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Guns and Ammo of a Negative Kind: The 48th State Senate Race

Republican State Senate Candidate David Renzi knows that it is a different lifestyle in the North Country compared to other areas in the state.

A lifestyle that involves gun owners.

Whether they are active gun enthusiasts, sportsmen or hunters, gun owners have a history around the area.

Renzi was endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), after receiving an A rating from the group.

State Senator Darrel Aubertine rated somewhat lower at a C grade.

Both Renzi and Aubertine say they are staunch supporters of gun rights and fight to protect those rights.

However, both candidates have been taking shots at the other for ethics issues.

Aubertine’s campaign focused on the Governor’s actions on toughening laws against people who defraud the state’s pension system, sending an email applauding the move.

Renzi has been hit hard over the pension issue after it was revealed Renzi was enrolled in the Town of Pamelia’s benefits plan.

As a lawyer, Renzi says he got out of the state’s pension system in June and is tired of the negative campaigning.

Aubertine says there was nothing negative about the email, but rather a position of support.

Both candidates are looking to return focus to the issues, even though the duel’s results won’t be known until November.

Jeff Nelson reports:

Congressman McHugh: “This Is Not A Time For Panic”

North county Congressman John McHugh (R. - 23rd District) voted in favor of the $700 billion financial industry bailout package and voted against adjourning Monday.

He was in the minority on both votes.

The House defeated the bailout, despite urgent pleas from President Bush and congressional leaders from both parties.

Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote was taken.

After the defeat, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 777.68 points for the day.

“I do want the people out on the streets of northern and central New York to know that this is not a time for panic. I think we suffered a real setback today. Any time an agreed upon vote fails it presents new challenges, but we have a remarkably resilient government and economy,” said McHugh.

When the vote was tallied, too few members of the House were apparently willing to back the unpopular bill just five weeks before Election Day.

Both Democrats and Republicans voted against the measure.

McHugh said the package wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to help stabilize the financial meltdown.

He’s concerned that the longer it takes to address the problem, the more expensive and dire the situation will become.

“This is not just a question of the fat cats on Wall Street. Every farmer that needs a loan to keep operating, every small business person who needs a loan to modernize, every business person that needs a loan to cover payroll - they’re going to find it increasingly difficult. I’m afraid in the not too distant future they’re going to find it impossible to find credit to keep their business running. This is what we’re trying to avoid,” said McHugh.

McHugh also voiced concern about additional bank failures.

House leaders say they’re reconvening Thursday instead of adjourning for the year as planned.

The Senate had planned a Wednesday vote on the measure.

See Jessica Cain’s report:

Clayton and Orleans Ask for Help Funding TIERS

The towns of Clayton and Orleans are sending out a call for help when it comes to funding the Thousand Islands Emergency Rescue Service.

The two towns pay a combined $175,000 every year to help with the ambulance’s operating costs.

However, because several neighboring towns also use TIERS, Clayton and Orleans are hoping those towns will contribute to the price tag.

Clayton and Orleans are sending out letters to Alexandria, Cape Vincent, Theresa, and Lyme.

Last year, TIERS responded to the majority of its calls in Orleans and Clayton. It responded to 95 calls in Alexandria, 76 in Cape Vincent, and 28 in Theresa.

See Caroline Tucker’s report:

Gouverneur Police Chief Warns Cuts Would Render Force “Dysfunctional”

Gouverneur police patrols provide protection from crime, but village streets may soon be turned over to violators of the law.

That’s because Police Chief David Whitton has been ordered by the village board to cut his budget by $250,000 - a whopping 40 percent.

“Cuts of that magnitude would render the police force dysfunctional during certain times of the day,” said Whitton.

The cuts would translate into four and a half full time jobs out of a police department with only 8 officers and 4 civilian dispatchers.

“That would cut police patrols by 80 hours if not more, rendering the services probably between 11 (p.m.) and 7 a.m. non-existent. The streets would be kind of turned over to the night crowd,” said Whitton.

Village officials say the directive to cut spending in the police department’s $592,000 plus budget is a necessity to hold the line on taxes.

“It’s basically either that or there’s going to be there’s going to be some extra burden of the taxes on the public,” said Village Trustee Mike Bartholomew.

Last year Gouverneur police handled more than 5,000 complaints, including a homicide, vandalism and sexual assaults.

