North Country News

National campaigns for Parliament and the leadership of Canada are now under way. And unlike U.S. elections, it’s a short campaign.  After 40 days, voters will go to the polls on October 21st.  There are several national parties in the mix but Conservatives and Liberals are expected to dominate the race.

The Plattsburgh North Country Chamber and local officials this morning celebrated the grand opening of an expanded manufacturing facility on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

The Adirondack Council issues an annual report assessing the oversight by government agencies, localities and others of the 6 million acre Adirondack Park. This year’s just released State of the Park report, “Challenged By Success,” finds that the rising popularity of the region is also highlighting challenges.  Council Executive Director Willie Janeway and spokesman John Sheehan spoke about the report with WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley.  Janeway says the surge in the Adirondack’s popularity caught many by surprise and is spotlighting the need to better manage the Forest Preserve.

In 2018, the city of Plattsburgh filed a lawsuit against the Town of Plattsburgh in a dispute over a Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement. At Thursday evening’s Common Council meeting, the city’s mayor announced that he had offered a settlement to the town.

While most of the country today remembers the attack on the U.S. 18 years ago, memorials are also being held in New York’s North Country to commemorate the first attack on the U.S in 1814.  During the Battle of Plattsburgh, the British fought Americans for control of Lake Champlain. More than 100 British and American soldiers are buried in unmarked graves on an unpopulated island that served as a field hospital. Every year on September 11th the American Legion and others gather at the memorial to lay a wreath and pay tribute.  WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley was on the island this morning.

In a precursor to a potential lawsuit, the attorney for a coalition opposed to the current plans for Plattsburgh’s downtown redevelopment delivered a letter to city leaders Thursday informing them they do not have the legal authority to enter an agreement with the developers.

At its meeting tonight, the Lake Placid/North Elba Joint Review Board plans to review a proposed plan to place a large propane tank near the village of Lake Placid. But opponents fear the board members are not taking safety and environmental concerns seriously.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read released his proposed budget on August 19th and residents had a chance to weigh in on the plan Friday morning. But no one commented.

New York U.S. Senator Charles Schumer was in northern New York today to illustrate how a new USDA plan could hurt honey bee colonies.

The public had an opportunity recently to tour a local business that mines stone material. Upstone Materials showcased its operations and how it processes the limestone it extracts from its site in Plattsburgh. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley was there.

Just before the new school year, the Plattsburgh Common Council debated the idea of putting police officers in local schools at its most recent meeting.

An advisory committee wants leaders in Plattsburgh, New York to control rowdy off-campus students and deal with their often absent landlords.

City officials in Plattsburgh held a public meeting Thursday to allow people to review and comment on the draft outline for the city’s Generic Environmental Impact Study for downtown redevelopment.  The few people who commented felt they were being rushed.

Plattsburgh officials and partners working on the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative project held an open house Wednesday evening to allow the public to review current plans and talk directly with developers.

The Open Space Institute has announced that it will invest a million dollars in its property at the southern edge of the Adirondack High Peaks. The goal is to provide an alternative entry point and ease overcrowding on other popular trails.

An environmental group is supporting the New York Attorney General’s office effort to reopen a petition asking that a rail line in the Adirondacks be declared abandoned.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read released his proposed 2020 budget on Monday, saying the plan stays below the tax cap and lowers property taxes.

A land preservation group plans to invest $1 million in its property near the Adirondack High Peaks to provide a southern access point for hikers.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read has released his proposed 2020 budget.

The city of Plattsburgh won $10 million in the first round of New York Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants.  A major part of the redevelopment will occur at the Durkee Street parking lot in the city center.  An advisory committee has been working on recommendations to deal with the loss, shuffling and management changes of the nearly 300 spaces expected to be impacted. The Plattsburgh Common Council accepted their recommendations at its Thursday meeting.

In early July, the New York Appellate Court issued a split decision on a lawsuit filed by Protect the Adirondacks in 2013 challenging the state’s plan to cut trees in the Forest Preserve in order to establish nearly 27 miles of snowmobile trails. Now, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency have announced that the state is appealing the ruling.

New York is appealing a court decision that has halted trail work in the Adirondacks.

A new effort has been launched to educate hikers about overcrowding and how it impacts the Adirondacks. The Adirondack Mountain Club, the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Colorado-based Center for Outdoor Ethics are partnering to educate hikers about “Leave No Trace” principles to help address overcrowding in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks.  WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley was at the launch of the initiative.

On September 11, 1814 a critical battle of the War of 1812 was fought. The land and naval Battle of Plattsburgh led to the Treaty of Ghent that ended one of the few wars fought on United States soil.  Wednesday afternoon, Plattsburgh officials outlined plans for this year’s annual commemoration.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority Board of Directors has approved initial steps to upgrade both the Olympic Center and the adjacent speed skating oval in Lake Placid.

There are many rural areas across the region where residents must travel significant distances to shop at supermarkets.  Keeseville, New York is about 25 miles south of Plattsburgh and its only supermarket closed several years ago.  In 2017, a project to bring fresh locally produced food to underserved areas opened the first “Farmacy” – spelled with an “F” — in the state inside the Keeseville Pharmacy.  This week the program will expand to a second village in rural Essex County.

About four years ago, movie theatres across the country had to convert from analog to digital projection.  It was costly and small community movie theatres were faced with the possibility of closing their doors.  In the Adirondacks, a “Go Digital or Go Dark” campaign raised funds to help local movie houses, and many like the Strand Theatre in Schroon Lake have continued as centers of community entertainment and engagement.  The Strand is now known for its summer classics series that this year features Buster Keaton silent films and “Casablanca.”  Theatre co-owner Larry McNamara tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley he partnered with the Adirondack Film Society to be able to offer something in addition, and different, to modern Hollywood blockbusters.

In April, Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read issued a plan to address energy and the environment that included the creation of a sustainability committee. The new group met for the first time this week and outlined intentions to obtain a grant to review and inventory the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

He is a veteran who was never in a war zone. Yet as a crew chief he witnessed traumatic deaths as comrades were injured and killed on flight lines.  Scott Aubin dealt with his stress by drinking and admits now that he internalized his emotions. He eventually was discharged from the Air Force and spent time in jail.  Following a suicide attempt, Aubin was treated for Post Traumatic Stress and turned his life around.  He began working for the New York state Department of Criminal Justice Services to tell his story about undiagnosed PTSD and suicide.  Aubin tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that it is still difficult to talk about his past.

The grand opening of a new addiction recovery center was celebrated in Plattsburgh Wednesday.