Ice Closes Essex-Charlotte Ferry on Lake Champlain

Another ferry that was helping commuters across Lake Champlain until a new bridge is built is closing because of ice.

The Lake Champlain Transportation Company says it will close the ferry between Charlotte, Vermont and Essex, New York this week.

The ferries will be used on other year-round routes, between Grand Isle, Vermont, and Cumberland Head, New York and a new route between Addison, Vermont and Crown Point, New York – which replaced the now-demolished Lake Champlain bridge.

A new bridge is expected to be finished in late 2011.

-The Associated Press, 2-3-10

Officials Still Unsure what Knocked Down Wind Turbine

The company that operates an industrial wind-power site in central New York still can’t say why a 187-ton turbine crashed to the ground on December 27.

Enel North America officials had hoped to release a report by the end of January on the 4 a.m. accident, but engineers haven’t been able to determine why the windmill toppled over.

A team from the company started removing sections of the fallen turbine from the site this week. Once the wreckage is removed, engineers can get a closer look at the area where the stem of the turbine separated from its foundation.

Data from the turbine’s computer showed it was operating normally.

The windmill was 1 of 20 atop a ridge in Fenner, 33 miles east of Syracuse. The company says the other 19 turbines remain temporarily shut down as a safety precaution until the cause of the accident is determined.

-The Associated Press, 2-3-10

Stranded Dogs Rescued from Island in Potsdam

Two starving Labrador retrievers are back home and feasting on yogurt and chicken soup after being rescued from an island in northern New York.

Sean Bercume of Hannawa Falls in St. Lawrence County says his two chocolate labs ran off the evening of January 24, despite the yard’s electronic fence and their fully charged shock collars.

The family had nearly lost hope of finding Brodie and Brandie when they got a call from someone who saw the dogs on an island in the Raquette River in Potsdam.

The St. Lawrence County Dive Team used a boat Monday to cross the swift-moving river and a patch of thin ice to reach the dogs and bring them to safety. Bercume and his wife took the dogs to the vet, who pulled 20 porcupine quills out of Brodie’s snout. Brodie lost 20 pounds and Brandie lost 15 in the 8-day ordeal.

Police release IDs of victims in double slaying

Authorities have released the names of a man and woman found slain inside a northern New York home, while police continue their search for the woman’s ex-boyfriend.

State police say they want to question 52-year-old Anthony Pavone of Morrisonville in connection with the fatal shootings of Patricia Howard and Timothy Carter.

Troopers Sunday morning found the 43-year-old Howard and the 52-year-old Carter shot to death inside Carter’s home in Dannemora.

Authorities say Howard called state police at 3:54 a.m. Sunday to report that Pavone was outside the home and wouldn’t leave.

-The Associated Press, 2-2-10

NY education commissioner: Block some funding cuts

New York state Education Commissioner David Steiner says that if proposed cuts in education funding go through, the public schools may never fully recover.

Steiner is asking the Legislature for a $170 million increase in foundation aid, the largest category of state funding, which is weighted toward the most needy school districts. He says at a state budget hearing Tuesday that it will be far more expensive for the state to catch up in coming years if school aid increases are delayed now.

Gov. David Paterson has proposed a $1.1 billion, or 5 percent, cut in school aid to help contend with a fiscal crisis and a nearly $8 billion deficit projected for the fiscal year beginning April 1.

-The Associated Press, 2-3-10

Essex County Duo Charged with Stealing Vehicle

Two individuals were taken into custody last week following allegations they stole a car in Elizabethtown.

According to state police in Lewis, officers received a report sometime in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 27 that a car had been stolen somewhere on Water Street.

A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of 16-year-old Seth L. Church. The teen was charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny. Then, the following morning, troopers located 21-year-old Jeremy F. Brassard of Elizabethtown and charged him with third-degree grand larceny as well.

Both subjects were remanded to Essex County Jail.

State Police: Man sought in double slaying

Authorities say they’re looking for a retired state prison guard in connection with the slayings of 2 people whose bodies were found inside a northern New York home.