They also provided a variety of community services like funeral escorts and unlocking car doors after keys were left inside by motorists.

So far this year, police patrols have been out on the street for more than 3,700 complaints.

Whitton has until November 3 to draft a cost cutting plan - cuts he says he will never recommend.

See John Friot’s report:

Witness Says Foster Threatened to “Snuff Her Out”

Michial Foster is charged with second degree murder and day two of the trial brought forth witnesses who stated he was capable of such action.

Police state that Foster strangled Alicia Wasilewski and then buried her in 1996.

Arrested 11 years later, when Wasilewski’s remains were discovered just outside of Watertown, prosecutors are making the case that he was jealous that she was seeing another man.

One of Foster’s former co-workers, Nancy Blecher, took the stand and stated that during a conversation she had with Foster in 1994, Foster “told me if he caught Alicia screwing around on him he would snuff her out.”

The jury also heard from Alicia Wasilewski’s brother, Ed Van Vranken, who also recounted a time when he witnessed Foster threaten Alicia’s life.

During the afternoon, Theresa McConnell, an acquaintance of Foster and Wasilewski, took the stand.

McConnell testified that after the disappearance, she had a conversation with Wasilewski’s three year old daughter.

“She said, ‘Daddy threw Mommy in the woods. Mommy’s all gone,’” said McConnell.

The prosecution has been laying out a time line, which would lead jurors to believe that on May 29, 1996, Wasilewski was killed at approximately 11 a.m.

According to testimony, by 11:30 a.m. relatives had gone to Wasilewski’s home, where they saw her little girl and Foster.

Witnesses testified the child was already crying about her mother being gone.

But, defense attorney Gary Miles has said the time line does not fit and that Foster couldn’t have killed Wasilewski.

He cross examined McConnell, who gave a sworn statement to police on May 31, 2006, saying that she had a conversation with Wasilewski’s sister on May 30.

McConnell told police that Wasilewski’s sister said Alicia left a couple of messages on an answering machine on the evening of May 29, which would mean Alicia had not been killed in the morning.

Read our report from Tuesday

See Jeff Nelson’s report:

Watch our report:

Feedback: International Joint Commission May Drop Plan 2007

According to a letter from International Joint Commision U.S. Chairwoman Irene Brooks to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, the IJC is looking to drop its proposed Plan 2007.

(Read the letter: ijc)

The IJC held several public hearings and obtained thousands of public comments on its proposed water management plan to replace the current system, Plan 1958 D.

Several residents, politicians and activist groups supported Plan B+, a more environmentally minded plan, which was developed in a 5-year, $20 million study.

From the letter, quote, “we have now completed our analysis…the hearings and public comments showed serious divisions by political unit and by interest and there was little support for Plan 2007. There was also a broad, strong interest in returning to more natural flows.”

Brooks went on to say that the Commission determined that Plan 2007 was not a practical option for implementation and said that the regulation of water levels and flows should be based on a revised set of goals, objectives and criteria.

The IJC also proposed in the letter to form a working group with representatives from New York, Quebec and Ontario to determine where to go from here.

Initial reaction from Congressman John McHugh, who has supported Plan B+, was positive.

“I applaud the IJC for finally recognizing the concerns of community leaders, local residents, and the State of New York, and abandoning plans to implement Plan 2007. I have long advocated for an approach that brings interested parties to the table to identify a solution that recognizes the natural ebbs and flows of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Of chief concern to me has always been implementing a solution that protects the precious natural resources our region has and that are vital to our economic future. I am hopeful we can now move forward in a better direction in the future, and I will continue advocating on behalf our lake and river, and the concerns of local residents.”

See Jessica Cain’s report from 6 p.m.:

Watch our Noon Show for reaction from Save the River Executive Director Jennifer Caddick and what this means for Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River residents:

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St. Lawrence County Had Lowest Felony Drug Conviction Rate In North Country

As alleged drug dealers are brought into the criminal justice system, what eventually happens to them may come as a surprise.

While more than three-quarters of the drug suspects charged in St. Lawrence County last year were convicted, mainly through plea bargains with prosecutors, just under 50 percent ever saw any prison or jail time.

“Our county court is very interested in making sure that people who are addicted to drugs get treatment so they are no longer addicted to drugs. I believe the county court judge is of the firm belief that putting somebody in jail without treating their addiction isn’t going to resolve the problem. So there’s an effort to make sure that treatment is a part of what we do to address the situation,” said St. Lawrence County District Attorney Nicole Duve.

