SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three seniors from Skidmore College’s Environmental Studies and Sciences Program are working with Saratoga PLAN, Open Space Institute, and a group of regional partners to develop a trail from Moreau Lake State Park to the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail in order to promote outdoor recreation, sustainable economic development and environmental conservation. They developed a survey to better understand the value of the current trails and recreational pathways in Saratoga County. Community members who fill it out and spread the word will be entered to win one of three $10 Apple gift cards.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Sheriffs’ Office graduated six new canine teams from the 2019- 2020 canine school on Feb. 14. 

Of the six new canines, four will be replacing existing canines that have moved on to retirement. All the retiring canines will remain with their handlers and their families in retirement. Two of the new canines are assigned to handlers who are new to the K9 Unit. 

The Sheriff’s Office K-9 school consists of more than five months of training. The training covers patrol functions such as handler protection, building search procedures and socialization with the public. The canines are also trained to track criminal suspects or missing persons. The Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit now comprises of four narcotics detection teams and four explosive detection teams, all dual purpose for patrol work.

They are: Deputy Nic Denno and Canine Taylor. Deputy Nic Denno will officially retire his partner Canine Jagger and will be teamed up with a one-year-old German Shepard named Taylor. Canine Taylor has been named after PFC David “Taylor” Miller from the Town of Wilton. Miller died in combat on June 21, 2010, in Lar Sholtan Village, Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Canine Taylor and Deputy Denno will serve as a Narcotics Detection and Patrol/Tracking team assigned to the road patrol. 

Deputy Robert Whipple & Canine J.D. Deputy Robert Whipple will officially retire his partner Canine Karma and will be teamed up with an almost-two-year-old German Shepard – Malinois, named J.D. 

Deputy Brownell & Canine Johnny Deputy C.J. Brownell will officially retire his partner Canine Lee and will be teamed up with a one-year-old German Shepard named Johnny. 

Officer Adam Potter & Canine Riker Officer Adam Potter retired his partner Canine Bud in September of 2019 due to an unexpected illness. Officer Potter will now be serving the Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facility with his new partner, a one-year-old German Shepard named Riker. 

Deputy Nikki Voegler & Canine Neeka Deputy Nikki Voegler is a newly assigned member of the K-9 Unit who will be assigned to Canine Neeka; an 18-month-old German Shepard. 

Deputy Crien Salton & Canine Flash Deputy Crien Salton is also a newly assigned member of the K-9 Unit who will be assigned to Canine Flash; a one-year-old German Shepard. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul D. Tonko was recognized last week as a 2020 Champion of Science by The Science Coalition (TSC), a prestigious distinction that honors a small group of Congressional leaders each year whose actions and votes consistently reflect a commitment to fundamental science through funding investment for federal research agencies. 

“As an engineer, I have always had a deep respect for science,” said Congressman Tonko, in a statement. “When we embrace science and truth, we begin to realize the vast potential of our great nation to lead the world in advancements in technology that open our eyes even as they boost our economy, create good jobs and better the lives of countless in our Capital Region and beyond.” 

Tonko is one of nine Members of Congress recognized this year; the Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research institutions dedicated to highlighting the partnerships between the federal government and America’s research universities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has cosponsored the bipartisan Forest Recovery Act, legislation that will support timber farmers affected by catastrophic loss events. The bill will help forest landowners recover from natural disasters by eliminating the basis limitation rule and allowing them to deduct up to the fair market value of their devastated trees.

“Farmers across many sectors continue to be impacted by extreme weather events, and not all of them are protected by crop insurance,” Stefanik said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill will help timber producers continue their business, which will have a positive impact on many of our North Country communities who include timber production as part of their economic base.”

Last week, Stefanik additionally cosponsored the Counting All Military Votes Act, legislation to make Express Mail Labels available to deployed active duty military serving U.S. embassies, consulates, and/or in diplomatic posts. The measure is to ensure each of their absentee votes will be successfully delivered on time by Express Mail in order to be counted.

When they are by our side, friends give us the confidence to freely follow our own path.

Two years ago, Megan Hale met a friend like this. 

“Her dog is by her side for everything. Hero is awesome! He helps her get around safely. He runs with her. He watches out for her and makes sure she’s okay,” said Tiffany Mitrakos, Director of Camp Abilities Saratoga. 

