PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Good news for Plattsburgh. Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a $267 million contract for 100 New Jersey Transit commuter railcars to be assembled in Plattsburgh. Bombardier expects to call back 75 to 85 employees when work starts on the MultiLevel railcars in fall 2011. Between 130 and 140 employees work at the Plattsburgh plant, compared to 350 before layoffs last year. The railcar shells would be built at the company's plant in Quebec and final assembly would occur in Plattsburgh. The contract is expected to last a little more than a year. It is the second contract with NJ Transit for that type of railcar.

CANTON – St. Lawrence County Sheriff Detectives are investigating a burglary in Canton earlier this week and are asking for the public’s help in solving it. Sometime Monday or Tuesday, a residence on the Eels Road was forcefully entered and over $3,000 worth of household items, including a large amount of tools were stolen. A small red single-cab pickup with two white males is being sought by detectives. The driver was described as being in his mid 20s, short brown hair, a small dark mustache, about 160 pounds with a tattoo of letters along his left forearm. The passenger is also described as in his mid 20s, weighing over 200 pounds with sandy colored hair and a small mustache. Anyone with information regarding the incident or people involved is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 379-2222.

CORNWALL – Police in Cornwall say teen homicide suspect is in custody, after turning himself in late yesterday afternoon. Authorities said earlier they were searching for 17-year-old John Skidders in connection with the death of 33-year-old John Paul Tessier, who was stabbed on Prince Arthur Street in Cornwall and died a short time later in hospital. Police said in a statement last night, the youth wanted in connection with the homicide, turned himself in, accompanied by his lawyer. The youth was arrested without incident and held for a bail hearing. The investigation is continuing.

CORNWALL – After the news this week that the temporary Cornwall border crossing is going to continue longer than expected – perhaps another year – border officials announced yesterday that they will make more interim improvements to the site. Following Labor Day weekend, workers will install security gates on three of the inspection lanes, beginning Tuesday, at the Cornwall Port of Entry at the foot of the Seaway International Bridge. The improvements, mostly at night, will be the third this year.

MASSENA – With reports of low blood supplies for many hospital in upstate New York this summer, Massena Memorial Hospital is planning an upcoming blood clinic to boost its local supply. A hospital blood drive is slated this coming Wednesday, September 8th in the Community Education Room from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Hospital officials are hoping to attract at least 100 donors. Last year, MMH used nearly 800 units of blood to care for 309 patients. MMH Laboratory Director Kevin Ward says even one donation can “provide several products for potential lifesaving measures including packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma, and individual platelets.” To donate blood it only takes about 30 minutes with registration and the donation.

CANTON – During a second day of testimony yesterday, St. Lawrence County Court jurors in the Raymond Bjork, Jr. rape trial were played an audio recording of a police-controlled phone conversation Bjork had with the alleged victim. During the playback, Bjork reportedly described having oral sex, but not any sexual intercourse with the alleged victim. Bjork is charged with raping a 26-year-old Ogdensburg woman who had passed out from a night of heavy drinking in February 2009. Testimony is due to resume today.

LOUISVILLE – An overheated deep fryer is cited as the cause of a blaze that caused moderate damage to a home at 274 Andrews Street in the town of Louisville. St. Lawrence County Fire Control says the flames began around 6:45 last evening at the Mark Laba residence. Louisville and Massena firefighters responded and were successful in saving the structure from major damage. No injuries were reported.

MASSENA – A Massena area man was charged with three counts of petit larceny for allegedly stealing money on four separate occasions over the past month, totaling approximately $350, from the Louisville fire department. State police arrested 23-year-old Eric Converse, charging him with taking the money from a cash box. He was issued appearance tickets for a later court date.

