A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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By Andy Gardner AKWESASNE — The St. Regis Mohawk Health Services director says they’re prioritizing getting COVID-19 vaccines to elders with co-morbid illnesses. “Our priorities continue to focus of those most vulnerable, (age) 65 and above and those with severe chronic illness,” said Health Services Director Michael Cook. He said as of Wednesday morning, Feb. 10, they’ve given out over 1,000 doses of the vaccine, 880 first doses and 200 booster shots. “By the end of this week we will have added another 200 booster doses with 400 prime doses...
By Andy Gardner POTSDAM — Clarkson University has moved to “Red Alert Level 1” which means the school has shifted all classes to fully remote and all athletic contests are on hold. “Today we have had 18 new positive test results for COVID-19 from our community members and 15 cases were reported yesterday,” Clarkson VP for External Relations Kelly Chezum said in a statement on the universities webpage. “Golden Knights, we need to stop the spread now.” • All small group gatherings will need to move to virtual access. • The gyms and fitness facili...
By Andy Gardner High school athletes may soon be back on the courts and in rinks, but the season would be quite short. Many Section 10 school officials have been in the process of creating safety plans, which would then be subject to review by local departments of public health. Salmon River Central’s Board of Education was to have met Wednesday, Feb. 10. Their agenda didn’t appear to have any sports-related action or discussion items. Massena’s school board was to have hosted their monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 11. They’re both schedul...
By Andy Gardner CANTON – A handful of high school athletes, a parent and a coach spoke out during Monday night's St. Lawrence County legislature meeting to call for high-risk winter sports to return. Despite approval from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the 24 school districts that make up Section X have opted not to move forward immediately with high-risk winter sports. The Board of Legislators and St. Lawrence County Public Health didn't make the decision to shutdown high-risk sports, but some of the speak...
By Andy Gardner Salmon River Central’s Board of Education awarded $17.5 million in contracts for the fourth phase of their capital renovations project. Meanwhile, the board also voted to put a proposition alongside this year’s budget vote to replace four school buses. The board took the actions during their regular monthly meeting on Jan. 13. The total of the awarded capital project bids is $17,560,444, “well below our budgeted amount,” said Mike Lahey, a district architectural contractor. They’re planning the work to avoid being in the build...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA — The Massena Central School District will get $50,000 to become a food hub, and they’re looking at creating a district food pantry at J.W. Leary Junior High. Community Schools Director Kristin Collarusso-Martin discussed the two developments with the Board of Education during their Thursday, Jan. 14 meeting. “We found out that we received the full award of $50,000 from No Kid Hungry to become a nutrition hub. This is a really interesting grant because what I understand is that corporate donors select projects that they...
By Andy Gardner The New York State Department of Health has released new guidance giving county health departments the power to authorize high-risk sports, including interscholastic games, in their respective areas starting Feb. 1. “Effective February 1, 2021, participants in higher-risk sports and recreation activities may partake in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training and, further, may partake in other types of play, including competitions and tournaments, only as permitted by the respective l...
By Andy Gardner Salmon River officials are coordinating a plan to continue meal service in case someone from their food service department has to quarantine or tests positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the superintendent is working on setting up a vaccination clinic on school grounds. Salmon River Superintendent Dr. Stanley Harper made the comments during their January 13 Board of Education meeting. He said that continuing meal service “may become challenging if we have one or more of our food service staff members quarantining or testing p...
By Andy Gardner MALONE – A Hogansburg woman is facing several charges after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop and nearly injuring a state trooper. State police say on Monday, January 18 around 1:24 p.m., They stopped a vehicle on Park Street in the village of Malone. The female operator refused to provide identification or comply with any other requests by the trooper, police said. The investigating trooper made an arrest and opened the driver’s side door of the vehicle. The driver shut the door and drove away, nearly injuring the trooper, sta...
By Andy Gardner AKWESASNE – COVID-19 outbreak at the Tsiionkwanonhso:te long-term elder care facility has resulted in five resident deaths, and sickened a number of both residents and staff. Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict said the outbreak began Dec. 15. He said he didn’t have an exact cumulative count, but as of a Tuesday, Jan. 19 interview he estimated nine active cases among residents and six among staff. “There was a couple hospitalizations. We’ve had five deaths in the facility. I believe, most if not all of them...
By Andy Gardner Akwesasne residents will be able to get COVID-19 vaccinations at the New York State-run regional vaccination clinic at SUNY Potsdam, which should be ramping up to performing 1,000 vaccinations per day, according to a top local health official. Dr. Andrew Williams discussed the clinic’s opening during a Tuesday, Jan. 19 Zoom call with members of the local press. He is president of the St. Lawrence County Board of Health, an associate chief medical officer of St. Lawrence Health System, and chief medical officer for Community H...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA — Even though the most recent federal pandemic stimulus package includes some school aid, a Board of Education member says they’re still looking at a rough road when they get to crafting the 2021-22 budget. Loren Fountaine, who chairs the board Finance Committee, updated the board during their Thursday, Jan. 14 meeting. “Tough budget year because of the pandemic and the effect it had on the state economy, in turn what that does to collection of taxes,” he said. “It is going to be a tough budget year. We should just give...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA — The Massena Central School District is looking to set up a vaccination clinic for employees in the near future. Meanwhile, the Board of Education is coming up with a plan in case of future pandemics that the state is requiring of each district. Superintendent Pat Brady said they’re still trying to find a suitable location and holding the clinics will depend on the vaccine supply. “We’re looking at possibly the high school gym. We’re preparing for that when it comes,” he said during the Thursday, Jan. 14 Board of Ed...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA — The Massena Central School District will start using artificial intelligence (AI) to communicate with families and track attendance. Community Schools Director Kristin Collarusso-Martin discussed the program with the Board of Education during their Thursday, Jan. 14 meeting. She said the chat bot, named Raider, can be used to send announcements to the entire district and people getting a text from Raider can ask it questions and it will answer them. “If we have an announcement to get out to the district or if we wan...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA - Mayor Tim Currier, who was arrested in December in a drug sales investigation, will resign on Feb. 1. Currier, a former Massena police chief, announced the resignation in a statement released Tuesday morning, Jan. 19. He announced a leave of absence to seek drug treatment shortly after his Dec. 1 arrest on charges of misdemeanor possession of crack cocaine, fleeing police and a felony count of evidence tampering. "Since the events of December 1, I have worked hard on...
