LLC
ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS
LJ
• HEATING FUEL • KEROSENE • LP GAS
PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron
206702
CROWN POINT, NEW YORK • (518) 597-3444 • WILL DEYO - FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED
Published By Denton Publications Inc.
DIRECTLY MAILED TO OVER
71,354
MYCAPTURE PHOTO GALLERIES
See photos from all the game action last weekend.
HOMES EVERY WEEK! March 2, 2019
Valley News
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
North Country
REPS RAIL AGAINST PROPOSAL
The 180-foot communications tower at Belfry Mountain in Moriah is one of several built new as part of Essex County’s radio communications system.
to shutter state prisons
Photo by Kim Dedam
ESSEX COUNTY EYES COMPLETION OF EMERGENCY COMM. SYSTEM
Connects towns with fire and highway personnel, EMTs, police
North Country reps are up in arms about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to shutter three state prisons this year.
Jones, Stec, Little decry governor’s plan
risk of closure, the North Country’s Albany delegation is up in arms. “The governor’s proposal to close three prisons in New York is cause for major concern,” state Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) said in a statement. “While no prisons have been specifically named, communities statewide will have to wait with bated breath to find out if a critical part of their economy will be shuttered.”
By Elizabeth Izzo STA FF W RITER
By Kim Dedam STA FF W RITER
LEWIS | Emergency communication needs assessment began in Essex County with a brief study in 2001, before Sept. 11. The county was working then with a radio system built in the 1950s. By 2008, a lengthy and detailed Final Needs Analysis Report was provided to Emergency Services and county planners, working with partner telecommunications agencies. In 2009, Essex County bonded $10 million, which has been matched with some $8 million in grant money. » Emergency system Cont. on pg. 3
Stock photo
ALBANY | Citing a decline in the state’s crime rate and prison population, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Feb. 15 that his administration plans to direct the shuttering of up to three state correctional facilities this year. Though it’s unclear at this time which correctional facilities are at
BUDGET SHORTFALL
Cuomo’s plan, which comes in the form of a budget amendment, would authorize the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to evaluate the operations at each prison and expedite the closure of up to three facilities. » Prisons Cont. on pg. 5
Officials take aim at youth vaping E-cigarette use rising among highschool students
By Elizabeth Izzo STA FF W RITER
ELIZABETHTOWN | The use of ecigarettes in schools continues to increase, even as traditional smoking declines among students in New York state. A raft of legislation designed to curb that trend is currently making its way through the state legislature. Bills being considered by various state Senate and Assembly committees include measures that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarette products from 18 to 21 statewide; impose a tax on the sale of vapor products; allow for the prohibition of the sale of flavored e-liquid; end the sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products in pharmacies; require certain warnings on e-cigarette packaging and advertising; and restrict the use of coupons to lower the price of certain products. The measures were proposed last month as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal. State Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury), a member of the senate Health Committee
A
ccording to the governor’s office, “more than half of teens falsely believe that e-cigarette use is harmless.”
where most of the legislation is being discussed, said that vaping among high-school students continues to be a big concern. “A bigger problem is the vaping that’s going on in schools. They’re way under 18,” Little told residents during a discussion about statewide legalization of recreational marijuana at a forum in Plattsburgh last month. Little said that some students are even using e-cigarettes to smoke marijuana, which she said can go virtually undetected, apart from the smell. “That’s a huge problem right now,” Little said. The legislation currently making its way through the legislature will “further safeguard New Yorkers from the adverse health effects associated with exposure to tobacco products, especially among our youth,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a statement January.
VAPING NUMBERS VAULT
Essex County Public Health Director Linda Beers briefed lawmakers on the proposed changes during her monthly report Feb. 11. » Vaping Cont. on pg. 2
Essex awards $158K bid for renovations at Town Hall
North end of second floor will be office space, historian’s suite By Kim Dedam STA FF W RITER
ESSEX | The Town Council here has awarded a bid to renovate the second floor of the Town Hall, a property historically known as Wright’s Inn. Essex Supervisor Ron Jackson said the council’s resolution awarded the contract to Dow Electric, of Malone, for $157,989. “We passed three resolutions related to renovations,” Jackson said. The second approved use of $147,000 from the Wright’s Inn Account plus $14,000 from unexpended fund balance to pay for the project.
In its third resolution, the Town Council appointed Cedarwood Engineering, of Warrensburg, as Clerk of the Works for construction. Grant monies will not support this project, Jackson said. “We did get grant money when they did the downstairs about 1997, but they changed the rules since,” Jackson explained. “You can only ‘restore’ with grant monies. And since we are renovating, we could not go with the grant proceeds.” Monies from the sale several years ago of the former American Legion/Senior Center went into the Wright’s Inn account, Jackson said.
SIMILAR CONFIGURATION
Initial plans to create space for private business use on the second floor above town meeting rooms have been set aside, for now. Town Councilman Ken Hughes said the renovation will provide needed space for town offices.
q)if[age ~at
S\\arket
Sales For The Week of February 28th - March 6th
MEAT SPECIALS
Lean Beef Stew .........................................................$4.29 lb. Seriously Sharp Wheel Cheese ..............................$8.99 lb. Jumbo Shrimp (8-12 count) ...................................$13.99 lb. Rib Eye Steaks.........................................................$10.49 lb. Margherita Pepperoni Stix .....................................$5.69 lb.
“Right now the focus is on expanding space for local government employees and a historian’s suite. Incubator space is off the table until we know how office space settles out for those who are currently crammed into the building (downstairs),” Hughes told The Sun. The configuration of the former Wright’s Inn will remain very similar. “We’re not creating any rooms, we’re just fi xing up the rooms. Partitions are going to be exactly where they were built originally,” Jackson said. “At the north end there will be four rooms reserved for the town historian, with a separate lock, so that the collection of historic documents and items that are located now in several places, can all be brought into one room,” the supervisor said. “Three offices will be created, a storage room, a bathroom, and the stairway to the hall will be rebuilt to code,” he added. » Renovations Cont. on pg. 2
The hallway of the second floor of Essex Town Hall, before renovations begin later this month. Photo by Ken Hughes
HOURS:
HOURS: MONDAY - FRIDAY 6AM-8PM SATURDAY 7AM-8PM • SUNDAY 7AM-7PM
FROM OUR DELI
In-Store Baked Ham .................................................$4.99 lb. LOL Sharp American Cheese ..................................$5.49 lb.
PRODUCE
Fresh Lemons...............................................................59¢ ea. Fresh Oranges ............................................................ 2/$1.00 Fresh Spring Mix & Spinach ............. $4.29/5 oz. container Fresh Green Cabbage..................................................69¢ lb.
3609 Essex Road, Willsboro, NY 12996 • Phone (518) 963-8612 • Fax (518) 963-4583
210920