By Jaime Thomas It all comes down to a contract. Gordon Smith, a Granville Village Trustee, expressed his misgivings at a meeting last week about a 100 percent increase in police overtime pay within the budget. Issues within the police union contract have since come to light. Both Police Chief Ernie Bassett and Dave Williams, [...]
100 percent hike in police overtime draws concern
By Jaime Thomas Members of the Granville Village Board were not in agreement about approving the tentative 2013-2014 budget at a meeting Monday night. Trustee Gordon Smith brought up the large, general-fund line item of police overtime pay, which more than doubled from last year from $27,000 to $59,000. “There is one line I have [...]
Snow storm causes no problems locally
Whitehall emerged unscathed from the first significant snowfall of the season. Whitehall Police Chief Matt Dickinson said there were no significant issues in the village and the New York State Police didn’t report any car accidents during the storm, which began on Wednesday night and didn’t end until early Thursday evening. The storm was the [...]
Felony contempt charge laid
A Granville man was arrested in Whitehall last week after he violated an order of protection. Harold J. Ricketts Sr., 40, of West Main Street, was charged with first-degree criminal contempt, a felony, and second-degree harassment, a violation. Ricketts allegedly physically harassed a person during a domestic dispute at a Chaplin Alley residence. The victim [...]
Child welfare charge laid
A local man was arrested last week after his toddler ran across a street unattended. Timothy W. Crawford, 29, of Whitehall, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, after police received reports of a two-year-old child in only a diaper running across a street unattended. The child had run to a [...]
Dresden Supervisor charged with DWI after crash
Dresden Town Supervisor Robert Banks has been charged with driving while intoxicated after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident last week in the village of Whitehall. Banks, 63, of Dresden was arrested Tuesday afternoon under suspicion he had been drinking when he crashed his car. According to police, at approximately 9:41 p.m. on [...]
Man arrested for assault
A Whitehall man was arrested last for allegedly assaulting his grandmother. Charles F. Austin, 21, was charged with third degree assault, a misdemeanor, after a Dec. 20 incident. Austin allegedly grabbed his grandmother’s arm and twisted causing a wrist injury that required medical treatment. He was arraigned in village court and sent to Washington County [...]
Black bear forages in Granville
The signs have been few and far between. A garbage can knocked over, the contents sifted through and some eaten. Sightings have been brief, but intense. A large black bear has been spotted in Granville several times in the past week, in close proximity to the public, prompting police to urge residents to be cautious [...]
Return of the Ban
If the two early season coatings of snow weren’t enough to remind village residents, maybe the warning tickets were. Residents on some village streets who left cars parked on the street might have woken up to a little pink slip of paper under their windshield. Police Chief Ernie Bassett Jr. said the winter parking ban [...]