State police said during a news conference Sunday that the bodies of a man and a woman were found earlier that morning by troopers called to the home in the Clinton County town of Dannemora, in the northeastern corner of the Adirondacks 140 miles north of Albany.

Police say the person making the call reported a trespass taking place. When troopers, arrived, they found the victims dead from gunshot wounds.

The victims’ names haven’t been released.

Authorities say 52-year-old Anthony Pavone of Morrisonville is being sought for questioning. Police say he should be considered dangerous.

-The Associated Press, 2-1-10

Temporary ferry service begins

Temporary ferry service across Lake Champlain near the site of a demolished bridge has started.

The first ferry left Addison, Vt., around 5 a.m. Monday and reached Crown Point, N.Y., about three minutes later. The ferry made its first return trip from the New York side of the lake around 5:15 a.m.

New York officials say the free ferry service would be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The ferry will leave Vermont on the hour and New York on the quarter hour.

The 80-year-old Lake Champlain Bridge was closed in October after being deemed unsafe and was demolished with explosives in December. Construction on a new bridge is to begin this spring, with completion in 2011.

-The Associated Press, 2-1-10

Spitzer Webcast hits topics public and private

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer says in a Webcast that he doesn't regret picking David Paterson as a running mate, dismisses Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as a careerist, says Bernard Madoff's Wall Street fraud could have been uncovered quickly, and his family is stronger than before his scandal.

He says stupidity is what brings people down, more than an inability to see what is right or wrong.

In the interview released yesterday on bigthink.com, a business-oriented Web site, Spitzer says Paterson, who rose to governor with Spitzer's resignation, is making strong fiscal decisions for the state amid difficult times that have sapped the popularity of all governors.

-The Associated Press, 1-29-10

NY prisoners could become unlikely political prize

New York lawmakers have announced a campaign aimed at changing how the state's prisoners are counted when drawing state and local legislative districts.

State Sen. Eric T. Schneiderman and Assemblman Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday they are supporting a statewide effort to push passage of legislation requiring prisoners be counted as living in their home communities, not at prisons.

At stake is how communities are represented politically at the state and local levels.

Currently, New York uses numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau to draw districts. The Census counts prisoners where they are incarcerated.

Critics say that method distorts political representation in urban communities where most convicted felons are from.

There are nearly 60,000 inmates in 67 state prisons. The majority were convicted of crimes in New York City.

-The Associated Press, 1-29-10

NY comptroller questions, nixes stimulus contract

New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has rejected a $27 million contract to a Long Island painting company that a state agency had approved for federal economic stimulus money.

DiNapoli is also revoking some of the state Department of Transportation's contracting privileges and imposing new requirements. DiNapoli says the department, which handles many of the federal stimulus-funded projects, left questions unanswered about the company's role in a federal investigation and other concerns.

DiNapoli says the agency is cutting corners to spend stimulus money before it expires and that's putting the use of the temporary funding at risk. Under law, the comptroller must review state contracts.

There was no immediate comment from the transportation department.

-The Associated Press, 1-29-10

Legislative leaders to fight higher education cuts

The state Legislature's Democratic leaders say they will fight Gov. David Paterson's proposed cuts to public colleges and student aid programs.

Paterson is proposing funding cuts to the State University of New York and the City University of New York, a slight cut to financial aid under the Tuition Assistance Program and flat funding for programs that help minority students get into and stay in college.

Paterson has said he's been forced to cut higher education because of a $7.4 billion deficit.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told advocates that subtracting from an investment in New York's future doesn't make sense even in a fiscal crisis.

-The Associated Press, 1-27-10

NY Sen. Gillibrand accuses Ford of attacks

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEHR'-sten JIL'-uh-brand) is accusing Harold Ford Jr. of childish and pathetic attacks on her as he considers whether to challenge her in the Democratic primary.

Gillibrand told The Associated Press that Ford's claim that he's a Washington outsider "is a fraud."

Ford has been traveling throughout New York State and meeting with elected officials as he explores a possible primary challenge this fall.

He represented a Tennessee district for 10 years in Congress. He moved to New York after losing the 2006 U.S. Senate race.

He has accused Gillibrand of being afraid to be independent. On Monday, he called her a "parakeet" who takes instructions from the party leadership.

