News Staff

The Sitterly Road Bridge on the Northway in Clifton Park is back open. The bridge was shut down after it was hit by a lift truck that was too tall. WNYT reports construction on the new bridge began in December 2021. Its rebuild finished up ahead of schedule.

National Grid presented their annual home heating forecast on Wednesday morning. They say residential natural gas customers will pay 39% more this winter. That’s about $263 more for an average home. WNYT reports electricity costs are also rising. National Grid says residential customers can expect to pay 22% more this winter than they did last year.

Skidmore College is getting a federal grant to support a fire prevention program. According to WNYT, just under a million dollars will be awarded to help support scientific research to improve firefighter safety. The grant is funded by the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act and American Rescue Plan Act. The project will facilitate research relating to firefighter health..

Monday marked the last day of the 2022 Saratoga racing season. The 40-day meet also meant a big economic boost for Saratoga Springs as COVID restrictions were lifted and people flocked to get a sense of excitement and normalcy. Opening weekend alone, NYRA reported over 100,000 people, about 10% more people than last season.

John Imbriale will retire as the full-time announcer at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at the end of 2022. Frank Mirahmadi will take over at Saratoga Race Course and Chris Griffin will become the primary track announcer at Aqueduct Racetrack, starting in 2023. WNYT reports Imbriale’s 40-plus-year career with the NRYA dates back to 1979 when he won a New York Daily News contest, which gave him the chance to call a race and work with the NYRA press office.

The former mayor and public safety commissioner in Saratoga Springs have been subpoenaed to testify in an investigation by the New York State Attorney General as to how Saratoga Springs police treated Black Lives Matter protestors during rallies and marches in 2021. WNYT reports former Mayor Meg Kelly and former Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton are the first people to be subpoenaed by state investigators.

A man from Mechanicville drowned near Brown’s Beach at Saratoga Lake. WNYT reports the sheriff’s office responded to a call of a person in the water yelling for help, around 9:30 Thursday morning. The sheriff’s dive team recovered the body of 44-year-old Christopher Lavigne. It’s believed he was alone in a canoe and fell out due to windy conditions.

State Police of Wilton arrested Stephanie H. Dutcher, 60, of Fort Edward, NY, for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Tasha M. Tatsey, 38, of Moreau, NY, for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Criminal Impersonation. Monday night, Troopers stopped a vehicle on State Route 9 in the town of Moreau, NY, for an equipment violation. Dutcher was operating the vehicle and was found to possess a glass smoking device containing drug residue. Tatsey, a passenger in the vehicle, provided false identifying information and was found to possess a glass smoking device and other items containing drug residue.

State Police arrested Margaret C. Crawford, 46, of Ballston, NY, for Driving While Intoxicated, Obstructing Governmental Administration and other Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. Tuesday night, Troopers responded to a two-car crash at the intersection of State Route 9 and Vischer Ferry Road in the town of Halfmoon, NY. The vehicle that caused the accident fled the area and was later located at the I-87 rest area in Clifton Park, NY. The operator was identified as Crawford, who was placed under arrest.

The case of the motorcyclist accused of killing two people in Lake George is at a standstill. WNYT reports Anthony Futia is accused of driving while high on drugs and alcohol and crashing into six pedestrians, killing two of them – Jamie Persons and Quinton Delgadillo, who was just 8 years old. A Warren County grand jury indicted Futia on 13 counts on July 5, including aggravated vehicular homicide. However, the case hasn’t gone anywhere since, because attorneys need the minutes of the grand jury proceeding.