CANTON – A series of public meetings will be held in St. Lawrence County starting next week to get input on a new “Users Guide to the Adirondacks in St. Lawrence County.” The county planning office, with funds from the State’s Adirondack Park Community Smart-Growth Grant Program, is developing the guide to lands with public access that are within the county’s Adirondack Park region. Input is being sought about business, services, goods, food and fuel access information for visitors to the region. Five meetings will be held at town halls this coming Wednesday in Clifton, Fine, Clare, Colton and Lawrence. Other meetings are Thursday in Piercefield, September 14th in Pitcairn, September 20th in Hopkinton and September 28th in Parishville.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is warning that local governments across New York will be facing large hikes in their pension costs in a couple years, thanks to the state's recession-battered pension fund. DiNapoli says, by early 2012, municipalities will have to pay more than 16 percent of their payroll toward pensions, up from just under 12 percent this coming year. For fire and police pensions, which often are more generous, DiNapoli says the rate will rise from 18.2 percent of payroll to 21.6 percent. As a result, DiNapoli says many communities will have to raise property taxes so that they can meet their legal obligations to their retired employees.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Rick Lazio is maintaining a lead over Carl Paladino in the race for the Republican nomination for governor in New York, but it could be shaky. Lazio has a 47 percent to 35 percent lead over Paladino. But the Quinnipiac University poll shows a lot of unsure Republicans as the Sept. 14 primary approaches. Eighteen percent are undecided and nearly half say they could change their mind. Paladino's voters say they are more certain they will stick to their choice. The winning Republican will face Democratic nominee Andrew Cuomo. Lazio also has the Conservative Party line and Paladino has his newly-formed Taxpayers line which could keep both candidates in the race until the November general election.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A progressive public policy group says New York is one of the leading states for energy efficiency progress. The Center for American Progress says officials at the state and municipal level have taken an aggressive, multi-faceted approach to reducing energy use. It says investor-owned utilities also are becoming involved in running energy efficiency programs. Through NYSERDA programs, energy efficiency has been improved in more than 45,000 homes, 71,000 apartment buildings, and 17,800 commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities statewide. More than 115,000 low-income customers have received energy-efficiency assistance.


September 2, 2010

UNDATED – The sweltering heat and humidity continued for the North Country yesterday with Massena tying an all-time temperature record for the day. Most of the region hit the upper 80s. Massena registered 90 degrees yesterday afternoon, tying the mark for the day set in 1973. Health officials are reminding everyone to stay hydrated and those with asthma and respiratory problems to take it easy and seek a cool place to work or relax.

MASSENA – Plans to develop a new hydroelectric dam on the Grasse River in Massena have reportedly been scrapped, following nearly 12 years since initial discussion, seven years of work and an estimated five-million dollars spent on fees and studies. The Massena Electric Utility Board reportedly voted yesterday to drop the project, citing a lack of state and federal support for the project, and no longer wanting throw good money after bad without resolution. The project would have replaced a long- deteriorated dam and would have produced enough electricity to potentially power 800 homes.

MASSENA -- The Massena Village Republican Party caucus, originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed. The postponement was announced in a short Email statement last night from Shawn Gray, who said the caucus will be rescheduled for a later date. No word on why the caucus was postponed. Gray said anyone interested in becoming a candidate for Mayor, Trustee and/or Justice – or anyone seeking more information about the caucus itself – should contact Charles Romigh at 764-1092.

FORT COVINGTON – A Franklin County man is charged with arson in connection with a fire to a vacant home on Cold Springs Road in Bombay nine days ago. State police say 55-year-old Ricky Fuller of Fort Covington was charged with starting the blaze in an addition to the two-story home of Whitney McDermut, causing an estimated $35,000 in damage. Police did not reveal any motive for the crime. Fuller was arraigned on a third-degree arson charge and remanded to Franklin County jail in Malone on $25,000 bail. Fire officials say the house had been recently used only for storage.

UNDATED .-- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in the North Country are reminding travelers planning trips across the border between the United States and Canada to make sure they have the proper documents and to anticipate periods of heavy traffic for Labor Day weekend. Travelers can obtain local border traffic conditions by visiting the customs website at www.cbp.gov. Travelers can obtain a “Know Before You Go” brochure, which is also available on the website. It contains information including duty exemptions, along with restricted and prohibited merchandise. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, implemented in June 2009, all travelers, including U.S. and Canadian citizens, need to present an approved-travel document to enter the U.S. by land and sea.

CORNWALL – It appears that the temporary makeshift Cornwall Port of Entry near the foot of the Massena-Cornwall International bridge is going to continue there for awhile – at least another year – while Canadian officials determine where the checkpoint will be permanently located. The border office was relocated to the Cornwall mainland after Akwesasne Mohawks protested and shut down the bridge last year over armed Canadian customs officers. The Canada Border Services Agency has been leaning toward a location other than Cornwall Island. There have been talks about a dual customs facility on the U.S. side at Massena.

