North Country News

A Plattsburgh city councilor resigned at the end of Thursday night’s Common Council meeting, further exposing rifts between some city leaders and the mayor.

The Adirondack Park Agency has approved the final classification for the more than 20,000-acre Boreas Ponds tract in the heart of the Adirondacks.

This morning, the Adirondack Park Agency board approved Alternative 2B as the classification for the Boreas Ponds in the heart of the Adirondack Park. The vote was 8 to 1. More than 11,000 acres will be designated wilderness and over 9,000 acres as Wild Forest. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos  explains that his agency now begins the Unit Management Plans for the tracts.

The Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast today.  It’s an opportunity for the region’s officials and business interests to hear from and question their representatives in Albany. This year, much of the focus was on the proposed state budget.

Governor Andrew Cuomo toured flood-damaged areas of Plattsburgh this morning and promised state aid to residents forced out of their homes.

The Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce released its annual survey of businesses Tuesday.  It found that business confidence has risen over last year and for the first time there is a positive attitude toward both state and federal economic policy.

The Adirondack Park Agency will meet later this week to vote on the classification of the Boreas Ponds land tract purchased by the state from the Nature Conservancy in April 2016 for $14.5 million. In advance of the final decision, the agency released its classification proposal.  Most environmental and community interests say it's a reasonable compromise.

Lake Placid plans to celebrate its Olympic heritage throughout February.

About two dozen downtown business owners and residents gathered Thursday evening to express concerns over the current plans for the Plattsburgh Downtown Redevelopment Initiative and strategize on potential alternatives.

Plans to remove old tanker train cars from a rail line in the Adirondacks have been halted by Hudson River flooding.

Following the rapid warming late last week, an ice jam formed in the Saranac River that led to flooding of the Underwood Estates Mobile Home community in Plattsburgh.  Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read says while many homes could wind up uninhabitable, there may be no state or federal aid to turn to for help.

The Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the County, Town and City forum this morning to hear reports from municipal leaders.

The medical center in Plattsburgh held its annual advisory meeting Tuesday to provide an overview of accomplishments over the past year and offer targeted strategies for the coming year.  Key focus areas will be on behavioral health and substance abuse challenges facing the North Country.

Since Donald Trump became president and announced his immigration and refugee policies, thousands have been finding their way to Roxham Road in Champlain, New York to cross into Canada.  Even in frigid weather, the stream of people hasn’t stopped.  Volunteers on both sides of the border are offering help and reassurance.

The Adirondack Park Agency has approved the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation’s plan to redevelop the former Frontier Town site in North Hudson.

A former Clinton County legislator and SUNY Plattsburgh College Council Chair has died.

Plattsburgh Common Councilors chose a mayor pro tem Thursday evening.  The vote had been postponed following testy exchanges and a deadlocked vote the week before.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Ice Storm of 1998. It was the largest natural disaster to hit the North Country.   It brought down millions of trees across northern New York and southern Canada.  Power lines and transmission towers collapsed as layers of ice accumulated on the landscape during the multi-day storm.  Two emergency services officials who were in the command post talk about the storm.

The debate over a long-term Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement between the city and town of Plattsburgh has led to the city retaining outside lawyers to investigate.

New York State Assemblyman D. Billy Jones was in Plattsburgh this morning to announce funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition of Clinton County and new legislation to motivate businesses to hire people in recovery.

The Plattsburgh City Council held its first meeting of the year last night. The organizational session was intended to choose a mayor pro-tem for the year.  But antagonisms between councilors flared and a final vote was postponed.

Now that Governor Andrew Cuomo has laid out his vision for the 2018 legislative session in Albany, lawmakers around the state are weighing in. New York Assemblyman D. Billy Jones represents the 115th district in northern New York, which includes Clinton and Franklin counties and four towns in St. Lawrence County.  The first-term Democrat says he is still mulling over the speech and wants to see how the proposals mesh with the governor’s upcoming budget proposal, which is due in two weeks.

As part of its $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, the city of Plattsburgh plans to redevelop the Durkee street parking lot adjacent to the Saranac River. But a downtown food co-op is concerned that the plan to revamp parking will hurt business.

With the U.S. undergoing a massive overhaul of its tax code in 2018, ripple effects are being felt in local town halls across the Northeast before the New Year. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an emergency executive order allowing localities across the state to collect  property taxes early, so people can claim the soon-to-disappear state and local tax deduction. Property owners have been flooding town and county offices to pay the taxes in advance.  But in some rural areas, going to the tax collector’s office may not be an option.

Earlier this month, Canadian officials approved a preclearance agreement that expands the ability of border agents from the U.S. and Canada to collaborate. It’s also expected to accelerate passenger rail crossings at the border.

Last week Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York state would take action to stop Iowa Pacific Holdings from storing rail cars in the Adirondacks. Along with issuing a cease and desist order and filing a petition with the federal Surface Transportation Board, the state asked the company that owns many of the cars to cancel its contract and remove them.  On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway agreed to that request.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read opened this week’s Common Council meeting by acknowledging the acrimony following an open mic conversation he had with a city councilor that circulated over the past week. He apologized to city employees, but not for having private conversations.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been outlining the priorities in his upcoming State of the State address.  This week he announced that his eighth proposal for 2018 is action to stop rail car storage in the Adirondack Park.

A funny thing happened at the latest Plattsburgh Common Council session: the meeting ended, but the mayor kept speaking into a live microphone. The inadvertent recording of the mayor and a city councilor is upsetting the city labor force and relations with the adjacent town.