Lake Placid, NY, Feb 19, 2010 — Lake Placid Conservative Doug Hoffman is drawing criticism from a Republican rival in the 23rd district, who say he's being "arrogant" about this year's GOP primary. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Feb 04, 2010 — Hearings are underway in Washington on ending the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military. President Obama sent his top military leaders to the House Armed Services committee this week, after pledging to end the policy in his State of the Union address last month. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Washington, DC, Nov 27, 2009 — Congress is considering restricting carbon emissions causing climate change with a cap-and-trade scheme. But, recent polls show only a handful of people have heard of cap-and-trade. Even fewer understand what it is. Lester Graham reports cap-and-trade is not new.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Nov 25, 2009 — Conservative Doug Hoffman will not challenge the results of the 23rd district's recent special election for Congress. Democrat Bill Owens won the race and was sworn into the House of Representatives after Hoffman's concession on election night. But last week, when thousands of absentee ballots remained uncounted, Hoffman thought he could still win the race. He also voiced some frustration over election night results that pointed to a large margin of victory for Owens. As the gap began to narrow, Hoffman issued a fundraising letter that accused ACORN, unions, and Democrats of vote tampering. His campaign has not yet offered any evidence. Hoffman did gain on his Democratic rival, but yesterday's certified tallies from election boards across the district show Owens won the race by more than 3,500 votes. Jonathan Brown has more.  Go to full article

Syracuse, NY, Oct 27, 2009 — The special election for John McHugh's seat is a week from Tuesday. The three-way race between Republican Dede Scozzafava, Democrat Bill Owens, and Conservative Doug Hoffman is tight and nasty. The campaigns are fighting it out in expensive ad campaigns and dueling press releases. But the opportunities for actual debate between the candidates are dwindling. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Oct 23, 2009 — The race to replace John McHugh in Congress is down to its last two weeks. The high octane and even higher spending campaign is spewing attacks and accusations all over TV and radio as national politicos manage the candidates' every move. We're trying to break through the din with a series of candidate profiles. You can listen online to the profiles of Democrat Bill Owens and Republican Dede Scozzfava, which aired this week. Today, it's Conservative Douglas Hoffman's turn. Hoffman blew the race wide open with an aggressive challenge of Scozzafava's Republican credentials. He's building rock-star status among the country's most polarizing conservatives. He's shed the third party "spoiler" status and has picked up lots of ground in the polls. All this from a family-man accountant born of hardship in the Adirondacks. David Sommerstein has this profile.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Oct 09, 2009 — It's been a busy week in the special election to replace former Congressman John McHugh. Election day is just a little over three weeks away. This week, President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton have waded into the fray. We've also had more Republican-Conservative squabbles and some high-profile endorsements. Brian Mann joins Marth Foley on the line to sort it all out.  Go to full article

Sep 28, 2009 — Afghanistan has been a forgotten war for much of the last decade. But the worsening situation there and the growing number of American and Canadian casualties has meant a renewed debate. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of NATO forces in Iraq, has asked for 40,000 more soldiers. President Barack Obama hasn't said yet whether he'll send additional forces. This debate over Afghanistan has come home in recent weeks in the starkest possible terms, with the death of Jeremiah Monroe. But other families are concerned as well. At a town hall meeting earlier this month in North Hudson, Congressman Scott Murphy was asked about the war by the father of a soldier. Murphy, a Democrat from Glens Falls, sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Here's his response.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 16, 2009 — This morning, we have a special report on how two North Country retailers, Hacketts and Wise Buys, came together in a shifting delta of deals and dreams. And debt, because this is a story of a bold idea for a homegrown venture gone sour. Republican Dede Scozzafava's run for Congress helped turned the spotlight on the business dealings of her brother, Tom, and her involvement in them. But the fortunes of Wise Buys and Hacketts had been in the headlines for years. They were joined two years ago in a new company, headed by Tom Scozzafava. Seaway Valley Capital Corporation has now absorbed other local businesses as well, including Sackets Harbor Brewery and Alteri's bakery in Watertown. Dede Scozzafava plays no active role in the company, but she is one of its most valued lenders. The company is now buried under $37 million in debt, double its assets. A look at the company's public filings shows a thicket of complex debt instruments, used to raise capital and pay off other loans. Stockholders have lost millions of dollars. As with all struggling companies, it wasn't supposed to turn out this way. In this special report, David Sommerstein untangles the complicated story of Seaway Valley, Hacketts, and Dede and Tom Scozzafava.  Go to full article

Aug 27, 2009 — The North Country finds itself once again in the middle of a political drama that has national implications. John McHugh's appointment to serve as Secretary of the Army sparked a special-election scramble for a Congressional seat that has long been viewed as a Republican stronghold. The special election hasn't been scheduled yet, pending McHugh's confirmation in the fall. But the campaigning is already well underway with three candidates. Brian Mann joins Martha Foley for an update.  Go to full article