Gillibrand said she wouldn't accept such name-calling from her 6-year-old child.

-The Associated Press, 1-27-10

Senate still weighing explusion of member

New York Senate leader John Sampson says he is at least a week away from deciding how to handle the thorny case of a senator convicted of a misdemeanor in an assault case.

Sampson, a Brooklyn Democrat, says he has made no decision on the future of Sen. Hiram Monserrate (mon-sur-AHT), a Queens Democrat, despite the recommendation of his select committee on Jan. 14 to expel or censure Monserrate "as soon as reasonably possible."

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos (SKELL-ose) says the decision is already overdue and the full Senate should vote now.

Monserrate was convicted of dragging his girlfriend in the incident but was acquitted of a felony. A felony conviction would have automatically cost him his job.

Monserrate says he will fight any action against him as a matter of civil rights.

            -The Associated Press, 1-27-10

Rain, snow melt causing concern in upstate NY

The National Weather Service has issued flood watches for much of upstate New York, where forecasts are calling for as much as 4 inches of rain in some areas.

Forecasters say heavy rainfall is expected Monday morning in parts of eastern New York, where melting snow pack could result in flooding along some creeks and rivers.

Two to 3 inches of rain are forecast for most of the mid-Hudson Valley with up to 4 inches across parts of the southeast Catskills and southern Adirondacks.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s and 50s Monday, adding to the threat of flash flooding along smaller streams.

-The Associated Press, 1-26-10

Possible Senate candidate Ford visits Albany

Harold Ford Jr. is making his first visit to New York's Capitol as he continues to publicly flirt with a possible Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEHR'-sten JIL'-uh-brand).

The former congressman from Tennessee was on an Albany radio show Monday morning. Later, he was greeting state workers and visitors at the capitol.

Ford visited Buffalo on Sunday as he tours New York state.

Ford says he hasn't made up his mind yet whether to run, but he says he'll take the next month or so to learn the issues affecting the state. He took a 30-day leave of absence from his job at Bank of America Merrill Lynch last week.

-The Associated Press, 1-26-10

Protesters divided over natural gas drilling

About 400 landowners gathered near the Capitol in the rain urging support of natural gas drilling in New York while environmentalists in the Empire State Plaza underground chanted against so-called "fracking."

Owners say they should be able to sell drilling rights in the western Catskills and Southern Tier, and that lease terms and proposed Department of Environmental Conservation rules will protect them, their water and the landscape while generating millions of dollars.

Opponents say the watershed for the greater New York City area is threatened by the hydraulic fracturing and the DEC fails to account for massive treatment of chemical-laced water after it's pumped into the ground to release the gas.

Morrisonville Man Charged with Insurance Fraud – Again

            Although state investigators don’t deny that a Plattsburgh area man was indeed injured on the job, he has been charged with insurance fraud and faces up to four years in prison because he failed to acknowledge a prior insurance related conviction.

            Following a 2007 incident where he claimed that he had injured his back while working for a private trash collection company, James Lacey, of Morrisonville, filed a workers compensation claim and was awarded $6,600 in benefits.

            But state Insurance Department investigators then discovered that in 2003, Lacey pleaded guilty to the charge of insurance fraud in Albany County and was sentenced to pay $8,400 in restitution, serve 60 days in county jail and five years probation.

            Because he didn’t disclose his prior conviction, state investigators allege he knowingly falsified documents, which led to his collection of full worker’s compensation benefits.

            Lacey was arrested last week and charged with third degree insurance fraud, third degree grand larceny and committing a fraudulent practice.

            Investigators said that if he had disclosed the previous conviction, he would not have been awarded the full amount.

            He was released after arraignment and is scheduled to appear in Plattsburgh City Court on February 4.

            -Jon Alexander, 1-22-10

Ferry at Champlain Bridge Site Slated to Open by February 1

            A new Lake Champlain ferry that will link Vermont and New York near the site of a now-demolished bridge should be carrying passengers by the end of the month.

            Work is continuing on the ramps that will enable vehicles to use the ferry for the short trip between Addison, Vermont and Crown Point, New York.

