Developer arrested. Police and camping procedures.
New hemlock wooly adelgids. Foster parents needed in Warren County
Developer arrested at Salt and Char
Queensbury housing developer Richard Schermerhorn was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. Another man, Thomas Post, of Massena, was also arrested. He was charged with assault in the 3rd degree.
“My client denies any and all wrongdoing. We are confident the evidence is going to show that he is not guilty,” his attorney Matthew James Chauvin, of Ianniello Anderson, P.C., told the Dispatch. He is representing both men, and he said he had the same response for Post as he did for Schermerhorn.
Police were called to the upscale Salt and Char restaurant in the Adelphi Hotel Sunday evening July 20 for the matter.
Schermerhorn is a developer of housing, primarily, and owns what was the Kingsbury National Golf Club in Hudson Falls (now Richwood Golf Club) and the former Water Slide World property in Lake George.
The 1st degree misdemeanor can carry a sentence of up to one year in jail.
“No Camping” law procedure, not policies
Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Coll tells the Dispatch that the police will not be creating a policy to that will guide police activity surrounding the new “camping law” that was voted into place after a long, contentious Saratoga Springs City Council meeting earlier in July.
Instead, the police are relying on policing procedures and methods, part of police training, but that information is not open to the public, Coll said. He had originally said that the police were developing policies that would be shared.
Saratoga Springs “No Camping” law:
Hemlock wooly adelgid found near Sacandaga, Champlain
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Hemlock Initiative at Cornell University and Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program today announced the confirmed presence of hemlock woolly adelgid on the north end of Great Sacandaga Lake at Conklingville Dam in Saratoga County, and on the western shore of Lake Champlain in the Port Douglas area in Essex County, a press release says.
Following reports from concerned residents and volunteers earlier this month, DEC verified detections and follow-up visits to the sites revealed visible signs of HWA.
DEC and partners are in the early stages of initial response to these new infestations. The department is conducting additional ground-based surveys to assess the extent of the infestations, including at priority locations with dense hemlock.
“HWA is established in the Adirondacks [starting in 2017 on the eastern shore of Lake George], so the question now is how we respond,” Mark Whitmore, forest entomologist at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the New York State Hemlock Initiative said in a statement. “These detections often occur first in shoreline hemlock stands, so public vigilance is especially important while you are enjoying the lake or spending time at your camp. Every report helps us track its spread and respond more effectively.”
The adelgid’s name comes from the white, woolly sacs it makes at the base of hemlock needles in winter and early spring. After hatching in spring, the small invasive insect feeds on hemlock twigs. An HWA infestation can kill a healthy tree within 10 years. Identification guides, reporting tools, and support are available on both the NYSHI and APIPP websites.
Foster Care partners needed in Warren County
Warren County Department of Social Services is working to educate the public about the personal rewards of foster care, and dispel myths about how the system works. Warren County DSS staff will hold an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 to provide information to those who may have an interest in serving as foster parents. The meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) is in need of additional foster parents to meet the needs of the child protective system in Warren County. DSS staff members are recruiting foster parents for infants and toddlers, sibling groups, children with special needs and teenagers.
Some important facts about foster parenting:
Foster parents can be male or female, married or single. Individuals who apply to become foster parents must be at least 21 years of age.
Foster parents receive a daily board rate, clothing allowance and Medicaid coverage for each child.
Children under the age of 5 receive assistance from the Women Infants Children (WIC) program.
There is no age limit, and retirees are more than welcome.
Applicants to be on Warren County’s foster parent roster do not have to reside in Warren County.
Informational Session:
Aug. 19
Warren County Human Services Building, which is located on the Warren County Municipal Center campus, 1340 Route 9, Queensbury.
No registration is required.
Warren County DSS will hold evening training sessions for prospective foster parents at Warren County Municipal Center this fall, with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Click here for more info; email Rachael.DuRose@dfa.state.ny.us or Sarah.Rowell@dfa.state.ny.us; or call 518-761-7650.