Cars on display for prospective buyers at the 2024 Saratoga Motorcar Auction. Photos by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 8th annual Saratoga Motorcar Auction set a new record last week with the $605,000 sale of a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition.
The coupe featured a blue-and-orange Gulf Livery paint scheme that paid homage to racing history. It was part of the Ed Mitzen Collection, which also included a 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC, a 1968 Ford Shelby GT500, a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo, and a 1929 Ford Model AA Popcorn Truck, which came with its own corn popper and nut roaster.
Other unique vehicles at the auction included a 1929 Cuningham Cathedral Hearse, two Russian Kombat armored vehicles, and a 1965 Checker Marathon Taxi.
The auction, which was presented by the Saratoga Automobile Museum, took place on the grounds of the Saratoga Casino Hotel on September 20 and 21.
ARATOGA SPRINGS — A new exhibit at the Saratoga Springs History Museum shines a spotlight on Miriam Leslie, a little-known suffragette and magazine publisher with an extraordinary life story who spent her summers in Saratoga.
According to the 2022 biography “Diamonds and Deadlines,” Miriam was a prostitute in her youth, spoke at least four languages, may have been the daughter of a slave, and was thrice divorced in an era where divorce was deemed scandalous.
Miriam may have also partook in multiple extramarital affairs, including one, with American poet and frontiersman Joaquin Miller, that occurred during her marriage to Frank Leslie.
All of that, however, is just scratching the surface of Miriam’s almost unbelievable life.
She was born in New Orleans in 1836 to a cotton trader named Charles. The identity of her mother appeared to have been a matter of some dispute. Journalists at the time speculated that she may have been of “Creole” descent. “Diamonds and Deadlines” author Betsy Prioleau suspects she may have been the daughter of an enslaved woman.
Leslie’s bumpy upbringing continued when, as a teen, she moved to New York City and allegedly began working as a prostitute.
She then entered into a series of marriages; first to David Charles Peacock (1854-1856), then to E. G. Squier (1858-1873), then Frank Leslie (1874-1880), and finally to Willie Wilde (brother of the famous Oscar Wilde, 1891-1893).
Squier at one time worked for Frank Leslie, the publisher of Frank Leslie’s Ladies’ Gazette of Fashion and Fancy Needlework, The New York Journal, and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, among other publications. At some point in the 1860s into the 1870s, Miriam became the editor of Frank Leslie’s Lady’s Magazine. Miriam and Frank Leslie apparently began a relationship while both were married, eventually leaving their respective spouses and marrying each other.
Miriam was a talented writer and editor. When Frank Leslie died in debt in 1880, Miriam was credited with turning his media empire around, cutting some publications and increasing the circulation of others. When President James Garfield was shot in 1881, Miriam sent her team to chronicle the events, leading to exclusive stories and illustrations that helped bolster her business.
After her husband’s death, Miriam legally changed her name to Frank Leslie, in part to fight off a lawsuit from Frank’s sons, who had been disinherited by their late father.
When Miriam died in 1914, she donated $2 million to Carrie Chapman Catt, a women’s suffrage leader who campaigned for the 19th Amendment, which secured for women the right to vote in 1920.
This unpredictable and even, at times, shocking life is the subject of “Frank Leslie Buys Women’s Votes,” the Saratoga Springs History Museum’s latest exhibit, which opened on Thursday evening.
Nancy Baird Brown, who serves on the Board of the Women’s Rights Alliance of New York State, helped bring the exhibit to life. She called Miriam “not only one of the most fascinating people, but one of the most important women in women’s suffrage.”
Miriam and Frank Leslie owned a home near Saratoga Lake and, according to Brown, Frank published a successful newspaper that covered Saratoga Springs. The couple became well-known socialites in Saratoga every summer.
The Saratoga Springs History Museum “can be very proud of the fact that they’re bringing [Miriam’s] name up,” Brown said.
“Frank Leslie Buys Women’s Votes” explores Miriam’s personal and social evolution in Saratoga Springs in detail, documents her “pioneering role in journalism,” and shows how her donation to Carrie Chapman Catt helped give American women the right to vote. The exhibit opened with a reception on Sep. 26.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Western Sun Foundation, a charity created by fans of the jam band Goose, has raised $7,500, their “largest gift yet,” for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.
“Thank you to everyone in the community for their support through golf registrations, setlist entries, and donations that allowed us to achieve this amazing goal,” Western Sun said in a social media post on Monday.
