recordonline.com - Times Herald-Record - News

recordonline.com - Times Herald-Record - News

15 June 2011, Kingston NY:  Arrive early, Stay late and don't be afraid to get dirty!
Well today I arrived early... about 3 hours early.  I was assigned to shoot the arraignment of a former Kingston Police Detective, Lieutenant Tim Matthews.  Matthews was indicted on 13 felony counts by a Grand Jury of stealing money of which he was entrusted.. to the tune of over $200,000.00.
The arraignment was set for 1:00 PM, so I was asked if I could meet the papers Staff Photographer, Chet Gordon at 9:30 AM at the papers Kingston office on John Street.  The courthouse is right around the corner.
We get to the courthouse at 10:00 AM, walk the building to se if they made arrangement to bring him through a side door, we spoke to a couple of Court Officers, who were of no help with our quest, but were very pleasant.  At 11:30 the local TV crew from YNN shows up, then a couple other reporters filter in from the Freeman Press.
Freeman Press Reporter, Patricia Doxsey, said, "...he is not in custody, not under arrest, he should be brought in the front door like everyone else..." A few moments later, she shouts, "there he is..!"
Everyone around the front door swings towards Wall St. and gets to work.  I was able to fire off about 15 shots of him walking on the path to the front door.  He and his lawyer entered the building, wnd proceeded to go through the metal detector and the press followed.  Unfortunately, we were stopped because there was no authorization for cameras to be in the building or the court room.  A little down, we headed back outside to wait for him to come out.

This is one of the image I got of him coming into the courthouse.

About 15 minutes after Matthews went into the courthouse, we were instructed by a court officer that we could go upstairs, so we all throw our gear on the belt for the metal detector and head up stairs.  Once upstairs, we are told we can go into the courtroom by Judge Andrew Ceresia.  Both Chet and I start fumbling with our gear to get the settings, we turn off the strobes, and stumble into the jury box.

After the the arraignment, bail was set and the judge left.  Now there was a waiting period while Matthews girlfriend posted $50,000 cask or $100,000 bond.

I saw this image and was able to pull it off, by resting the camera on the bench in the back of the court room.  I was waiting for the lawyer, Michael J. Kavanagh, to make a gesture or put his hand on Matthews shoulder, but it never panned out.
Once bail was made, the whole group headed outside.  They took the elevator, and we took the stairs and made it outside first, we set up to get him leaving the building with his family, but he stuck by his attorney.  The press peppered him with questions, but Kavanagh gave the obligatory... "Mr. Matthews or I have no comment at this time!"

Chet and I headed to the office to edit and file the images.  Job done and back on the road home at 3:00 PM.

Thanks Chet!

Spartan Race, Tuxedo Ridge • 5 June 2011

Today I covered the 'Spartan Race' at Tuxedo Ridge here in town.  I did a little prep work and view some of the info on their website.  This series of races look really cool.  You go to an open field or a ski area, fill the place with crazy obstacles and send the runners off on their way.

For this series of races (Saturday and Sunday) the racers had to run the ski slopes.  While doing that they had to crawl through mud, uphill, while staying below barbed wire, crawl through a large ice pit, under barbed wire, throw a spear into a bail of hay, traverse a rock wall, climb a rope wall that is soaked with soap and water... oh and also jump a fire pit!  What was waiting for them at the end were 3 or 4 guys with pugil sticks ready to knock you off your feet.  After takling to the EMT workers, there were only a couple serious injuries, but many cuts, scrapes and bruises.

This is the kind of race I would have done 25 years ago when I was in the Navy.   These folks all looked like they had a blast.

This mornings assignment was at Cornwall High School.  Stephen Krasner, a resident of the Town of Newburgh and a candidate for the Town Supervisor in Newburgh, was giving a lecture to students in the Global Studies program.  He spoke about the time he spent with the Peace Corp.  Where as a young man while traveling in the Middle East,  certain events led him to want to do 'something' for the greater good. He earned a BA from University of Hartford, and later a Masters in Non-Profit Management.
His 'something' was to join the Peace Corps and work in a foreign country for two years, bringing new and sustainable agricultural techniques to an impoverished area in Ecuador.
After settling into the Newburgh area and starting a family, he decided to run for Town Supervisor in 2009 gaining 42% of the vote, he will run again this fall.  Best of Luck Stephen!
     "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do"  Helen Keller