Thanks to a state grant the city of Corinth will receive $350,000 towards the rebuilding of three buildings that were burnt down in the village’s downtown commercial district in February.

The grant is just one of a multiple grants the village has obtained over the past few years that are part of a downtown revitalization plan. The village can use the money towards rebuilding its downtown infrastructure or to help businesses rebuild.

The village had three commercial buildings destroyed in a downtown fire on Feb. 11. A restaurant, furniture store, tattoo parlor and apartments were lost in the blaze.

In May, the Village Board allowed a $74,000 federal grant to be used toward removing debris that was left from the demolition of the buildings. The debris was removed in early June.

Prior to the fire the city had received more than $1.2 million for improvements to the downtown commercial district.

Husband and Wife plead guilty to embezzeling $62,000 from fire district

A former treasurer of the West Crescent fire district and his wife have pleaded guilty to felony charges that allege they embezzled close to $62,000 from the West Crescent Fire District on Monday in Saratoga County Court.

Lee F. Lussier, 51, pleaded guilty to felony grand larceny in connection with $43,000 he stole from the fire district over the course of six years.

He will be required to pay back the $43,000 starting with a $10,000 lump sum to the fire district and W.K. Mansfield Hose Co.

His spouse, Dawn Lussier, 46, pleaded guilty to first-degree falsifying business records, a felony. She is responsible for paying back a sum of $18,400 to the fire district.

The couple is scheduled to be sentenced within the next 90 days by Saratoga County Judge Jerry Scarano Jr.

Authorities of the fire district discovered the money missing in early 2007 through an internal audit conducted by the fire department.

Spa State Park pool opening delayed past Fourth

Renovations taking place at Peerless Pool in Saratoga Spa State Park have once again been delayed due to recent wet weather.

Contractors have been working on completing a $168,000 renovation to the pool’s liner, which includes the installation of a liquid rubber membrane liner that requires five days of dry weather to take hold. The work, which started on May 15, has been delayed due to the recent wet weather.

The decision to replace the liner stems from the deterioration of the old liner, which was causing the pool to leak.

The Peerless Pool previously went through renovation in 1996, when a kiddie pool and slide pool were added to the facility.

The pool, which will not be open in time for the Fourth of July weekend, is expected to open for swimming sometime late next week.

The Victoria Pool, the other pool located in the park, opened for swimming last Saturday. Swimming is permitted at the pool from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Body of missing Vermont 12-year-old found

The body of a 12-year-old Vermont girl was found buried in a makeshift grave on Wednesday, ending a weeklong search for the states first Amber Alert.

Brooke Bennett’s body was found around 4:45 p.m., about a mile from her uncle's house. The girl's 42-year-old uncle, Michael Jacques, a convicted sex offender, will face federal kidnapping charges. Jacques has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault involving another underage girl.

Bennett who had just completed the seventh grade at Randolph Union High School in Randolph, VT, disappeared on June 25 after she was last seen at a convenient store with Jacques.

Officials had been searching in and around Jacques' home for the past week-searching for any signs of the missing girl. They discovered the body when they noticed a spot where a portion of the ground had appeared to be disturbed.

An affidavit unsealed in U.S. District Court in Burlington Wednesday said an unidentified 14-year-old girl had told investigators she was present on June 25 when Jacques tricked Bennett into going to her house with intention of involving her in a sex ring.

Bennett’s former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, appeared in federal court on Wednesday on obstruction of justice charges in connection with the case. It is alleged that Gagnon accessed Bennett’s Myspace page through a password he received from Jacques and made it look like she had set up a secret meeting prior to her disappearance.

Housing Authority purchases 28 two-bedroom houses

Earlier this month, the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority purchased property designated for affordable housing.

The organization was able to put a down payment on a $2.3 million purchase of a 28 two-bedroom apartments through government funds and approximately $200,000 in donations. The complex is made up of seven buildings that sit on five acres at 35-42 Allen Drive. The apartments will be rented for around $700 a month. The latest addition ups the housing authority owns 367 housing units in the city.

The authority intends to look in to recieving governement funding to build another 34 units at the newly purchased site.