On the beaten path

By LOIS CLERMONT
News Editor

News travels fast in small communities.

BCI Capt. Bob LaFountain called me at home about 9:30 Sunday morning to let me know that two people had been found murdered in Dannemora and that State Police had set up a command post and would be holding a news conference later in the day.

He was, as always, very careful in what details he would share because he’s always concerned about giving out information that could impair the police investigation. He didn’t tell me the names of the people.

He didn’t need to. By the time I got to work 15 minutes later to put a story online, pretty much everyone in Dannemora knew that Timothy Carter had been killed — and so did I. One of the Press-Republican drivers had heard about it during a stop at Dunkin Donuts, people had been talking about it at Stewart’s, and we started getting calls from sources.

Continue reading "Timing in reporting victims' names matters" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

With the holidays behind us, at least until we all get swept away by the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day, let’s not put our good intentions away with the Christmas decorations.

Yes, yes, we all make New Year’s resolutions. I’m not talking about getting fit or losing weight or even telling your spouse “I love you” more often. I’m talking about intentions you may have had before Christmas to help our economy in your own small way.

Continue reading "Keep the economic fires burning after the holidays" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By DENISE A. RAYMO
Staff Writer

MALONE — I thought it would be a blast to do a story about Black Friday and pay tribute to the hardy shoppers who drag themselves out at daybreak the day after Thanksgiving to find Christmas bargains.

Man, was I naive!

Continue reading "Learning Black Friday lessons the hard way" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

I was talking to a woman the other day about her experiences as a stepdaughter – the abuses she suffered at the hands of her stepmother, the effect it has on her today as an adult. This woman will forever be scarred by a bully who by virtue of the fact that she was married to her father and held a position of power over her until she could defend herself. No one stuck up for her, no one protected her, least of all her father.

Coincidentally, I was listening to On Point on National Public Radio (http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/08/a-stepmothers-view ) Aug. 4 when they interviewed Wednesday Martin, author of the book, “Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel and Act the Way We Do.” The program was peppered with quotes from the book and calls to the show from people who had nightmare experiences with stepmothers, and stepmothers who had awful experiences with stepchildren.

Continue reading "The evil stepmonster or the nurturing caregiver: What does it take?" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

I almost committed an egregious and irrevocable error. I was about to leave negative feedback on an Ebay seller’s rating. And anyone who uses the online auction site knows that once you leave feedback, it cannot be changed.

The item in question was clearly listed as coming from a smoke-free home, yet when I got the package on my doorstep, it reeked of cigarette smoke.

Continue reading "What do you expect for 44 cents? Smoke-free mail?" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

By LOIS CLERMONT
News Editor

The school votes are over, bringing a big sigh of relief to most North Country schools — and to everyone here in the Press-Republican newsroom.

It takes months of work to be able to tell you what kind of budget each district is offering and who is running for school board.

Continue reading "School budgets are behind us for another year" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

Sorry, Mr. Turcotte, but I must disagree with your assessment that people who don’t leave tips or leave less than the customary 15 percent must be cheapskates. I’ll grant that some most definitely are. No doubt about it. And shame on them, especially if they received exemplary service. Even if they received adequate service, 15 percent is the norm.

But tips aren’t taxes. Tips aren’t inevitable. They’re additional, meant to say thank you for a job well done.

Continue reading "Tips are reflective of service in a service industry" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

I think the Plattsburgh City School Board made an egregious error in its recent denial of tenure to Principal John Fairchild, a decision that may well turn around and bite them on their collective rears.

Previously, my interest in who served in that office was professional – as a reporter covering education – and as a taxpayer. As a professional, my viewpoint has always been to view both administrators and board members as conduits to news stories, good and bad, about their schools and educational topics. As long as he or she is forthcoming with information, I’ve never had a problem with any school administrator or board member.

Continue reading "District voters may cast more than aspersions in Fairchild decision" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

BY JACK DOWNS
Design Editor

Tens of thousands of people are ill, some seriously. Hundreds of Americans are dying every week. By the time the year is up it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people will die worldwide.

This is an emergency. This is a crisis. We're not taking flu seriously enough.

Swine flu? H1N1 flu? No, I'm talking about regular seasonal flu.

Continue reading "Not taking (seasonal) flu seriously enough" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By LOIS CLERMONT
News Editor

I’m a little tired of the Speakout snobs.

You know, the people who think everyone who writes a Speakout is a moron.

I’m the person here who edits Speakout, and I can see from the e-mail addresses who sent many of them. Many of them are coming from local professionals and businesspeople, from professors and teachers, from community leaders and retirees who once held influential positions around here.

Continue reading "Why the North Country needs Speakout" »

Posted by Lois Clermont at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)