News stories tagged with "clinton-county"

(02/10/12) NCPR kicked off election coverage with a series of stories this week. See below for more on the 23rd district race for the House of Representatives.

Politics are everywhere these days, from the bitter Republican primary fight that's playing out on our TV screens to the redistricting battle in Albany that could shake up politics right here in our own backyard. As 2012 goes on, the news and conversation will only get louder and more intense.

Most high school students can't vote, but politics plays a big role in their lives, too. And they're paying attention, at least the teens are who gathered recently in Peru to talk about government and politics. Our correspondent Sarah Harris sends this report. more

(11/09/11) Brian Mann and Martha Foley sort through the implications of an Election Day that featured scores of races that decided important questions about local leadership. more

(09/01/11) The two are calling on the President and FEMA to extend individual aid to people in Clinton County slammed by Tropical Storm Irene. more

(07/06/11) The idea of an Interstate across the North Country to connect Watertown and Plattsburgh is more than 50 years old. It's had different names: the rooftop highway, the Northern Tier Expressway, Interstate 98. But it's never faced any organized opposition, until now.

A group of residents in St. Lawrence County has formed "Yes Eleven." They argue that with a price tag of at least four billion dollars, and opposition from the state department of transportation, the rooftop highway is a pie in the sky.

John Danis is the co-coordinator of YES-Eleven. He told David Sommerstein the group's name references the notion that the rooftop highway is siphoning precious funds from existing infrastructure on the region's main existing artery--Route 11. more

(01/05/11) A prominent property-rights activist was arraigned yesterday in a Clinton County court for allegedly dumping hazardous materials on his property near Ausable Forks.

According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the felony charges against LeRoy Douglas could bring up to four years in prison and a fine of 150 thousand dollars.

Douglas - who has been an outspoken critic of state environmental policies - pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.

DEC officials say they began investigating the case in 2008 after they received complaints about the property near Silver Lake in Clinton County.

They say a state investigator found a wide range of contamination on Douglas's land, including a pile of lead acid batteries, dead animals and medical waste.

According to the Plattsburgh Press-Republican, Douglas's attorney has requested that a special prosecutor be named to handle the case.

Douglas has claimed in the past that investigations of his property are politically motivated.

(12/07/10) The concept of an Interstate connecting Watertown and Plattsburgh has been the holy grail of North Country economic developers for decades. It's been so long, the so-called "rooftop highway" can seem more legend than reality.

Supporters are fighting hard to push the project into the reality column. They're calling it by a new name - Interstate 98. And they're urging the state Department of Transportation to begin an environmental review of the project. That would mean charting a precise path for the road. And it would mean studying impacts on wetlands and forests, birds and other animals, and people's homes and properties.

But the DOT isn't on board. It doesn't think an Interstate is needed to begin with. David Sommerstein reports. more

(11/18/10) The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe says it's "at an impasse" in talks with New York over sharing the revenue from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino near Massena. The tribe says it's paid more than $50 million to the state, St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, and four north Country towns since 2005 under the Mohawks' gaming compact.

But those payments stopped last month when the tribe claimed New York violated an exclusivity clause in the compact by allowing slot machines on a little native territory in Clinton County. David Sommerstein reports. more

(10/29/10) The race between Democratic Congressman Bill Owens and Republican Matt Doheny has tightened to a near dead heat. And conservative Doug Hoffman is still playing a big role in who'll represent the 23rd Congressional district next year.

Today's Siena Research Institute poll finds Owens narrowly leading Doheny 40 to 37%, with Hoffman bringing in 15% of the vote, even though he suspended his campaign weeks ago. David Sommerstein reports. more

(10/22/10) Teahcers in Clinton County found a notebook titled "hit list" Wednesday with the names of 84 students in Plattsburgh and Peru schools. Police and parents were notified.

Plattsburgh Police Chief Desmond Racico said investigators checked the list for details indicating the authors had the means to carry out real threats. He said there weren't any specific plans. He said the investigation is continuing.
According to Peru Central School superintendent A. Paul Scott, the two ninth grade girls allegedly responsible for the list spoke often of their fascination with the 1999 shooting rampage at Columbine High School, outside Denver, Colorado. Jonathan Brown has more.

(04/08/10) The New York Post reported this week that the Adirondack Nature Conservancy reaped millions in profits from a land preservation deal with New York State. The story says the conservancy paid Domtar $6.8 million for the land, and sold it to the state for almost $10 million four years later -- an "absurd" profit as headlined in the Post.

The report is prompting reviews by the state attorney general's office into potential over-payments for the 20,000 acres in Clinton County. Martha Foley talks with Adirondack Bureau Chief Brian Mann.