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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.
-The Associated Press, 2-3-10
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.
-Chris Morris, 2-2-10
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.
-The Associated Press, 1-26-10
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.
-The Associated Press, 1-22-10
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
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.
-Chris Morris, 1-20-10
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.
-Chris Morris, 1-15-10
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.
-The Associated Press, 1-12-10
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.
-The Associated Press, 1-11-10 |