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Lake
Champlain ferry re-opens between Vermont, New York
There’s another
option for commuters traveling between Vermont and New York
around the now-demolished Lake Champlain bridge.
The Lake Champlain
Transportation Company resumed ferry service this week between
Charlotte, Vermont and Essex, New York.
The ferry closed
last month because of ice on Lake Champlain.
The New York State
Department of Transportation says the plan is to run the ferry
weekdays until April 5, at which point the service will run all
week, including Saturdays and Sundays.
The
Charlotte-Essex ferry is in addition to 24-hour ferry service
between the two states at the site of the bridge between
Addison, Vermont and Crown Point, which was imploded in
December.
Construction on a
new bridge is due to begin later this year.
-The Associated
Press, 3-24-10
Census: Growth in NYC area,
declines upstate
New Census
estimates show growth in the New York City region over the last
decade and a continuing exodus from some upstate areas.
The population
estimates come as Census 2010 begins and give a sense of what
that official count could show for New York.
The Census reports
that 19.5 million people lived in New York on July 1, 2009, up
by more that a half-million since Census 2000. New York City
accounted for most of that increase, though Long Island and
suburban Hudson Valley counties also grew.
The story was
different for many upstate areas, which have been suffering
population losses for decades. The Census reports losses in
rural counties like Hamilton County, which lost 8.4 percent of
its population.
The estimates were
released Tuesday.
-The Associated Press, 3-24-10
Army unit plans flight training on
Whiteface Mountain
The Army’s 10th
Mountain Division Airborne unit plans to use Whiteface Mountain
to train for helicopter flights in the rugged mountains of
Afghanistan.
The unit from Fort
Drum has filed a public notice of the planned training missions
from early April to mid-May. Army helicopters would practice
landing and taking off from the mountain’s summit and two sites
along the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway in up to 22
missions per week, Monday through Thursday.
Fort Drum has
prepared an Environmental Assessment for the proposed operations
and is accepting public comments through March 31. The document
is available for review at the public libraries in Lake Placid
and Wilmington.
John Sheehan of
the Adirondack Council environmental group says the training
plan was drawn up with input from his group and others, and has
their support.
-The Associated Press, 3-22-10
Senator: New York to get billions
under new health bill
Sen. Charles
Schumer says increased Medicaid reimbursement in the
reconciliation health care bill proposed in Washington would
save New York billions of dollars over the next 10 years.
Gov. David
Paterson says the change is critical as the state addresses
projected multibillion dollar deficits.
Schumer pushed for
the change that would increase the reimbursement New York and 11
more states get from the federal government for Medicaid
coverage of the poor.
Currently, the
state gets 50 percent back, but under the agreement announced
Thursday the reimbursement will rise to 75 percent in 2014 and
93 percent five years later.
The reconciliation
bill is the result of negotiations from an original health care
overhaul bill to an agreement between the House and Senate.
-The Associated
Press, 3-22-10
Reports:
State police called to Peru Middle School
Just days after police reported
a thwarted attack at the Saranac High School, reports indicate
troopers were called to the Peru middle School Thursday morning
after a student was caught possessing what appeared to be a
weapon.
In a press release issued by
the school, it’s stated that a resource officer assigned to the
middle school received a report of student misconduct.
Officials say two students were
questioned regarding the incident – both brought prohibited
items on campus. One student brought what officials believe was
a weapon.
No injuries were reported. The
school is working with Plattsburgh-based state police to ensure
the school is safe for students.
-Chris Morris, 3-19-10
Gillibrand: Ignoring Census 2010
can cost New York
Saying New York
lost out on $3.6 billion in federal aid since the 2000 Census
because of undercounts, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is urging
New Yorkers to take part in this year’s count.
Gillibrand says
the state paid a price this past decade after some 200,000 New
Yorkers did not send back their Census forms. New York’s
official population count in 2000 was just under 19 million.
The number of New
Yorkers is expected to be higher in Census 2010.
Gillibrand says
it’s critical that the government captures a “true picture” of
New York to ensure the state gets its fair share of federal
resources, including educational, health care, and public safety
services.
-The Associated Press, 3-19-10
NY
governor starts delaying tax refund payments
Gov. David
Paterson is delaying state income tax refunds by about two weeks
for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to make sure the state
has enough cash on hand to meet financial obligations.
