Skidmore College recently received a $1.7 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support and enhance interdisciplinary liberal-arts teaching and learning.

Funds from the grant will expand and consolidate Skidmore’s program of museum-based education, support two new positions, build endowment, help faculty use the Tang Museum in their courses and to create exhibitions and bring visiting speakers and scholars to campus.

Over the next five years, Skidmore will match $1.2 million of the Mellon award at the 3:1 ratio, resulting in a $4.8 million endowment.

Saratoga Hospital receives cancer screening grant

Saratoga Hospital will soon be able to help uninsured and underinsured Saratoga County residents receive cancer screening thanks to a state grant.

The grant was awarded by the state Health Department’s Integrated Cancer Services Program Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening Partnership who gave the hospital a $230,000 grant. The money will be used towards providing breast exams, pap tests, pelvic exams, mammography and colorectal screening. It will also provide prostate education for males.

The hospital expects to screen more than 160 men and 600 women through 2008-2009. To see if you or a family member qualifies for free cancer screening, call the state's toll free cancer hot line at (866) 442-CANCER (1-866-442-2262).

Lawsuit over water line rejected

On Tuesday, April 23, state Supreme Court Justice Michael Lynch ruled in favor of the Saratoga County Water Authority in a case concerning the city's 28-mile county water line.

Alexander Mackey, president of Saratoga Water Services in Malta, sued the authority and the state Department of Environmental Conservation on the grounds his outdoor activities would be affected because the county water line ran close to his property. Justice Lynch ruled Mackey sued because he runs his own water line and didn’t want competition from the county.

Mackey also sued the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation because the group allowed the water authority to bury the water line in a section of Moreau Lake State Park that is forest preserved land. The state Constitution states that that a forest preserve can not be disturbed.

Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network petitions to keep

supermarket open

The Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network has collected and sent 1,250 signatures of people hoping to convince the Golub family, who own Price Chopper, to reconsider selling the store to Bonacio construction.

Price Chopper is the only downtown supermarket open in Saratoga Springs.

The organization, which is dedicated to promoting a pedestrian-and-bike-friendly community, are concerned that if the supermarket was to be closed it would leave older residents of the city without a full-service grocer within walking distance.

Alleged sex abuser faces new allegations

On Wednesday, April 23, new sexual abuse allegations concerning former Saratoga Springs City School District bus driver Douglas Conrad surfaced.

Conrad, 35, has been charged with six counts of forcible touching, all class-A misdemeanors. Conrad also faces two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, in Mechanicville both class-A misdemeanors.

The boys' attorney John Aretakis, says the abuse is far worse than originally reported and he expects charges against Conrad to be increased to felonies based on the new information.

- For the week of April 18-24, 2008