Finding New Freedoms

Each summer since middle school, Hale has been attending Camp Abilities Saratoga’s week-long program. 

As one of 26 blind and visually impaired campers between the ages of 10 and 16+ in the program, Hale had the opportunity to participate in sports including track, baseball and bicycling, on the grounds of the Skidmore College campus. 

“After camp, I tried out for and got into, the varsity team at school starting in 8th grade. I was able to join and tell them how to adapt things so I could do them, too,” said Hale. 

This summer, Hale was a counselor-in-training at Camp Abilities and is currently a Freshman at Hudson Valley Community College pursuing a physical education degree.

“I have realized, over the years and going to camp especially, that not many students with a disability – any disability – are being included in sports. There are not many teachers out there who know how,” she said. 

A Special Sidekick

Hale’s sense of sight has been substantially affected by Leber congenital amaurosis, a condition that she describes as, “similar to going to see a 3-D movie without 3-D glasses on, and with no peripheral vision”. 

She had primarily been using a cane to get around until high school, when she was old enough to be matched with a guide dog. 

“I was nervous. Growing up, we didn’t have a dog and we’d never had dogs in the house before. This is my first time being around a dog, but I knew the benefits, and that pushed me forward,” said Hale.

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Guiding Eyes for the Blind trained Hale how to work with and care for her guide dog, a yellow Labrador named Hero. 

“He’s like a car and they teach us how to drive the car. I call him my “Lab-orghini,” she said.

Hero has given Hale an inspiring new independence.

“She is the only camper that has ever come to Saratoga with a guide dog. It was really cool for the other campers to see that might be an option in the future for them, too,” said Mitrakos.

Coaching Companion

Together at Camp Abilities Saratoga, Hale and Hero not only participated in sports, but also experienced leading others.

“He will basically be at my side the whole time. They call us; Coach Megan and Coach Hero. On the very rare occasion that I’d need to guide athletes, he’d guide both of us,” said Hale. 

As heros are apt to do. 

“More people will get excited about physical activity if people like them were a part of leading it. I just think that everyone should have equal access to it and it should be open, with opportunities for everyone to participate.” 

To find out more about Camp Abilities Saratoga, go to CampAbilitiesSaratoga.org. 

I’ve always been interested in history – especially WWII coverage and the brave men and women who fought for freedom. I’m a German-Jew, with vivid memories of sitting with my mother in front of the TV as a child, here in America. I can still hear her voice pleading that we never forget the atrocities of Hitler’s Germany – lest they happen again. 

Many of the stories I write today involve WWII veterans willing to speak with me about that time, what they lived through during those years. I’ve met Holocaust survivors and their families, attended ceremonies and celebrations, listened to stories of good people who hid them during the war that encompassed so many different countries throughout the world. 

Chris Carola worked 34 years for The Associated Press, the last 31 as a reporter with the AP’s Albany bureau. His byline appeared in newspapers and on media websites around the world, including The Washington Post, MSN, ABC News, Fox News, The Independent, USA Today, New York Post, Yahoo Singapore, Yahoo India, to name a few.

When he heard about John J. Wilpers Jr. – Jack to his friends and family – Chris knew he wanted to meet and speak with him. “He was born in Albany in 1919 but grew up in Saratoga Springs. His father loved horses and worked as a bookie. Wilpers enlisted in the Army Air Corps during 1942 and then transferred to a counterintelligence unit,” the man sitting in front of me says. I watch as he looks away for a moment, deep in thought. 

Wilpers was one of five men, part of the U.S. Army Intelligence unit ordered to track down and arrest former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo after WWII ended.

It was September 11th, 1945, only nine short days after Japan surrendered. In Tokyo, the soldiers stood outside Tojo’s home, ready to take him into custody. Before that could happen, there was a shot – the Japanese warlord who had approved the attack on Pearl Harbor had tried to take his own life by shooting himself in the chest. 

Wilpers kicked in a door and found Tojo collapsed on a small couch, his white shirt soaked in crimson blood, a pistol still clutched in his hand. Wilpers ordered a Japanese doctor – at gunpoint – to help keep the war criminal alive until an American doctor arrived to take over. 

Nicknamed ‘Razor,’ Tojo was a high-ranking army officer, born into a military family. He’d been minister of war from 1940 to 1941, then Prime Minister until 1944. He was ruthless, blamed for the murder of millions of civilians in China, the Far East and the Pacific, as well as thousands of Allied POWs. 

