News stories tagged with "port-henry"

(01/04/12) Officials in Essex County say an arson attack over the weekend could have destroyed much of the downtown business district in Port Henry. They also say that the man accused of setting at least four fires, 43-year-old Joseph King, attacked firefighters while they were battling the dangerous blaze. Brian Mann has our story. more

(08/17/10) Republican candidates for the 23rd Congressional district seat are making late summer pushes toward a September primary. Alexandria Bay businessman Matt Doheny has shored up support from the GOP establishment. All of the party's county chairs have endorsed him. Tea Party insurgent Doug Hoffman says he relishes the outsider status, just as he did in last year's special election that brought him to within a few percentage points of Democrat and Congressman Bill Owens. Hoffman trails Doheny significantly in fundraising. Lacking the get-out-the-vote infrastructure of a major party, Hoffman will need a big grassroots push to win. As David Sommerstein reports, whether he gets it is the central question of his campaign. more

(03/11/10) Next Tuesday, when most voters in the North Country are choosing new local government leaders, the residents of Port Henry will decided whether their village should exist at all. Other villages, from Lake George to Potsdam to Saranac Lake are considering similar measures. It is part of a statewide push to cut costs and reduce bureaucracy. But as Brian Mann reports, the decision also brings a sense of loss and even grief.

(03/10/10) Next week, voters in Port Henry in the Champlain Valley will decide whether to dissolve their village. If the ballot measure passes, local services would be provided in the future by the town of Moriah.

Today and tomorrow we'll be looking at local governments across the North Country that are thinking about merging or going out of business. The idea is being considered from Lake George to Potsdam to Saranac Lake. It's an effort to save money at a time when property taxes are a hotbutton issue and state aid from Albany is shrinking.

This morning, Brian Mann talks with Charles Zettek, with the Center for Governmental Research, a think-tank that helps local governments that are thinking about dissolving. Zettek served as a consultant to the village of Port Henry.

(02/08/10) Republicans are hoping to stage a revival in the Northeast this year, inspired by the upset victory of Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts. But here in northern New York, Democrats continue to make surprising gains, eroding the GOP's decades-long dominance. Democrats Scott Murphy from Glens Falls and Bill Owens from Plattsburgh both won House seats in the last year. The party is also making inroads at the grassroots level, capturing local government offices. Brian Mann reports from Essex County.

(01/25/10) Even many prison reform advocates, who want fewer New Yorkers sent to prison, say the state's so-called "shock" program offers alternatives that can benefit low-level, non-violent criminals. Inmates from Moriah Shock have long served useful roles in the region as well, helping forest rangers battle wild fires in the Adirondacks. Over the weekend, they were among the volunteers building the ice palace for Saranac Lake's Winter Carnival. A decade ago, Brian Mann spent a day behind bars at Moriah Shock, attending a graduation, talking with the inmates and their families.

(12/28/09) State officials still sound confident that today is the day they'll demolish the Crown Point bridge. Cold weather delayed the countdown last week. But this morning at 10am engineers plan to trigger more than 800 pounds of explosives, knocking the massive structure into Lake Champlain. Brian Mann is in the Chaplain Valley and spoke this morning with Martha Foley.

(10/28/09) Engineers say the Lake Champlain Bridge between Crown Point, New York and Addison, Vt., will be closed until at least spring. New York Transportation Department Engineer Robert Dennison says the structural problem with the bridge is "unexpectedly extreme." According to Dennison, it's just too risky to continue using the bridge that was closed Oct. 16. The Burlington Free Press reports Dennison was at a public meeting on the bridge closure in Addison last night.

The closure is disrupting lives and commerce on both sides of the lake. A survey conducted by New York state found that between 3,000 and 4,000 cars used the span each day. The states are now providing free ferry and bus service for locals who live and work on opposite sides of the lake. Another public information meeting is planned for this evening at 7 pm at the Moriah Central School in Port Henry, NY.

(06/30/08) One of the North Country's most famous acting troupes is back in action this summer. This production company doesn't have a stage or a theater. Instead, the volunteers gather in an old used-car garage in Port Henry to film new episodes of the famous TV series "Star Trek." The troupe brings to life the show's classic era, with new voyages and new adventures for Captain Kirk and Spock and the other iconic characters. The episodes air on the internet, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers. Brian Mann dropped by the set last week and has our story.

(01/18/08) For a few short hours on Thursday, Essex County was the center of the baseball world. Icons of the sport traveled to St. Patrick's church in Port Henry to pay their respects to Johnny Podres. Podres was the son of an Adirondack ore miner who climbed to the pinnacle of major league baseball. He passed away on Sunday after a lengthy illness. As Brian Mann reports, Podres was remembered as a family man, an athlete and a coach. more