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May 1, 2010
A Denton Publication
Exhibit
Pitch-in
Sports
“Colors of Nature” on display at TPCC.
Minerva residents come out and pitch in for townwide clean-up day.
Westport-Keene score 47 runs over two games, plus other stats and scores.
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Community expresses concern over Johnsburg Central School budget School Board hosts special information meeting By Lindsay Yandon lindsay@denpubs.com JOHNSBURG — The Johnsburg Central School (JCS) Board voted unanimously to adopt the pro-
posed 2010-2011 budget last Thursday, but not without plenty of community response. The regularly scheduled board meeting on last Tuesday welcomed community attendance and com-
ments. After two hours of discussion, the topic was tabled and picked up again at the second special meeting. JCS will see a 1 percent budget increase, which translates to a 5-6 percent tax levy increase. Superintendent Mike Markwika
acknowledged that budgets are getting increasingly difficult to craft. “In times like these, we are forced to either cut staff and programs or raise taxes,” Markwika said. Johnsburg Central School will
lose an anticipated $273,239 in state aid next year, according to Gov. David Paterson’s state budget proposal. “Our goal is to provide the best education with reasonable costs,” said Business Manager Kathy
See BUDGET, page 9
Fleeing suspect fires at police, shootout leaves him dead LAKE GEORGE — A county police officer was wounded early Tuesday morning during a gun battle with a fleeing suspect who was wanted in an earlier late-night shooting — and the exchange of bullets left the suspect dead. Warren County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Ralph Bartlett of Chestertown, a 17-year veteran of the agency, was struck in the abdomen in the shootout, according to county Undersheriff Robert Swan. Police identified the deceased suspect as Patrick E. Penders, 59, of Bloody Pond Rd., a convicted felon who served time in state prison for various offenses, including shooting at a state Trooper and a separate robbery incident. The chase ended at about 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of state Rtes. 9 and 9N near Northway Exit 21 around the corner from Goony Golf after officers laid out spiked sticks to deflate the suspect’s tires, Swan said. At least four police cars from the state Police and county Sheriff's Office converged on his vehicle and police ordered Penders to exit his SUV, Swan said. He got out of his older Dodge SUV soon after, but he was wielding a handgun. Penders ignored orders to drop the gun and then he started firing at police, Swan said. One other sergeant may have been hit by a bullet in the exchange, Swan said, but his bullet-proof vest deflected it. Bartlett was wearing a similar vest, but a bullet apparently bypassed it, causing the injury. Bartlett was treated at Glens Falls Hospital and released several hours later. As many as 40 police officers, including the entire county Investigation division, were on the scene through early morning accumulating evidence, Swan said. Route 9N from Exit 21 to Route 9 was closed to traffic for at least five hours. Penders’ Dodge was removed from the scene and stored in a Sheriff’s office garage. Swan said the SUV bore a lot of bullet holes. The incident began in Warrensburg, when Penders was not welcome at the home of a female acquaintance, and he apparently started firing a gun at about 11:45 p.m., police said. The woman first called the police and reported an “unwanted male” at her home, then called back several minutes later, saying he was shooting at her house, Swan said. A police officer responding to the call then spotted Penders in his SUV on Schroon River Road, and Penders fled in his SUV, Swan said. The chase continued south on the Northway to Exit 21, and police several times tossed out the spiked sticks into Pender’s route, but apparently he dodged them until the final showdown on 9N when his vehicle, driving on wheel rims, veered off the right side of the road. Penders body was sent to Albany Medical Center for an autopsy, police said. The last time an officer was injured in a shootout with a suspect was in the late 1970s, when officer Bob Pendas was injured by a bullet from a high-powered rifle, Swan said. Bartlett is okay, but he’s sore and will be off duty for several days, Swan said. “Ralph’s got to heal up from this injury,” the undersheriff said. “He’s a tough officer, and I’m sure he’ll want to come back on duty right away.”
WARRENSBURG
Mr. Jeff Baroudi and Mrs. Susanne Hayden’s fifth grade classes with New York State Forest Ranger Steve Ovitt and the airboat he brought along for demonstration at Johnsburg Central School. Ovitt presented topics ranging from ice safety to high water rapids in order to educate the students about the pros and cons of safe and dangerous ice and water conditions on lakes, ponds, rivers and other bodies of water. Photo courtesy of Johnsburg Central School
Delay in school aid predicted to compound taxpayer burden By Chris Morris denpubs@denpubs.com ADIRONDACKS — Gov. Paterson’s recent actions in delaying school aid payments will force school district taxpayers across New York to shoulder an additional financial burden, the head of the New Yorkz State School Boards Association said this week. In March, Gov.David Paterson delayed the payment of $2.1 billion, and School Board Association Executive Director Timothy Kremer said that Paterson is merely shifting the state’s financial shortfall on local taxpayers.
“To cover this delay in state aid, local officials are going to have to borrow money and pay interest on those funds or remove money from interest-bearing reserve funds,” he said. “Either way, it is yet another cost the state is passing on to districts and local taxpayers.” A recent poll indicates that 56 percent of school board members from districts across the state believe the best way to make up for the delayed aid payments is to use reserve funds. About 18 percent said they would vote for districts to borrow money, while another 14 percent called for spending freezes. Kremer added that 39 percent of dis-
tricts in New York would not have enough in reserve to cover delayed payments. Two-thirds of board members say the budget delay is impacting budgeting decisions for 2010-11. “This delay is a double-whammy to schools,” Kremer said. “Not only is it forcing them to scramble to find money to pay their bills today, but it is affecting their budgets for next year.” Many local schools had planned for delays in state aid payments this year. But the cuts proposed by Paterson in the 2010-11 state budget are forcing districts across the Adirondacks to plan for layoffs and program cutbacks.
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