Tojo survived his botched attempt at suicide. In the end, he was convicted on several counts, sentenced to death by hanging inside the Sugamo Prison just a few days before his 64th birthday, December 1948.

“I was fascinated with the story, from the moment I saw a photograph of Wilpers standing over Tojo’s blood-spattered body,” Chris tells me drinking from a bottle of Orange Juice while I nurse a cup of coffee. “Finding out that this young man was from Upstate, Saratoga no less, blew me away.” 

Chris’s quest to talk to the WWII veteran began in the early 1990s. “I called, left messages, wrote letters in an attempt to reach Mr. Wilpers,” Carola shakes his head at me. “He didn’t want to talk, like so many others who made it through the war, coming home to marry, raise families, start a new life. They just wanted it to be over.”

Once returning to the states, Jack married, raised a family of five while living in a Washington D.C. suburb, and had a successful 33-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency. It would be decades later before he was willing to speak about his wartime experiences. 

Most of the veterans I speak with are humble and shy away from talking about their years of service. I can’t even imagine the things they saw and lived through during times of war. Many say that they were doing their duty, what any good soldier would do. It takes some coaxing to accept any credit for their heroism. 

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In 2010 Pentagon officials held a ceremony to award Mr. Wilpers the Bronze Star he’d earned for his part in Tojo’s arrest. Only a few media outlets covered the ceremony and they didn’t get the details Chris would gather later that same year. None mentioned that Jack was a native New Yorker who had grown up in Saratoga, either. 

According to the award’s citation, however: “Had Captain Wilpers not acted with courage and initiative, Hideki Tojo would have succeeded in avoiding trial and possible execution for his acts.” 

The interview excited Chris Carola. “He was speaking to the press now,” he says while taking another sip of OJ. “I wondered if it was because of his age? Maybe the war was far enough behind him? It made me want to try to reach out again, try to get him to speak with me.”

That Summer, Chris was on vacation in Westport, MA with his brother Barry and his kids. They were staying at a waterfront rental house on Horseneck Beach. Plans for their return home changed a bit when news of a storm brewing hit. Chris decided to check out the other end of the beach before they left to head back to New York. 

He was wearing a khaki 2004 Saratoga Race Course giveaway baseball hat – the free ones they give out at the track during the meet. He watched an older guy make his way up the beach from the surf. The man collected his belongings and Chris laughed when he noticed the hat he was holding was the same one!

“Hey, you,” Chris called out. “Nice hat!” How ironic. The surfer told Chris his family had lived in Saratoga at one time, that they’d owned a couple of different businesses back in the day. Curious, Chris asked what the family name was. Believe it or not, the man replied ‘Wilpers.’

“Tell your old man I’m still pissed off at him for not talking to me about Tojo,” Chris half-kiddingly said.

Once the man introduced himself as John Wilpers, Chris realized they’d actually spoken on the phone in the early ‘90s. John had been the one to explain to the young reporter that his father was never willing to talk about the war – not even with family. 

They shook hands goodbye. John promised to tell his father about the random meeting on the beach, that Chris was going to call in a few days, that his dad needed to talk about the war with this man who’d been trying to get in touch for so many years.

Chris did get to speak with Wilpers after all. They talked on the phone two different times, on consecutive days, for about 90 minutes, but it was enough. I imagine the conversation was warm and open. I’d like to believe that both men spoke about heavy things – the capture and arrest of Tojo, the end of the war, heroism, for sure. Perhaps they also shared stories of family and loved ones, personal aspirations, and dreams of peace. 

“It was a job we were told to do and we did it,” he told Chris. “I just happened to be the one who busted open the door.” The words of a true, humble American hero.

Since April 2017, Chris has been giving one-hour presentations on Jack Wilpers – using family photos, Jack’s own wartime letters and WWII newspaper clippings to tell how a Saratogian helped capture one of WWII’s most hated figures. 

Among the places he has given the talk: The New York State Military Museum here in Saratoga, The Irish American Museum in Albany, Saratoga Central Catholic School, (formerly St. Peter’s, Jack’s alma mater,) and Fort Ticonderoga. He’s scheduled to give his talk at 7 p.m. Thursday,  April 23rd, at the Saratoga Springs History Museum in Canfield Museum in Congress Park.

