Elizabethtown, NY, Nov 07, 2011 — Budget season is heating up for town and county governments, and in Essex County that could mean some big changes.

A pair of popular county-run services - the Horace Nye Nursing Home and the fish hatchery - could be cut loose as lawmakers look to present a budget that meets the state's new 2 percent property tax cap.

Supervisors are also considering layoffs, after a key union that represents 450 workers declined to renegotiate the final year of its contract.  Go to full article

Buffalo, NY, May 19, 2011 — Next week voters in western New York will elect a new member of Congress.

The 26th district is conservative territory, but Republicans are worried that they could see a repeat of the debacle in the North Country that already cost them one House seat.

In 2009, tea party candidate Doug Hoffman and Republican Dede Scozzafava split the conservative vote in the 23rd district House race.

That opened the door to a special election victory by Bill Owens.

Now the GOP is scrambling to hold onto a seat against a Democrat and a well-known businessman who's running on the tea party line.

Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Mar 24, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing to downsize state government in New York by more than $10 billion. But he's also trying to shrink the number of local governments and school districts. Cuomo is cutting aid to towns and villages, while also pushing for a cap on local property taxes.

One of the people leading that effort is former North Country Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava from Governeur. Cuomo picked Scozzafava in January to serve as Deputy Secretary of State for Local Government. As Brian Mann reports, Scozzafava says the state isn't trying to force communities to dissolve or consolidate their local governments.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Oct 06, 2010 — A race that threatened to complicate the conservative vote in the North Country's 23rd congressional district got simpler yesterday.

Conservative Doug Hoffman dropped out, urging his supporters to cast their ballots for Republican Matt Doheny. That clears the way for Doheny's challenge of Democratic incumbent Bill Owens, and ends a remarkable political adventure that began more than a year ago in the NY23 special election.

In a statement yesterday, Hoffman wrote he never intended to split the Republican vote in the 23rd District. But it's not clear whether the endorsement will send all Hoffman's supporters Doheny's way. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Dec 29, 2009 — The Crown Point bridge across Lake Champlain was demolished yesterday morning, just after ten o'clock. The span had served as a major link between Vermont and upstate New York for eight decades. It became a part of the North Country landscape and lore. Deterioration of the bridge and its closure in mid-October have crippled the Champlain Valley economy, straining ties between communities on both sides of the lake. As Brian Mann reports, many local people hope that yesterday's massive explosion marks a first step toward getting their lives back to normal.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Dec 18, 2009 — The Republican Party in New York state has suffered some painful blows in the last decade. The GOP has lost every statewide election and seen its congressional delegation nearly wiped out, even losing House seats here in the North Country. Brian Kolb leads the GOP's minority caucus in the state Assembly. His caucus holds only about a quarter of the seats in the Assembly. In large part that's because the increasingly conservative Republican Party has struggled to compete in New York City. Kolb spoke with Brian Mann this week about the future of his party. He says a nearly two-to-one voter-enrollment advantage gives Democrats a big headstart.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Nov 11, 2009 — An iconic North Country retailer has filed for bankruptcy. Hacketts stores filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday. President and COO Herbert Becker said in a press release the move will allow the company to "assure its financial viability while repaying creditors". He said Hacketts intends to keep its existing stores in Ogdensburg, Massena, Tupper Lake, and Sackets Harbor open.

Hacketts was founded in Ogdensburg in the mid-1800s. At its peak two years ago, Hacketts had expanded to nine stores as far-flung as Pulaski and Hamilton. But that growth hid massive debt in Hacketts' parent company, Seaway Valley Capital Corporation, owned by Thomas Scozzafava, brother of Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava. Martha Foley talks with David Sommerstein, who has reported extensively on Seaway Valley and Hacketts, about what the bankruptcy means.  Go to full article

Peru, NY, Nov 06, 2009 — Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, who lives in the town of Peru, was a staunch supporter of Republican congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava. The two women share a number of maverick views that clash with their party leadership, including their support for a woman's right to choose and gay marriage. In the days since Tuesday's election Duprey says her office has been barraged with angry emails, including some that threaten her with physical violence. She sat down yesterday to talk with Brian Mann about the future of the North Country's Republican Party.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Nov 04, 2009 — This summer Doug Hoffman, an accountant from Lake Placid, erupted into a national political phenomenon. With the backing of national conservative figures from Sarah Palin to Rush Limbaugh, Hoffman defied the Republican Party and tried to capture the NY-23 House seat. He managed to scuttle Republican Dede Scozzafava's campaign, but fell short last night. Brian Mann reported on the scene in Saranac Lake.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Nov 02, 2009 — The race to replace John McHugh is down to its last frenzied day after a shocking weekend. Republican Dede Scozzafava dropped out on Saturday, after a Siena poll showed her trailing badly. Then on Sunday, Scozzafava bucked her party and threw her support behind Democrat Bill Owens. That leaves Owens and Conservative Doug Hoffman, who both benefit from star power appearances today. Jonathan Brown talks with David Sommerstein about the second last day of campaigning.  Go to full article