage Income Taxes in Retirement webinars on Tuesday, December 13th at 1:00pm and Thursday, December 15th at 5:00pm.
In these webinars, you will learn the the answers to your questions:
What and how do Roth Conversions work?
Is Social Security taxable in retirement? What is the tax torpedo?
How are my capital gains on my investments taxed?
Four students from Queensbury High School were honored during a Commitment Day signing ceremony Friday, November 18th, in a ceremony held at Queensbury High School.
The landscape has changed for high school students who are looking to move on and participate in college sports; this is due to the new NCAA transfer rules that will be in effect for the first time in the 2022-2023 season. The transfer portal now allows colleges and universities to recruit student athletes who have entered the portal from other institutions without penalty. This means that all athletes that are transferring will be guaranteed financial aid through completion of their eligibility, or completion of their undergraduate degree.
This policy has increased the number of students transferring from and to college level programs, which has consequently reduced the number of Division I and Division II roster openings available to high school students; the NCAA’s streamlined portal process – which gives coaches and programs more options when building teams and filling rooster spots – lowers the number of available roster spots and opportunities for athletes coming out of high school.
Due to this change, Queensbury High School now recognizes all Division I, II, and III students who commit to playing a sport at the next level. Signing Day recognizes the hard work and commitment that these student athletes have shown.
For Queensbury High School, the Students honored included:
Blake Latham, who will attend American International College to play lacrosse and study economics.
Madeline Anderson, who will attend Holy Cross, to join the crew team and study business.
Aliza Demattos, who will attend Bentley University to play lacrosse, and study economics & finance.
Adrian Caron, who will attend Amherst College to play baseball and study political science.
The Superintendent noted how stressful the recruitment process can be on the student athletes and their families, and the athletes thanked their families, teammates and coaches for helping them excel.