            The bridge that linked the two states was demolished last month, two months after it was found to be unsafe. Vermont Transportation Agency Spokesman John Zicconi tells the Burlington Free Press no opening date has been set for the new ferry, but it should be ready by the end of the month, as originally planned.

            Construction on a new bridge is set to begin this spring with completion in 2011.

Legislature adopts some ethics reforms

New York's Legislature has adopted its latest ethics reforms, but Gov. David Paterson says he will veto the package because he wants a tougher measure.

The bill supported by the Democratic majorities of the Senate and Assembly easily passed Wednesday and follows a deal struck by legislative leaders last week. Two good-government groups say it's too weak.

The measure would have required lawmakers to disclose more of their outside business interests and require them to check off broad categories of amount of outside income.

The bill, however, doesn't include some of Paterson's provisions, including term limits and disclosure of law clients by lawmakers who are also practicing attorneys.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

NY AG sues 4 professional fundraisers over tactics

Four telemarketing companies face allegations that they that lied to New Yorkers while soliciting donations for groups that included police and firefighter associations.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that his office had filed lawsuits accusing the companies of repeatedly misleading donors about who they were and the charitable programs they supported.

The suits say that in some cases, callers made it sound like they were police officers, rather than professional fundraisers.

2 of the companies are based in Rochester, one in Copiague and one in Waterbury, Conn.

Messages left at the companies Wednesday weren't immediately returned.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

NY again considers wine in supermarkets

New Yorkers would be able to buy wine at supermarkets and snacks at liquor stores under a proposal from Gov. David Paterson.

The new budget proposal would make the change this year, allowing New York to join the 35 states that allow supermarket wine sales. The governor estimates it could bring New York $92 million next year from a store franchise fee.

Many liquor stores, vineyards and other businesses remain unsatisfied with Paterson's plan, arguing that many smaller stores wouldn't benefit enough from the perks Paterson added to offset potential harm to their business.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

Legislature adopts some ethics reforms

New York's Legislature has adopted its latest ethics reforms, but Gov. David Paterson says he will veto the package because he wants a tougher measure.

The bill supported by the Democratic majorities of the Senate and Assembly easily passed Wednesday and follows a deal struck by legislative leaders last week. Two good-government groups say it's too weak.

The measure would have required lawmakers to disclose more of their outside business interests and require them to check off broad categories of amount of outside income.

The bill, however, doesn't include some of Paterson's provisions, including term limits and disclosure of law clients by lawmakers who are also practicing attorneys.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

NY AG sues 4 professional fundraisers over tactics

Four telemarketing companies face allegations that they that lied to New Yorkers while soliciting donations for groups that included police and firefighter associations.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that his office had filed lawsuits accusing the companies of repeatedly misleading donors about who they were and the charitable programs they supported.

The suits say that in some cases, callers made it sound like they were police officers, rather than professional fundraisers.

2 of the companies are based in Rochester, one in Copiague and one in Waterbury, Conn.

Messages left at the companies Wednesday weren't immediately returned.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

NY again considers wine in supermarkets

New Yorkers would be able to buy wine at supermarkets and snacks at liquor stores under a proposal from Gov. David Paterson.

The new budget proposal would make the change this year, allowing New York to join the 35 states that allow supermarket wine sales. The governor estimates it could bring New York $92 million next year from a store franchise fee.

Many liquor stores, vineyards and other businesses remain unsatisfied with Paterson's plan, arguing that many smaller stores wouldn't benefit enough from the perks Paterson added to offset potential harm to their business.

-The Associated Press, 1-21-10

Paterson pitches expanded Quick Draw, mixed martial arts and wine sales

Gov. David Paterson's budget proposals include a wide range of measures to raise money and cut costs.

Among the ideas he presented today was limiting growth in Medicaid spending to $51.5 billion, up 1.8 percent.

He'd also allow grocery stores to pay a franchise fee to sell wine and state and city universities to set their own regular tuition increases without legislative approval.

If lawmakers go along, mixed martial arts would be legalized in the state and same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions could file joint state tax returns and claim spousal exemptions.

Paterson also called for eliminating a restriction on daily operating hours for the Lottery's Quick Draw game and video lottery terminals.