During Goose’s two-night stay at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 6 and 7, the charity raised funds via a “Goose on the Green” golf event, an autographed setlist giveaway, and via donations. Since the charity’s creation two years ago, it has donated more than $47,000 to 13 nonprofits across the country.
Photos provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
GREENFIELD CENTER — Reef Cannabis Co. officially opened its doors on Friday, September 13 in the Stewart’s Plaza located at 2532 State Highway 9N in Greenfield Center. The dispensary is owned and operated by Saratoga County residents, and features products from local farmers.
Reef joins a sudden influx of pot shops to the Saratoga area. This summer, High Peaks Canna and Silver Therapeutics both opened in Saratoga Springs proper. Also this summer, a planned dispensary in Ballston Spa went kaput when the prospective owner withdrew their application.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A team of researchers at Skidmore College is studying what factors might impact the believability of fake news stories posted to social media sites.
Participants in the study are both younger and older adults who are shown news story headlines posted to Facebook and similar sites. Some of the stories are true, others are false (as determined by the fact-checking website Snopes). The participants have a limited amount of time to determine whether or not they believe the headline to be true.
All of the stories used in the study are actual stories published online, but the social endorsement cue is manipulated by the Skidmore researchers. In this case, the social endorsement cue is the number of “likes” each story receives. The Skidmore research team is hoping to discover whether or not the number of likes impacts the believability of a story in the eyes of a participant.
“If I’m evaluating whether or not a headline is true or false, the number of likes associated with it shouldn’t impact my decision at all, but we know from tons of research that those kinds of things can and do impact that,” said Daniel Peterson, a professor of Psychology at Skidmore College and the principal investigator of the project. “We’re looking at whether there are age differences associated with that.”
Peterson said that preliminary data seems to indicate that people struggle with determining whether a story is true or false. Most of the time they get it right, but “it’s not as strong as one might hope,” Peterson said. “Particularly in this political season, [fake news stories] have real consequences.”
Peterson said he and his researchers are measuring and controlling for education level, gender, self-identified race, and political affiliation. The team has just completed the data collection part of the study. Peterson hopes that the results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal by the spring of 2025.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dennis M. Ostrowski, a former Saratoga Central Catholic School (SCC) faculty member, died on August 30 at the age of 70.
Ostrowski “touched the lives of countless students,” the school said in a statement last week. “His memory will forever remain a part of SCC.”
Tributes to Ostrowski written by former students and colleagues described him as an “icon of the school,” a “fantastic teacher,” and a “kind, thoughtful, generous man.”
Ostrowski was born in 1953 in Middletown, New York. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 to 1975, obtaining the rank of Sergeant. He retired from SCC in 2019 after a long career as an assistant principal, IT administrator, and teacher of History and Forensic Science.
He is survived by his son, Joshua Latour-Ostrowski.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at the St. Clements Church in Saratoga Springs on September 13. A burial with military honors was bestowed the same day at the Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dr. Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools for the Saratoga Springs City School District, provided a brief update on the district’s cell phone policies during the September 12 Board of Education meeting.
Patton said the district would be obtaining feedback and input from students and parents across the district this fall to see if “next steps” might be necessary to develop “a more comprehensive approach.”
Patton warned that any changes made to current cell phone policies could be undone by the state government at some point in the future. “I can’t try to predict what is going to happen at the state level,” Patton said. “We may just have to adjust when that information is made available.”
Currently, cell phones are not permitted in any Saratoga Springs elementary schools or middle schools.
At the high school level, the district is in its second year of a policy that prevents students from using cell phones in class or during instructional time. Students are allowed to use their phones in the hallways and in the cafeteria.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At the September 12 Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education meeting, two new student representatives joined the board members: Matthew Prostick and Casey Wan.
The Saratoga school board has long invited students to join its ranks in an effort to help the students learn about governance and provide the board with a student perspective.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton said Prostick and Wan had “big shoes to fill but [are] up for the task, up for the challenge.”
Starting with the next school board meeting on September 26, Prostick and Wan will begin reporting on events and activities occurring across the district.
Bob West of Saratoga Springs won first place in the 60+ age group at the 2023 Fenway Park Spartan Stadion 5K. Photos provided by West.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Spartan Races are considered the hardest on the planet, but for one 61-year-old Saratoga Springs businessman, they’re just another exhilarating weekend.
