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Saratoga PLAN Opens 127-Acre Preserve in Corinth

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business, Featured.

Saratoga PLAN and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 23 to celebrate the opening of the Curtis Preserve in Corinth. Photo by Super Source Media for Saratoga TODAY.

CORINTH — The Curtis Preserve—a 127-acre, permanently protected plot of land that includes three trails near the edge of Adirondack Park—was officially opened by Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) last month.

The preserve includes about 1.7 miles of trails, as well as a flowing brook that winds through a forest filled with red oak, white pine, and eastern hemlocks. Saratoga PLAN called the preserve a “critical wildlife habitat” that serves as an “important link for regional wildlife connectivity.”

The preserve was made possible thanks to a donation by Patricia LeClair and her family. LeClair and her neighbor Mary Curtis both loved the woods that connected their properties. After the Curtises passed away, LeClair inherited their land and later chose to donate 127 acres to Saratoga PLAN. 

“I walked those woods for many years and I hope that people will enjoy them as much as I did,” LeClair said in a statement.

“The LeClair family has made an outstanding gift to the community, helping to ensure the property’s ecological, educational, historic, recreational, and scenic values are maintained for generations to come,” said Saratoga PLAN.

In addition to LeClair’s donation, Saratoga PLAN credited local community members and organizations with helping to create the preserve. The property’s three trails were built and marked by PLAN staffers and volunteers, including participants from Regeneron’s “Day for Doing Good” (Regeneron is a pharmaceuticals company that purchased the former Quad Graphics printing facility in Saratoga Springs last year). 

Locals also provided feedback via surveys that helped inform decisions about public access. For example, the land had historically been used for horseback riding, and local equestrians helped ensure that the new preserve would continue to be available to horses.  

Financial support for the project came from the Saratoga County Trails & Open Space Committee’s Farmland Protection and Open Space Grant Program, which contributed nearly $33,000 to cover transactional costs. The Nature Conservancy’s Climate Resilience Grant Program added another $25,000 toward future stewardship needs.

“The Curtis Preserve is a great example of how we can come together to protect land that connects people to nature,” said Rob Davies, executive director of Saratoga PLAN.

This preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk for nature study, walking, snowshoeing, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. To learn more about the preserve or to download a trail map, visit www.saratogaplan.org/curtispreserve.

Local Congresswoman Announces Run for Governor

Written by Aidan Cahill on . Posted in Featured, News.

Elise Stefanik has announced she will challenge Governor Hochul in the 2026 election (Official Portrait).

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-22) has announced she is running for governor in 2026 against incumbent Kathy Hochul. 

The announcement came on Nov. 7, three days after the municipal elections in the state. In her statement and announcement video, Stefanik attacked the incumbent and highlighted affordability as one of the top issues. 

“Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America,” The opening line of her statement read. “Under Kathy Hochul’s failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery prices crushing hardworking families.” 

Stefanik’s Congressional District encompasses the northern half of Saratoga County. The entire town of Saratoga and the majority of Wilton fall within the district on the eastern side of the county while everything north of and including the Towns of Greenfield and Providence falls within the district in the west. 

Stefanik, 41, has served in Congress since first being elected in 2014. At the time of her election, she was the youngest member of the House of Representatives. Prior to serving in Congress, she worked for then President George W. Bush’s administration from 2006-2009 as well as her family’s business in Essex County, according to official biographies. Stefanik lists her home as being in Schuylerville. 

In Congress, Stefanik serves the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. She previously served as Conference Chair for the House GOP and had been nominated to be the US Ambassador to the United Nations. 

In 2024, the most recent election, Stefanik beat her Democrat challenger Paula Collins with 62% of the vote. Prior to announcing her run for Governor, Stefanik raised $1,980,190.47 for her run for reelection in the House of Representatives. 

After announcing her run for Governor, Stefanik quickly received the backing of most county Republican Committees in the state — including Saratoga County — as well as several elected officials. State Senator James Tedisco, who represents Saratoga County, offered his endorsement as did Assemblywoman Marry Beth Walsh. 

If Stefanik earns the nomination, she will be the first woman to run as the Republican Party nominee for New York Governor. 

Knife wielding man arrested after robbing a Stewart’s

Written by Aidan Cahill on . Posted in Featured, News.