By Andy Gardner St. Lawrence County’s Board of Health president is urging everyone, especially the young, healthy, and fit, to be vaccinated for COVID-19, who he warns may not die of the disease but could be stuck with what’s called Long Haul Syndrome. Dr. Andrew Williams made the comments during the county legislature’s Monday, Jan. 11 meeting. Long Haul Syndrome is seen in some COVID-19 patients where they experience cardiac, neurological, or cognitive problems weeks or even months after recovering. “Although your risk of death from COVID i...
By Andy Gardner POTSDAM – SUNY Potsdam will be a regional COVID-19 vaccination site, and the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department expects to have four more lined up by the end of the week. Dr. Dana McGuire, St. Lawrence County Public Health director, discussed the development with the county legislature’s operations committee during their Monday, Jan. 11 meeting. She said they’re seeking five regional sites. The SUNY Potsdam site, at Maxcy hall, will be a New York State-designated regional vaccination site, one of two in the North...
By Andy Gardner CANTON — With COVID-19 vaccinations slowly rolling out, a top local public health official recently explained some of the frequently asked questions for the vaccine. Dr. Andrew Williams made the comments during the Monday, Jan. 4 St. Lawrence County legislature meeting. He is president of the St. Lawrence County Board of Health, and a chief medical officer at St. Lawrence Health System, which owns and operates Massena, Canton-Potsdam and Gouverneur hospitals. The vaccine won’t cost anything to people being vaccinated. “Th...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA – Contractors working on the Massena Central School District’s capital project will conduct a building condition survey of all district buildings, which the state requires every five years. Contractor Ed Bernhauer from the IBI group discussed the proposal with the Board of Education during their Thursday, Dec. 17 meeting. “What it involves is you have your architects and engineers go out and survey the conditions of your educational occupied buildings,” Bernhauer said. The survey will be the district’s blueprint...
By Andy Gardner MASSENA – The Massena Central superintendent told the Board of Education there is frustration among students and staff who are directed to stay home due to COVID-19 precautions, but that decision is out of administration’s hands. It’s made by healthcare professionals following public health guidelines. Superintendent Pat Brady discussed how quarantining from school works during the board’s Thursday, Dec. 17 meeting. “It’s really the professionals here that are making the decisions,” Brady told the board. “It’s made by the nurse...
By Andy Gardner WESTVILLE. A Malone man was arrested after fleeing police who tried to pull him over for going 95-mph in a 55-mph zone in Fort Covington. State police say they charged Anthony K. Walker, 35, with third-degree unlawfully fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, reckless driving and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. Troopers say around 8:55 p.m. on Dec. 8, they tried to pull over the vehicle Walker was driving. He allegedly “failed to pull over and drove in a reckless manner, continuing into the town o...
BY ANDY GARDNER CANTON. Even though the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in St. Lawrence County by the end of the week, keeping the coronavirus at bay will still require people to practice daily preventative measures. He also says he does not believe there is a need for a mass testing event in the county. Dr. Andrew Williams, St. Lawrence County Board of Health president, made the comment during the Monday, Dec. 14 Board of Legislators Services Committee meeting. “Does this mean the pandemic is over? I think the i...
By Andy Gardner MOIRA. A fire reported at 6:45 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 destroyed Martin’s Country Store and a neighboring pretzel factory on Franklin County Route 6. Moira Fire Chief Shawn Niles told NNY360 that the fire appears to have started in the pretzel bakery, located in a structure connected to the rear of the country store. The pretzel bakery was in Jefferson County until about two years ago, the publication said. There were no injuries to firefighters and one member of the Martin family was taken to a nearby hospital for p...
By Andy Gardner The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is canceling all 2021 winter championships and postponing high-risk sports until the state gives authorization to have them. NYSPHSAA says their officers made the decisions with input from membership and 11 section executive directors. High-risk sports include basketball, boys lacrosse, competitive cheerleading, football, ice hockey, volleyball and wrestling. “When examining the feasibility of winter state championships, it became apparent that travel and o...
By Andy Gardner Several local cross-country runners were recently applauded with All-Northern Athletic Conference honors. The All-NAC boys team includes Xavier Collins from the Salmon River Shamrocks. Also receiving the honor are Nick Lyndaker (MVP), Max Finley and Sean Shannon (Canton); Skye Crocker and Finnegan Dean (Potsdam); Owen Haas, Dominic Fiacco, Anthony Fiacco and Michael Richards (Norwood-Norfolk); Watson Chodat, Dylan Perry and Tye Royal (Franklin Academy); and Cole Siebels (Gouverneur). Included among the boys Outstanding...
