Lucas Willard

A vigil was held in Schoharie Wednesday night for the victims of the crash that killed 20 on Saturday.

A criminal investigation is now underway following the limousine crash in Schoharie, New York that killed 20 people.

More details continue to emerge after 20 people were killed Saturday afternoon in a limousine accident in the rural upstate New York Town of Schoharie.

Some of the victims of Saturday’s deadly limousine crash that killed 20 in Schoharie grew up in the nearby City of Amsterdam.

The FUND For Lake George this past week gathered stakeholders for its fourth Salt Summit. The annual conference focuses on building partnerships to reduce the use of road salt in the Lake George Basin to protect the health of the Adirondack lake.

Twenty people lost their lives in a horrific crash Saturday afternoon in rural upstate New York. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports on the accident in Schoharie.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand appeared in Albany today, speaking with members of the New York State Chapter of the NAACP. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports the Democrat campaigning for re-election focused her speech on racial and social inequalities.

It’s municipal budget season. As part of WAMC’s continuing coverage, Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard takes a look at proposed budgets in some communities in New York’s Capital Region.

A new connector in the trail system that traverses New York state was celebrated Wednesday in Schenectady County.

Residents of Canajoharie are again being asked their ideas for redevelopment of the former Beech-Nut baby food factory. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard was at a crowded meeting Tuesday night.

SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury is opening a new student-run restaurant in nearby downtown Glens Falls. The eatery called “Seasoned” will open to the public on October 9th at the college’s new Culinary Arts Center on Hudson Avenue.

Travelers in our region headed to Lake George and its many tourist attractions often find themselves snarled in traffic, just miles from their destination. Now, the busy exit off the Adirondack Northway is being studied to reduce traffic congestion and increase safety for pedestrians. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports officials are looking for suggestions.

The City of Amsterdam has won a transformative grant from New York state to make major upgrades to its downtown.

In the latest development in a long-running dispute, a judge has halted a proposal to construct an emergency homeless shelter in Saratoga Springs after objections from neighbors.

A recently passed federal spending bill includes funding to address PFAS pollution.

The number of farms in Saratoga County, one of the fastest growing areas of New York, is shrinking. At the same time, farmers are looking toward new technologies and markets to adapt to a changing landscape. A new report released Wednesday provides a snapshot of the county’s agricultural economy.

An arts organization that has brought summertime music to the former Sherman’s amusement park in the Southern Adirondack community of Caroga Lake is seeking to purchase the aging property, which is currently owned by the town.

The City of Saratoga Springs may soon have an advisory committee to increase communication between the police and public. The proposal by the city’s public safety commissioner comes after recent controversy over the city’s handling of a five-year-old case that led to a death. 

A commission in charge of drafting a new governing document for the City of Saratoga Springs has finished its work. Voters will decide on a new city charter in November.

UPDATE 9/13/18:

The communications office for NCEH/ATSDR tells WAMC "the communities for this project have not been selected at this time."

A spokesman for the New York State Department of Health tells WAMC it has reached out to ATSDR seeking clarification on the communities included in the study and has spoke to the mayor of Hoosick Falls about the issue. 

A spokesman for the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says the senator is "still looking into the proposal, but she is supportive of any proposal that can help communities affected by PFOA get more information on health impacts."
 

The federal government has proposed studying communities affected by PFAS contamination – like many in the Northeast. But residents of one community that is not on the list say the study is too short-sighted.

State and federal agencies met with the residents of Hoosick Falls Tuesday night, where an investigation into the presence of toxic chemicals in local water supplies continues. Officials hope to foster better communication between the people and government.

Coastal fog can bring more than a nice view — it can also act as a vector for microbes. That’s according to a recent report published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

After an unexpected delay, the new span of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo bridge may be opened to traffic this week.