And he'd put a moratorium on state purchases of forest preserve land and open space.

-The Associated Press, 1-20-10

Paterson proposes prison closings, reducing size of state police force

Four state correctional facilities will be closed if lawmakers go along with budget plans Gov. David Paterson announced today.

The governor wants to close the prisons to save money as inmate populations are expected to continue to drop by 2,100 over thenext two years to 57,600. Lyon Mountain in Clinton County and Butler in Wayne County, both minimum security prisons, would close in January 2011. They would be followed in April 2011 by Moriah shock facility in Essex County and Ogdensburg medium security prison in St. Lawrence County.

Because New York's crime rate is down 28 percent in a decade, Paterson also proposed not holding a state police training class this year and hiring no recruits for the second straight year. That would lead to an estimated 2-year loss of 269 positions through attrition by April 2011 from a high of some 4,900 officers.

-The Associated Press, 1-20-10

Police: Sex Offender Failed to Register Address Change

            A Malone man who assaulted a pregnant woman in 2001 is facing new charges after he failed to register an address change as a sex offender.

            According to Malone-based State Police, 33-year-old Clayton R. Tucker was taken into custody last Thursday after personnel at the Franklin County Jail notified troopers that the subject had acquired a new address and did not report the change within the required 10-day time frame.

            The Division of Criminal Justice Service mandates that sex offenders notify the State Sex Offender Registry whenever an address changes.

            He’s been charged with felony failure to report a change of address as a sex offender.

Tucker was arraigned in Malone Town Court and remanded to Franklin County Jail. He was later released after posting $1,000 cash bail and is scheduled to return to court on February 4 at 1 p.m.

Police: Coffee dispute led to inmate assault

            A 23-year-old Malone man didn’t help his case for freedom when he allegedly picked a fight with another inmate over a cup of coffee.

            According to Malone-based State Police, James Lawrence was being held in Franklin County Jail on January 10 following an indictment on charges of second-degree assault and witness intimidation.

            Then, around 1:30 p.m., he allegedly confronted another inmate who Lawrence said stole a cup of coffee from him. He proceeded to punch the man in the face.

            That incident led to an additional charge of felony assault. Lawrence was arraigned in Malone Town Court and remanded to Franklin County Jail without bail.

            -Chris Morris, 1-19-10

Police: Central NY man dies in snowmobile crash

            Authorities say a Syracuse-area man has been killed in a snowmobile accident in northern New York.

            The Lewis County Sheriff's Office says 47-year-old Jerome Beck of Lyncourt was traveling on a road in West Turin Saturday night when he failed to negotiate a turn.

            Deputies say his snowmobile went airborne and hit several trees. Beck was pronounced dead at Lewis County General Hospital.

            Authorities say two other snowmobile accidents in the county over the weekend injured a 17-year-old boy and a 24-year-old Fort Drum man.

            -The Associated Press, 1-19-10

Poll: Paterson gains favor, Gillibrand weakening

            A Siena College poll finds that Gov. David Paterson continues to win back favor among voters, but Democratic U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand is losing ground for the first time in a potential matchup with former Gov. George Pataki.

            Most voters still prefer Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over Paterson, also a Democrat, in this year's campaign. But Paterson's favorability rating is 11 points higher than in October, although still at just 38 percent.

            As for Gillibrand, more voters view her unfavorably than favorably for the first time in the Siena poll.

            Pataki, a Republican who hasn't announced a run, takes the lead for the first time.

            Siena questioned 806 registered voters from Jan. 10 to last Thursday. The poll released Monday has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points.

            -The Associated Press, 1-19-10

Governor proposes that state colleges set tuition

New York Gov. David Paterson says the state's public universities should be allowed to set their own tuition rates.

Right now, all tuition hikes at the State University of New York and the City University of New York must be approved by the legislature.

Paterson plans to present the proposed change Tuesday as part of his state budget proposal.

The governor says Albany now "micromanages" everything at the schools, down to the chalk they purchase.

He says that threatens the schools' ability to adapt to changing educational and fiscal circumstances.

The proposal was welcomed by the chancellors of both state universities.

