Hudson Crossing Park is thrilled to announce that a brand-new accessible kayak launch will be installed in spring of 2026, representing a major step forward in making outdoor recreation available to visitors of all ages and abilities. The launch will be professionally installed by BoardSafe, a national leader in adaptive waterfront access, ensuring that paddlers with mobility challenges can enter and exit the water with comfort, stability, and confidence.

Hudson Crossing Park is also excited to share that it has received four adaptive kayaks–two tandem and two single–from Rochester Accessible Adventures. These kayaks, designed specifically for individuals who need additional support, will allow more members of the community to the recreational opportunities available while paddling on the Champlain Canal. Announcements will be made in the spring about opportunities to use these new kayaks.

This project was made possible through generous grant support, including a $7,500 Trail Grant from Saratoga County, $24,999 Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and $15,000 from AARP. Hudson Crossing Park extends its deepest appreciation to these partners for their commitment to expanding inclusive recreation opportunities in our region.

The addition of the accessible kayak launch will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. It opens the door for individuals with mobility disabilities, older adults, and anyone who benefits from extra stability to enjoy independent or assisted kayaking. Families, adaptive athletes, and visitors of all abilities will now be able to share the water together, strengthening social connections and improving access to healthy, outdoor experiences. The launch also enhances local tourism by providing a unique adaptive amenity that will attract paddlers seeking inclusive adventures along the Champlain Canal. Most importantly, this project reinforces Hudson Crossing Park’s ongoing commitment to ensure that everyone, regardless of physical ability, can explore, learn, and recreate in a welcoming environment.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life Grants Program supports nonprofit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis. Since the Quality of Life Grants Program’s inception, more than 4,000 grants totaling $48 million have been awarded. Funding for this program was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL grant #90PRRC0006-04).

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all as we age. Through advocacy, information, and service at both the national and state levels, AARP champions positive social change. Guided by a vision of a society where every person can live with dignity, purpose, and the opportunity to fulfill their goals and dreams, AARP works to create a more inclusive and livable future for all generations.

Hudson Crossing Park is centered on Champlain Canal Lock C5 Island just north of the Village of Schuylerville along Historic Route 4. A 501C3 not-for-profit organization, Hudson Crossing Park’s mission is to tie environmental responsibility to economic revitalization, and to engage people of all ages in making informed choices for a sustainable future. Learn more about this and other upcoming events at www.HudsonCrossingPark.org. 

Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved the County’s 2026 budget during its special Board Meeting on December 10, 2025. The budget passed unanimously and preserves investments in public safety, services for seniors, and other essential community programs.   

The Board made no adjustments to the $434 million budget proposed in November.  The 2026 property tax rate will be $1.77 per $1,000 of assessed value, maintaining Saratoga County’s ranking as the only County in New York State under $2 per $1,000. 

In 2026, unfunded state and federal mandates are projected to cost Saratoga County more than $86 million – an amount that exceeds the County’s entire property tax collections by more than $8 million.

 These mandated costs continue to escalate each year, placing pressure on local resources and requiring the use of reserve funds to meet these obligations. Further, county officials warn potential reductions in federal and state funding could impact essential programs and operations. 

“The 2026 budget reflects Saratoga County’s long-standing fiscally conservative principles, protects essential services, including public safety and vital supports for families and seniors, and prudently manages the strain of escalating unfunded mandates,” Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Barrett (Clifton Park) said, “2025 was another successful year as the County solidified plans and completed initiatives that will benefit our economy, increase services for all County residents, protect our animals, and further enhance recreational opportunities through new trail and park projects.”  

For 2026, the County projects $170 million in sales tax revenue, reflecting a prudent and conservative estimate considering ongoing inflation, a tightening labor market, and uncertainty in consumer spending. Debt service remains below 1% of total operating expenditures, supporting the County’s continued AA+ (S&P) and Aa1 (Moody’s) credit ratings, which are among the highest in New York State. 

The budget adoption today brings us to the end of 2025.  In 2025, the Board of Supervisors completed and initiated a number of new programs and services including:

1. Build-out of the Environmental Health segment of the County Department of Health working with the NYS DOH

2. Redevelopment of the County Airport working in partnership with state and federal funding partners

3. Planning for a new homeless shelter to provide a long-term, economical solution to fulfill NYS mandates 

4. Approved the creation of an Animal Abuse Registry

5. Moved a plan forward to provide a permanent solution for the disposal of Biosolids

6. New Trails and park resources

The economy in Saratoga County continues to expand due to the positive environment attracting private sector investment.  The recent announcement of Regeneron redeveloping an empty building in Saratoga Springs, Bass Pro’s arrival in Clifton Park and new medical services in multiple communities are examples of significant investment that will provide more jobs and create sales tax revenue shared by the County and local municipalities.  

