Watertown, NY, Oct 07, 2011 — A Watertown mental health clinic that recently changed ownership may close soon, and that has a lot of elected officials and community leaders worried. The Community Clinic, formerly known as Mercy Behavioral Health and Wellness, serves a large population of the poor with mental illnesses. As officials race to find funding to keep the clinic open, the worry is that the cost to the community of a closure would be far higher. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Dec 15, 2010 — Over the next month, we'll hear a lot about earmarks, also known as "pork." They're the district-specific pet projects of members of Congress. The new Republican-led House has vowed to ban earmarks, or at least strictly curtail them.

We've all heard about the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere." But for every one of those earmarks, there are many others that are filling a need in a community.

Fort Drum near Watertown is the only Army base in the country without its own hospital. Soldiers and their families rely on doctors and clinics in Jefferson, Lewis, and southern St. Lawrence counties. A $400,000 earmark funds an organization thats building health care assets for soldiers and civilians alike. avid Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Sep 21, 2010 — Saranac Lake Central School officials are taking long and short term measures to fight bullying after a case of bullying with racial overtones earlier this year.

In June, the parent of a sixth-grader said her daughter had been repeatedly harassed and bullied for more than a year because of her race.

School administrators later admitted that they hadn't done enough to protect the girl from harassment. As Chris Knight reports, officials have taken several steps to change the school policy and culture.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Jul 01, 2010 — A group in Saranac Lake is moving ahead with plans for a respite and reintegration center for active duty solders, veterans and their families.

The proposed residential center is called Patriot Hills. Supporters say it will draw on the village's long tradition as a healing community, by using innovative treatments to help soldiers settle back into civilian life after deployment to places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Patriot Hills convened its first major public event this week, at the Trudeau Institute. On hand were top military brass, experts on post traumatic stress disorder, and Garry Trudeau, who has explored veterans issues in his Doonesbury cartoon. Chris Knight was there.  Go to full article

New York, NY, Apr 05, 2010 — The Vermont Senate is expected to take a final vote this week on a bill that would phase out the chemical bisphenol-A in some types of packaging. The bill would ban use of the chemical in reusable food and beverage containers, as well as infant formula and baby food containers. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says BPA has been linked to a high number of health problems, including infertility, miscarriage, and breast and prostate cancer. The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, maintains that it is safe and helps keep food safe by keeping it fresh.

There's been a rise in reports of behavioral disorders in kids over the past decade or so. Some researchers say genetics, lack of sleep, and chaotic households all contribute to things like ADHD. Now researchers say another cause could be personal care products. Julie Grant reports.  Go to full article

Evans Mills, NY, Dec 03, 2009 — As David Sommerstein reported today (see related story), the revolving door of deployments is taking its toll at Fort Drum. David joined Martha Foley during the Eight O'Clock Hour to talk more about how continuing deployments are affecting morale.  Go to full article

Apr 13, 2009 — The Saranac Lake Police Department is reporting a spike in what it calls "mental health incidents" in the village. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Apr 07, 2009 — Senator Kirsten Gillibrand focused on the wellness of soldiers and their families at Fort Drum yesterday. It was the Democrat's first visit to the Army base near Watertown. Gillibrand praised Fort Drum's role in protecting the country and revitalizing the local economy. But she said soldiers need more downtime and more mental health resources. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Mar 23, 2009 — Four elderly residents died at a group home in Hamilton County on Saturday following an early morning fire. The blaze struck the Riverview home in the town of Wells, which is operated by New York state. Two staff members and a fifth patient were also injured. Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Feb 11, 2009 — Last year, Fort Drum began posting the names and photos of soldiers who were arrested for drunk driving while intoxicated in the post newspaper. The unusual step was taken by Drum's commanding general when he was alerted to high DWI rates among his soldiers. Today, Major General Michael Oates says the situation has not improved. He's taken another unusual step: asking his troops for answers on his blog. Martha Foley and David Sommerstein revisit this story for our series, Story 2.0.  Go to full article