Jan 10, 2007 — One of the Thousand Islands most lavish pieces of real estate is up for sale. Frederick Bourne's hunting lodge on Dark Island in the St. Lawrence River has become known as Singer Castle, after the sewing machine company that made his fortune. It's become a tourist destination since a group of investors bought it in 2002 for $1.7 million. The castle features towers and spires, 28 bedrooms, 13 fireplaces, secret passageways, boathouses, and a squash court. Asking price - just $22 million.  Go to full article

Sep 14, 2006 — A tanker had gone aground on Whiskey Island shoal on the St. Lawrence Seaway, spilling 100,000 gallons of thick oil. That was the nightmare scenario emergency responders on both sides of the river faced in a drill exercise last Thursday and Friday. 150 people charted the simulated oil's progress downriver, laid booms to contain it, and then reviewed what went right and wrong. As David Sommerstein reports, the exercise demonstrated the first hours after an accident need the most attention.  Go to full article

Feb 24, 2006 — A Binghamton investor has bought one of the St. Lawrence River's best known marinas. DF Realty purchased Schermerhorn marina, boat shop, and cottages for almost $2 million. The business has been renamed Schermerhorn Harbor. Bea Schermerhorn and her husband, Bill, started the business in the early 1950s. Their daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Dale Stoughtenger, have run it in recent years. Schermerhorn Landing is tucked in the upper end of Chippewa Bay, about halfway between Ogdensburg and Alexandria Bay. Bea Schermerhorn says commerce there began with her husband's father.  Go to full article

Aug 27, 2002 — The details of a new tourism destination on the St. Lawrence River near Chippewa Bay are starting to emerge. Buyers of Dark Island and its historic castle gave state and local officials a peek yesterday of what visitors could see as early as next summer. The media was also invited on the tour. David Sommerstein went along.  Go to full article

Aug 21, 2002 — A group of investors has purchased Dark Island and its Scottish-style castle on the St. Lawrence River for 1.8 million dollars. David Sommerstein reports the group has big plans to renovate the historic property.  Go to full article

Jun 26, 2002 — The Common Tern is a bird best known for its graceful flight and dramatic dives. The shoals and nooks of the eastern Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shoreline have been some of the tern's best nesting habitat in North America. But over the past 50 years, the area's tern population has dropped dramatically, from 20,000 to only 2000. Now the tern's a threatened species in New York. David Sommerstein reports on efforts to restore the bird's numbers.  Go to full article