Mar 27, 2006 — A powerful coalition of Republican lawmakers, chamber of commerce leaders, and local activists have unveiled plans to rebuild a railroad into the central Adirondacks. The passenger line would connect Utica and Old Forge in the south to tourism destinations in the Tri-Lakes area. The "Adirondack On Track Partnership" wants the state to spend at least twenty million dollars on the project. They hope it would add a new attraction, drawing visitors into the Adirondack Park. But as Brian Mann reports, some critics say reviving the railroad would be too expensive. They also question whether a tourist line is the best use of the historic travel corridor.  Go to full article

Jan 31, 2006 — Unseasonably warm weather has made lake ice thinner than normal. The state has issued warnings across the region to snowmobilers and other vehicles should exercise extreme caution on the ice. There have been multiple reports of snowmobiles breaking through the ice.

On Friday, Dean Pohl, of Racquette Lake was heading out ice fishing with his daughter - they went through the ice. They escaped without injury, but the truck remained there all weekend. Yesterday afternoon the truck was excavated from the lake. Gregory Warner spoke with DEC officer Casey Kelly, who help supervise the excavation. It's not the first time he's had to do this, though he said this one had a particularly festive atmosphere.  Go to full article

Jan 03, 2006 — The Jason Black Adirondack Detective series has garnered a regional and national following in the last few years. Author John Briant lives and writes about Black's crime solving adventures in Old Forge. He's working on the fifth book in the mystery series this winter. Like his protagonist in the novels, Briant is a retired state trooper and crime investigator. He told Todd Moe that writing is his third career.  Go to full article

Nov 10, 2005 — A state judge in Herkimer County says a mansion in the western Adirondacks will have to be torn down. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Michael Dailey found that Timothy Noonan's 19,000 square foot house violated an Adirondack Park Agency permit. The permit required that the new house, built on the Fulton Chain of lakes near Inlet, be one-sixth that size. In a press release, attorney general Eliot Spitzer described the case as a "common sense enforcement action." He said that efforts to negotiate a settlement were rebuffed by Noonan, a prominent businessman who owns the Water Safari theme park in Old Forge. Noonan was appointed by Governor Pataki to sit on the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District board of directors, but stepped down earlier this year. He couldn't be reached for comment. Brian Mann spoke about the ruling with Park Agency spokesman Keith McKeever.  Go to full article

Nov 01, 2005 — A long-awaited snowmobile trail is getting North Country sledders excited for winter. The Alice Brook trail connects extensive networks in St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties. As David Sommerstein reports, supporters hope it will draw more winter tourism to southern St. Lawrence County.  Go to full article

Oct 21, 2005 — Last month, an arsonist set fire to another historic hunting cabin owned by the Adirondack League Club in Old Forge. The Club owns more than fifty thousand acres in Hamilton and Herkimer Counties. The organization, with four hundred members, is seventh-largest landowner inside the blue line. Since 2000, six of their most remote cabins have burned mysteriously. The Club's general manager, Egan Willard, spoke with Brian Mann. He says there have been two attacks this year.

Anyone with information can call the state police in Herkimer at 315-866-7275. State police and the Department of Environmental Conservation are also investigating an unrelated case of possible arson in Franklin County, where two bridges were damaged on the former Champion timberlands.  Go to full article

Feb 16, 2005 — A Kentucky-based radio conglomerate has purchased commercial broadcast frequencies in Saranac Lake, Dannemora, and Old Forge. Radioactive LLC bought the frequencies in December as part of an auction held by the Federal Communications Commission. As Brian Mann reports, the company is run by a media mogul who once controlled one of the biggest radio corporations in the U.S.  Go to full article

Jan 21, 2005 — Affordable housing has become a hot button issue in the Adirondack Park. The problem is most severe in resort towns like Lake George, North Creek, Lake Placid and Old Forge. But a booming vacation home market is squeezing middle class families across the park, pushing average home prices past the $200,000 mark.  Go to full article

Sep 14, 2004 — It's been a soggy summer. Through July and August the National Weather service in Burlington recorded more than fifteen inches of rain. That's three times the amount that fell during the same period last year. The clouds had a dampening affect on farmers. But as Brian Mann reports, the weather also hurt hundreds of small businesses that rely on summer tourism.  Go to full article

Sep 10, 2004 — The Adirondack Canoe Classic got underway this morning. It's three-day, 90-mile marathon along a linkage of lakes, rivers and portages from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. It looks long and challenging on paper, which is where Adirondack bureau chief Brian Mann saw it during his first weeks here at NCPR. He got a much closer look at the route that September. He entered. As a solo paddler.  Go to full article