A Cohoes man has been arrested by Saratoga Springs Police after he tried to steal cigarettes from a Stewart’s and pulled a knife on responding officers.

Craig Valcik, 45 of Cohoes was arrested on Nov. 7 at 3 pm during a robbery attempt at the Stewart’s on Church Street in Saratoga Springs. Police said officers were in the parking lot at the time of the robbery and were alerted to the incident by a store employee. 

Once inside the shop, the officers attempted to take Valcik into custody, but he refused to comply. He then pulled out and knife and began to threaten officers. Ultimately after more commands were issued, Valcik dropped the weapon and surrendered without incident. 

Valcik was charged three felonies — first degree robbery, menacing a police officer, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was also charged with criminal possession of stolen property and criminal tampering.  

Valcik was arraigned and placed in custody at the Saratoga County Jail. He is set to appear in court on Nov. 13. 

Saratoga Field Hockey Player Breaks Single-Season Scoring Record

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


Photo of Mia Khazin via her X profile.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs field hockey player Mia Khazin shattered her school’s single-season scoring record in a brutal 3-2 overtime loss to Guilderland on Oct. 28. In that contest, Khazin netted her 30th goal of the year, surpassing Lindsey Frank’s record of 29, which was set in 2018. 

By surpassing Frank, a Blue Streak Hall of Famer who now works as a marketing coordinator for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Khazin catapulted herself into the ranks of all-time great Saratoga athletes.

“[Mia] always looked up to people like Lindsey Frank,” said the field hockey star’s coach, Jo-Anne Hostig. “She said, ‘It’s a nice feeling to be amongst them but I never thought I would.’ But then I say to her, ‘it’s your hard work. It’s what you did in the offseason, your determination…’ I’m really proud of her to have done that, and I think there’s a lot more to come, to be honest. I think it’s just the beginning for her.”

Khazin has already committed to play field hockey for the Division 1 Quinnipiac University, which just wrapped up their 10-8 season on Halloween. Khazin was interested in the school not just because she wanted to play Division 1 field hockey, but also because Quinnipiac boasts a strong academic reputation. Prior to the start of the 2025 season, the school’s field hockey team received the BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award thanks to a team GPA of 3.8, the highest among all BIG EAST field hockey programs. All 21 Quinnipiac field hockey players were also named to the 2024-25 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

“She’s always been a scholar-athlete,” Hostig said. “I think that she’ll fit in well there.”

Khazin has made the Saratoga Springs High Honor Roll multiple times during her high school career, and according to her recruiting profile, she’s also served on the student council and the Women’s Empowerment Club.

“She’s a person that, as far as being a great role model, she’s been inspiring to the younger players because she set herself up two years ago to say, ‘I’m going to improve. I want to get better.’ She doubled her scores from her sophomore year to her junior year,” Hostig said. “She set herself in the offseason to really work hard at trying to improve everything about what she was as an athlete, as a player, mentally and physically. It was hard and she had things that she had to overcome, and she did.”

Toys for Toga Launches 13th Holiday Campaign

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Business, Featured.


A media event celebrating the official launch of the 13th annual Toys for Toga campaign at the intersection of Broadway and Caroline Street in downtown Saratoga Springs on Oct. 29. Pictured from left to right: Darryl Leggieri, President of Discover Saratoga; Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh; Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner; Senator Jim Tedisco; Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus; Death Wish Coffee Marketing Director Shannon Sweeney; and Toys for Toga Program Coordinator Max Oswald. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A colorful assortment of gifts dotted the scene: racecars, board games, beer, coffee, and dinosaur sludge. The presents, intended of course for Holiday revelers of varying ages, signaled the arrival of the 13th annual Toys for Toga campaign, which provides gifts and monetary donations to local children and families in need. 

Toys for Toga, which officially launched on Nov. 3 after a press event on Oct. 29, is a collaborative effort of more than 100 Saratoga County businesses that last year delivered 4,500 toys to the Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs, the CAPTAIN Community Human Services in Clifton Park, and the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center in Mechanicville. 100% of all toys and monetary donations will remain in Saratoga County, divided evenly among the three aforementioned beneficiary organizations.

Businesses ranging from Death Wish Coffee to G. Willikers Toys to The Rusty Nail now have bins stationed inside their respective locations waiting to be filled with new, unwrapped toy donations. (A complete list of drop-off locations is available at www.toysfortoga.com.)

