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In SPORTS | pg. 13
Teams finally take the field
Griffins top Keene; Willsboro girls rout Wells
www.SunCommunityNews.com
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In OPINION | pg. 6
Guest viewpoint Don’t hate the Donald!
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In ARTS | pg. 9
The band Lucid will perform This weekend at the Strand in Plattsburgh
Program to address root causes of domestic violence Court-mandated program urges offenders to take accountability for their actions By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — “If my hands could talk,” read the placard, “they would tell you I’m sorry — I’m sorry for the abuse, the aggression, the control, the suffering.” Testimonials from nearly a dozen local residents convicted of domestic abuse-related charges lined the Essex County Board of Supervisors chamber last week.
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The display was part of the Violence Intervention Project (VIP), an educational program designed to address the roots of domestic violence and force offenders to take accountability for their actions. Society is still prone to victim-blaming, said project leaders and victims, including Meredith King, a Westport resident who was nearly killed by her husband in 2011. King’s husband is serving a decade in state prison for felony strangulation. Despite being incarcerated, he hasn’t been held accountable for his brutal attack, King said. While King has an order of protection against him, no such safeguard exists for their children once he is released.
>> See Domestic violence | pg. 10
Preet to press: Keep at it
Federal prosecutor urges newspapers to continue to root out corruption, wrongdoing by public officials
Sun Community News Editor Pete DeMola named NYPA writer of the year
ELIZABETHTOWN — Sun Community News Editor Pete DeMola has been named writer of the year by the New York Press Association at its annual spring conference in Saratoga Springs. The state-wide acknowledgement is John one of the most prestigious awards given Gereau by the association each year and is highly Managing Editor competitive, according to Rich Hotaling, NYPA’s association and creative services manager. DeMola was one of 57 newspaper professionals vying for the honor, which was judged by members of the Washington Newspapers Publishers Association, Hotaling said. The award required submitting five non-related articles written by one author and published in 2015. In their critique, the judges said DeMola did a great job of investigative reporting — best among the 57 entries — and said he did a fine job of storytelling using vivid words to help. “He showed great depth in many stories, too,” the judges went on to say. “All five stories are strong which is rare.” The articles on which DeMola was judged included an indepth investigative piece on former embroiled Essex town clerk William Morgan; an article about a businessman who
Domestic violence touches everyone, said King — including those in the justice system, the healthcare industry, regular taxpayers, school districts — but victim-blaming is still pervasive. Instead of seeking out the root of violence, people tend to ask, “Why didn’t she leave?” King said. “This is a cycle that needs to stop.” As part of the 33-week VIP program, participants are forced to come face-to-face with their actions. A critical component is recognizing the controlling behavior that is often a predecessor to violence, said VIP Program
By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
Editor Pete DeMola stands in front of the Sun Community News offices on Monday, April 11 after being named writer of the year by the New York Press Association. Photo by John Gereau
conned the community one nickel at a time; a human interest piece about the prison break in Dannemora; a lighthearted feature about the Essex County Fair and a whistleblower article about a plan to pump PCB-laden water from an old missile silo in Lewis, New York. The judges said DeMola’s writing style and attention to detail stole the show. “Pete was easily the winner of the writer of the year competition,” the judges wrote. NYPA President David Tyler, who helped distribute the awards during the conference, said “NYPA represents more than 700 newspapers across the state and this year’s contest included thousands of entries in dozens of categories.” >> Pete DeMola | pg. 10
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Talk about a receptive crowd. The federal prosecutor responsible for the conviction of two of the state’s most powerful officials had sage advice for reporters at a conference last week: Keep digging. “We don’t know where all the bad things are,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, told reporters at a conference in Saratoga Springs last Friday, April 8. “Often it is the case that you folks are better at figuring that out than the feds are.” Bharara said reporters, particularly those working beats at local newspapers, are often more deft at “ferreting out” and exposing malfeasance than the federal government. This is attributed, in part, he said, because local reporters are often more dialed into their local communities than law enforcement officials. Bharara, who assumed office in 2009, has reached nearrock star status in the Empire State for successfully prosecuting a slew of state officials on corruption charges. >> See Preet Bharara | pg. 11