Faces of SPEND Congratulations! Kingston TIME Morgan Evans WISELY interviews Lists of KHS, Welcome home Maximilian with Coleman graduates Luis Martinez sprung from ICE custody Glausen Almanac SCHOOLS > 8 Weekly REGION > 4 COMMUNITY > 10 THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 VOLUME 14; ISSUE 26 ULSTER PUBLISHING, INC. WWW.HUDSONVALLEYONE.COM KINGSTON TIMES ONE DOLLAR FIFTY CENTS SCHOOLS Enter ELECTION 2019 Valid concerns, or ‘hysteria’? Vince Rua Parents receive Mayor’s race balloons reassurance that GW to a four-way scrap transfer rules won’t BY JESSE J. SMITH n February, after Kingston change BY CRISPIN KOTT Republicans failed to find a nominee to challenge Mayor Steve Noble, it group of parents in the appeared that the incumbent Demo- Kingston Central School crat might have a free ride to a second I PHOTO PROVIDED District expressed their term. Four months later, Noble has gone Vince Rua. A concerns last week about the from no opponents to three. elimination of special per- The latest entrant into the race, for- “Serve America Movement.” Rua joins “We’re giving the voters four distinctly missions and transfers to allow students mer accountant and businessman Vince Republican candidate Ellen DiFalco and different platforms. We have four uniquely who live outside the George Washington Rua, announced last week that he would Ethan Scott Barnett who is running on his different skill sets or lack thereof,” said Rua Elementary School attendance zone run for mayor on the ballot line of the self-created “Kingston People’s Party” line. (continued on page 7) to attend its Montessori program. But school officials say nothing in the rules is changing. “This time of year hysteria is common about a lot of things,” said district Super- The big day intendent Paul Padalino during a meeting of the Board of Education on Wednesday, June 19. “This is hysteria, about what I have no idea…Special permissions are not guaranteed or are not decided on until the middle of July. And actually the policy says it’s August, but we try to be as soon as possible. We don’t have all of our counts yet.” According to a posting on the district’s official website, parents can request spe- cial permission in writing for their child to attend an elementary or middle school outside of their attendance zone, with the understanding that should a transfer be granted, the district will not provide transportation for the student. For the 2019-20 school year, requests were due to the district by Saturday, June 1, with approval or denial notifications commu- nicated by no later than Thursday, Aug. 1. The information page relating to special permissions for the 2019-20 school year mentions that special permissions will not be granted to students wishing to trans- fer to Chambers Elementary School, but makes no mention of George Washington or any other school. PHYLLIS McCABE “We don’t know what our special per- JOHN F. KENNEDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS Emma-Marie Smith and Giavannah Simpson are on line to accept missions look like over all of the district,” their diplomas at the school’s moving up day ceremony Wednesday. (continued on page 12) CRIME Schreibman did not return a phone call seeking comment. To obtain a pistol permit in Ulster County, applicants must submit a de- Should Kaartine have had a gun? tailed form, submit to fingerprinting and provide four character references. That Law enforcement officials urged judge to withhold information is used by the sheriff’s office to conduct a detailed background investi- BY CHRISTINA COULTER gation that includes juvenile records and pistol permit from father-killer instances of police contact that did not result in criminal charges. The results of eremy Kaartine of Sauger- reibman approved the permit over the the one Schreibman issued the permit the investigation are then turned over to a ties, who on June 1 shot and killed strenuous objections, on the grounds of for, but according to New Paltz police, judge who has sole discretion on whether his estranged father in a New Paltz Kaartine’s repeated run-ins with town the gun Kaartine used to slay his father (continued on page 6) diner parking lot and then turned police, of Sheriff Juan Figueroa, Sheriff’s and then himself was registered to him. J the gun on himself after he led cops Chief Civil Administrator John McGovern An email between McGovern and Chief on a car chase back to his hometown, was and Saugerties Police Chief Joe Sinagra. Sinagra in which the former warns that issued a pistol permit by state Supreme Law enforcement can’t confirm that Kaartine has obtained a permit is dated Court