Reporter Chris Knight reports that former Warrensburg town supervisor has dropped his federal lawsuit seeking floatplane access to Adirondack lakes because he can no longer afford to pursue it. 

Reporter Ted Booker reports that a recent study contends that the consolidation of large milk cooperatives over the past three decades has been a contributing cause to the widespread drop in the number of farms in the state. But the number of cows on the remaining farms have dramatically increased.

Reporter Robert Gavin reports that the state Court of Appeals has dismissed a lawsuit that contended that the state inspectors had culpability in the Ethan Allen tour boat disaster. The court ruled that because the state "owes no special duty" to the victims, their allegations that state inspectors failed to certify safe passenger capacity on the ship must be dismissed.

Reporter Lexie O’Connor reports that dozens turned out for a Utica meeting to hear the plans by Iowa Pacific Holdings and the Adirondack Rail Preservation Society to initiate Pullman and sleeping car service between New York and Lake Placid. 

Reporter Brian Mann profiles Ted Blazer, head of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, about how winter tourism changes with increased competition from Vermont and New Hampshire ski areas and climate change.

Reporter Jon Alexander reports that the state is questioning the effectiveness of mandatory boat wash stations to keep invasive species out of Lake George.  

Reporter Casey Seiler reports that the state DEC will apply for an extension to the regulatory deadline to finalize the blueprint for hydrofracking in New York state.

Writer Ann Melious, director of Hamilton County Economic Development and Tourism, writes that the hamlets in the Adirondacks are dying of apoplexy. 

Reporter Phil Brown reports that there are at least two proposals on creating wilderness areas out of the land being purchased by New York from the Nature Conservancy. 

Reporter Arianna MacNeill reports that two large grants will go toward a program to bring broadband to St. Lawrence County and Franklin County.

Writer John Sheehan, communications director for the environmental advocacy group Adirondack Council, writes that in addition to protecting 70,000 Adirondack acres, the state’s purchase will add a big boost to the park’s tourism economy. 

Reporter Fred Dicker reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo won’t raise taxes or fees to pay for the losses resulting from Hurricane Sandy. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the state is taking a different look at how to plan for managing the state Forest Preserve after struggling to complete Unit Management Plans for various areas of the Adirondacks. 

Reporter Dan Heath reports that NOVA Bus in Plattsburgh just landed a $48 million contract to build buses for Houston. 

Reporter Pete Klein reports that a telework support group has started in the Adirondacks, with its first meeting in Indian Lake.

Reporter Kenneth Aaron reports that the case of whether Adirondack Express editor Phil Brown was trespassing or had a right to paddle through private land was heard last week in Johnstown.

The Associated Press reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a decision on whether to allow hydrofracking in New York state will be delayed until 2013 because a health study is still continuing. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that APA commissioners were told last week that because the Adirondacks climate is getting warmer and wetter, the communities in the Adirondacks will likely experience more extreme weather events in the years to come.

Reporter Jessica Collier reports that the Tupper Lake Village Board made no recommendation on whether the state should re-open the Unit Management Plan for the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor.

A staff report notes that environmental advocacy group Protect the Adirondacks is proposing a 39,000 acre wilderness area centered on 22 miles of the Upper Hudson River that stretches from the Town of Newcomb to North River. The proposed wilderness area would be larger than nine other Wilderness Areas in the Adirondack Park.

A staff report notes that one of Asept Pak in Malone will use a grant from National Grid to improve its processes and therefore its productivity. Since 2009, National Grid has awarded 97 matching grants to manufacturers in northern New York for projects designed to increase productivity or business growth. 

Reporter Dennis Cauchon reports that voters, courts and elected officials are all jumping into supporting hydraulic fracturing, and the political obstacles are starting to crumble.

Reporter Ted Booker reports that Rep Bill Owens says Congress will be pressured to pass the five-year farm bill before the end of the session in December, or leave north country farmers who have depended on the bill’s provisions in limbo.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the case of Leroy Douglas vs. the Adirondack Park Agency will be heard by a jury in Plattsburgh in 2014.

Reporter Rick Karlin reports that school district superintendents around the state are actively trying to attract tuition-paying students from foreign countries. 

Reporter Jon Campbell reports that the state is likely going to miss the Nov. 29 deadline for review of the safety of hydrofracking. One expert hired by the state is saying the review should be completed by mid-February.  

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the state DEC is still working on the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest Unit Management Plan, 10 years into the process, and has a number of other UMPs that are waiting after that.

A staff report notes that Whiteface Ski Area is opening early — Saturday, Nov. 17. 

Reporter Jon Alexander reports that another issue hinging on state Senate control is a deal between the counties and the Republican state Senate leadership that could see local governments given control over sales tax rates.

