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ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

A Denton Publication

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Cheever fire claims two lives

Saturday, January 3, 2015

This Week

WATCH OUT

HAGUE

By Keith Lobdell keith@denpubs.com

MORIAH — An early morning fire Dec. 27 claimed the lives of two local residents in the small Moriah hamlet of Cheever. Stephen A. Welch, 50, and Barry Raymond, Jr., 28, were killed in the blaze, which happened at Welch’s mobile home on 4818 Route 9N with a call coming into Essex County 911 at 5:25 a.m. Investigators from the Essex County Fire Investigation Unit, New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York State Police Uniformed Troopers and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control-Fire Investigation Bureau later found the cause of the fire being the direct result of a chimney fire and failure of the exhaust piping of the wood burning unit, which resulted in the combustion of the home itself. Stephen’s son, Brendan Welch, 25, had taken a friend to Ticonderoga and returned to the home, which was on fire. The younger Welch found Raymond in the home, collapsed due to apparent smoke inhalation. Welch pulled Raymond out of the home then reentered in search of his father, who he was unable to locate before being overcome by smoke and forced to exit the residence. Welch performed CPR on Raymond until first responders from the Port Henry Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

PAGE 2 CROWN POINT

Lakes to Locks plans for app, more in 2015 PAGE 9 SCHROON

Michael Vanderhoof makes sure Jessica Keech does not see him sneaking any of the ingredients needed to make graham-cracker trains during Polar Express Day at Moriah Elementary School. Photo by Nancy Frasier

Index TICONDEROGA

Cars, Post Office shot in vandalism spree

2-5

EDITORIAL

6

LETTERS

7

SPORTS

8

CROWN POINT

9

MORIAH

11

SCHROON

12

OBITUARIES

12

BRIEFS

13

CALENDAR

14

Veterans hold party to celebrate the season PAGE 12

St. Mary’s tops Times of Ti stories of the year TICONDEROGA — This is not a story about a fire. It’s a story about a community. Yes, it started as a story about a fire during the late hours of Sept. 5, when flames swept through St. Mary’s School in Ticonderoga, gutting the building just two days after the 2014-15 school year began, turning bright and shiny new school items into charred and burned victims of what has since been classified as a suspicious fire. But that was only the first act. On the night of the fire, Father Kevin McEwan said, “We will come through this and make it happen one way or another.

The 55 year history of this school is not going to end with this.” Indeed, it has not, as the St. Mary’s community, as well as the community of Ticonderoga and the region pulled together to help the private Catholic school. In one weekend, enough school supplies to support the students at the pre-k-8-school had been donated, and fundraisers were in full effect. The First United Methodist Church of Ticonderoga offered their space to the school, an ecumenical gesture of support and Christian service one to another.

Since, donations have poured in from throughout the region. Students from the school, like fourth grader Aubrey Whitford, found ways to support the rebuilding fund, creating a sweatshirt for sale with the phrase “St. Mary’s Strong.” The generosity of the community was well appreciated. “So many people gave of themselves during this crisis that it is mind boggling,” Sister Sharon Dalton, school principal, said in a letter to the Times of Ti. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3


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