ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
Saturday,ÊJ ulyÊ16,Ê2016
>>
www.SunCommunityNews.com
In LONG LAKE | pg. 2
>>
Water skiers come to town
In YOUTH | pg. 9
Summer of fun
Showcase set for Saturday
Minerva youth program kicks off season
Minerva vet IDs continue, new tradition in works By Christina Scanlon
christina@suncommunitynews.com
MINERVA— The current push to identify every veteran from every war connected with the town of Minerva led to the discovery of five living WWII veterans, along with a new tradition in the making. “It was absolutely amazing,” said Anne Dunkley, of the presence and reaction to a float in the recent Minerva Days parade that featured three of those WWII veterans. Jack Norton, Bob Savarie and Bill Bailey waved American flags along the route, to standing ovations, cheers, shouts of thank you, clapping and even some tears from those they passed. “It really touched your heart,” said Dunkley, who, along with Nancy Shaw, are cochairs of the committee dedicated to identifying all of the Minerva veterans for inclusion on a memorial set to be installed next year.
For Savarie, it was a touching experience, too, but he said it was not about his own recognition. “It wasn’t for the three of us, it was for all the veterans,” he said. “In our research, we found 168 WWII veterans who, at some point, lived in Minerva,” Dunkley said. “Five of them are still living.” Two WWII veterans who live outside the immediate area, Dr. Frank Ramsey and former Minerva school principal E. Wescott Mangine, were unable to attend. Ramsey, said Dunkley, just celebrated his 100th birthday. Savarie noted the three on the float were what he called, “short timers.” “We were just in at the tail end of the war,” he said. Norton served three years, while Savarie served two and Bailey served one, said Savarie. While the Minerva Days parade is a tradi>> See VETERANS | pg. 10
2QÊ fundraisingÊ numbersÊ seeÊ StefanikÊ openÊ upÊ hugeÊ lead GOP incumbent amasses 3-to-1 lead over Dem. challenger Derrick By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) has amassed a huge war chest over Democratic challenger Mike Derrick. With second quarter fundraising numbers now in, Stefanik raised $575,000 during April, May and June, for a total of $1.4 million cash on hand. Derrick raised $375,000 during that same period for a total of nearly $450,000 cash on hand. Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, who entered the race in March, reported $6,371. For Stefanik, 66 percent of total donations were $200 or below. At 68 percent, the number was similar for Derrick. Also similar was total donations: Stefanik clocked 1,370; Derrick, 1,364 contributors. Both campaigns declined to release a breakdown for how much of that came from within the district. But the two noted donations came in from each of the district’s 12 counties. Funiciello said 91.7 percent came from within the district, and just four percent out of state. The Derrick campaign said 76 percent of contributions came from within the state, and 90 percent of contributions came from “individuals contributing their own funds.” >> See CONGRESS | pg. 3
Countywide tethering law introduced By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — A proposed dog tethering law sparked lively discussion between county lawmakers and advocates on Monday. The proposed legislation includes roughly one dozen measures to curb what critics say is an inhumane practice that leads to animal cruelty and public safety issues. If passed, the law would result in sweeping changes to how county residents must care for their dogs. The legislation would prohibit residents from leaving their dogs tethered to a fixed point while not present. It would also ban the tethering of canines for more than an hour where the owner isn’t physically present, but within the residence.
Regulations governing pulleys and enclosure systems would also be implemented, including a measure that would require the latter to be at least 150 square feet per dog. For the first offense, violators would be subject to a $250 fine or 15 days imprisonment, or both. Lawmakers said while they generally agreed with the concepts underpinning the legislation, they were concerned that the law was too broad and would be unable to be enforced. The legislation, for instance, would require dogs to be brought indoors between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Ronald Moore (R-North Hudson) expressed concern on how this would impact folks who let their dogs out at night, including himself. “I’m not sure where that’s
coming from,” Moore said. The lawmaker also said dog control officers needed to be dialed into the proposed policies. “We need to get this in an expedited manner to dog control officers so there is reasonable time to digest and respond to it,” he said. Tom Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said enforcement requires a paper trail. And judging from years of codes enforcement experience in his town, people are generally reluctant to file written complaints against their neighbors, he said. “I think this law in some areas goes overboard,” Scozzafava said, referring to the one-hour rule. Gerald Morrow (D-Chesterfield) said while he “supports animals and dogs more than I support people,” in his >> See DOG LAW | pg. 3