PITCAIRN -- The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Detectives are seeking the public’s help in solving a burglary on Tuesday in the town of Pitcairn. Deputies say a home on Orebed Road was forcefully entered and a safe containing about $4,000 was stolen. The burglary occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Deputies are asking anyone who has seen anything suspicious in that area to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (315) 379-2222.

UNDATED (AP) — The latest in a tangled series of state and federal court decisions has halted New York state's plan to collect taxes on cigarettes sold by Native American retailers to non-Indian customers. Gov. David Paterson's office says a state appellate court judge issued an order yesterday stopping the collections. An earlier order had been lifted Monday by a state judge, a decision appealed by the Seneca and Cayuga nations. Those tribes won a federal court order Tuesday temporarily barring collections against them. But the state said it would start imposing the $4.35 per pack levy on cigarettes shipped by wholesalers to other reservation retailers – including on the St. Regis Mohawk reservation – starting yesterday. The tribes say it violates their sovereignty and threatens their financial well-being.

OGDENSBURG – North Country State Senator Darrel Aubertine says the State’s Corrections Commissioner has pledged to send approximately 150 inmates and add a corresponding number of corrections officers jobs to the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility within the next few months. Aubertine reportedly took a call from the commissioner with the news, while meeting with union members yesterday in Ogdensburg. Local officials had been concerned about the declining prison population, after efforts earlier this year to keep the prison and 270 jobs in the Ogdensburg area during the state’s budget crisis.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Democrats seeking to be New York's next attorney general tackled a new issue in their debates — how to handle the civil confinement of sex offenders who have completed their sentences. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky says the law is working to balance civil rights and public safety. Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County district attorney, wants tougher laws and a life sentence for rape of a child. Eric Dinallo, a former assistant attorney general, supports the civil confinement law and says he's uniquely qualified to handle the cases. Attorney Sean Coffey says he has the best background to handle the difficult cases in a cost-effective way. Senator Eric Schneiderman didn't attend.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A new TV ad warning that two candidates in the race for New York governor could deepen Albany's "swamp" of corruption if they're elected, isn't from Republicans mired in low poll numbers. It comes from backers of front-running Democrat Andrew Cuomo. The statewide ad pictures Republicans Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino in a murky swamp. It says a morass of corruption could get worse with the election of Lazio, a former lobbyist, or Paladino, a longtime campaign donor who has won state contracts. The ad doesn't mention Cuomo or that Democrats control both houses of the Legislature and every statewide elected office. The Cuomo campaign notes the ad was placed by the Democratic state committee. Cuomo is head of the party and routinely directs the committee to issue attack and counterattack rhetoric.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A new poll says Democrat Andrew Cuomo is still the runaway favorite to become New York's next governor, but that doesn't mean voters are pleased with him or his campaign. The Quinnipiac poll finds the Democrat is favored by more than 2-to-1 over Republicans Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino. But the poll also shows most voters think Cuomo isn't saying enough about how he would fix New York's budget problems. Most voters think he's ducking his responsibility as a candidate. The poll also finds 75 percent of voters disapprove of the job the state Legislature is doing. The poll questioned nearly 1,500 registered voters last week.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The state Health Department says hospitals across New York reduced the number of post-surgical and blood-stream infections between 2007 and 2009, saving millions of dollars in health care costs. The Center for Medical Consumers said public reporting of hospital performance has encouraged improvement in infection prevention and cardiac-surgery outcomes. The rates of surgical-site infections after colon and cardiac bypass surgery dropped by 11 percent and 14 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2009. The rate for central-line related blood-stream infections fell 18 percent.


September 1, 2010

HELENA — A Massena man who was behind the wheel of a fatal auto accident in Helena Monday afternoon is not facing any charges. 53-year-old Michael Guldan of East Hatfield Street attempted evasive action when a six-year-old Amish boy – Bennie Byler – darted across the road from his house to the family farm on County Road 37 late Monday afternoon. Byler’s death has been ruled as accidental.

BROCKVILLE, Ont. — A two-car crash near Brockville, Ontario has left one man dead and two others injured, one seriously. Provincial police say a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Billy Joe Armstrong of Prescott, Ontario, crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a car operated by 48-year-old Peter Biggs, also of Prescott, on the driver's side. Biggs was pronounced dead at the scene. His son, Jason Biggs, sustained minor injuries. Armstrong is in an Ottawa hospital with severe injuries. Police say alcohol appears to have been a factor in the crash.

