North Country News

The province of Quebec elected a new government last October and its new premier appointed 26 cabinet ministers. The new Quebec Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie Nadine Girault was in Plattsburgh recently to attend the first Quebec-New York Transportation Equipment and Aerospace Rendezvous sponsored by the North Country Chamber of Commerce. She spoke with WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley about her role as minister and the importance of cross-border trade between Quebec and New York.

Plattsburgh, New York Mayor Colin Read has had a somewhat tumultuous first term. Protesters opposed to downtown redevelopment plans gather every Thursday during city council meetings outside City Hall.  There’s been a rocky relationship with the adjacent town after the city filed a lawsuit over a 1992 PILOT agreement.  Mayor Read is also attempting to annex 224 acres of town land. Early in his four-year term, Read and a city councilor were caught on tape making controversial comments and the mayor’s first budget eliminated four city departments.  
Despite the hurdles, last week Mayor Colin Read let it be known that he will run for a second four-year term next year.  The Democrat tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that he hopes to stay in office until the city’s fiscal foundation is stable.

On Friday, the North Country Chamber of Commerce hosted a Quebec-New York Aerospace/Transportation Equipment Rendezvous in Plattsburgh.  The event brought together representatives from industry and government including New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. The Republican, co-chair of the congressional Northern Border Caucus, was one of the keynote speakers.  The 21st District representative sat down with WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley to discuss a number of issues — including her reaction to Robert Mueller’s latest comments.

The Plattsburgh Common Council presented its five-year budget plan to the mayor Thursday evening.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read will run for a second four-year term in 2020.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe has announced that the last surviving World War II Mohawk code talker has died. Levi Oakes was one of 17 Mohawks from the Akwesasne  tribe in northern New York that the Department of Defense confirmed used their native language as an unbreakable code to transmit messages during WWII. In September 2016, Oakes and his daughter Diane Swamp traveled to Plattsburgh to participate in an Honor Flight. They spoke to WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley about his experience as a codetalker.

The largest portion of Plattsburgh’s Downtown Redevelopment Initiative funds target the Durkee Street parking lot.  At one end of the 3.4-acre site, there is currently a year-round farmers’ market that would be relocated under the developer’s proposed plans.  During last week’s Common Council meeting, the city’s representatives took a walking tour of a potential site for the market.

Earlier this month, the acting chair of the Adirondack Park Agency resigned.  The move concerns advocates who say it’s a symptom of a weakening board that leads the park’s land use planning.

The Plattsburgh Common Council chambers were filled Thursday evening with residents curious to see the developer of the Durkee Street parking lot provide updated redevelopment plans.

The New York State Complete Count Commission was created earlier this year to assure that all residents of the state are counted in the 2020 census. Representatives of the group were in the Adirondacks Wednesday to discuss how the state is gearing up for the effort.

The Adirondack Council is applauding the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation’s recent announcement that it will implement a regulation in early June that sets strict carbon dioxide emissions limits on coal-fired power plants operating in the state.  In this second part of our interview, Council Spokesman John Sheehan tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley they expect the state’s move will eliminate all coal-fired power generation in the state by the end of 2020.

The Adirondack Council is among the largest advocacy organizations lobbying for the environmental stability of the 6 million-acre Adirondack Park in northern New York. With its goal to “ensure the ecological integrity and wild character” of the region, its representatives track legislation at the state capitol in Albany. Council Spokesman John Sheehan tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley there are a number of issues the group is working on. In the first part of our conversation with Sheehan, he notes it’s a long list for the legislature to address before the session ends next month.

Meteorologists say Lake Champlain has been above flood stage for more than three weeks and the lake isn't expected to drop below flood stage for another week or so.

In 2016, the city of Plattsburgh was among the first communities in New York to receive a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. While there has been considerable debate over plans for the Durkee Street Parking lot, a 3.4-acre site at the center of the redevelopment area, other areas will be refurbished.  On Monday evening, developers presented an overview of streetscape and riverfront access plans.

Ever since the New York legislature adopted the new state budget without including a marijuana legalization provision, the prospects for legal pot in the Empire State have been uncertain.  There is word that legalization legislation is still being discussed in conference, but with the session ending in little more than a month, it’s unclear if lawmakers will act this year. On Thursday, 115th District Assemblyman D. Billy Jones was in Plattsburgh. The Democrat tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley while there’s talk about marijuana, the rank-and-file haven’t really delved into the issue since the budget deliberations.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority is beginning renovation of several of its Olympic sites after a $70 million appropriation for capital improvements was approved in the new New York state budget.

New York state Assemblyman D. Billy Jones was at the North Country Veterans Association in the Town of Plattsburgh Thursday afternoon to announce that state funding had been secured in the new budget for its expansion project.

A former Plattsburgh City Councilor has died unexpectedly. Democrat Becky Kasper is perhaps best known for her blunt criticism of the city’s current mayor when she resigned her seat last year.

A New York law that prohibits watercraft from launching into waters without taking precautions to prevent the spread of invasive species is set to expire at the end of the month. Adirondack advocates are urging the state legislature to renew and expand the provision.

Plattsburgh leaders recently announced an Energy and Resiliency plan aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint and power costs. The announcement came on the same day councilors adopted the New York state Climate Smart Communities pledge.

In July 2016, the city of Plattsburgh was one of the first cities in New York state to receive a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative – or DRI – grant.  Much of the development funds target the Durkee Street Parking lot. But controversy surrounds the city’s decision to award a contract to a private developer that will result in the loss of the city’s primary parking lot.  Opponents of the plan protested in front of City Hall Thursday evening.

An important access point for hikers in New York’s Adirondack Mountains will be closed after this weekend.

The U.S. International Trade Commission has released its analysis of the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement now known as the USMCA or the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The North Country Chamber of Commerce is calling it a critical move toward Congressional approval and restoring certainty and predictability in cross border trade.

Researchers from Clarkson University will conduct a study to determine whether two Adirondack villages can lower electricity costs by using a form of battery energy storage.

The Plattsburgh Common Council is considering join hundreds of New York communities that have signed the state’s Climate Smart Communities pledge. The Plattsburgh Sustainability Committee plans to hold an Earth Day program at city hall on Monday evening to urge councilors to sign the climate smart pledge.

The latest report assessing the health of Mirror Lake in the Adirondacks finds it continues to be negatively affected by road salt.

In 2018, Democrats in New York’s 21st Congressional District fielded up to 10 candidates. Former St. Lawrence County legislator and Canton resident Tedra Cobb won the primary and challenged incumbent Republican Elise Stefanik. But Stefanik easily survived the “blue wave” election as Cobb lost by 14 points. In her concession speech, Cobb promised she would run again.  On Monday, Cobb made it official. Cobb, whose rhetoric echoes the last campaign, tells WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley the issues haven’t changed.

The Democrat who lost the 2018 election to Republican Elise Stefanik of New York’s 21st Congressional district is looking for a rematch.

The Plattsburgh Common Council was scheduled to vote Thursday evening on a proposal to reestablish a compensation policy for certain managers in the city.  But the measure was tabled.