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HOMES EVERY WEEK! Times of Ti
December 14, 2019
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
Betty Little announces retirement Longtime state senator opts out of re-election By Sarah Elizabeth Morris STAFF WRITER
Last term: Senator Betty Little speaks at a press conference in Plattsburgh. There, she announced that she was not running for re-election in 2020, and will spend her last term working hard for the people of the 45th district. Photo by Sarah Elizabeth Morris
NEW YORK | New York state Republican Sen. Betty Little has announced that she will not be running for re-election in 2020, choosing not to run against five-year-long Clinton County treasurer and Democratic Senate runner Kimberly Davis. Little, an upstate New York native, started serving the 45th district in 2003 and has been serving in the senate for almost 20 years. “Representing a vast district comprising six counties, two cities, 83 towns, 20 villages and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, I have had a very unique perspective to learn a lot about this region and gotten to know many good people working hard to make better lives for themselves, their families and their communities,” Little said in an official statement. “As a state representative, I’ve always felt the best I can do is to complement those efforts. Whether it has been through legislation, or funding for so many different
and important initiatives and projects, being in a position to help has been so rewarding.” Little’s news came shortly before her visit to the City of Plattsburgh on Dec. 5. She held a press conference at the Clinton County Government Center that afternoon to go into more depth on her decision. She thanked everyone she met throughout her career as a public figure and says the choice to retire was not an easy one; however, she feels what she set out to do no longer needs her. “I can’t say enough what an honor and a real privilege it has been for me to be able to do this,” Little said at the press conference in Plattsburgh. “As difficult as this day is, it’s time … I will not run for re-election in November [2020].” During her last term in office, Little wants to focus on working to make sure the North Country has broader WiFi coverage and cellphone service, especially along I-87, where service is spotty. The need for cell service, according to Little, is safety, and she’ll continue to push for the North Country to become more modern. Other politicians who heard of Little’s retirement voiced their responses and well wishes to the senator. See BETTY LITTLE » pg. 8
Storm damage in Essex County exceeds $4 million County hoping for federal aid for public and individual losses By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETHTOWN | Essex County suffered $4 million worth of damage from a Halloween storm that felled trees, washed out roads, downed power lines and caused significant destruction to private property. Together with the damage reported by 10 other New York Counties, the devastation meets the federal threshold for federal
fi nancial assistance, said Donald Jaquish, director at Essex County Emergency Services. Damage has been inspected by both state officials and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and “now it depends on the president,” Jaquish said. State officials verified the county estimate, and FEMA was on the scene soon after,which Jaquish said he took as a good sign. There are two aspects to the funding request, one public, one individual. The public covers damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure, while the individual would cover those who lost private property. The government could approve public help without approving individual aid, Jaquish said. See STORM DAMAGE » pg. 7
Some washed out roads are still closed following the Halloween Day flood.
Photo by Tim Rowland
The next frontier
HARD KNOX
Former Ticonderoga Newberry building to become ‘Next Generation’ set tour By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
Re-enactors at Fort Ticonderoga demonstrate how the men of Henry Knox disassembled cannon and loaded them up for their journey to Boston. Photo by Tim Rowland
Colonial artillery officer delivered 60 tons of weapons to George Washington By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
TICONDEROGA | In the annals of colonial history it has come to define American derring do: A pudgy bookworm from Boston
somehow lugs 60 tons of armaments from Lake Champlain across the frozen mountains and rivers to the coast, where George Washington uses them to shoo the British out of Boston. “It’s one of the most iconic stories of Fort Ticonderoga,” said curator Matthew Keagle, as the fort took a day over the weekend to commemorate an expedition that became known as the “noble train of artillery,” which took place 249 years ago. But despite the overall popularity of the story, much mystery surrounds the guns that Knox appropriated. “No one has yet tried to compile a list of cannon that Henry Knox took to Boston,” Keagle said.
TICONDEROGA | Essex County supervisors voted this week to initiate a process that will transform a decaying downtown Ticonderoga property into a tourist destination for legions of dedicated Star Trek fans. James Cawley, owner of the popular Star Trek Original Series Set Tour, said he will develop the space into a similar set tour featuring “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Cawley said it has the potential to triple the number of tourists he attracts, and will potentially keep the attraction open year around. The building, which spent its proudest years as a five and dime owned by the J.J. Newberry Co., fell into public hands when its previous owner, Greg Cunningham, failed to pay its taxes. Sheathed in depressing black plywood with a failing roof and interior asbestos issues, it had long been the bane of downtown boosters’ existence. “Every time I saw that black plywood it would make me ill,” said Cawley, echoing the sentiments of many downtown merchants. The uneasy consensus had been that it would deteriorate to the point it would have to be bulldozed, leaving a gaping hole in the downtown business district. The situation was so bad, Essex County Attorney Daniel Manning said, that the county didn’t put it on the auction block this fall, fearing there would be no bidders, and that the county would end up with an albatross. “It was in dire shape,” Manning said. “We didn’t want any part of it.” Instead, the county will sell the building for the $30,000 owed in back taxes to Ti Alliance, a Ticonderoga economic development group. Ti Alliance Executive Director Donna Wotton said the building, which is next door to The Original Series set tour, will then be transferred to Cawley for redevelopment.
See KNOX » pg. 7
See STAR TREK » pg. 5
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