Albany, NY, Mar 22, 2011 — The state legislature is continuing conference committee meetings on the budget. But lawmakers say there are still some sticking points to reaching agreement by next week's deadline. Karen Dewitt reports.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Feb 10, 2011 — Lawmakers held their first hearing on the state prison budget yesterday in Albany. Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to shrink the state's prison system by 3,500 beds, closing up to 10 state prisons.

As Karen Dewitt reports, the hearing offered critics of the plan their first chance to push back against further downsizing.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Feb 02, 2011 — As part of his plan to balance New York's budget over the long term, Governor Cuomo wants to close as many as ten prisons statewide.

He offered to compensate each community that loses a correctional facility with $10 million in redevelopment funds.

As Brian Mann reports, it's still unclear which prisons will close or how the North Country's prison industry could be affected.  Go to full article

Lyon Mountain, NY, Jan 31, 2011 — Tomorrow, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will unveil a plan to cut New York's budget deficit, which now stands at more than $11 billion. Cuomo's spending plan could hit nearly every part of the North Country's economy, from schools to hospitals. He's also considering massive layoffs, with as many as 10,000 jobs on the line statewide.

One state agency that could face the deepest cuts is the Department of Correctional Services. According to the New York Times, between six and ten prisons could be slated for closure. This morning, Brian Mann looks back at the changing debate over prisons and their role as an economic engine here in the North Country.  Go to full article

Jan 27, 2011 — The former Camp Gabriels prison north of Saranac Lake has sat empty for more than a year. When the state tried to auction the 92-acre property last year, there were no buyers.

Earlier this month, Brighton town supervisor John Quenell circulated a private letter suggesting that the community might consider taking ownership of the facility.

But at a packed town meeting last night, many local residents said the project would be too expensive. Brian Mann reports.  Go to full article

Jan 07, 2011 — Yesterday we heard that Governor Andrew Cuomo is talking again about downsizing the state's prison industry.

The North Country has eighteen state correctional facilities, which provide thousands of high-paying jobs.

Local leaders say finding new uses for mothballed prisons will be difficult.
The state has struggled for nearly two years to sell the Camp Gabriels prison,
which closed in 2009.

As Brian Mann reports, prisons inside the Adirondack Park are tangled up in legal questions involving the state constitution and the APA's zoning rules.  Go to full article

Jan 06, 2011 — In his speech yesterday, Governor Cuomo fired a shot across the bow of the North Country's prison industry. For decades, correctional facilities have been used to shore up the region's economy, providing thousands of high paying, dependable jobs.

Inmate populations have been dropping the last few years, in part because of reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws last year. Those laws imposed long prison sentences even on low-level, non-violent offenders.

As Brian Mann reports, the new governor says using prisons as an economic development tool is unaffordable and morally wrong.  Go to full article

Lyon Mountain, NY, Dec 27, 2010 — As we make our way through this final week of the year, Brian Mann will be checking in with his top-five picks for the most important stories of 2010.

In a year when state budget deficits drove the debate in Albany, Brian's looks back first at the renewed debate over the future of the region's prison industry.  Go to full article

Nov 30, 2010 — As Monday's special session was winding down, state Senator Betty Little spoke with Brian Mann by telephone from Albany.

She says the huge deficits still looming this year can still be tackled after newly elected Governor Andrew Cuomo takes office.

She also spoke about the fears that many North Country communities face, as the legislature tries to cut next year's $9 billion deficit.  Go to full article

Queensbury, NY, Jun 30, 2010 — State Senator Betty Little says the budget chaos in Albany has been brutal for the North Country - with more spending for more programs shifting to communities downstate.

But she gave Governor David Paterson high marks for promising to veto additional deficit spending proposed by Democrats in the legislature.

Senator Little spoke yesterday with Brian Mann.  Go to full article