Criminal charges have been dropped against Daniel Van Plew, a Delmar man you may or may not have heard of who pursued four teens who, according to police reports, were tresspassing on his property, ringing the doorbell and banging on his door.
Van Plew, 37, told police someone had pressed his doorbell at about 10:18 p.m. Saturday night, July 17, at his home at 59 Egmont Court in Delmar. He didn’t see anyone out of the front door, but when he opened his garage side door he saw someone running from the rear of his house, according to police reports...
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 Jul 26 Let’s find out how many wrongs do make a righteditorial, Spotlight's View CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Van Plew, Delmar, ring and run, tackle, trespass Jun 02 We break the Golden Ruleeditorial, Spotlight's View
The Golden Rule in journalism is that you never become part of the story you’re covering.
We’re actively breaking that rule. This month, The Spotlight will be working with the Siena Research Institute in conducting a poll on the construction of cell towers in Delmar. While the survey will be funded by Independent Towers Holdings LLC, which is trying to site a tower just outside the school district’s Operations and Maintenance building off of Elm Avenue, The Spotlight and SRI will handle the drafting of questions, information gathering and compilation of data. SRI is an independent arm of Siena College that is well known for its research on business, political and social issues... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Cell, tower, siena, spotlight, independent, ESCO, survey, poll, stevens, Bethlehem, wiff, devoe May 07 Some tools to get you to the pollseditorial, Spotlight's View
Understanding a budget upwards of $100 million can be a daunting task.
We’ve taken a few of of the basic terms thrown around at budget time and explained them below: Bond: Money borrowed to pay for a school district expenditure. Typically, the money is used for capital expenditures, such as the purchase of buses or the construction or renovation of a building, although in some cases school districts also issue bonds for other large expenditures such as the repayment of back taxes in a certiorari settlement. The goal in borrowing is to spread the cost out over a period of years and lessen the cost to taxpayers in any one year... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
Jan 19 Justifiable behavior?editorial, Spotlight's View
Human beings are capable of justifying almost anything.
We justify our actions, the decisions we make, and first, foremost and worst of all, we justify our own prejudices. Maybe this is why an all-white fire department can dismiss its only black volunteer member, hear two of its other members testify that department leadership used race as a means to humiliate and ostracize the member, but yet still chalk the dismissal up to a “personality conflict.” Gilbert Darrell, a seven-year veteran of the South Schenectady Fire Department that covers parts of Rotterdam, said he believes his dismissal in December was racially motivated... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Schenectady, Darrell, fire, racism Jan 19 Poor planningeditorial, Spotlight's View
There’s not much that’s right about newly elected Town Supervisor Sam Messina’s appointment of John Smolinsky as deputy supervisor.
The appointment itself is a misstep by our new supervisor if only for just one small thing: Smolinsky’s role as a member of the town’s Planning Board. Messina is quick to note that appointing a sitting member of the Planning Board as deputy is not illegal, and it’s true... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Bethlehem, Messina, Smolinsky, supervisor Dec 22 Tear it downeditorial, Spotlight's View The damaged and decaying house at 127 Dunning St. in Malta did nothing but get two hours older Monday night as the town’s Historic Preservation Review Commission refused to move along or flat-out deny its demolition. You see, the house is in the Dunning Street Historic District. Unfortunately, it also is in massive disrepair after being damaged during a June 2008 hailstorm... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Malta, Dunning, historic, preservation, Roberts, Connolly Dec 22 Pricey professionalismeditorial, Spotlight's View How do you determine professionalism? And how much is it worth once you do? The Town of Glenville struggled — albeit briefly — with an age-old debate in emergency services circles: paid versus volunteer firefighters. The Town voted Wednesday, Dec... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Scotia, Beukendaal, fire, department, volunteer  |
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