Saratoga should consider closing bars early
Several elected officials should address residency questions
By Ken Tingley
Gradually, everything creeps up the Northway.
That was the theory behind the $1 billion state give-away to build the Luther Forest Chip plant, although we are still waiting for the benefits to that.
What Saratoga Springs residents are seeing is more violence associated with the late-night bar scene.
While heading to Albany Sunday afternoon, my wife and I stopped for lunch in Saratoga.
We were met by a yellow police tape stretched across Broadway and police cars near Caroline Street. A homeless man - another trend in Saratoga that may be coming our way - told us there was a shooting the night before and forensics was taking longer than expected. He actually said that.
What’s emerging is a frightening incident about a Saratoga night life that is out of control.
What we know so far is that police heard shots fired at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday morning. They responded to find Vito Caselnova, an off-duty Vermont policeman in Rutland County who is a Glens Falls High graduate, exchanging gunfire with another man from Utica. Police say they found Caselnova with his gun drawn on Caroline Street and demanded he drop the his weapon. When he did not comply police fired on him and he was shot 10 times. Initial reports also said two other men were shot and that Caselnova’s girlfriend had been grazed by a bullet. A report on Tuesday indicated only three people were injured. The Vermont officer was placed on leave pending an investigation of the shooting.
This all comes on the heels of a series of brawls earlier in the year at one bar on Caroline Street that was eventually forced to close. There was a knifing outside another bar as well.
According to a story on FoothillsBusinessDaily.com, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim plans to schedule a public hearing in the aftermath of the shooting and wants to move bar closing from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.
“The city needs to figure out how to close the bars at 2,” he Kim told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com.
Glens Falls went through a similar debate several years ago. Then Mayor Jack Diamond imposed fines on bars that were having trouble. Eventually, several bars closed and the city proposed closing all bars at 2 a.m. Eventually, they compromised on a 3 a.m. closing time.
The result was pretty dramatic. What Glens Falls saw almost immediately was a reduction in DWIs, fights and other late-night mischief.
Saratoga Springs has changed and evolved over the years and is now as much a residential community downtown as a thriving business area. Its the late-night bar scene is no longer needed to define it. It may be a detriment.
Saratoga Springs will face enormous headwinds from the large bar community to close earlier, but it is a discussion the business community needs to have. It worked out well for Glens Falls. There is an old adage that nothing good happens after midnight. City fathers in Saratoga need to remember that.
Twitter question
Regarding my recent concerns of Twitter, several readers commented that they have either already dumped their Twitter habit or they could do without it in the future.
One said they really did like my “Tweet of the Day” feature.
I’ve made a conscious effort not to look at this past week.
I don’t feel I’ve missed anything.
Recent travels
You may recall I became intimately acquainted during my travels over the summer with several TSA representatives at airport security checkpoints after my scans showed I had a suspicious area around my groin.
This let to some intimate - and one painful - pat down.
Each trip through the security check point became more and more angst-ridden.
To address the situation, I signed up for TSA-Pre, paid the $85 for five years and had my fingerprints taken so I could avoid much of the security.
Flying out of town last weekend was so much nicer. I did not have to take off my shoes, or go through the scan - just walk through a metal detector - with the happy result of no pat down.
It was worth the fee.
I noticed you can now sign up at the local Staples in Queensbury to get TSA-Pre as well.
Johnsburg follow
One reader commented that Johnsburg Supervisor Andrea Hogan has said she will finish out her term as supervisor and work remotely from a new job in Maine until her term is up.
But there appears to be a rash of residency questions.
Queensbury at-large supervisor Rachel Seeber recently sold her home on Aviation Road in Queensbury. But there seems to be some question about where she is exactly residing now. She should clarify that on the record with the Warren County Board of Supervisors.
Another reader brought up questions about Glens Falls’ part-time City Court judge Nikki Moreschi, who has been judge since 2015.
She apparently sold her home in 2021 so there is some question about where she exactly lives now as well.
There is no mention of her on the city of Glens Falls city directory.
Greenwich event
WAMC radio host Joe Donahue has agreed to join me when I address the Greenwich Lions Club on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. as part of their Holiday Guest Night at the Greenwich Elks Lodge.
This will be third event where Joe and I have talked about newspapers, journalism and my new book. It is always an enjoyable conversation. We have previously talked at the Greenwich Public Library, Battenkill Books in Cambridge and now the Lions Club.
It should be a great event.
Hahaha! Yes, those are the kind of tweets I will miss.
Anything that reduces DWIs fantastic!