Facebook Fighting Crime; The Stonington Institute v. Waterford

This really was a compelling week of news, with several stories that drew a lot of interest and, in some cases, a lot of controversy.

Perhaps most controversial of all was a proposal by the Stonington Institute to turn 171 Rope Ferry Road into a temporary housing facility for up to 144 men recovering from an addiction to substance abuse. Neighbors are opposed to the proposal, saying while they have no problem with that kind of facility, it shouldn’t be built in a such a densely-populated area that is within a mile from youth fields, a church, a Boy Scout lodge and a school.

All that crested on Thursday night, when attorney Thomas Londregan, who is representing the Stonington Institute, had to convince the Waterford Zoning Board of Appeals and an entire room of concerned citizens that this is a good idea. Judging by the outcry by the public, Londregan failed to change the mind of many in the audience, and the Zoning Board of Appeals will continue to discuss the matter at their next meeting in February.

In the most well read story of the week, the Waterford Police Department discussed how they solved two crimes in five days with the help of Facebook. The department posts photos of suspects and other information on its Facebook page and asks the public for information, and twice this week received tips that led directly to an arrest.

On New Year’s Day, we had a story based off a report from the Waterford High School guidance department about where the Waterford High School Class of 2012 wound up. The report showed that fewer and fewer students are going to four-year colleges, as college is becoming increasingly more expensive. Also, it showed that female students were more likely to go to a four-year college out of high school than male students, which follows a national trend.

Later that day, bad fortune struck 93 Oswegatchie Road, when the house caught fire. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the entire first floor of the home was gutted by the fire and the owners, a husband and wife, were displaced.

On Saturday, we had a story about a new restaurant that opened in town, Langley’s. Langley’s is located within the Great Neck Country Club, although it is open to the public. The restaurant has entrees between $16 and $24, and features everything from prime rib to scallops to the proclaimed best cheeseburger in the area.

In other news, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital is worried about the flu, there is a benefit for the Seidel family coming up and there were no deaths this New Year’s Eve on state roads. Also, commenters on both waterford.patch.com and Waterford Patch’s Facebook page were outraged by a proposal by one state legislator to have the name of every gun owner public information.