News Staff

With the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival set to draw thousands to Saratoga Springs next week, Verizon has announced new permanent cell service upgrades designed to handle the surge in demand and ensure first responders stay connected in case of an emergency. WRGB reports the five-day festival begins Wednesday, June 4, and runs through Sunday, June 8.

The two men arrested for a double homicide in Washington County have been indicted. Jordan Johnson, 18, and David Larose, 20, were charged with murder. WTEN reports both are accused in the shooting deaths of Marcus Macaulay and Adam Darrah. Their bodies were found near Clay Hill Road in Fort Ann.
The case will now be brought to the Washington County Court. Details of the indictment have not been released.

A Schuylerville man is facing a felony driving while intoxicated charge after a crash. WNYT reports it happened on Tuesday at 5:20 p.m. on Spring Street in the village of Schuylerville. Michael J. Meneely, 52, is accused of following a vehicle too closely and crashing into it, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said.

Just a few days before the Belmont Stakes returns to Saratoga, several sources have now told WNYT that this won’t be the last Belmont at Saratoga. It’s been talked about for several months, would the Belmont Stakes return to Saratoga again in 2026, as construction continues on the new Belmont Park on Long Island.

Less than two months after appointing an executive director to lead the Saratoga County History Center, the center’s board of trustees has begun a new search to fill the position. According to the Daily Gazette, Suzanne Maloney was appointed to the position April 1, but the board has decided to move in a different direction.

Wednesday was the first full day of Americade in Lake George, the annual motorcycle festival that draws tens of thousands of riders to the area every year. WTEN reports the Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Safety and Investigations, Mary Tanner-Richter said it is now that time of the year when more motorcycles are on the roadways and drivers need to be more aware by looking twice and taking extra precautions.

Final safety preparations for the Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs are finishing up. That includes the free Gin Blossoms concert. According to WNYT, Broadway will be closed between Van Dam Street and Lake Avenue starting at 5 a.m. next Wednesday, June 4 for the Belmont on Broadway festival. More roads will close ahead of the free concert.

Robbery was the apparent the suspects’ motive in last week’s double homicide in Fort Ann, according to court documents. WNYT reports State Police said David Larose and Jordan Johnson, both from Albany, shot Adam Darrah and his friend Marcus Macaulay on May 22 in the area of Clay Hill Road.

105 Rite Aid employees in the Capital Region will lose their jobs effective June 4. This comes after the company filed for bankruptcy and announced it will be closing all New York locations over the next few months. The numbers show ten employees in Saratoga, 18 in Clifton Park and 11 in Glens Falls among the layoffs.

Thousands of motorcyclists have made their way to Lake George for the 42nd annual Americade. The week-long festival is one of the largest motorcycle events in the nation. Americade runs through Saturday.