ALEXANDRIA BAY – A small aircraft crash landed last evening in the St. Lawrence River near Kring Point State Park, north of Alexandria Bay. No one aboard the craft was injured. Authorities say the engine on the home-built plane cut out about 100 feet above water. The pilot, a former Navy pilot from Seattle, was unable to hold air speed. The plane hit the water and flipped upside down. It’s floats collapsed. Both passengers – Keene Little of Seattle and his brother-in-law Richard Starr of Cornwall, N.Y. escaped as plane filled with water. The craft was subsequently tied underwater to a nearby dock.

FINE – Only minor injuries were reported in a car/four-wheeler accident on Youngs Road in the town of Fine. St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies say a 15-year-old ATV operator was attempting to turn into a private driveway at the crest of a hill when struck from behind by a car driven by 17-year-old Michael Boshane of Star Lake. Boshane and his 24-year-old passenger, Nelson Martin of Oswegatchie, the 15- year-old and his two passengers – 16-year-olds Bryan White and Robert LaBrake of Star Lake – were all taken to Clifton-Fine Hospital in Star Lake for treatment of minor injuries. Charges have not yet been filed, but the investigation is continuing.

CORNWALL — The manhunt continues in Cornwall and surrounding areas for a 17-year-old male accused in last week’s fatal stabbing of 33-year-old John Paul Tessier of Cornwall. For the past week, police have been following leads on the whereabouts of the suspect, John Skidders. As of last evening, special media permission expired for Canadian media over the identity of the minor, under protections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The teen is being sought in alleged connection with the death.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The state Environmental Conservation and Health Departments have issued an air-quality advisory for the whole state today until 11 p.m. The advisory warns that ground-level ozone is expected to be high because of the heat wave this week. The poor air quality could lead to respiratory problems, especially for young children, those who exercise outdoors, and people with asthma. Going indoors will usually reduce your exposure. At the State Fair in Syracuse, temperatures around 90 this week have sent 75 people to the fairground infirmary, with 20 subsequently taken to hospital. It was senior citizen's day yesterday and several fairgoers fainted in the heat. Most of the medical calls at the fair for the past two days have been related to the heat and humidity.

UNDATED (AP) — Foresters say the hot, dry summer could mean an early fall with brighter than usual colors in the Adirondacks and the North Country. Meteorologist Brian Whitley says rainfall was below normal for the year. Forester Bruce Barnard of the Department of Environmental Conservation in Ray Brook says areas that have had a dry summer could see peak colors a week or so earlier than those that got more rain. Signs of fall color have begun to show up here and there, especially in swampy areas with birches and maples.

CANTON – St. Lawrence County lawmakers and department officials have begun their annual budget with a sharp pencil and potentially very sharp paring knife. Legislators will reportedly look at trimming five million dollars in spending from the 2011 spending plan, while possibly chopping one million dollars in spending from the budget that’s supposed to take the county till the end of this year. County officials say the cuts are due to a potential 13-to15 million dollar budget shortfall next year, with increasing costs for benefits and less revenue in local sales-tax collections at stores, along with reductions federal and state funding.

MASSENA — The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation in Massena is slated to begin dredging part of the shipping channel south of Cornwall Island near Hogansburg today. The around-the- clock dredging is expected to continue for several days as part of regular maintenance. Boaters are advised to use caution along that section of the St. Lawrence River.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Two western New York Indian tribes have won a temporary reprieve from the state's plans to tax cigarette sales to non-Indian customers, but the state's other tribes -- including the St. Regis Mohawks -- are still subject to the change that takes effect today. Gov. David Paterson says he's disappointed by a federal judge's decision yesterday to grant a temporary restraining order to the Seneca and Cayuga Indian nations, but that he's confident the state will win the overall legal challenge. In the meantime, he says, the state will move forward today with plans to apply the $4.35 per pack tax on cigarettes sold by Indian nations not covered by the order – and that includes the St. Regis Mohawk reservation. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is challenging the tax in another federal court in northern New York. The state expects about $200 million a year in new revenues from the move, but tribes see it as an attack on their sovereignty and financial well-being.

