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Editorial» Reporters share thoughts on covering manhunt
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Saturday, July 4, 2015
Outta heRe!
This Week WESTPORT
Graduations
Sail away, Patriots!
AuSable Valley graduates sail to brighter futures By Teah Dowling teah@denpubs.com
Westport Central School graduates 15 students PAGE 3 WILLSBORO
A trio of Willsboro Central seniors pause to take a selfie before their graduation on June 26. Photo by Jill Lobdell
Willsboro graduates look to the future.
Superintendent, eleven others placed on leave in escape By Pete DeMola pete@denpubs.com
PAGE 8 PRISON BREAK
manhunt over, but many questions remain
DANNEMORA — Three high-ranking officials from Clinton Correctional, including the superintendent, have been placed on administrative leave alongside nine security staffers, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision revealed on Tuesday. Their leave is part of review associated with the June 6 escape, said spokesperson Linda Foglia in a statement. While the suspended personnel were not named, the statement said Assistant Commissioner for Correctional Facilities James OÕ Gorman will oversee the prison as the new leadership team transitions this week. “Staffing for the security positions will be addressed through procedures outlined in the union contract,Ó said Foglia. Steven Racette, of Saranac Lake, serves as the prisonÕ s superintendent. Reached by phone on Tuesday, Cherrie Racette, his wife, confirmed that her husband is CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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Clinton Correctional Facility, located in the heart of Dannemora, in the days following the escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat. Three high ranking officials, as well as nine staffers, were suspended Tuesday in connection with the June 6 escape. Authorities did not provide any more details.
CLINTONVILLE Ñ Soonto-be AuSable Valley graduates gathered together June 27 in the lunchroom in preparation for graduation. Teacher Renee Rhino assisted students with pinning gold honor cords on their right shoulder and caps into their hair preventing them from slipping off. Ò Does the tassel go on the left or right side?Ó students asked each other while frantically getting ready. Eventually, they figured out that the tassel goes right to left. By this time, they had to line up Ñ girls on the left and boys on the right with Valedictorian Emily Maicus and Salutatorian Priscilla Coats leading the way. The seniors filed in twoby-two and took their seats in front of a small stage in the school gymnasium. Principal Javier Perez introduced the class of 2015, a tight-knit class of 85 students most of which who have been together since Pre-K. Valedictorian Maicus, who graduated with an advanced Regents diploma with honors and a 98.85 GPA, shared her learning experiences her and her classmates had: how to calculate the gravitational force necessary to keep the moon revolving around the Earth, how long a skirt should be, how unwise it is to drive backwards through the senior parking lot and how to pronounce Megan ZmijewskiÕ s last name. She shared her memories of discussing books with friends over lunch, being one of only four girls on the golf team in CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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