Saratoga Jewish Community Arts, with a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and the sponsorship of Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, is pleased to present a panel discussion of the critically acclaimed film Casablanca, on Zoom, Tuesday, January 6 at 7 pm.

A 1940s classic that would come to be hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, Casablanca featured what in retrospect would be viewed as an all-star cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. 

While Casablanca has no battle scenes and a small body count, it remains one of the most powerful war films of all time – driven by the values needed to confront totalitarianism. Its impact is deepened by a supporting cast of real-life European refugees who didn’t have to act to show their hatred of the Nazis.

Based on an unproduced play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the rights were acquired by Hal B. Wallis for $20,000, a record at the time. The writers, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch were still scribbling last-minute dialogue on set, just a few lines ahead of the actors. Memorable lines such as, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” were improvised.

The film is set in the early days of World War II in Casablanca, a city in French Morocco. It is portrayed as a place of transit, filled with refugees desperate to escape the Nazi regime. At the heart of the story is Rick Blaine, an American expatriate who owns a popular nightclub, Rick’s Café American. He is depicted as cynical and nonpolitical, but his past harbors a deep hurt from a failed romance in Paris with Ilsa Lund. 

Ilsa re-enters Rick’s life when she arrives in Casablanca with her husband, Victor Laszlo, a Czech resistance leader. They seek hard-to-get transit papers to escape to America, a quest that leads them to Rick’s Café, the center of various intrigues. The climax occurs when Rick must decide whether to use the letters of transit he has obtained to escape with Ilsa, or to help her and Victor escape, thus aiding the resistance against the Nazis.

“Casablanca,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCA, “explores themes like love, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity in a time of war. It combines personal drama with broader political issues, making it a compelling narrative.”

Made with a wartime audience in mind, it’s impossible not to relate Casablanca’s messaging to the world we live in today. Authoritarianism is on the rise, and war again threatens to embroil Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year. While the final message of Casablanca is hopeful that America’s involvement will turn the tide against Nazi Germany, this, of course, was far from assured when the film was released in November 1942.

Even without knowing the outcome, Casablanca ends on a promising note. Rick makes a noble sacrifice, one that denies him true love, as the Lazslos escape while he and others resolve to take up the fight against the Nazis. It’s a message that has withstood the test of time and is as pertinent today as it was when first released.

Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today reintroduced their Stopping Grinch Bots Act, legislation which cracks down on cyber Grinches using bot technology to buy up entire inventories of popular goods only to resell them at exorbitant prices. These third-party sellers use bots to bypass security measures and manipulate online sales systems to buy toys, leading to some toys being almost impossible to buy online or in stores at retail prices.

Based on data from cybersecurity firm Imperva in its 2024 Bad Bot Report, bot-related hits on retail sites hit a record high last year, with almost 50 percent of internet traffic coming from non-human sources. These bots are also becoming increasingly sophisticated, using residential IP addresses and even AI to slip past security tools like CAPTCHAs, making this legislation more vital than ever.

“This holiday shopping season, Americans across the country are scouring stores, sites, and shelves for the perfect gift for their kids and loved ones,” Congressman Tonko said. “With prices already surging, the last thing parents, families, and small businesses need is cyber bot technology seizing the most popular items to sell them at outrageous costs. That’s where our Stopping Grinch Bots Act comes in. Our bill levels the playing field to prevent scalpers from sucking hardworking parents dry this holiday season. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this bill and help ensure Americans can spend their time this holiday season with their loved ones, not competing against Grinches.”

“Grinch bots are squeezing holiday shoppers—automatically snapping up online inventory to resell popular products at predatory prices,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal. “Our measure blocks these bullying bots and gives parents a fair chance to buy gifts for loved ones at reasonable prices. By putting an end to bots’ holiday hijinks, our commonsense legislation will protect consumers, families, and small businesses from the cyber Grinches trying to steal Christmas.”

Bots are software programs that can automatically spot and snap up inventory on sale online. In a matter of seconds, third-party vendors can purchase hundreds of items, squeezing out parents and children. In 2016, Tonko, Blumenthal, and Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s (D-NY) Better Online Ticket Sales Act (BOTS Act) was signed into law to ban “ticket bots” that intentionally bypass security measures on online ticketing websites to unfairly outprice individual fans. This new legislation would apply the mechanism of the BOTS Act to e-commerce sites to ban bots bypassing security measures on online retail sites.

The Wesley Community, a 37-acre senior living campus with more than 700 residents in Saratoga Springs, is enhancing the rehabilitation and therapy services offered at the Wesley Health Care Center as part of its ongoing commitment to deliver the highest quality of care to senior residents. 

The new in-house Nursing Home and Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Therapy Team, assembled and led by Linnea Heffner, includes more than 30 highly skilled therapists in various disciplines who are fully integrated into the Wesley Community working alongside nursing and medical staff. They specialize in physical, occupational, and speech therapy. 

