Rensselaer, NY, Aug 05, 2010 — A measure to change where prison inmates are counted when drawing political districts was slipped into the budget bills passed Tuesday night. Beginning with redistricting based on 2010 census data, inmates will be counted at their home addresses, not at the prison where they're locked up. Supporters called the change a victory for equal representation. But the North Country stands to lose more political clout. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Gouverneur, NY, Mar 15, 2010 — The imminent, but temporary, closing of five P&C supermarkets in the North Country has unleashed a cadre of roadside sign wavers. You know, the people who are paid to waggle a "shop here - big sale" sign all day to get the attention of passing motorists. One in Gouverneur is today's Heard Up North.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Nov 11, 2009 — An iconic North Country retailer has filed for bankruptcy. Hacketts stores filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday. President and COO Herbert Becker said in a press release the move will allow the company to "assure its financial viability while repaying creditors". He said Hacketts intends to keep its existing stores in Ogdensburg, Massena, Tupper Lake, and Sackets Harbor open.

Hacketts was founded in Ogdensburg in the mid-1800s. At its peak two years ago, Hacketts had expanded to nine stores as far-flung as Pulaski and Hamilton. But that growth hid massive debt in Hacketts' parent company, Seaway Valley Capital Corporation, owned by Thomas Scozzafava, brother of Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava. Martha Foley talks with David Sommerstein, who has reported extensively on Seaway Valley and Hacketts, about what the bankruptcy means.  Go to full article

Apr 16, 2009 — Six national clothing and sporting goods companies are trying to force a North Country department store into bankruptcy. The creditors say Hacketts department store owes them $1.6 million. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Apr 07, 2009 — St. lawrence County is starting a new public transit route, bussing people between Gouverneur and Watertown. Missing links connecting the towns and villages of the rural North Country have long been considered an obstacle to economic development in the region. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Jan 17, 2008 — Assemblywoman Dee Dee Scozzafava says Governor Spitzer's Upstate plan has good potential. The Republican from Gouverneur says her constituents need more high-speed Internet service and support for small businesses. She told David Sommerstein yesterday her big question is how much money is actually behind Spitzer's plans.  Go to full article

May 01, 2007 — A family of talc miners in Jefferson County filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court yesterday. It claims three family members died of a rare cancer after exposure to asbestos-contaminated talc. Mines in St. Lawrence and Jefferson County have provided talc for industrial applications for decades. As David Sommerstein reports, scientists have long documented the link between respiratory illness and those talc mines.

CORRECTION: Jerrold Abraham is a pathologist at Upstate Medical University.  Go to full article

Apr 20, 2007 — A foundation stone of conservation in the North Country turns 50 this year. The St. Lawrence County Soil & Water Conservation District celebrated its anniversary with a luncheon at Mullin's restaurant in Gouverneur Monday. From field drainage and tree planting to fish stocking and watershed management, the district is involved in most agricultural and environmental projects in St. Lawrence County. Its history reflects America's, and the North Country's, agrarian roots. David Sommerstein attended Monday's luncheon.  Go to full article

Mar 30, 2007 — A plane carrying the body of a marine from St. Lawrence County was scheduled to land in Watertown at four this afternoon. Corporal Henry Bogrette of Richville was killed last Thursday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province in Iraq. He was 21. A family member contacted us to remember his life. They put us in touch with Henry's brother, Jeff Bogrette. Jeff was busy running errands and picking up family. He spoke with David Sommerstein on his cell phone. He's today's Heard Up North.

Calling hours are Sunday from 6 to 8pm and Monday from 10am to 1pm at French's funeral home in Gouverneur. Henry Bogrette will be buried in his hometown of Richville at Maple Grove Cemetery.  Go to full article

Dec 25, 2006 — As the year comes to an end, so does our series A Year on the Farm. David Sommerstein's been sending regular postcards from Bob Andrews 80-cow dairy near Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County. We've learned about calving and plowing and harvesting, round bales and square bales. But what REALLY makes dairy different from any other kind of farming are the daily milkings. That's where the series started, and that's where it'll end.  Go to full article