“Toys for Toga has become a cherished Saratoga tradition, one that perfectly reflects our community’s generosity and spirit,” said Darryl Leggieri, president of Discover Saratoga and a founding member of Toys for Toga. “It’s amazing to see so many local businesses and individuals come together year after year to make the holidays brighter for children across Saratoga County.”

“We’re really excited that this is our 11th year participating in Toys for Toga, and it’s something we genuinely look forward to every year,” said Death Wish Coffee Marketing Director Shannon Sweeney. “It gets our employees excited, gets the community excited, and it’s really a testament for what a community can do when they come together. This area truly knows how to step up and help a community in need and, together, we’re impacting three amazing local charities. It’s an honor to be in partnership with you guys.”

This season, Death Wish has a special offer available for donors (and those in need of a caffeine fix). The donation of a toy valued at $20 or more at the Death Wish office at 260 Broadway will be rewarded with a free bag of coffee. The office is open Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another special offer for adults: Druthers Brewing has a Toys for Toga winter ale available in four-packs at local beverage centers and grocery stores.

Those who’d rather contribute to the cause monetarily can do so by visiting www.toysfortoga.com.

Plane Crash Kills One in Milton

Written by Aidan Cahill on . Posted in Featured, News.


One person died and another is seriously injured after a plane crashed near the Saratoga County Airport in Milton (NYDOT)

One person is dead, and another is seriously injured after a plane crashed into the driveway of a home in the town of Milton. 

The pilot, Frederick Baber, 58, of Port Charlotte Florida was killed in the crash while the passenger, Alexander Hoff, 39, of Hollis New Hampshire was seriously injured. He was transported to Albany Medical Center with serious injuries. 

The crash occurred on Oct. 31 at 10:24 am in a residential area on Wyndham Way in the Town of Milton. Nine fire departments, three police agencies, Community EMS, Saratoga County Office of Emergency Management and Saratoga County Hazardous Material Team all responded to the crash, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. 

In a press conference the day of the crash, Saratoga County Sherriff Mike Zurlo said that the plane is believed to have hit a tree and dropped into the driveway of a residence. 

While the crash was initially dispatched as a structure fire with entrapment, responders on scene determined that the fire was limited to outside the residence and that the structure was not impacted. 

The house was occupied at the time, but the residents were not injured and were able to safely evacuate, Zurlo said. 

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Mooney M20E that was originally manufactured in 1964, according to the FAA Aircraft Registration. It is listed as a fixed wing single engine aircraft. It first received its airworthiness certification in December 1964 and its current registration was issued in January 2025. 

The listed owner was not involved in the crash and told other media outlets that he sold the plane the month prior. 

The plane first came to Saratoga County on Oct. 9 according to Flightradar24, a real-time flight tracking service. Its last flight prior to the crash occurred on Oct. 21 with Flightradar24 showing that it circled the Saratoga County Airport for about 13 minutes before landing. The fatal crash on Oct. 31 did not appear on the service’s website. 

The aircraft pilot, Baber was listed as having received his private pilot license in July 2019 with his last listed medical certification coming in July 2025. According to the FAA, Baber had a single engine and instrument rating. His daughter said in a Facebook post that he died doing what he loved. 

Saratoga County hasn’t seen a fatal plane crash since 2014 when a pilot crashed in Gansevoort while attempting to pick up a towable banner, according to the NTSB. The last non-fatal accident occurred in 2023 when a student and instructor were forced to make an emergency landing in a field after running out of fuel. 

As for the Oct. 31 crash, no cause has been issued for the crash, and the NTSB announced that they are currently investigating. 

An earlier version of the story misspelled Frederick Baber’s name. We apologize for the mistake and have since corrected the mistake.

One Saratoga Nearly Sweeps City Hall

Written by Aidan Cahill on . Posted in Featured, News.

It was a late night in Saratoga Springs as candidates waited to see who would win control of City Hall. 

While results didn’t come in until 11:00 p.m., by the end of the night it appeared that the One Saratoga line had nearly swept city hall — winning five out of the seven races, assuming results hold. 

“I’m very happy about five out of the seven races,” One Saratoga chairwoman Courtney DeLeonardis said. “I feel we ran really wonderful campaigns with civility, integrity and professionalism. To me this is a sign that our community is looking for city before party.” 

