Colchester, VT, Jun 24, 2011 — The Drowsey Chaperone runs at St. Michael's Playhouse in Colchester VT through July 2. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review.  Go to full article

May 26, 2011 — The Lake Champlain Transportation Company says regular ferry service between Essex, New York, and Charlotte, Vermont resumed this morning at 6 am. The company says it was able to reopen the flooded dock on the New York shore after it dumped fifty dumptruck loads of gravel onto the approach route.

Local residents are thrilled that the crossing is open, but state Environmental officials are investigating whether the work was done without proper permits and safeguards. Martha Foley reports.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, May 25, 2011 — Lake Champlain rose again this week, thanks to 20 to30 mile-an-hour winds Monday that pushed water back onto some roads and waterfront.

The damages are still mounting. After weeks of high water, the lake remains at flood stage, threatening roads, homes, wells and septic systems.

Clinton County Emergency Services Director Eric Day yesterday called this the "slowest natural disaster ever experienced" in the county.

Day predicts it'll take many weeks of effort to bring hard-hit areas back to normal, and said some of the shoreline may always look more like an ocean coastline than serene lakeshore.

Nora Flaherty talked with Day late yesterday.  Go to full article

Port Henry, NY, May 05, 2011 — In the days since the flood began, researchers have been tracking huge plumes of sediment and phosphorous pollution being washed into Lake Champlain.

Aerial photographs taken by the Lake Champlain Basin Program show big swirls of brown and green, especially at the mouths of rivers.

When the weather finally warms up all that pollution could trigger algae blooms and other problems.

Brian Mann spoke with Bill Howland who heads the Lake Champlain Basin Program and who took part in the reconnaissance flights this week.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, May 03, 2011 — The National Weather Service says as much as half an inch of rain is possible today in parts of the North Country. The hardest hit area this morning is Lake Champlain which is expected to continue rising this week toward a new record flood stage of 102.9 feet. Brian Mann has an update.  Go to full article

Apr 29, 2011 — Just after noon on Friday Governor Andrew Cuomo arrived by helicopter in the flood-ravaged community of Moriah, in the Champlain Valley.

After touring two sites where bridges collapsed following torrential rains, the governor declared that Essex County has official "disaster" status.  Go to full article

Westport, NY, Apr 29, 2011 — At 10 last night, Lake Champlain rose to 102.36 feet, a new record.

The Lake Champlain Transportation Company had already shut down ferry service from Essex to Charlotte, Vt. Ferries are operating normally at Grand Isle and Crown Point.

Rising lake water means headaches and millions of dollars worth of damage for dozens of communities in New York and Vermont.
Bob Carroll owns the Westport Marina in Essex County. Last night, he gave Brian Mann a tour of his restaurant, now knee-deep under lake water.  Go to full article

Burlington, VT, Apr 22, 2011 — Sylvia is running at Vermont Stage Company in the FlynnSpace through May 8. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review.  Go to full article

Apr 08, 2011 — New York's Transportation Department is spending millions of dollars of extra money, trying to finish the Lake Champlain Bridge by the October 9th deadline.

The old bridge was closed in 2009 and eventually demolished because of safety concerns.

At a briefing last night in Addison, Vermont, DOT officials said efforts to build the new bridge as fast as possible have been complicated by wintry weather and by debris on the lake bottom.

Still, as Brian Mann reports, community leaders and local businesses are praising the state for scrambling to finish the project on time.  Go to full article

Feb 22, 2011 — This week Random House releases Sara Henry's debut mystery, Learning to Swim. The story begins, literally, in Lake Champlain when Troy Chance jumps off a ferry to rescue a small child. From there the action proceeds to Lake Placid, Ottawa and Burlington. Betsy Kepes talked to Sara Henry about the North Country setting of her book.  Go to full article