North Country News

In January, the Town of North Elba, which includes the village of Lake Placid, will have a new supervisor.  Supervisor Robi Politi, who has served since 2008, decided not to run for re-election, setting up a four-way race for the seat.  WAMC North County Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports former Olympian Jay Rand will take over the position.

Thanksgiving is still more than two weeks away, but chairlifts are operating after the early season snow this week brought over 8 inches to some areas of the Northeast. That’s good news for some winter sports enthusiasts. But as WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, not everyone can take advantage of the new powder.

New York State Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing northern New York teen.

A new affordable housing complex is under construction in Plattsburgh.

The importance of getting broadband service into underserved areas of the Adirondacks and North Country region was the focus of a recent forum in Plattsburgh.

The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation wants to develop a plan to manage increased use of the Adirondack High Peaks region.

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.