Statistics from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services reveal that St. Lawrence County had the lowest felony drug conviction rate last year compared to Jefferson, Lewis and Franklin Counties.

St. Lawrence County also had the lowest percentage of convicted drug dealers jailed or sent to prison in 2007.

Massena Police Chief Timmy Currier says the majority of drug sweeps in the county like the one this week target street level drug sales involving marijuana, cocaine, ectasy and various pharmaceuticals.

“It takes a great deal of time and effort to put these drug investigations together and to arrest people. We’re seeing the system failing us in many ways. We’re seeing people that aren’t seeing the jail time that they need. We’re seeing people on the streets far to quick. You know in yesterday’s situation there was three people who made bail before we had the paperwork done,” said Currier.

And while illegal drug activity is a catalyst for other crimes, local drug stings by members of the county’s Drug Task Force slows deals between the buyers and sellers for a while.

That said, investigators say there is more to be done.

“We’re making progress. When we target the street level dealer it allows us to move up the chain to the bigger dealers,” Lieutenant Andy Kennedy of the Ogdensburg Police Department.

Narcotics investigators says it’s a good thing that many cases don’t make it to trial and are resolved through plea bargains.

Why?

Because it keeps the identities of drug informants used by police from being revealed.

See John Friot’s report:

Verizon Strike Averted, Local Union Members Relieved

A last minute deal was made Sunday between two unions representing 65,000 Verizon workers nationwide and the company, averting a planned strike at midnight.

The strike would have affected about 130 Verizon employees locally.

They are represented by the Communications Workers of America Locals 1124 and 1128.

The union members had been without a contract since August 2nd.

While the union waited for word on contract negotiations Sunday, members in Potsdam readied just in case of a strike.

The union was prepared with a strike fund set up to help off set losses for employees.

But the strike fund would not have covered full salaries and the union said a strike would have been a last resort.

The union says the new tentative three-year contract settlement with Verizon met their goals of promoting union jobs and expanding bargaining rights.

According to the union, the tentative settlement also includes eliminating subcontracting of work in a number of areas and should create 2,500 new union jobs nationwide.

The settlement calls for wage increases totaling more than 10% over three years.

Rachel Kent reports:

Shakeup In Lewis County Government

For the second time in a week, a Lewis County department head is out of a job.

Information Technology Director Tom Gunn was asked to resign last week and Department of Social Services Commissioner Penny LaBarge has announced her abrupt retirement.

LaBarge says it wasn’t her choice, and she thinks it’s political.

LaBarge has worked for the county for 36 years and has been commissioner for five.

She says she thinks she did a good job and was surprised when a committee on the board of legislators decided to replace her and force her into early retirement.

LaBarge says while she was commissioner, her department’s child support and child protective units were honored by the state and the department was under budget every year.

“You can’t make 100 percent of the staff happy 100 percent of the time because sometimes you make decisions that are best for the agency and maybe not best for a staff member and there comes conflict with that,”

LaBarge says she believes she made a decision that made someone on the board of legislators angry.

County Manager David Pendergast would not comment on the reasons behind the board’s decision.

“The position became available and open with the term ending on June 30 and the board’s decision was to open it up to see who else was available and that’s what they did,” said Pendergast.

The county interviewed 15 people for the position and chose a new commissioner.

Despite everything, LaBarge says she has no regrets.

“I’ve had department heads calling me , I’ve had people from out of county calling me, fellow commissioners in the state. It’s been overwhelming and it’s very satisfying to me to know that everybody is supporting me and is sorry that this has happened,” said LaBarge.

Meanwhile, the county’s IT department has no leader.

Tom Gunn tells 7 News he has no idea why he was asked to resign.

As for who’s replacing LaBarge - no one is saying publicly, and won’t until the board of legislators is asked to approve that person.

See Jessica Cain’s report:

Video: Severe Thunderstorms Cause Power Outages

High winds knocked over trees and pulled down power lines in Alexandria Bay, forcing National Grid to shut down power to Bolton Avenue.

Live wires also started a fire in the middle of the road, leaving a crater in the blacktop.

It took several hours to restore power to the street.

Currently, National Grid has 18 customers still without power in Jefferson County, 5 in St. Lawrence.

Watch our report:

Resources:

• National Grid power outage listing
  

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