North Country News

In Clinton County, New York, many of Tuesday’s races were for the so-called “down ticket” positions such as Highway Superintendent and Town Clerk.  With low turnout, political leaders and candidates are frustrated that voters dismiss the importance of those choices.

Hikers, hunters and others planning to head into the Adirondack backcountry may find some trails and roads inaccessible due to extensive damage from the Halloween storm.

The New York Senate and Assembly members representing the Adirondack region have introduced legislation intended to limit road salt pollution.

For the past few weeks, impeachment hearings have been held behind closed doors by three U.S. House committees. Among them is the House Intelligence Committee, including Republican Elise Stefanik of New York’s 21st district. She has been calling for open hearings yet voted against last week’s House resolution to begin the public phase of the inquiry into President Trump. Congresswoman Stefanik tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley she believes such a move would actually further secrecy.

Environmental advocates in the Adirondacks are calling on New York’s governor to commit $10 million to address overuse of the most popular sections of the six million acre park.

Officials from across the North Country are celebrating the opening of a new customs facility to service general aviation at the Plattsburgh International Airport.

The chair of the New York state Assembly Committee on Transportation was in Plattsburgh Monday visiting the region’s transportation manufacturers. Officials wanted to highlight the opportunities for growth in green transportation initiatives.

Clinton County Legislator Simon Conroy, who had said that he planned to challenge the Democrat in New York’s 21st Congressional district race, has changed his mind and now says he’s endorsing Tedra Cobb.

A railroad company that has in the past been embroiled in controversy for parking unused rail cars in the Adirondacks is agreeing to a voluntary abandonment of tracks it owns the right to use.

Earlier this month, members of the Plattsburgh arts community unveiled a huge mural on the back of a downtown building depicting a woman born in Plattsburgh in 1900 as Gladys Georgianna Greene. She became one of Hollywood’s most popular stars of the 1930’s and 40’s.  Oscar nominated and known as Jean Arthur, she stared in classic films by Frank Capra, Cecil B. DeMille, John Ford and others.  But she was a very private individual who shunned publicity. In 1997, biographer John Oller published “Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew.” Oller visited Plattsburgh this week to view the mural.  He tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chef Pat Bradley he had always been a fan of 1930’s and 40’s era movies and wrote the book because no one had ever fully delved into Arthur’s life.

Clinton County Board of Elections officials are demonstrating a new election system that will be rolled out this weekend as early voting begins across New York state.

New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing legislation intended to help rural communities access federal government grants for long-term projects.  She was at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh on Monday to discuss how it would help initiatives like the school’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing.

Following a campaign fraught with twists and turns, Canadians went to the polls on Monday.  Polls showed a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a blackface controversy and Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was lambasted late in the campaign for not revealing his dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship. The Liberals prevailed but must form a minority government. As WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, the results are not expected to have any serious ramifications for border interests on the U.S. side.

Plattsburgh City Councilors have received a status report on the city budget and the implications for the 2020 budget proposal they are reviewing.

The Plattsburgh Citizens Coalition formed in July to oppose the current Downtown Revitalization Initiative development plan and advocate for an alternative that is closer to the one that was initially offered. The group held an informational meeting Wednesday to give a status report on the current development.

A documentary detailing the lives of refugee children will be shown in New York’s North Country beginning this weekend.  “I Am Rohingya: A Genocide in Four Acts” chronicles 14 young people as they rehearse and perform in a play that portrays their families’ experiences and escape from violence and genocide in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

New York state agencies are revising a plan to create a rail-to-trail corridor between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid. It was expected to be presented at the Adirondack Park Agency’s October meeting but staff informed board members that it was not yet ready.

The Plattsburgh Citizens Coalition will hold an information session tonight on the city’s Downtown Redevelopment Initiative project.  As WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, the group formed this summer when opposition to the current redevelopment plan boiled over.

The Adirondack Council is warning that Trump Administration rollbacks of Clean Air Act regulations threaten a resurgence of acid rain in the region.

Transit manufacturer Nova Bus, which has a large presence in New York’s North Country, has announced the launch of a new long-range electric bus.

A number of educational and nonprofit groups including Adirondack Voters for Change, the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties and the SUNY Plattsburgh Gender and Women’s Studies Department are sponsoring showings of a documentary in the region. “Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America” has received accolades including the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Social Justice Film Award and the Emmy’s Television Academy Honors award, which recognizes outstanding social issues programs.  The film tells the story of Moises Serrano, a gay undocumented resident of North Carolina who has become an activist for Dreamers.
Serrano will be in New York’s North Country for the upcoming screenings. He tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley he revealed his undocumented status in 2010.

A Clinton County legislator who was arrested earlier this month is now running for chair of the body.

The city of Plattsburgh and the town of Plattsburgh remain at odds over a Payment in Lieu of Taxes Agreement from 1992. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has the latest.

The New York state budget includes a new tax incentive program for businesses that hire people in recovery from substance abuse disorders.  The enabling legislation was introduced by North Country Assemblyman D. Billy Jones. He was at the business that motivated his measure on Wednesday as it submitted paperwork to qualify for the program.

The reds have come out and are ready to be picked and many orchards have already invited people to come in to pick apples as the fall harvest begins.  This year, orchardists in the Northeast report an abundant and flavorful crop.

Last week, we spoke with SUNY Plattsburgh’s Director of Canadian Studies about the Canadian national elections, which had just launched. A few days later, Time published exclusive pictures of current Liberal leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in “brown-face” at a 2001 party at a private school where he was then teaching. WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley followed up with Dr. Christopher Kirkey about the revelations.

High school and college students were joined by local residents outside the SUNY Plattsburgh student center to participate in the Global Climate Strike.

The Adirondacks have been extremely popular for outdoor enthusiasts in the past few years, and overcrowding on some trails and the roads leading to them is a major concern.  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has outlined additional plans to deal with traffic flow during what’s expected to be a very busy Columbus Day holiday.

Last week, a plastic container manufacturer in Plattsburgh announced the company was consolidating and closing its plant in Plattsburgh.  Within hours of the announcement, IntraPac’s local managers say other manufacturers in the region “inundated” them with phone calls seeking to hire their workers.