News stories tagged with "boonville"

(07/25/11) Whether it's from a float plane, a little two-seater, or even one of those little commercial jets, the aerial view of the North Country is unforgettable. You can see the whole topography of the Adirondack range, topped by the high peaks. There are vast skeins of wetlands, rivers, lakes and ponds, and villages stitched together with ribbons of roadways.

The network of airstrips across northern New York is less obvious, but there are just enough to host a community of private planes and their pilots. The airfield in Boonville is typical of the smallest private airfields. It's really just that: a flat, well-mowed grassy field. But it does have its own gas pump. Here's today's Heard Up North. more

(03/18/11) Leaders across Lewis, Jefferson, and Oneida counties are making a full court press to save the Tug Hill Commission. The 38 year-old agency provides planning, development, and natural resource management assistance to the isolated towns and villages of the Tug Hill Plateau.

The State Senate has included $1.1 million for the Commission in its spending plan. That's a 10% budget cut, on par with what other agencies are dealing with. But the Assembly is so far following Governor Cuomo's recommendation to dissolve the Commission. That's left Tug Hill leaders fighting for the agency's survival. David Sommerstein reports. more

(01/07/11) In Boonville, in northern Oneida County, it's not easy to get a college education. The closest community colleges are miles away. And in the snowy Tug Hill winter, it's often hard to get anywhere.

So it's not surprising that college graduation rates are low in the community. That drew the attention of Mother Linda Logan, rector of Trinity Episcopal church. She and a parishioner, retired professor and researcher Maureen Casamayou, have worked to bring Boonville its first college class.

Casamayou will teach a three-credit course in American government. It'll be credentialed by Mohawk Valley Community College. The class begins on January 18th.

David Sommerstein spoke with Mother Linda Logan about why she and Casamayou started the class.

For more information and to register, call the college at 315-792-5354.

(04/15/10) A three-term Oneida County legislator wants to unseat Republican State Senator Joe Griffo. Democrat Mike Hennessey lives in the city of Sherill, which has been embroiled in land claim and cigarette tax issues with the Oneida Indian Nation. So it's no surprise Hennessey wants New York to collect taxes on tobacco sold at native-owned stores as a way to close the state deficit. He also wants to eliminate unfunded state mandates, reform state ethics codes, and create jobs. Hennessey is a financial advisor and former small business owner. He told David Sommerstein a visit to a local soup kitchen for veterans compelled him to run for State Senate.

(01/13/09) In our occasional series, Moving the World, we meet North Country people who take their skills, expertise and resources to share with communities around the globe. Today we meet Boonville residents Terese and John Hart. They spend part of their time in the North Country, and the rest in Congo, Africa, working on land, species and habitat protection. The Harts are ecologists who first traveled to Congo in the early 70's. They've committed their lives and careers to preserving that region's environment and wildlife -- like Okapi, a forest giraffe and Bonobo, a diminutive ape. Todd Moe spoke with them about parallels with the landscape where they work in Africa and the North Country.

(11/06/06) You could call the race in the 47th State Senate district the "forgotten" campaign, especially here in the North Country. It's played second fiddle to more high-profile races, including the one its current officeholder, Ray Meier, is running for Congress against Democrat Michael Arcuri. All three candidates live in Utica, almost four hours from the district's northern-most point in Massena. David Sommerstein profiles the race.

(01/05/06) 2006 brings the shutdown of another paper mill that was once a major buyer of North Country timber. Domtar will close its mill in Cornwall, Ontario on March 31st, laying off more than 500 people. Many loggers in northern New York have been hit hard by the closure. But as David Sommerstein reports, some see hope for an industry that's been struggling for years.

(08/03/04) A skeleton crew is finishing orders at Ethan Allen's furniture making plant in Boonville. The company is closing its operations in this small village on the Tug Hill Plateau after half a century of operation. More than 260 people have lost their jobs. The shutdown shocked the community and was the latest blow to the declining forestry industry in northern New York. As David Sommerstein reports, Ethan Allen's workers are moving on and the town of Boonville is bracing for what's next.

(08/03/04) Many former Ethan Allen employees worked most or all of their careers at the facility. For people in mid-career, transitioning to a new job, perhaps to a completely different line of work, can be very difficult. Frank Kirkey specializes in helping people 55 and older find employment. He's a field operations assistant with Experience Works Incorporated, based in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. He spoke with David Sommerstein. Kirkey says the hardest part of shifting careers is changing a person's mindset.

(04/21/04) The southern Adirondack hamlet of Boonville is struggling to absorb news that its largest private employer is closing. Ethan Allen Interiors announced Monday it will close its furniture-making plant in Boonville in June. 260 people will lose their jobs. David Ernst is Boonville's mayor. He spoke with David Sommerstein yesterday. He says the news is devastating.