SARATOGA SPRINGS — During the month of February, The Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library will present a traveling exhibit, Messages From Survivors: One Family’s Holocaust Legacy. The exhibit will then travel to Saratoga Springs Public Library during the month of March. 

The exhibit is built on 40 years of filming a family of Holocaust survivors in the Bronx, Miami, and a bungalow colony in the Catskills between 1962 and 2016. 

In the exhibit, six short videos introduce the Holocaust through powerful personal stories of a family of Holocaust survivors. Six exhibit panels researched using the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s resources provide historical context for the video footage. The exhibit covers the family’s experiences from 1938 through the 21st century.

A feature of the exhibit is the use of QR codes to bring the Holocaust survivors’ voices directly into people’s lives, both onsite and at home. Take-home cards keep the story alive once visitors return home. Each card contains stories of family members–-some who survived and some who didn’t, along with QR code links to the videos. 

The Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library will also present Never Forget: Conversations with a Holocaust Survivor at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The live-streamed conversation hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. will be followed by a live Q & A session. All ages are encouraged to attend and no registration is required.

Saratoga Springs Public Library will host two programs while the exhibit is on display during the month of March. A Child’s Memories of the Holocaust: A Conversation with Survivor Ivan Vamos on March 10 and a book discussion March 18 – Finding Kalman: A Boy in Six Million, with a viewing of the accompanying documentary. Finding Kalman is written by Roz Jacobs, creator of The Memory Project.  

The Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library is located at 475 Moe Road in Clifton Park, and can be reached by phone at 518-371-8622 and online at www.cphlibrary.org. 

The Memory Project Productions, Inc. creators of Messages From Survivors is a New York-based non-profit organization that creates exhibits and programs devoted to social justice, art and remembrance. Its exhibits have toured the U.S., Poland, and Hungary. Their award-winning film, Finding Kalman, has been broadcast nationally on PBS stations.

BALLSTON SPA — A 45-year-old Johnstown man was sentenced Jan. 19 to an indeterminate term of 2 to 6 years in a state correctional facility in connection with an incident that occurred on July 30, 2023, in the Town of Wilton.   

Richard T. Irelan, of Johnstown, had previously entered a guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter in the second-degree, a felony, related to the incident. 

The charges against Irelan originated from his operating a Harley Davidson motorcycle erratically and rear-ending a pickup truck on the Exit 15 I-87 southbound off-ramp, according to a statement released by county District Attorney Karen Heggen. The impact resulted in the ejection of the passenger on Irelan’s motorcycle, who was rushed to Saratoga Hospital and later succumbed to her injuries. 

An investigation by the New York State Police at the scene determined that Irelan was intoxicated at the time of the crash, and a subsequent blood test revealed a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .09% and the presence of cannabis in his system.

The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Troop G Collision Reconstruction Unit.

FORT EDWARD —A Washington County jury on Jan. 23 found 66-year-old Kevin Monahan guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of Kaylin Gillis – the Schuylerville woman killed in April 2023 after the vehicle in which she was a passenger mistakenly pulled into Monahan’s driveway in the town of Hebron. 

Gillis was 20 years old. She attended Schuylerville Elementary School in kindergarten and first grade and returned to the district in high school for grades 10-12. 

“It’s a very rural area with dirt roads. It’s easy to get lost,” Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy explained during a press conference staged shortly after the April 15 incident.  “They had been looking for their friend’s house, got mistaken and drove up this driveway,” the sheriff said. “While they were leaving the residence, once they had determined they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch, for whatever reason, and fired two shots – one of which struck the vehicle that Kaylin was in… there was clearly no threat from anyone in the vehicle.” 

Sentencing is scheduled for March 1.

“We will never have full closure from the events of that fateful day but do feel justice has prevailed,”  Kaylin Gillis’ father, Andrew, reportedly posted on Facebook shortly after the verdict.  “While we would trade anything to bring Kaylin back, this was the best possible outcome short of her still being here with us. Kaylin got her justice.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —A Saratoga Springs man accused of unlawfully entering a residence through a window while armed with a deadly weapon and stabbing one of the residents with a knife, is facing multiple charges for his alleged actions.

The suspected incident occurred while a minor child was present, and the victim – an adult female victim – was transported to Saratoga Hospital by EMS for evaluation and treatment of non-threatening injury.

