News in brief
Second Troy man charged in Waterford brass-knuckle assault
WATERFORD, N.Y. >> A second Troy man faces felony charges in the alleged assault of a person with brass knuckles earlier this month.
Town police said Friday they charged Thomas
R. Abbott III, 22, with first- degree robbery and second- degree assault in the May 1 attack. Michael A. Sweeney, 21, was arrested on the same charges shortly after the incident.
Police said the victim reported he was attacked in the area of 2nd and Middle streets in the village and that his attackers had stolen $500. Police said the victim was taken by family members to a local hospital for treatment of a broken jaw and injured teeth.
Abbott was arraigned in Waterford Town Court and sent to the Saratoga County jail with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. Sweeney had been ordered held on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.
Humane society picks Cramer as new CEO
MENANDS, N.Y. >> The Board of Directors of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society has promoted Todd Cramer to become the organization’s new president and CEO.
Cramer, who has worked as the group’s vice president of operations and chief of staff since early 2016, succeeds longtime president and CEO Brad Shear, who stepped down in April to pursue other opportunities. Cramer had also served as interim president after Shear’s resignation.
Cramer, a native of Fonda who has worked in animal welfare in both local and national organizations for nearly 20 years, came to the group from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey, where he was senior vice president for community engagement and chief of staff.
“{ The society] is rich in history, and I look forward to leading the organization into the next chapter,” Cramer said in a news release. “Above all else, we will continue to provide the high quality animal care and programs our community has come to expect from us.”
Cramer began his career in animal welfare as assistant director of operations for the Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia. He also is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator, one of only 123 nationwide and the only one in the Capital Region.
“Todd’s experience in animal welfare spans all aspects of our work, including shelter operations, animal cruelty investigations [and] disaster response, as well as program development and fundraising,” said Cynthia LaFave, chairwoman of the society’s board. “Todd’s ideas, passion and energy will lead the organization into our next chapter.”
Local high schools honored by state
ALBANY, N.Y. >> The high schools in a pair of neighboring school districts in southern Rensselaer County were among a small group of schools from across the state to be recognized for excellence Friday by the state education commissioner.
Commissioner MaryEllen Elia recognized Averill Park and Maple Hill high schools among 185 Reward Schools selected either for high academic achievement or the most progress in student performance. The two were among only 88 upstate public schools to be chosen for the annual honor and were the first county schools to make the list since Bell Top Elementary School in the East Greenbush Central School District made the list tow years ago.
“These schools serve as models to other schools in the state
to inspire them to achieve a high level of accomplish- ment and improvement,” Elia said in a news release. “Schools that excel should be recognized, and I am thrilled that many of these schools continue to demonstrate high achieve- ment year after year.”
To be chosen, a school must meet several student-performance criteria in English language arts and math across all groups of students.