Reporter Chris Knight reports that Saranac Lake Village’s comprehensive plan was named the best in the state at this month’s American Planning Association New York Upstate Chapter awards. 

A staff report notes that the Lake George Land Conservancy has issued a report to the press outlining its work in 2014 and looking forward to its plans for 2015. 

Reporter Don Lehman reports that the forest fire in the woods of French Mountain was considered to be contained as of late Thursday. 

A staff report notes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has approved legislation directing the Department of Environmental Conservation to design and post at public boat launches a universal sign warning of the threat of aquatic invasive

A staff report notes that the Lake Champlain Basin Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Task Force has said that eradication of spiny water flea in Lake Champlain is not technically feasible and they are urging spread prevention.

Reporter Mike McCotter reports that state forest rangers will return to woods on French Mountain on Thursday to battle a forest fire that was spotted Wednesday afternoon.
 

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that as the Village of Keeseville heads for municipal dissolution at midnight on Dec. 31, officials are preparing for water-system improvements and paying off some of the village’s debts.
 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that Lake Flower Lodging, the company looking to develop a controversial 93-room, four-story hotel in Saranac Lake has submitted an application for $2.3 million more in state funding.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that a small group of protesters gathered outside the Queensbury Hotel on Tuesday during a fundraising event for Elise Stefanik, the Republican front-runner in upstate New York’s 21st District House race.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the proposed zoning district for the Lake Flower hotel continues to be a moving target.
 

Reporter Maury Thompson reports that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will visit Glens Falls on Tuesday to raise campaign cash for Republican and Conservative Party congressional candidate Elise Stefanik.
 

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that a study of non-profit groups in the Adirondacks shows they add about $422 million annually to the region’s economy. 

Reporter Pete DeMola reports that Aaron Woolf, the Democrat running to replace outgoing Congressman Bill Owens is seeking to position himself as an ecological champion.

Reporter Joe LoTemplio notes the differing views on environmental issues between the congressional candidates for the 21st district.

Reporter Joe LoTemplio reports that rather that wait a year for a Charter Commission to make changes to the length of terms for City of Plattsburgh councilors, one councilor wants to move forward now but the Mayor has noted that the deadline has passed to allow public vote this election season.
 

Reporter David Klepper reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced to business leaders on Friday that he wants to use $1.5 billion on local economic development programs. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that while there has been plenty of support for the zoning change for a controversial hotel project on Lake Flower, others are voicing concerns. 

Reporter Pete DeMola reports that a proposal for the town of North Hudson to purchase the former Frontier Town was voted down on Thursday.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that Protect the Adirondacks and the Sierra Club have released a statement about the denial of their appeal to the Appellate Division over the upholding of the Adirondack Park Agency’s Approval of the Adirondack Club & Resort Project.
 

Reporter Pete DeMola reports that Congressman Bill Owens and 21st District Democratic congressional candidate Aaron Woolf joined forces against Elise Stefanik in a joint press conference on Wednesday.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a court has dismissed a Protect the Adirondacks attempt to appeal an earlier ruling that cleared the way for a Tupper Lake resort. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that supporters of a plan to refurbish and expand the former Crescent Bay Marina turned out in droves Wednesday night for a town of Harrietstown Planning Board meeting on the project. 

The Associated Press reports that New York state is seeking comment on its open space plan.
 

Reporter Zach Hirsch reports that environmental officials in upstate New York have issued a precaution asking people to stay away from some rivers in Peru, Plattsburgh, and other towns, while they treat the water with a chemical that kills sea lamprey.
 

Reporter Dan Heath reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Lake Champlain Transportation $100,000 for alleged violations of federal and state clean-air regulations.

Writer Phil Brown questions whether the development guidelines set forth in the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan mandatory or not. 

Reporter Shaun Kittle reports that with a lawsuit slowing things down, the Tupper Lake town board has extended a planned development district for the Adirondack Club and Resort for the third time.
 

Reporter Anthony Hall reports that the Town of Bolton has agreed to purchase two forested lots wrapped in a conservation easement near Edgecomb Pond, adding another layer of protection to the source of its drinking water.
 

