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Underground Railroad tourMany.gather.to.explore.a.local.community’s.rich.history.PAGE B1

LEE ENTERPRISES.u.110th.Year,.No..204.|.$1For.home.delivery,.call.761-6090..For.classified.ads,.call.792-5844..Miss.a.story?.Visit.us.online.at.www.poststar.com.

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Casey Kasem, king of top 40 countdown, died Sunday. Read more on PAGE A3.

Kasem dies

Addiction

he 2011 bank robbery spree gripped the region for weeks. One after another, banks around eastern New York and

western Vermont were being robbed by a man and woman who brazenly walked into them, handed tellers notes that bore threats and made off with thousands of dollars in cash.

They hit a TD Bank branch in Granville twice in a matter of days, and five banks in a span of weeks.

The holdups ended Nov. 2, 2011, minutes after the couple robbed a bank in nearby Poultney, Vermont.

When police figured out who the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde were, they found two heroin addicts who spent the more than $10,000 they stole on heroin.

The rise in heroin use around the region in recent years has resulted in a significant increase in crime being committed by addicts who, like John Maynard and Jill Ludwig, are looking to support their habits.

Many of the home burglaries, shoplifting arrests and thefts of scrap metal in the area are perpe-trated by addicts looking for money to buy heroin. Some users turn to prostitution.

Police have seen heroin users steal many things in recent years. Two Washington County men took nearly $200,000 worth of

gold coins from an elderly acquaintance last year, then sold the coins and used the proceeds to buy heroin. Others have done tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to vacant homes by cut-

ting pipes to sell as scrap metal.“Heroin addicts will do anything they can to get it,” Warren

County sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Breen said. “They will steal from whoever they can.”

While overall crime reports have generally dropped across the region and state in recent years, property crimes such as theft

and burglary in Warren and Washington counties have been on the rise. Drug arrests in Warren and Saratoga counties have more than doubled over the past 10 years, despite cuts in police re-sources. They have also risen significantly in Washington County

but held steady in Essex County.More drug-related crime is one of the byproducts of the in-

crease in heroin use local police have had to handle.

Funds spent in race add up

By MAURY THOMPSONthompson@poststar.com

Congressional candidate Matt Doheny has spent more than twice as much money on advertising than his op-ponent, Elise Stefanik, in the stretch leading up to the June 24 pri-mary for the Republican nomination in the 21st Congressio-nal District.

But add in expendi-tures from super PACs, and Doheny is outspent about 3 to 1.

Doheny paid $340,789 for advertis-ing, includ-ing television, radio, direct mail, Inter-net and robocalling, between April 1 and June 4, according to a pre-primary campaign fi-nance report filed with the Fed-eral Election Commission.

Stefanik reportedly spent $153,660 on advertising dur-ing the same period.

American Crossroads, a po-litical action committee co-founded by Republican strat-egists, has spent $514,646 on advertising opposing Doheny, and New York 2014, a political action committee associated with 2006 Republican guber-natorial candidate John Faso, has spent $342,474 support-ing Stefanik.

This brings total advertising expenditures for the Stefanik campaign and super PACs to $1.01 million.

A super PAC is a political or-ganization that can raise un-limited contributions and does not have to disclose donors. A super PAC is not allowed to coordinate its activities with

June 22-23:.The.heroin.problem.has.its.roots.in.an.explosion.in.the.use.of.opioid.painkillers,.and.changing.cultural.attitudes.toward.pain.and.drugs.

June 29-30:.heroin.addiction.not.only.disrupts.and.destroys.the.lives.of.users,.but.also.has.profound.effects.on.their.families.

July 6-7:.helping.addicts.recover.is.a.huge.challenge,.especially.in.a.system.short.on.resources.

A l o o k A h e A d

MAYNARdLUdwIG

Heroinhits home

and crimePolice handle heroin-related offenses

T

More insideeven.without.drugs,.needles.pose..

a.serious.danger..BACK PAGE

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b y t h e n u M b e r s

300Percent.rise.in.sales.of..opioid.painkillers.from.

1999.to.2010

12 millionNumber.of.Americans.a.year.prescribed.opioid.

painkillers

$3 to $10Cost.of.a.dose.of.heroin.

in.larger.U.S..cities

$20 to $25Cost.of.a.dose.of.heroin.in.the.Glens.Falls.area

See BY, Back Page

Super PACs shell out more for ads than primary candidates

21st Congressional

District

election 2014

More insideA.list.of..

campaign..contributions..BACK PAGE

Polls: Many still intensely dislike SAFE Act

By MICHAEL HILLAssociated Press

DUANESBURG u New York’s landmark gun control law opened a political fissure that’s still visible upstate.

Polls have shown major-ity support for the SAFE Act spearheaded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the 2012 school shooting rampage in neigh-boring Connecticut, but it is intensely disliked in parts of

upstate New York with strong hunting and gun cultures.

Anti-SAFE Act signs are a common sight on rural lawns, and anti-SAFE Act rallies are being held this year from the shadow of the state Capitol to one scheduled this month in a Rochester park. Hundreds packed a firehouse near Troy weeks ago for a rally featur-ing a full slate of local politi-cians. More than a year after the law’s passage, resent-ments linger.

“Another unreason-able government intrusion into our lives for no purpose other than political gain,” said Richard Murray as he sipped

a morning coffee at a diner an hour west of the Capitol in rural Duanesburg.

“Too much government,” said Al Durfee, who sat next to Murray at the counter. “You think you’re going to pass all these laws and make every-thing hunky-dory, and it’s not going to happen.”

Some analysts doubt the anger in traditional Repub-lican strongholds can move the needle much in a gover-nor’s race in which Democrat Cuomo is heavily favored.

Many opponents say they’re being underestimated.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino speaks April 1 during a gun rights rally at Empire State Plaza in Albany. Polls have shown the NY SAFE Act, spearheaded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is intensely disliked in parts of upstate, causing a political divide.

Some analysts say don’t underestimate voters against law

See JAILS, Back Page

See FUNICIELLO, Page A5

See ASTORINO, Page A5

Rolling to victoryMartin.Kaymer.cruises.to.U.S..Open.win.PAGE C1

Today: Plenty of sun, warm. High 80, low 64. Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, warm-er. High 85, low 67. details, Page A6, or www.poststar.com/weather.

By dON LEHMAN dlehman@poststar.com