“By bringing therapy services directly under our roof – rather than partnering with an outside provider – we can offer greater consistency, coordination and continuity of care,” said Wesley Health Care Center Administrator Marc Walker. “Wesley is focused on providing personalized and responsive rehab therapies to our seniors. As we implement these enhancements, we are confident relationships between residents and caregivers will grow stronger.”

The new in-house therapy team, now available six days a week, is additionally skilled at providing education and training on fall risks and gait and mobility for residents of Embury Apartments and Woodlawn Commons and provides evaluations in preparation for their return home. 

The physical therapy specialties offered by Wesley include orthopedics, sports medicine, back injuries, and neurological rehabilitation. Occupational therapy services include repetitive motion injuries, arthritic disorders, hand therapy, and custom splint fabrication. Speech services include language, articulation disorders, language disorders, and stuttering.

“I am so happy to join and lead the in-house rehab team here at The Wesley Community,” said Wesley’s Director of Inhouse Rehabilitation Linnea Heffner. “Each member of the team is deeply committed to the progress and well-being of the Wesley residents we serve, which I strongly believe will contribute to the healing process.”

Heffner earned a degree in Occupational Therapy from Maria College and has held a leadership role in that discipline for a decade.

A Glens Falls woman has been arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office after she allegedly threw an unopened can of soda at another person. 

Jessica Tucker, 42, was arrested by deputies after they responded to a domestic incident on Gansevoort Road in the Town of Moreau. Tucker was arrested on charges of 2nd degree assault, a class D felony and aggravated family offense, a class E felony. 

Deputies say she threw an unopened can of soda at the victim, striking them in the face and causing physical injury. She allegedly committed the offense having been convicted for the same offense in the last five years. Deputies didn’t list the condition of the victim. 

Tucker was arraigned in Moreau Town court and released on her own recognizance pending further court proceedings. 

Saratoga County District Attorney–Elect Brett Eby today announced that Acting District Attorney Jennifer Buckley will remain with the office as Chief Assistant District Attorney, bringing with her decades of prosecutorial experience, deep community partnerships, and a proven record of pursuing justice for the county’s most vulnerable victims. 

Buckley, a resident of Saratoga County for more than 40 years, began her service in the District Attorney’s Office on January 5, 2004. Since that time, she has been a leading prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit, concentrating primarily on sex offenses and crimes against children. Her leadership, expertise, and commitment to public safety have made her one of the region’s most respected prosecutors. 

Buckley was appointed Bureau Chief in 2016, first overseeing the Major Crimes Bureau until the fall of 2023. In recognition of her exceptional skill and leadership in prosecuting sensitive and complex cases, she was appointed Special Victims Unit Bureau Chief in 2023. In both roles, she has worked closely with law enforcement and multidisciplinary partners to ensure comprehensive responses to violence, abuse, and exploitation. 

“Jennifer Buckley has dedicated her career to protecting the people of Saratoga County, especially our most vulnerable,” said DA–Elect Eby. “Her experience, judgment, and compassion are unparalleled. I am honored that she has agreed to serve as Chief Assistant District Attorney, and I look forward to working alongside her as we continue the vital mission of this office.” 

Throughout her career, Buckley has prosecuted numerous high-profile and violent felony cases, including child abuse, homicides, and serious sex offenses. Some of her major cases include: 

• People v. Craig Ross: Obtained a conviction and 47-years-to-life sentence for Kidnapping in the First Degree and Predatory Sexual Assault against a Child. 

• People v. Michael Mosher and Jeanne Mosher: Secured convictions on two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault against a Child, with each defendant sentenced to 40- years-to- life. 

• People v. Stephen Lerario: Achieved guilty verdicts at trial for Attempted Murder 2nd and Assault 1st; defendant sentenced to 25 years. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the people of Saratoga County in this new role,” Buckley said. “It has been my life’s work to seek justice for victims and support the safety and well-being of our community. I look forward to working with DA–Elect Eby and our dedicated staff to advance that mission.”

A Gansevoort man has been arrested after he allegedly strangled someone and attempted to prevent them from calling for help. 

Michael Blair, 34,  was arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office on the morning of Dec. 4, 2025 on Hatchery Road in Moreau. He was arrested on charges of 2nd degree strangulation —a class D felony, 1st degree unlawful imprisonment — a class E felony, 3rd degree assault and 4th degree criminal mischief — both of which are class A misdemeanors. 

Blair is accused of applying pressure to the victim’s neck in order to cause loss of consciousness. He is also accused of assaulting and lawfully restraining the victim. When the victim tried calling for help, Blair is alleged to have taken their phone in an attempt to prevent help from coming. 

The victim was transported to Glens Falls Hospital for treatment and evaluation. Blair was arraigned in the Moreau Town Court and held at the Saratoga County Jail pending further charges.