Reporter Jon Campbell reports that New York has chosen experts to assess the plan for hydrofracking: John Adgate, chair of the Environmental and Occupational Health Department at the Colorado School of Public Health; Lynn Goldman, dean of George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services; and Richard Jackson, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles’ Fielding School of Public Health.

Reporter Jon Alexander reports that the fate of the prisons in the Adirondacks may hinge on which party controls the state Senate. 

Editor Phil Brown reports that his "Right to Paddle" case will be heard on Friday at the Fulton County Courthouse.

Reporter Jon Alexander reports that the Lake George Park Commission would have to nearly double its boat registration and dock fees in order to pay for the proposed boat inspection and decontamination program now being discussed.

Reporter Chris Morris reports that two city councilmen from Utica say they would support luxury rail service on the Adirondack railroad.

Reporter Ted Booker reports that the North Country Farms flour mill is partnering with Panera Bread to have Panera use its natural whole-wheat flour to make bread. 

Reporter Susan Mende reports that Canton town officials are planning a public hearing on changing zoning laws to allow slaughterhouses to be built in the rural zones of the town.

Reporter Keith Lobdell reports that members if the group Adirondack Futures presented the results of a study to the Essex County Board of Supervisors, saying that there needs to be a balance in the Adirondack Park in order for it to thrive.

Letter writer Don Sage of Paradox writes that it is time to abolish the state Forest Preserve.

A staff report notes that the state Association of Counties is asking New York to take over the counties’ cost for pre-school special education programs. That would save Counties about $1 billion.

Reporter Omar Aquije reports that Queensbury school officials are asking the public to contact the state and ask for some mandates to be taken away or eased.

Reporter Jessica Collier reports that Tupper Lake planning board approved a series of waivers and deferrals as part of developer Preserve Associates’ application for the first part of the Adirondack Club and Resort project.

A staff report notes that a CSX train broke a  fiber-optic wire along Route 35 in Potsdam, creating internet and cable outages throughout the western Adirondacks.

Letter writer Donald Wharton writes that there are numerous good reasons for growing opposition to the state’s purchase of 69,000 acres of property in the Adirondacks from the Nature Conservancy.

Writer John Warren writes that environmental advocacy group Protect the Adirondacks is complaining that the new community connector trail being built by DEC following an agreement by local governments and advocacy groups is really a new road and "is much worse than we feared." 

Reporter Jessica Collier reports that the Tupper Lake Planning Board has scheduled a meeting for 1 pm today regarding waivers and deferrals requested for the Adirondack Club and Resort. 

Reporter Thomas Kaplan reports that Democrats believe that they will control the state Senate, but it could be days before anyone knows. Of note: Cecilia Tkaczyk was leading Assemblyman George Amedore Jr.; Senator Stephen Saland was behind Democrat Terry Gipson; Simcha Felderdefeated Senator David Storobin. 

Letter writer Adam Pensel writes that the public boat launches on Lake George should be closed and private businesses should run the launches in order to stop the spread of invasive species. 

The Post-Star editorial board writes New York taxpayers are going to suffer for years to pay the overly generous payments promised state workers when they retire.

Reporters Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg report that American voters picked Barack Obama over Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election — but the victory was far narrower than 2008. 

Reporter Maury Thompson reports that U.S. Rep. Bill Owens won re-election in New York’s 21st Congressional District, beating GOP challenger Matt Doheny. 

Writer Jeff Farbaniec writes that ski season is beginning soon as snowmaking has kicked off on Adirondack ski slopes.

Reporter Susan Arbetter reports that Stuart Gruskin, chief conservation officer for the Nature Conservancy in New York, says that communities can do a lot to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Reporter John Borgolini reports that the new Batchellerville Bridge is expected to reopen over the Great Sacandaga Lake in the next two or three weeks.

Reporter Will Doolittle writes that the lawyers for Sandy Lewis are suing him over lawyers fees that were billed and are unpaid following Lewis’ win in his landmark lawsuit against the APA.  

Reporter Chris Knight reports that an efficiency consultant working with the Saranac Lake and Lake Placid school districts said the initial savings of any shared services is modest.

The Observer-Dispatch editorial board says requiring outdoor enthusiasts to pay for using public trails in the Adirondacks is a lame-brained idea.

The Post-Star editorial board writes that New York State should pay to fight the Asian clams and other invasive species in Lake George and throughout the Adirondacks. 

A staff report notes that the Adirondack Council has released a report judging the positive and negative actions that make up the state of the Adirondack Park last year.

A staff report notes that leaders from the region’s environmental and conservation groups will gather at the Paul Smiths College VIC to discuss improving communication, collaboration and the next generation of stewardship of the Adirondacks. 

 A staff report notes that DEC crews from the North Country regional office are in New York City assisting with cleanup from Hurricane Sandy.