Tues news roundup: O’burg psych, farmers markets, Army dogs

This morning on our news page, Brian Mann asks a really important question in a story that’s part of our Prison Time Media Project: Since prisons are one of our biggest industries in the North Country, why aren’t they a bigger part of our conversation about economic development?

In Albany, legislators say the parade of scandal that’s been going on isn’t overshadowing their lawmaking activities — they say they’re still working on farmworker rights, electricity in Long Island, the Dream Act, and making changes to New York City’s controversial Stop and Frisk law.

What are the potential health impacts of the expansion of casino gambling Gov. Cuomo’s been talking so much about? Interesting stuff.

And many in the North Country are breathing a sigh of relief that the United States government isn’t moving forward with a border crossing fee from Canada they’d been considering.

Elsewhere in the news world, in advance of the New York State Office of Mental Health’s forum on its plans for the state’s inpatient psychiatric centers in Ogdensburg tomorrow morning, The Ogdensburg City Council passed a resolution last night supporting the continued operation of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center there (here’s the full story, from the Watertown Daily Times.) NCPR’s Julie Grant will be at that meeting, so we’ll have more on that.

The City Council’s resolution argues that the loss of the center (which employs 520 people) will represent an economic hardship for the area, and a hardship for people needing treatment who’d have to travel outside the area to get it. The next closest Psychiatric Centers are in Syracuse and Utica.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has announced the recipients of $26,000  $260,000 in awards to FreshConnect farmers markets, the goal of which is to bring food from New York farmers to communities across the state that don’t have access to good fresh food (read the full release here.) Several of our regional organizations will benefit: GardenShare, Inc., in Canton, will get a total of $14,972 for two projects; the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce will get $10,000; and Lewis County General Hospital Farmers Market will get $10,000.

And in the world of things that are adorable, the Watertown Daily Times is reporting that Fort Drum’s 8th Military Working Dog Detachment has been named the best military dog unit in the Army. This is the first time this award’s been presented. Woof!