GREENWICH – Bob Gustafson was 38 years old when Macaulay Culkin stared back at him from the video store shelves, a look of shock on the child’s face after being accidentally left “Home Alone” by his family on their Christmas vacation.

Gustafson, who today is 67, is old enough to remember when the Video Home System videocassette format – that is, VHS – was first introduced in North America and the subsequent VHS vs. Betamax format wars that followed.  During his time in the industry, he’s seen the bricks-and-mortar retail delivery of movies accompanied by the advent of things like Netflix and YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Prime, Thumb Drives, DVDs, Blu-ray, Digital Download, Cable TV’s Video-on-Demand, and a myriad of other movie streaming services.

“In June it will be 30 years since I started this,” says Gustafson flanked by the 10,000 or so titles inside his shop, Video Korner II. He estimates those titles are pretty evenly split between DVD’s and VHS tapes, which he still rents as two movies for two days at a rental cost of two dollars.  But, the clock is ticking; those days coming to an end.

After 30 years, he says, “I’m going to retire.” He was asked if he’s got any set plans following his retirement.  “Not a ding-dang thing,” he says with a laugh. “I’m going to take it easy for a while.”

Gustafson anticipates soon putting the store and the land he owns which it sits upon up for sale. He says he’s already got a person who is interested in the property, and that the proposal does not include the continuation of a video store.  

Gustafson first got in to the business in 1990 when he and a partner opened a 500-square-foot store at the far end of the village in Greenwich. The partners started their business with 500 movies and built our own shelves. A few years later, Gustafson bought his co-owner him out of the partnership and has been operating the business on his own ever since. In 2000, he relocated the business to Main Street, bought the land and constructed a free-standing building more than six times the size of the original store. He re-named it Video Korner II. Business was booming, and he says he paid off his 20-year mortgage in 4-1/2 years.   

“How many video stores are even left in this country today?” Gustafson asks. 

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In July 2000, Billboard Magazine reported there were nearly 28,000 video rental storefronts in the U.S. By 2004, video rental lender Blockbuster was at its peak, boasting about 9,000 stores globally. Today, a Blockbuster store in the city of Bend, Oregon is the only one which remains. In December 2017, financial news and opinion company 24/7 Wall St. published an article on rapidly changing industries, and reported that about 86% of the 15,300 video rental stores that were operating in 2007 had, by a decade later, been shuttered.

 “I have people tell me they watch them on their telephone. How do you compete against that?” asks Gustafson, who despite the changing video retail industry says the state of the industry has nothing to do with his moving on. Simply, the time has come for him to retire.

“It’s time. It’s been the best job I ever had; there’s nothing like being your own boss.”  

As far as the movie titles and all those VHS tapes, Gustafson says he’s not sure what will happen with the inventory. For now, he’s letting his customers know of his future plans are and putting together a list of titles they’re interested in purchasing when a sale of the location is finalized.   

Video Korner II is located at 40 Main St., Greenwich, and is open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Having exceeded its phase-one fundraising goal of $175,000, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs (UU Saratoga) is stepping up its effort to establish a new home.

“We’ve reached a point in our development where we feel it’s time to move to a larger space that better reflects our spiritual openness and commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Sue Bender, chair of UU Saratoga’s Capital Campaign Committee.

Increasingly cramped on its current campus at 624 North Broadway, UU Saratoga now seeks a property of approximately three acres to accommodate a sanctuary that seats at least 150 and will serve many more families with children through its religious exploration programs. The site also should allow parking for at least 70 cars.

“We have looked at several locations that may meet our needs but are continuing to explore other possibilities,” said Bender. She noted that a property owner who donates a site or grants one at a reduced cost to UU Saratoga, a tax-exempt organization, would be eligible for a substantial tax credit.

Founded in 1998, UU Saratoga purchased its current building in 2001 from a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The sale of this building – which occupies one-third of an acre of prime real estate on North Broadway — will generate additional funds for the construction of a new meeting house.

“We’re especially appreciative of a foundational gift made early in the project by UU Saratoga members Eric and Beverly Lawson,” Bender noted. “Since last summer, more than 70 member households have contributed an additional $197,000 in capital funds, bringing the purchase of a new property within range.” 

While membership in most religious denominations has declined in recent years, many Unitarian Universalist congregations are expanding. The denomination grew nationally by 15.8 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. UU Saratoga has been attracting new members under the leadership of the Rev. Joseph Cleveland, whom the congregation called in 2014.

