WSSV News

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that $539 million was approved by the federal government to assist in with an all-new state-based Homeowner Assistance Fund. The governor said this program is a first of its kind in the U.S. and that New York was the first state to receive this kind of federal funding. The New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund (NYS HAF) is a “federally funded program dedicated to assisting homeowners who are at risk of default, foreclosure or displacement as result of a financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office was asking for help locating Gemenis Martinez, a 13-year-old who had been missing since Saturday, December 4. WTEN reports the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said as of 3:45 p.m. Monday, Martinez had been found . No word on where she was found or where specifically she had been.

A Moreau woman was sentenced to three years in prison for setting her home on fire. WNYT reports Michelle Iorio pleaded guilty to arson after setting fire to her home in the Evergreen Court Mobile Home Park after having a dispute with other people in the house back in April. There were no injuries.

Colonie Police say they have arrested a 25 year old Albany woman, accused of possessing a loaded “ghost gun” According to WNYT, police went to the Surestay Plus Hotel on Wolf Road at around 4:00 AM on December 2nd after a report of an altercation. Police say Enas Saideddine was in possession of a loaded gun that lacked a serial number. Police say they believe the gun was assembled after it was purchased in separate parts.

Police have charged a Niskayuna principal with DWI over the Thanksgiving break. WNYT reports 44-year-old Laurel Jones was stopped by Bethlehem Police on November 27th. Police say she was driving without her headlights on when they pulled her over. They say she was coming from Lost and Found, a bar in Albany, and when they questioned her, they could smell alcohol. Jones is the principal of Rosendale Elementary School.

A Saratoga Springs man allegedly used false documents to try and add a gun to his pistol permit The Daily Gazette reports 28 year old Nicholas A. Monroe of Madison Street, was arrested recently and charged with one count of offering a false instrument for filing. He is accused of filing false documents with the sheriff’s office to add a handgun that he was not entitled to, on his pistol permit.

A Saratoga County DEC Officer has been honored as the top wildlife conservation police officer in New York. Environmental Conservation Police Officer (ECO) Steven Shaw was awarded the Wildlife Officer of the Year Award from the Shikar-Safari Club International. WTEN rpeorts Shaw has served as an officer for 18 years in Saratoga County in DEC’s Region 5. Last year, he responded to about 300 calls for service.

The Moreau Town Board is calling for a six-month moratorium on large subdivision construction. The Post Star reports it would affect the construction of subdivisions with more than 10 houses that are located within a half-mile of an existing sewer main. Officials say it will allow more time to draft, review, and adopt necessary zoning regulations for some of the more dense developments being proposed.

The investigation into the remains of a newborn baby found in late June in Watervliet has lead to the arrest of that child’s mother. 23 year old Kyleigh Sawyer of Ballston Spa now faces charges including felony concealment of a human corpse. Sawyer was arraigned in Watervliet Criminal Court and released on her own recognizance.

At Ellms Family Farm in Ballston Spa Monday volunteers loaded up christmas trees on a fed ex truck so so troops have a piece of home this Christmas. WNYT reports it’s a national effort put together by the Christmas Spirit Foundation and the trees will be sent to military bases around the world. FedEx is taking the trees directly to Panama and they’ll be spread out through there.