LOCAL • INDEPENDENT • FREE Volume 12
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Issue 15
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April 13 – April 19, 2018 •
saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com • 518- 581-2480
Opioid Nation A Story Worth Telling Part Two of a multi-part series addressing local and regional handling of the opioid crisis.
by Maureen Werther for Saratoga TODAY In the 1960’s during the height of the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll” counterculture, 80 percent of people who sought treatment for heroin addiction reported that
their addiction began with the use of heroin, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Forty years later, the Institute reported that a staggering 75 percent of people seeking treatment for heroin addiction reported that their use began with a legitimate prescription, written by their doctor or administered in a hospital. Those drugs – oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, to name a few – prevent the pain message from reaching the brain. They also facilitate a feeling of relaxation and euphoria, which is one of the reasons it is so easy to become addicted. See Story pg. 10,11
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER
For the Worth family – their name is justified. It is defined by the value that comes with 71 years of honorable service. In 1945, Wesley Worth became Wilton’s first town justice. A carpenter by trade, he took on the position when the town was still in its infancy (compared to today). At the time, there was no official courthouse, so Wesley held court in his own house. The enclosed porch that Wesley built onto his house served as the town court for 28 years. From the bedroom, Wesley’s son, Gerald would peek through the window to see what was happening in court. As he grew up, Gerald was allowed in to watch – and to learn. “I remember him saying, ‘Now you want to pay attention here.Someday you might be interested in this job,’” said the Honorable Gerald Worth.
See Story pg. 16,17
join the
Town of Wilton
for their Changing Times, Changing Tactics Bicentennial by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY
Active Shooter training in the hallways of SPAC this week. Photo by Super Source Media.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — They crept down the hallway, two abreast, draped in their flak jackets and helmets and with weapons drawn. A dispatcher’s voice crackled over their radios: “loading dock, amphitheater, for an individual armed with a handgun.” City Police, State Police, State Park Police and members of the Saratoga County Sheriff ’s Department gathered this week at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to practice responding to terror scenarios involving an active shooter.
“It’s reality based and we try to do this as realistically as possible,” said State Park Police Lt. Donald Benware, as the officers took turns walking through the theater’s backstage area, confronting a “shooter,” and exchanging a volley of simulated rounds. “We try to put the officers at a higher stress level (in the training). Let’s face it, we’re all human beings. Your blood pressure is going to go up. Get the adrenaline level up so they can feel that adrenaline rush and make sound decisions,” Benware said. “Also, it’s very important be
See Story pg. 9
Historic Weekend Celebration
April 20th-22nd See wiltonbicentennial.com for details