Justice Julian Schreibman. Sch- the gun used in the June 1 incident was May 9 of this year. 2 NEWS THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 KINGSTON TIMES building was fully ablaze and was identifi ed as a suspect following found a wadded up piece of duct an accident in the parking lot POLICE BRIEFS eventually destroyed. Two days a four-month investigation by tape; shoe impressions found of the Dena Marie Plaza, Ulster Firefighter convicted in later and less than a block away, Town of Ulster Police. Watzka was on the recovered duct tape were town police said. a second fi re tore through an present as a fi rst responder at found to match a pair owned by According to police, offi cers on East Kingston arsons abandoned church at 61 Brigham both fi res. Police said Watzka had Watzka. Watzka was also linked June 23 responded to a report A volunteer fi refi ghter is facing St. Firefi ghters pumped thou- been having problems with his to the fi re through a beer bottle of the fender-bender and found 15 years in state prison after he sands of gallons of water into the girlfriend, who lived next door to containing traces of his DNA that that Zachery J. Simmons, 35, had was convicted of arson in connec- two-story structure in an effort to the scene of the fi rst fi re. Watzka was discovered by arson investi- been operating his vehicle under tion with two February 2018 blaz- contain the blaze. Eventually, the allegedly told the woman and gators at one of the fi re scenes. the infl uence of alcohol. There es the destroyed two abandoned exterior walls of the church col- others that he wanted to burn the Watzka could get up to 15 were no injuries in the incident, buildings in East Kingston. A jury lapsed outward, nearly crushing buildings so that he would have a years in state prison when he police said. deliberated for two hours before several fi refi ghters. clear line of sight from his home is sentenced on Sept. 6. He Simmons was charged with the fi nding Michael Watzka Jr., 30, Both fi res were immediately at 834 Main St. to his girlfriend’s was represented at trial by felonies of driving while intoxicat- guilty of arson in the third- and deemed suspicious based on residence. Ulster County Assistant Public ed and driving while intoxicated fi fth-degree and third-degree crim- the fact that the buildings were Watzka also allegedly told peo- Defender Jarrid Blades. The with a blood-alcohol content of inal mischief following a three-day abandoned and disconnected ple that you could conceal your case was prosecuted by Senior 0.08 percent or greater. Accord- trial in Ulster County Court. from electrical service, as well footprints by wrapping your shoes Assistant District Attorney Clif- ing to police, Simmons had been On Feb. 22, 2018 around as their close proximity and the in duct tape; police would later ford Owens. convicted of DWI sometime in the 11:30 p.m., fi refi ghters and po- fact that both blazes occurred at fi nd footprints with duct tape im- JESSE J. SMITH past 10 years, resulting in the lice responded to an abandoned the same time of night just two pressions near both fi re scenes. felony counts. garage at 114 John St. in East days apart. A video shot of one of the fi res Felonious DWI Simmons was released pend- Kingston for a report of a fi re. By Watzka, a member of the East showed Watzka reaching deeply A Red Hook man is facing felo- ing a future court appearance. the time fi refi ghters arrived, the Kingston Fire Department, was into a trash can where cops later ny drunken driving charges after TRANSPORTATION request the Demand Response service 1 hour or more in advance and must be pre-approved based on address. Riders can download the UCAT app (available at New era of buses in Kingston Google Play and Apple iTunes) which provides re- al-time location of the buses, estimated arrival times, arrival notifications, route maps and schedules. Monday begins route changes as a More specific route information: • The Weekday Red route runs from the Kingston result of Citibus-UCAT merger Plaza to the Golden Hill Complexes and on to the Law Enforcement Center via Clinton and Greenkill Ave- hanges as a result of the UCAT-Citi- and free Wi-Fi on the buses. The updated routes were nues, and the Boulevard and return via Wall Street, N. bus merger will begin on Monday, July 1, thoughtfully designed to service more residents in Front Street and Frog Alley and Schwenk Dr. Trailways the mayor’s office stated this week. UCAT low-income areas, and to better serve seniors and those connection is available at Frog Alley. The route has an will now be operating modified CitiBus with disabilities.