George S. Tinoco, 48, of Saratoga Springs, was charged with felony burglary, and possession of burglar’s tools and endangering the welfare of a child – both misdemeanors, according to a press release issued by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s on Jan. 22.

The alleged incident relates to a disturbance call in the town of Malta shortly after midnight on Jan. 12 received by the sheriff’s office. An investigation led to the arrest of Tinoco four days later, after he was released from Albany Medical Center where he had been hospitalized for self-inflicted injuries.

Tinoco was arraigned and sent to the Saratoga County Jail in lieu of bail or bond pending further action in the matter.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The City Council this week approved a new set of rules to be applied to public conduct during the council’s twice-a-month meetings at City Hall. It is a topic that has come under much scrutiny during the past few years.

“Public Comment has been a subject that was very much a part of this last election,” newly elected Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford said shortly after taking office on Jan. 1. 

The new Rules of Decorum and Order instruct members of the public to “behave in a manner conducive to the free and courteous expression of opinion,” but warn to not otherwise “engage in behaviors which disrupt the conduct of the meeting.” 

Listed prohibited actions include: Profane language, obscene gestures, threatening statements, shouting or other behavior meant to intimidate members of the council or others present at the meeting. Additionally, sustained noise impeding others from hearing speakers, and items – such as signs – that may block the public’s view, are also prohibited.

The mayor has the authority to declare any person to be out of order for failure to follow directives.

Enforcement comes in 3 steps: 

1. The mayor will verbally request the person or persons violating a rule to cease that conduct.

2. If the violation continues, the mayor issues a second verbal warning, stating that if the violation continues, the violator(s) may be required to leave the meeting room. 

3. If the person(s) does not cease the violation the mayor shall declare the person to be out of order. At that time, a member of the Saratoga Springs Police Department who has been designated as the Sergeant-of-Arms may take steps to remove the person(s) from the meeting room. That person may also be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties. 

Thirty minutes will be set aside at each meeting for public input, and each speaker will be limited to three minutes. All remarks are to be directed to the City Council as a body and not at a specific individual, staff, or member of the public. 

Following council debate regarding whether the 30-minute overall time limit should be extended or  removed altogether, an agreement could not be reached and the amendment was approved 4-1, with Commissioner Minita Sanghvi casting the lone vote against.

“My main concern is by limiting public comments to only 30 minutes, we are creating a situation where some members of our community will not be heard,” Commissioner Sanghvi said. “The way I see it we are here in public service and our job is to listen to our community. If you have 30 minutes and are allotting three minutes per person, we are ensuring that only 10 people will be heard…we can’t limit the number of people who want to contribute to the betterment of our city.”

Written public comment may also be submitted via email at: public.comment@saratoga-springs, Mayor Safford said.  “This email is automatically received by all councilmembers, their deputies, and the Clerk of the Council. Such comments shall be entered as part of the official record of such meeting, so we’re bending over backwards. If you send us an email it’s going to become a part of the public record.” 

During the Public Comment period at this week’s meeting, local blogger John Kaufman and former city Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton each expressed concern regarding emergency compensation for city councilmembers’ deputies. That on-call pay for deputies was authorized by the City Council in February 2023 by a 3-1 vote, with one abstention. City Mayor Ron Kim cast the lone vote against the measure.

The Daily Gazette first reported on the topic in February 2023. Last week, with the addition of documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), Kaufman published comments related to on-call pay status on his blog saratogaspringspolitics.com.      

Newly elected city Supervisor Michele Madigan also commented on the matter. “As a city Supervisor and a former Finance Commissioner I believe it’s essential to address this issue transparently and consider the broader impact on city employees and city taxpayers,” read Madigan, from a prepared statement. “Four of the five deputies in 2023 availed themselves to the on-call funds,” said Madigan, adding a list of responsibilities, duties and attended meetings associated with the potential securing of on-call pay. “As a former finance commissioner for 10 years, I’m well-versed in the fact that these are basic job functions for an appointed deputy in this city’s form of government.”

While not referring to the issue by subject directly, Mayor John Safford began his agenda at the Jan. 16 meeting by seemingly referencing the topic. 

“Based on a number of comments that were made tonight, we are looking into the question that’s been raised and our attorneys are engaged in that right now,” Safford said.  “We will find out what the right thing to do is and work with everybody to correct that if there’s been any mistakes.”  

Safford also announced The State of the City Address will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 in the Saratoga City Music Hall, located on the third floor of Saratoga Springs City Hall.