Reporter Brian Mann reports that Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello is playing a huge part in New York’s North Country’s House race and is draining significant support away from Democrat Aaron Woolf.

Reporter Shaun Kittle reports that the Tupper Lake town board has yet to make a decision on the fate of the 7-acre Setting Pole Dam property.

Reporter Phil Brown reports that the state has purchased a 5,770-acre tract abutting the High Peaks Wilderness from the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, the latest acquisition of former Finch timberlands for the Forest Preserve. 

The Post Star Editorial Board writes that much of the credit for the improvement in Lake George during its struggle against aquatic invasive species goes to the S.A.V.E. Partnership, a coalition of municipal and environmental leaders.

Reporters David Sommerstein and Brian Mann report that a new poll of the North Country’s Congressional race finds Republican Elise Stefanik leading Democrat Aaron Woolf 46 to 33 percent. Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello is favored by 10 percent of those polled. 

Reporter  Chris Knight reports that the Saranac Lake village Planning Board voted 4-0 Wednesday night to recommend approval, with conditions, of a zoning change for the controversial 93-room, four-story, upscale hotel proposed by Chris LaBarge of Malone.

The Associated Press reports that the family of environmental activist Howard Zahniser has granted New York state a conservation easement on the cabin where much of the Federal Wilderness Act of 1964 was drafted.
 

The Associated Press reports that the inaugural year of the mandatory boat inspection program on Lake George saw 16,888 boat inspections this summer. 

Reporter Brian Mann reports that while Gov. Andrew Cuomo won the Democratic Party primary, his opponent, Zephyr Teachout won a clear victory in many Upstate New York counties and came close to sweeping the North Country.

Writer Phil Brown writes that according to court papers filed by the state attorney general’s office, environmental activists seeking to prevent NYCO Minerals from drilling in the Jay Mountain Wilderness are trying to thwart the will of the electorate. 

A staff report notes that Scientists, wildlife conservationists, and food safety advocates have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act protection for monarch butterflies. 

Reporter David Sommerstein reports that Clarkson University is stepping in to salvage a troubled mobile chicken slaughterhouse in St. Lawrence County.  

Reporter Don Lehman reports that state officials formally unveiled plans Monday for a revamped Million Dollar Beach that will include an expanded boat launch with boat washing station, new parking lot, rerouted traffic and two new fishing piers.
 

A staff report notes that the largest health care workers union in the eastern states has endorsed the candidacy of Aaron Woolf for the 21st Congressional District. 

Reporter Don Lehman reports that the only free boat launch on the south end of Lake George will be closed until the end of May, a development that has drawn the ire of boaters, fishermen and businesses that cater to them.

Reporter Maury Thompson reports that the state has implemented tighter scrutiny on sales tax exemptions for building materials and supplies which IDAs provide to development projects.

Writer Dick Beamish, a board member of Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates and founder of the Adirondack Explorer magazine, writes that the time has come for the state to complete its review of the 120-mile Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor and determine the best use of what has been an underutilized resource.
 

Reporter Martha Ellen reports that North Country Pastured has run into so many roadblocks that its mobile poultry slaughterhouse, which was unveiled last summer with great fanfare, is no longer operating. 

A staff report notes that J. Buckley Bryan, Jr., long-time Lake George Association member and past president, has announced his plan to donate $1 million to the Lake George Association over the next few years. 

A press release notes that the Adirondack Council has released its State of the Park report for 2014. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has thrown its weight behind the proposed Lake Flower Spa and Resort.
 

Reporter Mike Lynch reports that Hilary Smith, director of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, has taken a high-level job with the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that the access point to Upper Saranac Lake is about to receive $475,000 worth of upgrades. 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a notice of violation to a local fuel supply company for its failure to report an oil spill that occurred on August 19. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency say they need more information before they can start a formal review of a request to revise the flood elevation of Lake Flower, a revision that could sink Lake Flower Lodging’s plan for a 93-room, high-end hotel and spa on the lake’s shoreline. 

Reporter Martha Foley reports that the presence of the Asian spotted wing fruit fly, an invasive insect that devastates berry crops, has been confirmed in the North Country.

A staff report notes that the Wild Center has acquired 50 acres of Raquette River front property, made possible by a group of supporters.