Economic and Business

(03/09/12) Governor Andrew Cuomo is threatening to force pension reform through the state legislature if it doesn't agree to his proposals as part of the state budget. In Albany, Karen DeWitt reports. more

(03/09/12) The House Agriculture Committee convenes a hearing this morning on the federal Farm Bill at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake.

The hearing is one of only four scheduled for outside Washington DC so far on the bill. It comes at the invitation of Rep. Bill Owens of Plattsburgh. The public is welcome.

See the live webcast via the link below, and hear more this afternoon on All Before Five. more

(03/09/12) About 300 people showed up for Friday's farm bill forum at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake. The US House Agriculture Committee hearing was one of only 4 to be held outside Washington, DC.

The Farm bill is rewritten every four years--the last time the massive set of regulations was authorized was in 2008. The current farm bill expires in September. more

(03/08/12) The Cuomo Administration is cracking down on insurance companies and health care providers who stick patients with unexpected out of network service bills. In Albany, Karen DeWitt reports. more

(03/08/12) The days of waiters and waitresses scribbling down orders on a small note pad may be coming to an end. Yes, there's now a smart phone app for that. As the Innovation Trail's Daniel Robison reports, it's the work of two former waiters turned digital entrepreneurs. more

(03/08/12) Members of the oil and gas industry were in Albany Wednesday explaining the technical side of hydrofracking, and natural gas drilling. WMHT's Marie Cusick reports for the Innovation Trail. more

(03/07/12) Legislative leaders spoke to a large gathering of AFSCME public union members at the Capitol Tuesday.

The union is strongly opposed to Governor Cuomo's pension reform plans--during the demonstration, it ran a radio ad that said politicians are trying to "stick it" to working people instead of making Wall Street and big corporations pay their fair share.

The legislators offered support to the workers--but remained neutral on the pension plan issue. In Albany, Karen DeWitt has the details. more

(03/07/12) President Obama has proposed a new mortgage relief program for membres of the military and veterans. Major lenders will review forecolusres or denials of re-financing. if wrongly foreclosed on, service members will be paid back their equity, and get extra compensation.

Service members are vulnerable to scams, bad deals, and complicated financing. Many are young and inexperienced in managing their finances -- and frequent moves can make them easy prey when they're feeling financial strain.

The problem is serious enough that an entire federal office is now devoted to protecting military families from financial fraud and abuse.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand brought Holly Petreaus, wife of CIA Director General David Petraeus, and head of to the new Office of Servicemember Affairs to Fort Drum last week. The office is part of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
About 200 people turned out to hear about the office's work.

Joanna Richards was there and has the story. more

(03/07/12) Yesterday, we reported on New York's growing reliance on electricity produced Canada. A new project now in the works would pipe enough energy from hydro dams in Quebec to power a million homes in New York City.

The North Country has also seen a boom in energy production in recent years, with new wind farms, wood pellet plants, and biomass. But with more and more competition, and the lingering economic downturn, electric rates have plummeted.

That's putting pressure on small-scale producers of electricity, including companies trying to generate green, carbon-free energy. A biomass plant in Chateaugay, in Clinton County, laid off 13 workers last month. And many of the region's small hydro dams are also struggling.

This morning, Brian Mann profiles one dam operator in the Adirondacks who says without big regulatory changes, some green energy producers won't survive. more

(03/07/12) Cold nights, warm days, sunshine: chickdees are busy, and the sap is rising. It all adds up to maple syrup season. Whether your operation includes a bulk holding tank and miles of plastic tubing, or just a few buckets hanging off the trees in the backyard, it all starts the same way, with a strategically placed hole in a sugar maple.

And it's today's Heard Up North, produced by Martha Foley.