“I’ve never, ever been happier than these last few years since I was racing,” said Bob West, president of Old Saratoga Restorations. “I attribute it directly to the hard work, which is just putting in that daily grind and then putting out as much effort as I possibly can.”
West has participated in more than 100 Spartan Races all over the country, completing 1,851 obstacles at a distance of over 640 miles. In the 60+ age group, he’s won dozens of races, including most recently the Vermont Spartan Sprint 5K on September 15. And despite competing against much younger foes, West has placed as high as 11th overall. As of press time, he was ranked third in the 2024 National Series.
West said he’s long been interested in adrenaline rush-inducing sports. At 14, he started racing motocross. In his 20s, he took up surfing. Later, he gave mountain biking a shot. But he wasn’t especially interested in running until he stumbled upon posts about Spartan Races on Instagram.
“Wow, this is freaking crazy, man,” West thought when he learned about Spartan racers. “Who the hell runs these things? I wonder if I could do that.”
West’s first race was a bit of an accident. He intended to sign up for a 5K that included 20 obstacles, but he instead competed in a 10K with 28 obstacles that are progressively harder as the race goes on.
“It was pretty brutal and I was beat down pretty hard because I failed a bunch of it, but when I finished and I recovered a couple hours later, I was just blown away at how I felt. I felt amazing, like holy shit this was so hard but I got through it,” West said.
West said he was struck by how his fellow Spartan racers celebrated each other’s achievements rather than viciously competing against one another to score a victory. That camaraderie helped reel him in, and he’s been participating in Spartan races ever since.
West said the hardest race he’s competed in thus far is the Vermont Spartan Beast 21K at the Killington Ski Resort, otherwise aptly known as the Killington Beast.
“My first race, I wanted to quit many times and I almost did. I sat down at one point and decided that I was done, I couldn’t finish it,” West said. “I was on my hands and knees crawling up the hill because I was really not prepared for it.”
West stared down the Killington Beast once again on September 14, this time placing second in his age group. It was another difficult task checked off of his to-do list.
“I definitely proved to myself that I’m one of the top three or five guys in the country at racing Spartan,” West said. “I guess my message is that finding something that is hard to do and rewarding at any age is really important. I just think that if there’s no effort in, there’s not much of a reward out.”
U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on September 12. Photo via the press conference livestream.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20), whose district includes the Saratoga Racecourse, has introduced a bill that aims to rein in mobile sports betting.
In a press conference held outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on September 12, Tonko and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) touted the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE Bet) Act.
In an effort to create less addictive mobile sports betting apps, the legislation would require states to meet minimum federal standards in the categories of advertising, affordability, and artificial intelligence.
“Every single moment of every sporting event across the globe has become a betting opportunity,” Tonko said. “That’s resulted in a frightening rise in gambling disorder, which has in turn enacted a horrific toll on individuals, many of whom have lost their home, job, marriage, and their lives. We have a duty to protect people and their families from suffering the tremendous harm related to gambling addiction.”
Tonko compared the effects of gambling addiction to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol abuse. He said he’d heard “countless stories of lives destroyed by sports gambling.” He stressed that he did not want to ban sports betting, but rather make it safer for the public.
“This is about harm reduction of a known addictive product that is on sale 24/7,” Tonko said.
In addition to prohibiting all proposition bets featuring college and amateur athletes, the SAFE Bet Act would:
Prohibit sports betting advertising from being broadcast between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Prohibit sports betting advertising during live sporting events
Prohibit sports betting advertisements designed to induce gambling with “bonus,” “no sweat,” “bonus bets,” or odds boosts, or similar promotions
Prohibit reckless or purposeful targeting of problem gamblers, individuals suffering from gambling disorder, or individuals ineligible to place a bet, including those under 21 years of age
Prohibit operators from accepting more than 5 deposits from a customer in a 24-hour period
Prohibit operators from accepting deposits via credit card
Require operators to conduct ‘affordability checks’ on customers before accepting wagers in excess of $1,000 in a 24-hour period or $10,000 in a 30-day period and verify that proposed deposits do not exceed more than 30 percent of the individual’s monthly income through the application of a reasonable lender standard
Prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track individual player’s gambling habits
Prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to create individualized offers and promotions to customers
Prior to officially introducing the legislation, Tonko earlier this year outlined the content of the SAFE Bet Act.
He previously authored the Betting on our Future Act, which would have banned all online and electronic advertising of sports gambling.
