News in brief
Suspect sought in holdup of Menands convenience store
MENANDS, N.Y. » Village police are looking for a man they say held up a convenience store on North Pearl Street at gunpoint Tuesday morning.
Police said in a news release that the man walked into Twenty Twenty Gulf at 703 N. Pearl St. about 7 a.m., displayed a black handgun and fled on foot with about $200 in cash. Police said the man was last seen headed west on Wolfert Avenue. No injuries were reported.
Police said the suspect was described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic man in his late teens or early 20s, about 5-foot10 and wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants and black boots. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 463-1681.
Man accused of exposing self to kids
CORINTH, N.Y. » An Averill Park man was arrested Saturday after state police said they received complaints that he exposed himself to children at the Spier Falls Road boat launch.
According to state police, a trooper was informed by a motorist while on a separate traffic stop that a man at the boat launch had been exposing and touching himself in the vicinity of four children. The report prompted two troopers to respond to the area to investigate, learning from interviews at the boat launch, including a description of the man and the vehicle he had left in that the same man had been seen exposing himself to children at the same boat launch on June 18.
The vehicle described by witnesses was a gray or silver Jeep Liberty with New York license plates that was located nearby, troopers said. A subsequent vehicle and traffic stop led to thre arrest of Christoper P. Lynch, 62, who was the sole occupant and operator of the vehicle.
Lynch was taken into custody after a brief interview and was later charged with misdemanor counts of public lewdness and endangering the welfare of a child. He was arrainged in Corinth Town Court and is scheduled to return in court oat 10 a.m. July 11.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed either reported incident or any others involving Lynch at the boat launch or elsewhere to call them at the Wilton barracks at 583-7010.
Church to provide summer meals in Troy
TROY, N.Y. » An Albany church is stepping up to do its part to help children in the Collar City enjoy their summer with a full stomach and an opportunity to keep cool.
Victory Christian Church is starting a new mobile lunch program in Troy that will deliver 47 days of summer lunches to targeted areas of the city. The church will use its City Kids Smoothie to deliver lunch at various sites throughout the city, as it already does in Albany.
Meals will be prepared at the JC Club on Quali Street in Albany with the assistance of special-needs children in the church’s Lifesong
program. In addition, the church will be giving away more than 300 pools to help families who relied on the city’s two municipal pools to keep their children cool and busy for the summer until those pools were closed late last year.
The truck made its way through the city from sotuh to north on Tuesday, with church leaders using the first week to map out a route where the most children and the greatest needs will be met.
Victory Christian Church has been feeding at- risk children for two decades. For more information, visit the church website at www. victoryalbany.com or call the church at 434- 6100.
Strawberry festival set for Thursday
WATERVLIET, N. Y. » Jermain Memorial Ecumenical Presbyterian Chruch will host its 375th Strawberry Festival from 6 to 8 p. m. Thursday in the gym at the church, 610 5th Ave.
The festival will feature food, music, crafts and family fun, as well as strawberry shortcake.
Strawberry shortcake tickets are $ 6, with people either able to eat in the gym or place a takeout order by calling 2735635 in advance.