UNDATED (AP) — The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians filed a motion yesterday in federal court to join a lawsuit demanding stronger action to prevent Asian carp from infesting the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. They accuse the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chicago officials of creating a public nuisance by operating shipping locks and other infrastructure that could let the carp enter Lake Michigan. In its motion to intervene, the tribe says it wants to make sure the case devotes enough attention to its treaty-guaranteed fishing rights. A hearing on the suit resumes Sept. 7.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Senator Charles Schumer says New York has qualified for all $607 million in federal funds to stave off thousands of teacher layoffs statewide. The funding is addition to nearly $700 million in federal education funds announced last week. Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and a state team led by Gov. David Paterson and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew secured that grant in the Race to the Top program that encourages reform in education. Schumer urges the state to get the funds to school districts immediately to avoid layoffs when school opens in most districts next week.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's newest laws are meant to make Internet dating safer and further protect victims and witnesses in domestic abuse cases. The Internet dating safety act requires companies to warn customers of the dangers of contacting and meeting with strangers. The tips include always letting someone else know if you are going to meet someone, always providing your own transportation and making sure to meet in a public place. Among 26 vetoes, Paterson again sank a proposal to create a commission that would promote commemorations – including in the North Country – of the often forgotten, but critical War of 1812 against Great Britain on its 200th anniversary.

ONTARIO -- Telecom companies Bell and Bell Aliant will build an advanced broadband network to expand services like high-speed Internet and high-definition television in eastern Ontario, including the St. Lawrence River region. The new network will expand services for about one million residents and businesses in the region. The system is being described as a "state of the art" fibre optic network with faster and next-generation services. In a decision that will also benefit Canadians who don't live in big cities, the federal broadcast regulator ruled Tuesday that 287 rural and remote communities will finally get access to broadband Internet service. The service area for the network project includes the counties of Lanark, the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, Prescott, Russell Leeds & Grenville in the St. Lawrence River region.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson has signed into law the nation's first extensive domestic workers' rights measure, saying it corrects historic injustices. The law will guarantee overtime pay for domestic workers, as well as time off and protections against sexual harassment. An advocacy groups claims there are frequent reports of spoken or physical abuse by employers, and two-thirds of the workers said they never received overtime pay. Statewide, there are another 260,000 to 270,000 domestic workers, most of them female immigrants.


August 31, 2010

HELENA – Authorities say a six-year-old Amish boy was killed yesterday as he attempted to cross County Road 37 in Helena. The tragic accident happened within a few hundred feet of the St. Lawrence-Franklin County line around 3:45 p.m., when the boy attempted to cross the road from the house to the family farm. Authorities said the driver attempted to avoid the collision, but the evasive action was not enough to prevent the vehicle striking the youth. The name of the boy and the driver have not yet been released until later today, while accident remains under investigation.

NORFOLK – Power is out to several homes along the Norfolk-Stockholm town line, following an auto accident just before daybreak, near the intersection of State Route 420 and Plumbrook Road in the town of Norfolk. Authorities say a vehicle struck a utility pole, causing electrical interruption along Route 420 from Plumbrook Road to the Mahoney Road. Massena Electric Department sent crews to restore the power.

UNDATED — People with breathing problems should take care -- weather and health officials have issued another air-quality advisory for much of southern Ontario and upstate New York. Most of the region will be baking under high temperatures around 90 again today -- with more hot days ahead. High heat, humidity and light winds will allow pollutants from U-S and Ontario sources to accumulate over much of the region for most of the day. Officials say, during the advisory, heavy outdoor activities might cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. People with heart or lung disease, including asthma, may experience a worsening of their condition.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A state judge has refused to block the state from taxing reservation cigarette sales to non-Indian customers, starting tomorrow. The Seneca Indian Nation is trying to delay the taxation of reservation cigarette sales for all tribes by challenging the way New York state adopted the regulations it intends to use to collect the levy starting September 1st. A tribal lawyer argued in state Supreme Court yesterday that state officials circumvented proper procedures by adopting emergency rules outlining how the $4.35 per pack tax would be imposed. They say a 2009 court order blocking the state from taxing cigarette sales to non-Indian customers should remain in place. The state argues the new regulations make the order moot and it should be lifted.