The yearly tuition for state residents at SUNY is $5,070. Residents pay $4,600 at CUNY.

-The Associated Press, 1-18-10

NY Legislature, gov fight over charter schools

New York's Legislature is proposing changes to charter schools that Gov. David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg warn will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid.

By proposing to raise the cap of available charters to 400, the Democrat-led Senate and Assembly are following the lead of the state's powerful teachers' union and other school lobbyists.

Charters compete with traditional public schools for students and their per-pupil aid. The current cap is 200.

Paterson has said that the state must eliminate its cap or raise it no fewer than 454 to qualify for up to $700 million in federal aid. Paterson says the U.S. education secretary told him so.

Paterson is calling for a special session Monday night to negotiate changes.

-The Associated Press, 1-18-10

NY dispatches Guard cargo planes to Haiti

Gov. David Paterson says he has dispatched two Air National Guard cargo planes to Haiti to assist in the relief effort.

The pair of C-130 aircraft left from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station at dawn.

They were headed first for Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, where they were to pick up humanitarian supplies for delivery to Port-au-Prince.

The aircraft are manned by crews from the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve's 914th Airlift Wing.

Following their initial delivery, they are expected to spend several days ferrying aid to Haiti from Florida.

-The Associated Press, 1-18-10

Vermont, New York Announce Bridge Design Plans

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas and his New York counterpart, David Paterson, say transportation planners in the two states have agreed on the design for a new bridge across Lake Champlain.

Douglas says design of the so-called Modified Network Tied Arch bridge will begin immediately with construction set to begin this spring.

The old bridge between Addison, Vermont and Crown Point was brought down with explosives last month, two months after it was closed when it was found to be unsafe.

In a statement, Paterson said the tied arch design was a favorite of people who lived near the old bridge and used it cross between the two states.

The design looks similar to the bridge that was imploded last month.

-The Associated Press, 1-15-10

Ticonderoga Man Jailed for Failure to Register as Sex Offender

            A 32-year-old Ticonderoga man was remanded to Essex County Jail on Wednesday after an investigation revealed he had failed to register as a sex offender.

            According to officials with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrested Gary E. LaRock this week and charged him with felony failure to register or verify as a sex offender.

            LaRock – a level-2 sex offender – allegedly moved from one residence in the town of Moriah to another, without notifying authorities of the change of address. He was convicted of felony rape in 2005 for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl.

            The moves occurred during the month of December. In all, LaRock’s whereabouts were unknown for about two or three weeks. He later moved to the town of Ticonderoga and registered there.

            LaRock was arraigned before Justice Jeff Farnsworth in town of Moriah court. He was remanded to Essex County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

Paterson calls for smaller government to cut costs

The Paterson administration proposes merging several state offices to reduce the size of government and save millions of dollars annually, while avoiding at least for now the biggest potential mergers.

In his state budget to be released next week, Gov. David Paterson calls for the consolidation of several offices and smaller departments that do related work.

It would save about $15 million a year to start, out of the $131 billion budget.

State budget office spokesman Matt Anderson says a total of 80 jobs would be eliminated, 71 through attrition. But Paterson's aides say the changes will make future job cuts easier through attrition.

The plan doesn't include mergers of such major areas as the Thruway Authority and the Department of Transportation.

-The Associated Press, 1-12-10

Comptroller: 93 NY bridges in bad shape

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says dozens of New York's bridges are in worse shape than the Lake Champlain Bridge before the 80-year-old span was deemed unsafe in October and quickly demolished.

A report released Tuesday by DiNapoli says there are 93 bridges in use with a safety rating at or below that given to the Lake Champlain Bridge before it was closed in October because of severe erosion in its concrete piers.

The bridge linking New York and Vermont was brought down by controlled explosions on Dec. 28.

The report said 3 of New York's major bridges - the Tappan Zee in New York City's northern suburbs, the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, and the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge - are in urgent need of improvements.

-The Associated Press, 1-12-10

Ex-Tenn. Rep. Ford says he may run for NY Senate

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold E. Ford Jr. says he is "strongly considering running" against New York Sen. Gillibrand (JIHL'-uh-brand) in this fall's Democratic primary.

