Lake Placid, NY, Feb 25, 2013 — Chris Ortloff's plaque has been removed from the Lake Placid Hall of Fame.

Ortloff is a former state Assemblyman, reporter and state Parole Board member who was convicted of federal coercion and enticement charges in 2010 after he was arrested in a sting operation. Ortloff had arranged to meet who he thought were two underage girls at an Albany area hotel for a sexual tryst.

Ortloff was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 for his contribution to the 1980 Olympic Games, which were held in Lake Placid. Up until last week, a plaque and a tribute on ORDA's website could still be viewed by the public.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jul 30, 2012 — A 16-year-old from the Troy area helped bring a group of more than 60 people, including Armed Services veterans and their families, to Lake Placid last week to tour Olympic sites and dine at the local American Legion hall.

Matt Murray, of Brunswick, is a junior at Tamarac High School and a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 537. The Lake Placid trip was part of his Eagle Scout project, which he hopes to complete soon. Chris Morris caught up with the group and has our story.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 17, 2012 — The best bobsled and skeleton racers are competing in Lake Placid this week in the 2012 World Championships. The competition will be a big test for the American bobsled team, which has struggled this year on the World Cup tour.

The US team is hoping to prove that its Olympic gold medal at the last Winter Olympis was no fluke and the program can sustain the funding and technical support needed to match the Europeans.

Brian Mann was at the track this week and has this preview.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jun 06, 2011 — The state Olympic Regional Development Authority may add a third downhill ski center to its venues before the winter season.

ORDA officials are reportedly in talks to take over operation of Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in the Catskills.

Chris Knight reports.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 25, 2011 — The Olympic region of the Adirondacks will play host to the Empire State Winter Games this weekend. This year, the event has a very different feel, largely because it's not being sponsored, organized, or funded by the state of New York.

In November of last year, state officials announced that the agency will no longer holding the summer and winter games due to New York's ongoing budget crisis. Less than 24 hours after that decision went public, local officials from across the North Country joined forces to save the games.

Chris Morris has been chronicling the story since November. He reports that for a lot of people in the Adirondacks the decision to keep the games alive was deeply personal.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Nov 18, 2010 — The Paterson Administration has cut funding for the 2011 Empire State Games, citing the state's ongoing fiscal crisis. The popular annual competitions are run by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The news came in a letter from Lisa Del Signore, the administrator of the games, to athletes informing them that the winter, summer, and senior games, as well as the games for the physically challenged, have all been canceled.

The Poughkeepsie Journal, which broke the story, reports Del Signore's letter also said, "Perhaps in the future the economic climate will improve and the games will experience a rebirth."

The winter games were scheduled to take place in Lake Placid in late February. As Chris Morris reports, athletes and tourism officials will miss them:  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Sep 07, 2010 — The prospect of Lake Placid hosting the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics appears to be fading, as the deadline to submit a bid is two months away, and local and U.S. Olympic Committee officials apparently don't have any plans to vie for the games. While 2016 may not be possible, however, local officials remain interested in hosting a Winter Youth Olympics and instead may try for 2020. Chris Knight reports.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jun 24, 2010 — The state Olympic Regional Development Authority has secured its annual appropriation from the state, but its budget difficulties may be just beginning. In budget bills approved this week, the state Legislature set aside $5.6 million for ORDA, which operates Whiteface Mountain and Gore Mountain ski centers and the 1980 Winter Olympic venues in Lake Placid. That's about $1 million less than the authority received last year, and about $3 million less than what was allocated for ORDA two years ago. At a board meeting in Lake Placid this week, some ORDA officials said that if they're forced to absorb additional cuts, the authority's venues and the communities that ORDA supports could be impacted. Chris Knight reports.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Mar 25, 2010 — The state Assembly issued its proposed spending blueprint yesterday. Democratic leaders there proposed saving the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility. They also called for full funding for the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Mar 23, 2010 — New York's state Senate released its spending blueprint today and it includes a plan to zero out funding for the Olympic Regional Development Authority. The proposal would eliminate roughly 6.6 million dollars in subsidies that go to support ORDA's facilities in Lake Placid, Wilmington and North Creek. It also eliminates funding for state prisons in Moriah and in Lyon Mountain. Todd More has details.  Go to full article