Incumbent Mayor John Safford will continue to lead the city. He defeated Democratic challenger and current Supervisor Michelle Madigan, who previously served on city council and ran on the One Saratoga line in her 2023 run for supervisor. 

At the time of publication, Safford was ahead by 287 votes. 

Safford will be joined on City Council by Incumbent Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Coll who was endorsed by One Saratoga, as well as the Republicans and Democrats. Coll ran unopposed and defeated any attempts at a write in candidate 7340-63. 

Not returning to City Council is Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran. The embattled commissioner was defeated by One Saratoga and Republican backed Jessica Troisi by 433 votes. 

In a Facebook post, Moran conceded the election, thanking his Deputy and expressing pride in the work that he did as commissioner. He also took a jab at his opponent while wishing her the best. 

“Negative campaigning seems to work, to lose to a campaign without ideas, knowledge of the position or the challenges currently facing it is difficult,” Moran said in the post. “That said, I wish Ms. Troisi the best and we as citizens need her to be successful.” 

Safford will also have a trusted familiar face on City Council as his deputy, Joanne Kiernan, was elected Commissioner of Finance. Kiernan ran on the Republican and One Saratoga Line, defeating Democrat Shafer Gaston by 183 votes as of publication.

She will take over a seat currently held by Democrat Minita Saghvi, who ran for Supervisor this year. 

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for One Saratoga. Incumbent Commissioner of Public Works Chuck Marshall was defeated by Democrat B.K. Keramati who beat Marshall by 342 votes. While Marshall seemed confident on election night, telling reporters he was used to close elections, by the next morning he announced that he had called Keramati to concede. 

Marshall only took over the role after winning a closely contested special election in January for the seat vacated by former Commissioner Jason Golub. 

In terms of who will represent the city at the county level, a clear favorite emerged early on as One Saratoga endorsed Democrat Sarah Burger received the most votes of any candidate running in a contested election in Saratoga Springs with 5157 votes. The only candidate who secured more was the aforementioned Coll. 

Burger will be joined by Current Commissioner of Finance and fellow Democrat Minita Sanghvi who received 4354 votes, defeating One Saratoga Endorsed Republican George Ehinger by 333 votes. Burger and Sanghvi will replace retiring Supervisor Matt Vietch (R, One Saratoga) and Michelle Madigan who ran for mayor. 

Around the County

Saratoga Springs wasn’t the only place in the county with contested elections this year. 

In the hotly contested race for Saratoga County District Attorney, Republican Brett Eby defeated Democrat Robert Logan 27955-26944, a margin of around a 1,000 votes. Eby will replace Karen Hagen who retired in August. 

It wasn’t as close in the race for Sherriff, it wasn’t nearly as close with Republic Jeff Brown defeating Democrat Ryan Mahan 29212-25884, a margin of over 3,000 votes. Brown, who currently serves as Undersheriff will take over for his boss, the retiring Sherriff Mike Zurlo. 

Several new faces will also be coming to the Board of Supervisors. In addition to the aforementioned Burger and Sanghvi, five different new members will join the board, if current results remain the same. 

In Wilton, Democrat Toni Sturm holds a 104-vote lead over incumbent Republican Supervisor John Lant. The incumbent also lost in Greenfield where Michael Gyarmathy defeated incumbent supervisor Kevin Veitch. 

This isn’t the first time this year the two have faced off. Veitch defeated Gyarmathy in the Republican Primary back in June 290-233. After losing, Gyarmathy, a registered Republican, ran on the Democratic line. 

Democrats also picked up a seat in Clifton Park where Democrat Ram Mohan Lalukota defeated Republican Juliano Febo for the second of their two supervisor positions 5383-4989, a margin of 394 votes. Current incumbent Republican Angela Thompson decided not to run for reelection while Republican and Chair of the Board of Supervisors Phil Barrett didn’t face a challenger for his position. 

In Stillwater meanwhile, Democratic challenger Robert McCoy failed to defeat Republican Incumbent Edward Kinowski. He lost 1320-936. 

All told, democrats now hold seven seats on the Board of Supervisors compared to 15 held by Republicans plus Joseph Grasso who ran on the Conservative, Republican and Democratic lines.