BALLSTON SPA — Longtime Thoroughbred horse racing handicapper and columnist Dave Litfin died Nov. 17 at Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs after battling cancer, according to his wife Robin. He was 64. A celebration of Litfin’s life is intended at a later date, likely next year. Visit burkefuneralhome.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties invites the local community to unwrap the magic of the holiday season at their 27th annual fundraiser – The Festival of Trees – on Wednesday, Nov. 30 through Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Saratoga Springs City Center.
The Festival returns with a showcase of beautifully decorated trees, wreaths and other holiday and gift items for purchase. Festival proceeds will benefit the programs of Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.
The Festival of Trees event hours vary as follows:
Festival of Trees Preview Reception, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6-8 p.m.; Festival of Trees, Thursday, Dec. 1, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 2, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3, 12-7 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec 4, 11 a.m. -2 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, $5 for Seniors, $5 for ages over 10 and free for anyone 10 and under, when accompanied by an adult. Special admission pricing set at $5 will be offered on Thursday of Victorian Streetwalk Weekend after 5 p.m. Festival of Trees tickets can be purchased at the entrance to the Festival. Festival of Trees Preview Reception tickets can be purchased online at www.saratogafestivaloftrees.com or by calling 518-587-5000.
After a two-year pause, Breakfast with Santa returns this year. There are three Breakfasts with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 3: 8:30-9:30 a.m., 10-11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Sundaes with Santa follows from 1-2 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. Children two and under are free. Adults must accompany children. Tickets include either the breakfast or sundae, a tour of the Festival of Trees, a photo with Santa and access to a variety of children’s activities for $1 per ticket. Activities include cookie decorating, face painting, manicures, ornament making, picture frame creating and letters to Santa. There will also be a Holiday Shop with gifts for purchase. Breakfast with Santa and Sundaes with Santa admission tickets are sold in advance only and can be purchased online at the Festival of Trees website or by calling 518-587-5000.
Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, Sister Charla Commins said, “The Festival of Trees is the biggest fundraiser and community event of the year for Catholic Charities. With decreasing funding and increased need, it is becoming more difficult to assist people in the tri-county communities who have been seriously impacted during these difficult times. This festive and magical event has been greatly modified in the last few years because of COVID, but this year we are reinstating all of the Festival’s activities, including the ever- popular Breakfast with Santa. Proceeds will assist us in providing services to individuals and families across the ages. We are sure the generosity of our communities will continue to support this wondrous holiday event and we are grateful.”
For more information on the mission or services provided by Catholic Charities, call 518-587-5000.
Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties is an agency of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Wasaren League has announced its girls volleyball All-Stars for the 2022 season, with three members of the Saratoga Central Catholic varsity girls volleyball team receiving honors.
Senior Jacqueline Fornabia was named to the Wasaren League First Team, while fellow senior Gianna Fiordimondo was named to the League’s Second Team. Saints junior Rylee Cornell also received an honorable mention from the Wasaren.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Along with many other senior traditions, the Mega Bowl returned to Saratoga Central Catholic School this year. The seniors took on the faculty and coaches in a volleyball match at the Broadway Gym on Thursday, Nov. 10, with the faculty winning in three straight sets.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Eight members of the Saratoga varsity field hockey team received honors from the Suburban Council for their play in the fall season.
Aubrey Ide, Allie Shamberger, Emma Landers, and Mia Bolster were named to the Suburban Council First Team. Charlotte Drabek and Eleanor McNamera were both named to the Second Team, while Lily Wilborn and Viviana Nicastro each received an honorable mention.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore men’s hockey team was able to put together a “positive weekend” of NEHC play, forcing a 3-3 tie with 7th-ranked Babson on Friday and defeating Southern Maine 6-2 on Saturday.
Head coach Rob Hutchison said the team aimed to keep their mindset and preparation consistent, following a weekend in which the Thoroughbreds beat New England College 7-4 and lost 4-1 to 10th-ranked Norwich.
“It’s kind of consistent in that we want to learn from each experience, win or lose,” said Hutchison. “Attack some different areas during the week, and then execute a little better each week.”
The Thoroughbreds certainly executed in the opening period against Babson on Friday. Kaeden Patrick gave Skidmore a 1-0 lead just 1:24 into the game, and Ryan Waltman added another goal just 33 seconds later to make it 2-0. Patrick’s second goal gave the team a 3-0 lead after the first period.
“We were really focused on executing our game plan,” Hutchison said of the opening period. “Some guys made some really nice plays. There was really good energy in the building, so we were feeding off that. I think we were pretty excited to jump on them early, and that was part of the game plan, making sure we came out of the gates hot.”
