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April 9, 2011
Collard receives max sentence for murder Vanderwerker: ‘He won’t make it eight.’
By Keith Lobdell
keith@denpubs.com
Noah Rondeau talk scheduled NORTH CREEK — Dave Greene will present a program at Tannery Pond Community Center Saturday, April 23 from 7 - 8 p.m. on how he broke the secret code of Adirondack hermit Rondeau is a widely known Adirondack hermit, who kept journals written in letter-substitution ciphers. The program is a benefit for the Adirondack Lake Assessment Program, a volunteer water quality testing program, a partnership between Protect the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Watershed Institute and Paul Smiths College.
Justice prevails
Johnsburg town beach in jeopardy
Benefit to support Bill Waldron N O RT H C R E E K — A benefit for Bill Waldron, who has stage four kidney cancer will be hosted Saturday, April 16, 6 p.m. midnight. The evening will be sponsored by the North Country Hardship Fund, Inc. and hosted by The Copperfield Inn. Ten dollars includes and all-youcan eat buffet featuring food from local restaurants. Live entertainment will be performed by Jen Gadway, Finger Diddle and more.
By Lindsay Yandon
lindsay@denpubs.com
NCS student-actors get a ballet lesson during the second act of Long Live Rock and Roll, performed last weekend. Drama Club members performed under the direction of English teacher Terri Smith.
JOHNSBURG — Heavily debated at Monday night’s Johnsburg Town Board meeting, the fate of the public beach off Route 28 in North Creek is in limbo. The board unanimously approved a motion to appoint Delaware Engineering to approach the Department of Health (DOH) and other regulatory agencies regarding possible solutions. Swimming and recreational use of the town beach and surrounding grounds has been prohibited since last August pending further attention from DOH and the Johnsburg Town Board. Public use of the restricted area could result in a $2,000 fine. The facility was closed after public concern regarding the water safety resulted in tests of the water clarity. The tests revealed that a clarity disk could not be seen at a four foot depth as per regulations. The beach revealed a clarity depth of roughly 2.5 to 3 feet.
Photo by Lindsay Yandon
See BEACH, page 4
THIS WEEK North Creek...................2 Indian Lake ..................3 Minerva/Newcomb ........4 Long Lake ....................5 Opinions ......................6,7 Sports ..........................8 Calendar ......................9 Classifieds....................14-16 Auto Zone ....................17-20
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Local athletes honored at senior game. See page 10.
ELIZABETHTOWN — As she thought about her mother, a lone tear came down the face of Tammy Vanderwerker. She said that she would love to be able to hold her, to have her get to know her grandchildren, to have a mother-daughter relationship with a woman she barely knew. June Marion Hopkins Collard was taken away from her June Marion Hopkins Collard two daughters and son in 1980 when her husband, Essex County Sheriff Richard Cutting and Sgt. Al Leon escort Thomas Collard from the Thomas A. Collard, said she Photo by Keith Lobdell Essex County Courthouse. Collard was sentenced for killing his wife, June (pictured left the family. right), in 1980. On March 31, Mr. Collard was sentenced under a plea cause of him, I live my life in fear.” “He buried her body right outside our bathagreement to an indeterminate amount of prison Vanderwerker said that she remembered few time between eight and 24 years for the self-con- room window,” Vanderwerker said. “That is quite things about her mother, as she was 8 years old fessed murder of his wife. sickening if you ask me.” Collard previously had pled guilty to a count of Vanderwerker, who admitted at the beginning when June Collard was killed. “Mom made our clothes, and her favorite song first-degree manslaughter. of her remarks that speaking to the court, “was In a packed Essex County courtroom, Collard not easy” for her, referred to her father only as, was ‘Islands in the Stream,’” she said. “Those are all the memories I have of her. I should have entered, in chains, at around 3:15 p.m., looking “the monster.” down as District Attorney Kristy L. Sprague an“From the time he killed our mother, we known more about her. She should have been my nounced that Vanderwerker wished to address stopped being kids,” she said. “I was the one that best friend.” After sentencing, Vanderwerker reiterated her the court. took the place of my mother in the family. He said During her remarks, Collard mostly looked to me over and over again, you’re just like your hatred for her father. down, often making facial expressions with his mother and I will do the same thing to you. BeSee MURDER, page 5 mouth.