Joanna Richards

There's a lot of development just around the corner in Clayton, a summer tourist destination on the St. Lawrence River. Town and village officials – and local business owners – are excited about several projects in the works that could put back to use a former industrial site along the river.

A unit at Fort Drum charged with helping wounded soldiers transition to civilian life was given a scathing review in a report by the Department of Defense Inspector General's Office. According to the report, the Warrior Transition Battalion was seen as a “dumping ground” rather than a place to help soldiers heal. Medical recommendations were ignored, and morale was low, with some soldiers saying they'd rather be in jail or being “shot at in Iraq” than in the battalion. 

Hospice groups provide care and comfort to patients facing the end of their lives. Hospice of Jefferson County has a new building – but it’s more than that, since it represents a big upgrade in the kind of care it can offer to dying patients. 

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced last week that the military wants to close some installations as its reduces its force size and winds down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The process is called BRAC – for “base realignment and closure.” A spokeswoman for Fort Drum said the post isn't commenting on the announcement, but Carl McLaughlin, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization in Watertown, about how Fort Drum may fare as the BRAC process takes shape.

Watertown officials have been excited about the possibility of a redevelopment project for the Woolworth building downtown for several years.

Fort Drum soldier Sergeant Jacob Perkins was awarded the Soldier's Medal Tuesday afternoon at the installation. The medal is given to soldiers for heroism outside the battlefield. Sergeant Perkins came to the aid of a group of Canadian tourists in July, when their tour bus collided with a semi trailer on the Thruway in Waterloo, New York, between Syracuse and Rochester. 

Russell, a Democrat from Theresa, has introduced legislation that will adjust the way school districts' wealth is measured.  Generally speaking, the poorer a district is, the more aid it gets. But it’s not a true sliding scale at the top and bottom ends.

Right now, the poorest districts are all lumped together in the same category, even though some may be much poorer than others. The same is true of the richest districts – they're all seen on equal footing, even though some may be much richer than others.

New York Senator Charles Schumer was in Watertown this week to announce he'll fight a new fee that can be charged to Canadians crossing into the U.S. by boat or by plane.  

The new $5.50 fee was tucked into a Colombian Free Trade Agreement recently passed by the Senate. Schumer said the fee is likely to discourage tourism by Canadians in the north country. 

"The federal government may as well be putting stop signs up at every waterway, at every crossing, at every airport," said Schumer. 

The mayor's race in Watertown pits long-time incumbent Jeff Graham against a challenger with similar longevity on the City Council, Jeff Smith. Graham has said the city's doing well and he has the experience, knowledge and contacts to continue to keep Watertown on a good track. Smith says his candidacy represents new leadership and a new vision for the city. Both candidates for mayor have years of experience on City Council, and both are small business owners who say they're committed to fiscal discipline. 

The 174th Fighter Wing based at Hancock Field in Syracuse is about to begin operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9, out of Fort Drum. The 174th already conducts MQ-9 flights in Afghanistan, flights which are controlled from an operations center at Hancock Field. The partnership with Fort Drum will allow the unit to train Air Force and Air National Guard troops from around the country on flying the MQ-9.

WRVO's Joanna Richards meets with "Ryan" and his partner, "Billy", who speak about life in the military before and after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

The office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Wednesday issued an alert about a phone scam targeting residents of Watertown. A spokesman says three victims so far have contacted the office and have each lost between $300 and $700 to the scam. 

The scam offers consumers a loan, then asks them to wire the company hundreds of dollars – a supposed “application fee” or “loan insurance.”

A group of postal workers and retirees rallied outside of Representative Bill Owens's office in Watertown Tuesday, urging him to pass a bill that would help save the Postal Service from its current financial worries. If the bill passes, it could save local post office branches from closing. 

About 18 postal workers gathered with signs reading, “Save the postal service” in downtown Watertown on Tuesday. They approached passersby with petitions, and waved their signs to many honks from passing cars.

WATERTOWN, NY (wrvo) - We take a close look at life at the tip of the spear. America has been at war for nearly 10 years now.

While the changes brought about by the 9/11 attacks have affected us all, the effects have been the harshest for members of the military and their families.

WRVO's Joanna Richards spent time this wee with soldiers and their families at Fort Drum in Watertown to talk about ther lives in the years since 9/11.

© Copyright 2011, wrvo

WATERTOWN, NY (August 2, 2011) - An arts organization is trying to bring more opportunities to artists in Watertown and surrounding areas, and more cultural events to residents.

The North Country Arts Council was born out of a declining artists' guild a few years ago. Now with a space in downtown Watertown and some successful fundraising behind it, WRVO's north country correspondent Joanna Richards tells us the group is becoming an active force in the community.