“We think our open-minded faith has a bright future in our community,” said Pam Collins, president of the UU Saratoga Board of Trustees. “Instead of a common theology, we have a set of common values that start with the worth and dignity of every human being and support a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We’re individuals finding our own path and we’re doing it in community.”

A retreat aimed at engaging all UU Saratoga members in the process of visioning and planning a new home has been set for Saturday, May 2. All who may be interested in the congregation are invited to learn more at www.uusaratoga.org. 

BALLSTON SPA — Seven members were added to the Saratoga County Historical Society’s Board of Trustees at its first meeting of 2020 on Jan. 21. These individuals came forward as part of the outpouring of support for the society and Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa after the announcement last October that the institution had run out of funds. To date, a campaign mounted to raise $100,000 by March 31, 2020, to provide the Society with funding as it reorganizes, has reached 85% of its goal.

The new members of the Saratoga County History Society Board of Trustees are:

Jere Blackwelder, a native of Georgia, the Director of Byran, TX’s Habitat for Humanity “Restore” Operation before retiring to the Town of Ballston in 2011. He has taken leadership positions in the Rotary and Ballston Spa Business and Profession Assn. His focus is public relations and communications, skills which he will bring to the forefront in his new role.

Mark Blech, a painter and sculptor, and the organizer of Ballston Spa’s annual Holiday Displays and Bird House competitions. In 2019, he designed the exterior chicken exhibit at Brookside Museum. Prior to relocating to Ballston Spa in 2014, he designed and fabricated props for the movie and ad industries in Los Angeles and Atlanta. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Irvine and undergraduate degree in Ceramics from Alfred University. He hopes to make the arts and arts education integral to the mission of the Museum.

Isobel Connell, of Clifton Park, who earned her PhD in Theoretical Mechanics from the University of Nottingham, England and came to this country in 1986 and was an engineer at GE for over 25 years. She has been active in youth activities, a founder of the Sherwood Forest Civic Assoc., and a Brookside Museum volunteer.

John Cromie, the Historical Society’s first paid employee in the museum’s early days. He served as President of the Society’s board from 1982-83. A local attorney and historian, he has also holds a Master in Public Administration from the Maxwell School, and has been on numerous local and regional non-profit boards.

Michael Landis, who holds a PhD in History from George Washington University and has taught at colleges in Connecticut, Texas, and New York. Specializing in the Antebellum and Civil War periods, he is the author of Northern Men with Southern Loyalties, a Choice Magazine selection for Outstanding Academic Title. A resident of the Town of Milton, he hopes to tie Historical Society’s programs to college curricula.

Nora Osuchowski, the Executive Director of the Ballston Area Recreation Commission, where she works with parents to provide programs in athletics, education, and the arts for area youth. Prior to her position at BARC, she directed and coordinated services for individuals with disabilities.

Maureen Walsh, a Milton resident since 2000, is an Enrolled Agent and Associate Financial Advisor at Canty Financial Management, Inc.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History/Geography from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has more 30 years experience in the tax industry including 18 years in the Financial Services Industry focusing on Investment Advisory.

“The goal of the Board of Trustees is to reevaluate the operations of the Historical Society and integrate its resources with the needs of Saratoga County residents, as a way of assuring its future economic viability,” noted K. Michelle Arthur, Executive Director at the Brookside Museum. “I am looking forward to working with this expanded Board of Trustees to reach our immediate funding goal—and to launching new, exciting, and meaningful programs that serve our community.”

The Brookside Museum, located at 6 Charlton Street in Ballston Spa, has a mission to keep history alive through interactive educational programs and innovative exhibits that engage the community. Recent exhibits have highlighted unsung parts of the community, notably, last summer’s CHICKEN! exhibit, which drew a record number of families to the Museum, and told the story of Saratoga County poultry farms.

Dining with Diabetes, an educational program for people with diabetes or prediabetes and their family members is being offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension at the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Tuesdays, February 25th, March 3rd and 10th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm. Pre-registration is required: call 518-885-8995. This free program is sponsored by the Schuylerville Lions Club.

Participants will learn how to fit carbohydrates into a healthy menu, effectively use food labels, choose meals at a restaurant and adopt other healthy habits to help manage diabetes through healthy eating. Recipe demonstration and samples provided. For program details call Diane Whitten at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 518-885-8995.