The state limits
the amount of tax refunds it pays in the first three months of
the year to $1.75 billion. Paterson reduced that cap to $1.25
billion because the state must roll about $2 billion into next
year's budget to close the current budget gap.
Delaying payments
until April 1 will allow the state to avoid paying out about
$500 million immediately. The average state income tax return is
about $1,000 and takes about three to four weeks to arrive.
The people
affected are those who filed in late February and in early
March. They'll have to wait about six weeks.
-The Associated
Press, 3-18-10
Mumps cases reported at SUNY
Plattsburgh, vaccine clinics scheduled
Associated Press - March 17, 2010 3:05 AM ET
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - State health officials say three
cases of mumps have been confirmed at the State University of
New York in Plattsburgh.
They say that all students who haven't had two doses of mumps
vaccine should be excluded from returning to school from spring
break until they're fully vaccinated.
Innoculation clinics have been scheduled for today --
Wednesday -- and Monday on a walk-in basis at the university
health center.
Symptoms of mumps include fever, headache, muscle weakness
and loss of appetite along with the characteristic swelling and
tenderness in salivary glands. It rarely leads to serious
complications.
Officials say they haven't found any connection to an
outbreak of mumps that began last summer in Orange and Rockland.
Police: Scary situation avoided at
Saranac High School
Law enforcement and school
officials say a student has been expelled from an area high
school after it was revealed she planning an attack at the
school.
Plattsburgh-based state police
received reports of a potential threat at the Saranac High
School last Thursday.
Troopers say the
school has a resource officer who launched an immediate
investigation while school officials – quote – “simultaneously
took proactive measures to assure the safety of the students and
the faculty.”
According to
school officials, the juvenile student made remarks to other
students referring to an attack she was planning. A subsequent
investigation revealed the student did make comments referring
to an attack – but the plan was never put in motion.
In a release
issued by state police Tuesday, it’s stated the student did no
possess any weapons or have access to them.
Some reports say
the student had established a “hit list” – although officials
say the investigation has not turned up such a list.
“At no time during
this incident was anyone in any danger, nor was anyone put in
harm’s way,” the police report reads.
Police say the
girl is currently being held in the mental health unit at the
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital. She has been expelled from
the school.
The investigation
is considered ongoing.
-Chris Morris,
3-17-10
Former
waterfront manager suing city of Burlington
The city of
Burlington's former waterfront manager is suing the city for
what he calls "outrageous and unreasonable" conduct in
suspending him and later firing him.
In a suit filed in
Chittenden County Superior Court, Adam Cate says the actions
taken against him were "solely for political reasons."
Cate was suspended
in June 2008 with pay while the city investigated allegations he
had improperly read another employee's e-mail and embezzled city
money. No evidence of embezzlement was found, but he
acknowledged he read an e-mail exchange between other city
officials.
Cate was fired in
October 2008, but reinstated. He was fired again last April.
The Burlington
Free Press said Cate is seeking damages and attorneys' fees.
-The Associated
Press, 3-17-10
New
system lets NYers track sex offenders
A new system
allows New Yorkers to sign up for alerts when moderate and
high-risk sex offenders move into or out of a community.
The state Division
of Criminal Justice Services system allows New Yorkers to flag
communities of interest to their family and then get alerts by a
phone, e-mail, text message or fax. They can sign up for notices
involving three communities at once.
There are more
than 30,000 registered sex offenders living in the state.
The alerts will
be carried by the State Emergency Management Services system.
More information
about signing up is at the criminal justice services Web site:
http://www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.
The system
announced Monday was created in a law passed last year.
-The Associated
Press, 3-15-10
Soda tax proposal falling flat
among NY lawmakers
A proposed new tax
on sugary drinks appears unlikely to pass the state Senate,
despite passionate campaigning by New York Gov. David Paterson
and his health commissioner.
Supporters have
pushed the tax as a way to combat obesity while bolstering
funding for state health programs. But a number of Democratic
senators are opposed, along with the entire Republican
conference. With a 31-30 Democrat-Republican split in the
chamber, the measure isn't expected to draw the minimum 32 votes
needed for passage.
The proposal would
add an 18 percent tax to the price of soda and sugary drinks
with less than 70 percent fruit juice. It's been projected to
generate $1 billion in revenue over two years and reduce
consumption of the drinks by 5 percent.
-The Associated
Press, 3-15-10
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