News stories tagged with "st-lawrence"

(06/27/11) This spring's rain has left water levels on Lake Ontario well above normal--higher than the International St Lawrence River Board of Control is comfortable with.

To fix the problem, the board earlier this month started letting more water out at the Moses-Saunders dam in Massena. That means some areas of the St. Lawrence will be seeing low water levels. That has some worried about the boating season.

Nora Flaherty has more. more

(06/24/11) The US Department of State said on Tuesday that Canadian Border Officials were "well within their rights" when they threatened to seize an American fisherman's boat and fined him $1000 in May. It said the officials were just enforcing their rule that boats entering Canadian waters - not simply in transit - must report in on special phones located in marinas and other locations on land.

But politicians on both sides of the border are lining up against the move.

If you are on the river and are in doubt about whether you need to check in with Canadian Customs, call 204-983-3500. more

(08/07/09) It's been an up-and-down week for an embattled North Country retail chain. Hacketts reopened its store in Massena this week. Its parent company finished paying off a $5 million debt. But new lawsuits against the company have emerged, including one from the family that is the retailers' namesake. David Sommerstein reports.

(03/18/08) Former Governor Eliot Spitzer will be remembered for his accomplishments cleaning up Wall Street. But Spitzer was also a national crusader for environmental causes. As Attorney General, he sued coal-burning power plants and pushed the Federal EPA to adopt stricter clean-air laws. In his first year as Governor, Spitzer approved a huge land purchase in the Adirondack Park and fought a controversial power corridor project. As Governor David Paterson takes office, environmental activists say he has big shoes to fill. But they also say the Harlem Democrat has a strong track record pushing alternative energy and other green causes. Brian Mann has our story.

(02/05/08) Last week, more than 1500 college campuses around the country joined in an effort called "Focus the Nation." The goal was to convince politicians and the public that climate change should be a top issue in this election year. As Brian Mann reports, students and faculty at St. Lawrence University agree that the planet is getting warmer and that humans are to blame. But they're still not sure what they or their leaders should do about it.

(02/23/07) Five centuries ago, the St. Lawrence valley, from Watertown to Quebec City, was ruled by a culture that modern anthropologists call "the corn people." When the first French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in 1534, he found bustling towns and well-ordered fields. A few decades later, when Samuel de Champlain reached the same area, the corn people were gone. Their villages were empty. Their fields were abandoned. A new exhibition in Montreal explores the mystery of their disappearance. But as Brian Mann reports, some members of the Mohawk community say the scientists and historians have the story wrong.

(07/12/05) The House has slashed over half the funding for an anti-poverty fund called the Community Services Block Grant. The money funds neighborhood centers around the country. Experts say it would mean many of those centers would have to close. The Senate is expected to vote on the issue later this summer. The cuts would take effect in 2006. Gregory Warner reports from a neighborhood center and thrift store in Canton.

(03/09/05) The St Lawrence Renewal Center has received over $140,000 to buy and renovate its offices in Canton.

(03/08/05) More than 60% of Americans are overweight or obese. That number is even higher in the North Country. Most alarming is that obesity among children is skyrocketing. Health officials are calling it an epidemic. They warn overeating will shorten our life expectancy if the problem goes unchecked. Last week, the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative held a forum to discuss why North Country residents are so overweight, and what can be done about it. David Sommerstein reports.

(01/15/03) The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton is sponsoring a local history essay contest with a goal of unearthing hidden history in the North Country. Todd Moe talks with Bart Harloe, one of the coordinators of the writing contest that looks into history "from the bottom up".