Reporter Chris Knight reports that the village of Saranac Lake has updated a law that is guiding the development of two major projects in the community. 

The Associated Press reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation is continuing its ongoing efforts to control invasive giant hogweed plants across the state and reminding residents to report any discovery of the plant in new locations. 

Reporter David Klepper reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has defended his handling of an anti-corruption commission, dismissing reports that his administration interfered with its work. 

Writer Pete Nelson examines two more claims that NYCO made when seeking support of Proposition 5 last fall. The items that he addresses in this column are: Claim Three: The NYCO mines in New York are especially important because they are one of the few existing sources for wollastonite; and Claim Four: NYCO needs the Lot 8 expansion because existing mines are running low. 

Reporter David Sommerstein reports that Watertown businessman Matt Doheny’s decision to drop out of the congressional race will strengthen Elise Stefanik’s candidacy. 

Reporter Stephen Williams reports that while acid rain has been one of the most serious environmental problems facing he Adirondacks for decades, recent research shows that precipitation acidity is getting better and that many damaged lakes and ponds are recovering.

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that the old DOT-111 oil tank cars passing through Port Henry and other North Country communities could soon be replaced by newer, tougher cars.
 

A staff report notes that the Wildlife Conservation Society recently received a grant from the International Paper Foundation to help publish the Northern Forest Atlas? 

Letter writer David Gibson, a partner with Adirondack Wild, writes that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against NYCO aren’t blocking NYCO from undertaking its business nor blocking mineral exploration. They want to ensure the work complies with the law.

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Reporter Matthew Turner reports that unemployment rates in the North Country have dropped substantially in the last year. 

Reporter Jimmy Vielkind reports that Republican investor Matt Doheny has announced that he will not actively campaign for Congress and will instead endorse Elise Stefanik. 

Reporter Maury Thompson reports that State Sen. Elizabeth Little has announced that she will be co-chairwoman for the adirondack region of Republican congressional candidate Elise Stefanik’s  general election campaign.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that the spiny water flea, an aquatic invasive species first detected in Great Sacandaga Lake six years ago has since been found in half a dozen other Adirondack Lakes.

Reporter Maury Thompson reports that Independence Party congressional candidate Matt Doheny will make a “major announcement” Friday morning about his campaign.

Reporter Jason McKibben reports that Mayor Robert Blais has announced that he will be running for a 12th term as Mayor of Lake George. 

Reporter Christ Knight reports that one of the two for-profit biotech companies lured to Saranac Lake by village officials three years ago will be relocating. 

Reporter Thom Randall reports that in response to criticisms contained in a recent state audit of town government finances, the town board changed its procurement policy at its recent July town board meeting.

Reporter David Sommerstein reports that Empire State Development has announced that the North Country will be receiving a new one million dollar revolving loan fund to seed agricultural businesses. 

Writer Phil Brown writes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced the opening of a three-mile hiking trail to OK Slip Falls in the recently established Hudson Gorge Wilderness. 

Reporter Joe LoTemplio reports that city of Plattsburgh councilors have put the brakes on forming a task force to research the transportation of potentially hazardous materials through the city.
 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that Lake Flower Lodging has revised its design for a waterfront hotel in the Village of Saranac Lake.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a final project application for the proposed Lake Flower Spa and Resort hotel was submitted this week.

Reporter Brian Mann reports on discussions at the eighth annual meeting of the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance in Long Lake.

Reporter May Esch reports that NYCO must delay test drilling on Adirondack Forest Preserve land under a temporary restraining order issued by a New York state judge. It is noted that the restraining order is good until Aug. 22, when State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Buchanan will hear arguments from NYCO and Earthjustice.

A staff report notes that the Queensbury Planning Board approved a 3,400 foot zipline near Lake George at a meeting on Tuesday night.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise editorial board writes that the lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups to block NYCO Minerals from conducting exploratory mining on 200 acres of the Jay Mountain Wilderness will be a public burden.

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a final project application for the proposed Lake Flower Spa and Resort hotel was submitted this week. 

Writer Phil Brown writes that the state Department of Environmental Conservation is giving the public an extra week to submit comments on its draft management plan for the Essex Chain Lakes.

A staff report notes that plans to develop a six-story upscale Marriott hotel and conference center in downtown Lake George were approved last week by the Adirondack Park Agency.
 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that local reaction to the revised design for a proposed 93-room hotel on Lake Flower has been notably mixed. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the Saranac Lake village Board of Trustees voted Monday to schedule a public hearing later this month on an amended planned unit development district law, in an attempt to clarify what PUDD law and process is currently in effect as it pertains to the high-end hotel proposal on Lake Flower. 

Reporter Shaun Kittle reports that a Trails with Rails Action Committee spokesperson says the group is looking for a win-win solution on the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor debate. 

Reporter Amanda May Metzger reports that the Adirondack Park Agency has approved a permit for the six-story hotel and conference center planned for Canada Street in Lake George. 

A staff report notes that D. Lee Willbanks, executive director of Save the River, a Clayton-based environmental advocacy group, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative. 

Reporter Amanda May Metzger reports that the project proposing a zip line for French Mountain will head to the Queensbury Planning Board on Tuesday for site plan review and a public hearing.
 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a temporary restraining order was issued on Monday stopping NYCO Minerals from test mining on Lot 8 in Lewis, pending the review of a lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups. 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that questions have been raised about a possible conflict of interest involving a condominium the state Olympic Regional Development Authority has leased for years from a former ORDA board vice president. 