CORNWALL – Today is the self-imposed deadline for the Canada Border Services Agency to have solutions and to have decided where they want the Cornwall Customs Port of Entry. The border checkpoint was moved last summer to the foot of the Seaway International Bridge in Cornwall, following a dispute with Akwesasne Mohawks over armed Canadian customs officers at the previous border location on Cornwall Island. As of late last week, the C.B.S.A. was still in talks over a whether to keep the present location, return to Cornwall Island or develop a joint U.S.-Canada station at Massena.

CANTON – The number of college students hitting Canton this fall is at a near-record high. SUNY Canton announced that it has record enrollment of 3,600 students this fall, up nine percent over last year. They also boast the highest grade-point average ever for an incoming freshman class. Meanwhile, St. Lawrence University reported the second-highest number of freshman applications for this year. The university registered 611 first-year students this fall.

SEAWAY TRAIL (AP) — Promoters of the Seaway Trail have found a new way to boost tourism -- by hiding 75 treasure boxes along the National Scenic Byway. The treasures are geocaches, hidden in various scenic and iconic sites throughout the Seaway Trail's five regions. Geocaching is a high-tech scavenger hunt and has had a huge growth in popularity over the last ten years. Geocaches are containers that hold trinkets and a logbook. The coordinates for each geocache can be found on websites geared toward devotees who use their GPS to track down the caches. The Seaway Trail created its GeoTrail to attract these enthusiasts as a way to stimulate economic growth in communities on the 518-mile byway that stretches from Pennsylvania across New York to Massena.

UNDATED -- The New York State Departments of Transportation and Environmental Conservation, along with the Adirondack Park Agency will conduct a open public information meeting in southern St. Lawrence County this evening to discuss plans for improvements along State Route 3. The Route 3 Travel Corridor Management Plan covers 106 miles through the Adirondacks in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex and Clinton counties. The plan is designed to help shape future short- and long-term transportation policy along the route, with input on goals and needs from property owners along the route. Tonight’s meeting is at 6:30 at Wanakena Ranger School, with a final meeting tomorrow at 6:30 at the Saranac Town Hall near Dannemora.

GOUVERNEUR – Four people, including three teenage girls were arrested in Gouverneur on second- degree gang assault charges. Gouverneur-based state police say the four went to an apartment building on East Main Street in Gouverneur and allegedly began a shoving match that escalated into an assault on a 17-year-old male. The victim, who suffered a fractured arm, reportedly knew all four of the suspects. Arrested were 20-year-old Shayne Miller, 18-year-old Brittany Miller and 17-year-old Alivia Vaughns – all of Gouverneur – and 16-year-old Pamela Fifield of Fulton. All four were ordered held in the St. Lawrence County Jail on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond. Police say a court order of protection was issued for the victim.

CANTON – An inmate at the St. Lawrence County Jail was arrested yesterday following an alleged assault on another inmate. Sheriff’s deputies say 35-year-old Jermaine Kidd was charged with second-degree assault. Kidd was arraigned and ordered under probation supervision to attend a rehab program. Kidd was previously jailed in May for menacing and unlawful possession of a weapon, following an alleged domestic dispute with his wife. Those charges are still pending in county court.

HEUVELTON – A Heuvelton man was arrested on a grand larceny charge for failing to provide work as promised that had already been paid for. St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies say 40-year-old Ronald Green allegedly received $2,600 from a private individual to do electrical contract work in July, but failed to do any of the work or return any of the money. Green will answer the charges at a later date in DeKalb court.

MACOMB – A Macomb man who was 13-year member of the St. Lawrence County Planning Board has resigned after the New York State Police Narcotics Division and County Drug Task Force harvested “a substantial number” marijuana plants allegedly growing on his property. David Duff formally submitted his resignation to the board yesterday, effective immediately. So far, authorities have lodged no charges, but the investigation continues.

CANTON – A 21-year-old Canton man was arrested after inappropriate contact with an underage female. St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies said yesterday that Tyler Burns was charged with forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly squeezing the breasts and buttocks of the girl. He was issued appearance tickets for a later court date.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was in Albany yesterday to discuss $700 million in new federal funding for New York. New York was among nine states to win the latest round of federal "Race to the Top" grant money last week. Duncan met with Gov. David Paterson at the state Capitol. The "Race to the Top" program rewards states for taking up ambitious changes to improve struggling schools.