Ford outlines his qualifications and positions in Tuesday's New York Post.

Ford, who's 38, took a job with Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York after losing the 2006 Tennessee Senate race.

He is also the chairman of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, teaches university courses and is a political commentator on MSNBC.

Gov. David Paterson appointed Gillibrand after Hillary Rodham Clinton left the Senate to become secretary of state for the Obama administration.

-The Associated Press, 1-12-10

With Construction Looming, Bikers Calls for Bridge Access

Advocates for bicyclists and pedestrians are urging planners to accommodate their needs when designing the new bridge that will cross Lake Champlain between Addison, Vermont and Crown Point.

Nancy Schulz of the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition says the bridge that was demolished last month after it was found to be structurally deficient couldn't safely accommodate cyclists or pedestrians.

Construction on a replacement bridge is set to begin later this year.

John Zicconi of the Vermont Transportation Agency tells the Rutland Herald bridge planners are considering designing bridge with wide lanes, 5-foot shoulders and sidewalks on both sides.

The cost of the new bridge and a temporary ferry is estimated at about $110 million.

-The Associated Press, 1-12-10

Coast Guard: Lake Champlain Ice is Dangerous

A U.S. Coast Guard official is warning people who use the ice of Lake Champlain and other lakes that the ice is unusually thin this winter.

The warning came after three people died on Saturday after the snowmobiles they were riding on went through the ice on Vermont's Lake Dunmore.

Brent Walsh of the Burlington Coast Guard Station says no ice is safe.

And he says that's especially true this winter.

He says the ice formed later than usual and a thick snowcover helps insulate the ice from the cold, keeping it from freezing thicker.

Walsh says that every season the Coast Guard responds to five to 10 ice rescues on Lake Champlain.

-The Associated Press, 1-12-10

Upstate Man Killed in Snowmobile Accident

State police say a Herkimer man has been killed in a snowmobile accident.

They say 36-year-old Kevin Gullis was riding on a trail in Herkimer when he failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the trail and was thrown from the sled when it hit the hitch of a hay wagon.

Gullis was declared dead at the scene.

The accident happened at about 2 p.m. Sunday. Police are investigating.

NY dog posthumously cleared in livestock slaughter

A dispute is simmering in rural southern New York over what slaughtered six alpacas and a llama at a Sullivan County farm.

The animals were attacked and killed in October at Stuart Salenger's farm in Forestburgh. A farm manager believed he caught the culprit returning to the scene of the crime a few days later: the neighbor's dog.

Justice was swift. The manager says he shot the animal after discovering it in the alpaca's pen. But the town's animal control officer has now issued a report saying coyotes were probably to blame for killing the livestock, not the dog.

The report is likely to add fuel to an ongoing feud between Salenger and his neighbor. Even before the dog's shooting, the two had been involved in a land use dispute.

-The Associated Press, 1-11-10

Vassar sharpshooters kill 44 deer

Vassar College has hired sharpshooters to kill deer school officials say are destroying its property.

Forty-four animals have been killed on a 500-acre farm and preserve near the college. The venison is being donated to food banks.

School officials say the deer population must be reduced to protect vegetation on the preserve. They also cite car-deer collisions and the potential spread of tick-borne diseases.

Opponents say other methods of wildlife management could be used. A handful of protesters from the town of Poughkeepsie stood outside Vassar Farm on Friday, with a sign that read, "Stop the Slaughter."

The sharpshooters plan to continue their work next week. College officials say they hope to remove 85 of the estimated 100 deer on the preserve.

-The Associated Press, 1-11-10

New York spends $300 million on renewable projects

New York state officials say they will provide $300 million to help launch more wind power and other renewable energy projects.

The projects are part of the state's goal to meet 45 percent of New York's energy needs through energy efficiency and renewable energy by 2015.

Some of the money will support wind power initiatives at the Hardscrabble wind project in Herkimer County, and the Beekmantown wind project in Clinton County.

Other funds will go toward hydroelectric upgrades at the School Street and Stewarts Bridge power projects in Albany and Saratoga Counties. Also funded will be new initiatives at the Onondaga Renewables biomass plant in Onondaga County.