Babson wouldn’t go away, however, and the Beavers were able to cut the deficit to one following the second period of play. A powerplay goal by Colby Bailey landed Babson on the scoreboard, and another goal on the man advantage by Ian Driscoll made it 3-2 entering the final frame.
Hutchison said that Skidmore made some “self-inflicted” mistakes in the middle period.
“We took some penalties, kind of lost our discipline and our structure and our focus on the game plan,” said Hutchison. “In the third, we kind of hit reset and said, ‘OK, here’s where we’re at.’”
The Thoroughbreds played a “pretty good period,” in the third, Hutchison said, but were unable to add on to the lead, and Babson tied the game with a shorthanded goal by James Perullo.
“Which is uncommon, our powerplay’s been really good,” Hutchison said. “We weren’t able to overcome that goal late. But we did kind of turn the corner and play much better in the third period.”
Tied 3-3 after three periods, the game went to overtime, and resulted in a tie after neither team was able to find the back of the net again.
“I think the end result was a little disappointing, considering our start to that game,” said Hutchison. “But we responded nicely on Saturday.”
Skidmore bounced back with a 6-2 win over Southern Maine on Saturday, with six different players scoring a goal for the Thoroughbreds.
“It was just all hands on deck. Everybody was contributing,” Hutchison said of Saturday’s victory. “And it wasn’t necessarily just the offensive play. As the game progressed, we got better on the defensive side of the puck, which led to a lot of offensive scoring chances.”
After a scoreless first period, Kevin Urquhart gave Skidmore a 1-0 lead just under seven minutes into the second. Southern Maine responded just five minutes later, with Curtis Judd scoring to tie the game, but it was all Thoroughbreds from there.
Jaden York scored with eight minutes left in the period to put Skidmore back in front, and Zach Frisk added a goal just 1:34 after York to make it 3-1.
Devon Mussio extended the lead to 4-1 in the third, with a shorthanded goal by Thomas Finck making it 5-1 before Danny Magnuson scored the team’s sixth and final goal of the night. Judd scored his second goal for USM with 8 minutes remaining to round out the scoring. Tate Brandon stopped 27 of 29 shots in goal for the Thoroughbreds.
“Everybody was chipping in offensively. That bodes well for us, I think, moving forward,” said Hutchison. “You want to have guys moving forward with confidence, and feel like they can contribute in all areas of the game.”
Following the 1-0-1 weekend, Skidmore is 6-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in NEHC play. The Thoroughbreds host the Skidmore Thanksgiving Invitational this weekend, playing Rivier University on Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of Oswego State and Wilkes University on Saturday.
Hutchison said that “the intensity should never waver” entering the non-conference matchups.
“Every game’s important. We’re in a position where we aspire to win the conference and/or get an at-large bid,” said Hutchison. “There’s so few of them that every game matters if you’re going to be in the conversation for that. We’ve talked about that as a group, and the guys are all aware that’s a goal. The approach and the intensity don’t waver a bit.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Thursday, Nov. 10, eleven student-athletes from Saratoga Springs High School signed National Letters of Intent to compete at the collegiate level. A National Letter of Intent is a commitment to play sports at an NCAA college or university.
Here is a list of the student-athletes, where they are going, and what sport(s) they will play there:
Karley Austin: Softball at Southern Connecticut State University
Calvin Baird: Swimming and Diving at Saint Michael’s College
Mackenna Billington: Rowing at The University of Louisville
Natasha Chudy: Women’s Basketball at Lafayette College
Meghan Fairley: Lightweight Rowing at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Aubrey Ide: Field Hockey at Lehigh University
Claire Macy: Rowing at University of Notre Dame
Madelyn Vaughn: Softball at Saint Michael’s College
Mackenzie Waghorn: Softball at Villanova University
McKinley Wheeler: Cross Country and Track at Iowa State University
Sheridan Wheeler: Cross Country and Track at Iowa State University
DAKAR, SENEGAL — Melissa Myers from the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville won her first world tour event on Nov. 13, earning a gold medal at the Dakar Open in Senegal.
This result moves Myers into the top 100 on the world rankings for the first time in her career, as she now sits at #97 in the 70 kg weight class. Myers will stay on for the training camp in Senegal, then will compete on the second leg of the African tour this weekend in Yaounde, Cameroon, before returning to the USA.
While Myers was in Dakar, her JMJC teammates were competing at the Ontario Open in Toronto. Jess Alaynick captured a gold in the +78 kg Under-21 division, while Justin Mata claimed a Silver medal in the 60 kg Under-21 category.
Two-time Olympian Nick Delpopolo was a double medalist on the day, winning a bronze in the 81 kg Seniors division as well as picking up a bronze in the Open Weight category to close out the JMJC medal count.
