News from Our Neighbors

LAPAGE ELECTED SALMON RIVER BOARD OF EDUCATION VP

The Salmon River Central School District Board of Education elected one of its newest board members, Robert Lapage, as vice president of the board at its monthly meeting this week. The position had been open since late September, when former board member and Vice President Greg Cunningham resigned following several controversial issues at Salmon River.

The board is currently operating one member short after accepting Mr. Cunningham’s resignation at its October meeting. An attempt to elect a vice president at that meeting failed because five votes are required to fill the position. This time Mr. Lapage’s election as vice president passed on a 6-1 vote, with Mr. Mainville also nominated. Ms. Marshall cast the dissenting vote.

The board then voted to hold a special election on Dec. 3 to fill Mr. Cunningham’s open seat.

REAPER DRONE CRASHES INTO LAKE ONTARIO

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — A military drone has crashed into Lake Ontario during a New York Air National Guard training mission.

State military officials say the MQ-9 Reaper had taken off from Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum and was operating in approved airspace over the eastern side of the lake when it was lost around 1 p.m. Tuesday. They say the aircraft was not armed and there were no injuries.

The drone is used by the Guard’s Syracuse-based 174th Attack Wing to train Air Force pilots who use it on surveillance and attack missions globally.

The U.S. Coast Guard helped Fort Drum crews search for the Reaper until wintry weather forced them to quit on Tuesday night and were expected to resume Wednesday.

The aircraft was said to be valued at approximately $4 million to $5 million and had no weapons or hazardous materials on board. It has a wingspan of 66 feet and weighs approximately 8,000 to 10,500 pounds, depending on how much fuel, gear and supplies it is carrying.

Reportedly, a second Reaper drone was airborne at the time of the crash, and that aircraft was able to return to Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield without any damage.

The unit currently has video of the crash, but a timetable for the release of that footage was not announced during the news conference.

The crash took place less than a week after the unit opened up a new $5,194,860 hangar to store two of its drones at the Wheeler-Sack airfield. Last month, the unit reached its 2,000th flight hour with the unmanned aircraft at Fort Drum.