Prevention Council News
Prevention Council News
Prescription Drugs Monitored with New Online Database
June 14, 2012 By Chirstina James Saratoga Today SARATOGA COUNTY - The New York State Assembly passed new prescription drug legislation Monday, June 11, making New York one of the first states to utilize an all-electronic online registry for controlled substances. A project spearheaded by the governor, attorney general and state legislative leaders, the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing or (I-STOP) Act will implement a real-time, online database to track the distribution of prescription drugs, limiting the illicit use of prescription medication and providing authorities with more control over a traditionally tough-to-tackle issue. “We have had prescription drug overdoses in [...]
More than 200 Dave Matthews Band concert-goers ticketed at SPAC
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 By Lucian McCarty The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — More than 200 people received tickets or citations at the Dave Matthews Band concerts Friday and Saturday. But with no felonies and only a smattering of misdemeanors, police and prosecutors are calling the weekend’s police presence successful. Both weekend shows sold out, bringing 50,000 people to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “In past years, the Dave Matthews Band concerts have resulted in serious felony cases,” said Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III, who cited a fatal, felony driving while intoxicated accident and a sexual assault at [...]
Saratoga Springs City Council votes to send last call resolution to Saratoga County Board of Supervisors
June 5, 2012 By Lucian McCarty The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — The City Council voted Tuesday night to send a resolution to the county urging them to restrict last call county-wide to 3 a.m. The Council’s resolution essentially requested the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, as legislative body with the sole authority to change last call in the county, to take up the issue. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the State Liquor Authority Board will ultimately decide whether to close bars in Saratoga County earlier. They have already ruled that the city cannot have a different last call [...]
Law enforcement cracking down on underage drinking during prom, graduation season
May 21, 2012 By Michael Cignoli The Saratogian BALLSTON SPA — Local law enforcement officials have a message for graduating high school seniors: if their graduation celebrations include alcohol, a diploma may not be the only piece of paper they receive. Saratoga County STOP-DWI Coordinator Robert Murphy said police will be on the lookout for, and ticketing, underage drinkers during all local graduation ceremonies and post-graduation parties. Addressing the Saratoga County Traffic Safety Board Monday afternoon, Murphy said overtime funding for the additional police presence has been authorized through the county’s STOP-DWI program, which is funded through fines paid by [...]
200 competitors “tuff” it out through muddy obstacle course to benefit the Prevention Council
By Jamie Munks The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nikki Byrne had mud caked in her hair, splattered on her face and stuck to her hula skirt, but she was still smiling. Byrne, of Saratoga Springs, participated Saturday morning in the Tuff eNuff Challenge, a 5K obstacle course through mud to benefit the Prevention Council. "It was awesome," she said after finishing the course. "I've done a (Warrior Dash) before, and this was shorter but actually more fun." To view video segment, click here. Byrne competed with a group of friends — eight adults and five children — wearing tie-dye shirts [...]
BOCES students create obstacles for the Tuff eNuff Challenge May 19
May 11, 2012 By Jamie Munks The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — Local high school students on Thursday used heavy equipment to dig trenches and build piles in a field on the BOCES campus where next weekend intrepid competitors will run through the mud to try to best each other in a 5K obstacle course challenge. The inaugural Tuff eNuff Challenge starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at the grounds of Saratoga Race Course at Union Avenue and Henning Road. The event is being held to benefit the Prevention Council, a community-based organization that seeks to educate people about the [...]
Editorial Perils of alcohol and inaction
April 20, 2012 Reader's View Editorial By Brian Farr Fourteen young people and one parent were recently arrested in an international identification fraud ring, and all to acquire alcohol. Once again I feel a responsibility to remind people about the dangers of this drug, even in our picturesque city. I would like to shake the hand of the woman who spotted the underage purchaser and spoke up. Very courageous, and she may have saved a life with her actions by preventing an alcohol- fueled tragedy. I have a hard time fathoming what the father who assisted in these crimes [...]
Tuff eNuff challenge to benefit Prevention Council; early registration
Sunday, April 08, 2012 The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — Adventurous Saratoga County and Capital Region residents are in for a treat. On May 19, the Prevention Council will host the inaugural Tuff eNuff Challenge on the properties of BOCES on Henning Road and New York Racing Association land adjacent to the Oklahoma track. But this is not your average 5K run. Designed for families and athletes alike, it’s a fun, muddy obstacle course that includes grubby ditches, balance beams, life-size spider webs and a slip-and-slide finish line. All proceeds support the Prevention Council. Similar to the lives of the youth [...]
Sale of synthetic marijuana banned in New York by state’s top doctor
March 29, 2012 By Emily Donohue The Saratogian ALBANY — New York state Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav R. Shah issued an order Thursday morning to ban the sale of synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana — sold in convenience stores and smoke shops under brand names like “Spice,” “K2” and “Galaxy Gold” — is plant material coated by chemicals that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Synthetic marijuana has been linked to crimes locally and nationally and can cause dangerous side effects like increased heart rates, paranoia, agitation, nausea, renal failure and even death. The commissioner’s order calls [...]
Prevention Council Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Thursday, March 22, 2012 By Yael Goldman Saratoga Today SARATOGA SPRINGS – When the Saratoga Springs City Police Department cut its D.A.R.E. program in 2010, the steadfast Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council was there to fill in the gap. This week, the Prevention Council celebrated its 30th year of providing a wide range of vital programs and services that get the community involved in equipping young people with the skills they need to choose healthy behaviors. A well-attended open house celebration on Tuesday, March 20, at the council’s 36 Phila Street headquarters commemorated this milestone. Guests representing a cross [...]