Saratoga County Court
Jonathan E. Volland, 39, of Waterford, pleaded Oct. 27 to criminal possession of a weapon in the third-degree, and criminal contempt in the first-degree, in connection with separate incidents in Waterford, and Milton. Sentencing Jan. 12.
Andrew L. Lavalley, 39, was sentenced Oct. 28 to 1 to 3 years’ incarceration, after pleading to felony grand larceny, in Wilton.
Jason Anhorn, 36, of Saratoga Springs, was sentenced to 6 years’ incarceration and 5 years’ probation after pleading to felony burglary, and 2 to 4 years’ incarceration after pleading to aggravated criminal contempt. The sentences will run concurrently.
Jacob Merchant, 23, of Moreau, pleaded Oct. 28 to failure to register or verify as a sex offender. Sentencing Feb. 3.
Manuel Olmo, 53, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded Oct. 28 to attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third-degree, a felony. First charged May 2021 in Saratoga Springs. Sentencing Feb. 3.
Jordan M. Sunkes, 30, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded Oct. 24 to aggravated family offense, first charged June 2022. Sentencing Jan. 9.
Robert A. Mancucci, III, 40, of Stillwater, pleaded Oct. 24 to felony grand larceny. Sentencing Jan. 23.
Margaret B. Camejo, 42, of Folsom, Louisiana, was sentenced Oct. 24 to 5 years of probation, after pleading to aggravated DWI with a child, first charged September 2021 in Saratoga Springs.
Brandon L. Griffith, 41, of the Bronx, was sentenced Oct. 24 to 2 years’ incarceration and 2 years post-release supervision, after pleading to criminal possession of a controlled substance, first charged January 2021 in Wilton.
Robert P. Maciong, 27, of Colonie, was sentenced Oct. 25 to 1-3 years’ incarceration, after pleading to DWAI, in Malta, to run concurrently with 5 years’ incarceration and 5 years’ probation, regarding a felony burglary charge in Halfmoon.
Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office
Jason A. Henderson, 52, of Ballston Spa, was charged Oct. 20 with felony grand larceny, and felony identity theft. Henderson was charged after a lengthy investigation into a fraud complaint that revealed he allegedly made several charges, over a period of 3 years, on an elderly, female complainant’s credit card without her permission, totaling $18,585, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Rondene J. Brust, 53, one count, and Bryan M. Brust, 32, two counts, were both charged Oct. 18 with promoting prison contraband in the first-degree. According to the county sheriff’s office, on Oct. 11 Rondene Brust was accused of introducing a controlled substance into the Saratoga County Correctional Facility and passing the dangerous contraband to inmate Bryan Brust, during an inmate visit.
Saratoga Police
Simone Gianfrancesco, 35, of Sherman Oaks, CA, was charged Oct. 18 with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, unsafe turn or failure to give appropriate signal.
Connor Smith, 28, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 17 with criminal mischief.
Elena Smith, 23, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 17 with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Peter Kelly, 61, of Mehoopany, PA, was charged Oct. 24 as arrest person without warrant – charged in another state.
Brandy Mclaughlin, 38, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 23 with criminal contempt and assault.
Christopher Grant, 21, of Schenectady, was charged Oct. 22 with DWI, and refusal to take breath test.
Angel Gopi, 35, of Schenectady, was charged Oct. 22 with assault, and criminal mischief.
Sabrina Ladd, 31, of Greenwich, was charged Oct. 21 with DWAI, operating a motor vehicle without inspection certificate, aggravated unlicensed operation, and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Jamie Brewer, 26, of Porter Corners, was charged Oct. 21 with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Damon Beckerman, 27, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 20 with criminal contempt, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Jennica Nash, 25, of Milton, was charged Oct. 20 with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Jonathan Trow, 40, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 20 with four counts burglary, two counts petit larceny, and two counts grand larceny related to multiple incidents that allegedly occurred on High Rock Ave., Henry St., Lake Ave., and Thoroughbred Dr.
Jessica Henderson, 36, of Saratoga Springs, was charged Oct. 20 with aggravated unlicensed operation, and vehicle license violation.
James North, 59, of Greenfield Center, was charged Oct. 20 with DWI, and two driving violations.
Robert Carte, 57, of Gansevoort, was charged Oct. 19 with DWI, and aggravated unlicensed operation.
MECHANICVILLE — Donald Vendlands, Sr. passed away on October 30, 2022. Burial with military honors took place November 7, 2022 at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to K-9s for Warriors www.k9sforwarriors.org. Please visit www.burkefuneralhome.com