Writer Bill Ingersol writes that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is currently accepting comments on a proposed route for the North Country National Scenic Trail through the Adirondacks, from Crown Point to Forestport. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that a lawsuit was filed Monday morning in Essex County Supreme Court by a coalition of environmental groups that claim DEC and APA did not affect due diligence in granting permission for NYCO Minerals to conduct test mining on State Forest Preserve land. 

Reporter Brian Mann reports that a coalition of green groups are planning to file legal action to block NYCO Minerals from performing exploratory drilling in the forest preserve. 

Reporter Mike Lynch reports that the second annual Adirondack Challenge rafting races will take place Sunday, July 20 in Indian Lake. 

Reporter David Sommerstein reports that Senator Chuck Schumer has said that he would like to help Tri-Town Packing, a St. Lawrence County slaughterhouse involved in a dispute with its meat inspectors. 

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli shows that ORDA relies on loans and outside contributions to cover cash shortages and has borrowed to cover its basic operating costs, including payroll. 

Reporter Lois Clermont reports that the state will reopen for review its Management Plan for the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor, a long-awaited decision in a controversy that has brewed for years. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that three sites and two design options have been proposed for the Cedar River bridge, a prospect that drew caution from environmental groups during Adirondack Park Agency review. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that public comment is still sought on recreation maps and plans for public access to Essex Chain of Lakes. 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that in an audit released Wednesday, the state comptroller’s office has found that the state Olympic Regional Development Authority needs to improve its financial practices. 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that speculation continues as to what effect Independence Party candidate Matt Doheny will have on the race for New York’s 21st Congressional District. 

Reporter Phil Brown reports that  a state judge has once again ordered Hudson River Rafting Company to stop offering whitewater trips until it replenishes a $50,000 performance bond required by an earlier court order.

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that a resident has presented the Town of North Hudson with a petition Monday that would compel a public vote on the town’s pending purchase of the former Frontier Town property. 

The Associated Press reports that officials in New York are enlisting the public’s help in going after invasive species. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil in Upper Saranac Lake has nearly been eradicated.

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that mobile radios for Essex County’s new digital public-safety radio system are now being installed in fire apparatus and ambulances throughout the county. 

Reporter Dan Heath reports that Empire State Development has named Stephen Hunt II as the new director of its North Country Regional Office. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that the State Appellate Court has upheld permits for construction of the Adirondack Club and Resort in Tupper Lake. 

A staff report notes that the Adirondack region is hosting its first Invasive Species Awareness week in New York now through July 12. 

Reporter Brian McElhiney reports that conservation groups, local snowmobilers and towns all have different ideas about how to classify the 14 parcels of land within the Adirondack Park that were recently purchased by the state from the Nature Conservancy. 

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports that while residents support  the continuation of mining for wollastonite in the Town of Lewis, they are concerned about how expansion will impact truck traffic, quality of life and the environment.

An AP story notes that 22 tent sites are now available in the Essex Chain Lakes region near Newcomb. In addition, the DEC has released a draft recreation management plan that proposes to increase public access for outdoor recreation on six tracts of land in the central Adirondacks.

Reporter Brian Mann reports that NYCO’s plans of expanding two existing Wollasonite mines in the town of Lewis is drawing concerns from green groups, local residents and some local government officials.

Peter Bauer reports on a recent New York Times report, ranking the Adirondack Park to the other 3,135 counties in the U.S. by how hard or easy it is to live here.

Reporter Dan Heath reports that the 30 City Downtown Community and Visitors Center will serve as the start and finish for a historical trail under development for the city. It is noted that about 65 sites have been identified for possible markers.

A staff report notes that Judith Enck, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator, will make a public presentation featuring details about recent federal actions to reduce greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions and what they mean for New York and the northeastern U.S. 

Reporter Sarah Harris reports that it is only a matter of time before the spiny water flea, an aquatic invasive species, invades Lake Champlain.

Reporter Lohr McKinstry reports that Keeseville businessman George Moore is making a third attempt to buy the old Frontier Town theme park from Essex County. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that a string of local laws the Saranac Lake village Board of Trustees thought it enacted in 2010 did not officially become laws until recently because the state had no record that the laws had been enacted. 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that ORDA  laid out its capital project plan for the year and talked about re-establishing the board’s Lake Placid Community Advisory Council at its quarterly board meeting last week. 

A staff report notes that the Adirondack Park Agency will hold an informal public meeting to provide information and solicit public comment on NYCO Minerals Inc.’s request to amend existing APA permits for their Seventy Road and Oak Hill mining facilities in the town of Lewis. 

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise editorial board writes their hope that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign both of the important bills intended to slow the spread of invasive plants and animals in rivers, lakes and ponds presented to him by New York’s Legislature. 

Reporter Karen DeWitt reports that Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein has said that even though his group now plans to realign with the Democrats in the Senate, he won’t rule out working with Republicans in the future. 
 

Reporter Shaun Kittle reports that it has been 60 days since the Appellate Division of the New York state Supreme Court heard arguments on the Adirondack Club and Resort case, but a decision still has not been announced.
 

Reporter Matthew Turner reports that Democratic Congress candidate Aaron Woolf has announced a five-step plan to rein in Congress members’ fringe benefits and pay.
 

A staff report notes that the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program is hosting a free training session that provides landowners with instruction on how to control unwanted infestations of invading plants. 

Reporter Joe LoTemplio reports that defeated Republican congressional primary candidate Matt Doheny credits his loss to American Crossroads, a national conservative political organization that backed Elise Stefanik’s campaign with more than $800,000 in mail and television advertisements. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the Saranac Lake village planning board has signed off on a new ski lodge for Dewey Mountain Recreation Center. 

Reporter Chris Knight reports that concerns about the village of Saranac Lake’s planned unit development district regulations dominated a public comment session Tuesday on the village’s draft land-use code.