News stories tagged with "public-safety"

(06/13/11) Governor Andrew Cuomo says he'll introduce a bill to crack down on texting while driving, with new punishments and penalties. Karen DeWitt reports. more

(04/28/11) John Warren is host of the Adirondack Almanack blog. We hear his Adirondack conditions reports every Friday morning here on North Country Public Radio.

He joined Martha Foley this morning from Chester, in Warren County. He'd been out and about between there and Vermont yesterday, watching Lake Champlain, and the rivers and streams on his way.

(03/14/11) A coalition of leaders from the North Country's snowmobile tourism industry is complaining that law enforcement officials are harassing sledders.

They say sticker inspections and multiple trail stops are discouraging visitors from visiting the area.

But as Brian Mann reports, these concerns come as law enforcement agencies are grappling with a growing number of snowmobile injuries and deaths. more

(11/29/10) State officials say the search for Wesley Wamsganz is being scaled back this week after more than nine days of intensive effort.

Wamsganz, who is 22 years old, was last seen on November 20th in the Adirondack High Peaks. His Carhart jacket was found on a trail near Marcy Dam. But crews of volunteers, tracking dogs, and a state police helicopter found no additional sign of Wamsganz.

In the days since, temperatures in the mountains have plunged into the single digits, with high winds, freezing rain and snow. Last night, Forest Ranger Capt. John Streif met with the Wamsganz family. He informed them that the large-scale effort to find their son was being suspended.

A short time later, Captain Streif spoke by telephone with Brian Mann from the Adirondack Loj, which was the headquarters for the search.

(11/26/10) Roughly thirty searchers spent another disappointing day in the High Peaks yesterday, trying to find 22-year-old Wesley Wamsganz.

The Saranac Lake man disappeared on Saturday and was last spotted by witnesses near a trailhead at the Adirondack Loj.

Brian Mann has our update. more

(11/25/10) A small army of searchers will head back out into the woods this morning, hoping to locate 22-year-old Wesley Wamsganz from Saranac Lake.

Wamsganz was last seen on Saturday heading into the woods near the Adirondack Loj in the High Peaks region. Brian Mann has details. more

(10/27/10) Moose populations are on the rise. They're well established in northern New England. Seeing a moose is nothing new in Maine - about 29,000 moose there last year. Or New Hampshire - 6,000 moose. Or even Vermont - home to some 3500 moose.

Now moose are more and more common in New York - 500 to 800 moose -- and in Massachusetts and Connecticut as well.

Although some people are delighted by the occasional moose sighting, as their numbers increase these large animals pose a growing danger on the roadways.
Maine records 600 to 700 vehicles collisions with moose every year. And moose-car collisions can be deadly, for humans and the moose.

Northern states have launched educational programs to try to reduce moose-car collisions. New Hampshire, in particular, may have something to teach the rest of the region. As part of a reporting collaboration with Northeast stations, Shannon Mullen has more. more

(09/17/10) Across the North Country, border patrol road checkpoints where agents stop cars and ask passengers their citizenship have become a part of daily life. Today we have a story about another step in the creeping influence of homeland security inside the border.

It's now become commonplace for federal agents to board buses and trains across Upstate New York and ask passengers for proof of citizenship. The checks are sweeping up some drugs and illegal immigrants, but also people who are here legally. David Sommerstein reports. more

(07/02/10) When 100,000 people crowd a city on a hot, sunny day, there are bound to be some glitches. Food, water, waste...parking. They can add up to a pile of trouble. The commission that runs most of the public spaces and big public events in Canada's capital organized some "green" solutions yesterday.

(06/28/10) A house fire in Fort Edward over the weekend left six young children dead from smoke inhalation.

Washington County officials are investigating the Saturday morning blaze but say they don't suspect foul play. Brian Mann has details.