ORDA worker hurt following lift malfunction...

An employee of the state Olympic Regional Development Authority was injured following a lift malfunction at Whiteface Mountain this week.

ORDA spokesman Jon Lundin says an investigation into the incident is under way. He notes, however, that the malfunction was not caused by wind and the lift line and chairs were not in danger of falling to the ground.

The malfunction occurred on Lift I – the Freeway Lift – on Little Whiteface Mountain at 10:58 a.m. Wednesday. Lundin says 76 people were on the lift when the malfunction happened.

Comptroller finds Lake Placid government handing out taxpayers’ money...

Here's a report filed by Jon Alexander a few minutes ago:

French King Louis XIV built the gold and jewel-laden palace at Versailles, the Roman Emperor Caligula named himself a god and Lake Placid Village officials apparently get grossly overpaid for work they never did.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli blasted Lake Placid Village government Wednesday following the completion of an audit that found village employees were paid over $111,000 for unapproved leave accruals. One town officials received lumps of cash for leave time that was never even earned.

Beard shaving for Donegal contest is this Saturday...

John Warren at the Adirondack Almanack is reminding folks today that beard shaving for the third annual Adirondack Donegal Beard Contest is this Saturday:

Participants in the 3rd Annual Adirondack Donegal Beard Contest are preparing to shave their facial hair New Year's Day in anticipation of growing their Donegal Beard for this year's contest. New beardsman are welcome to take part in the event, which is free and open to the public.

Sears owners look to sell building, parking lot...

Jon Alexander is reporting that Sears in Saranac Lake is up for sale:

The owners of Sears in Saranac Lake are seeking to sell their building, the business and the recently-barricaded Main Street parking lot that has roused non-stop controversy for months.

Adirondack Premier Properties owner Margie Philo told WNBZ Tuesday that the owners of Sears, Larry Mullen and Phil Vivlamore, are looking to shed the property because of the fallout surrounding the parking lot’s August closure.

“The owners feel that at this time – with the business climate in village and their difficult experience over the last 16 months – they just felt unwelcome,” she said. “So they decided to list it.”

Police searching for missing TL woman

Police in Tupper Lake are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 79-year-old woman reported missing Thursday morning.

Tupper Lake Village Police Officer Justin Perryman told WNBZ that family members of Helen Reandeau reported her missing around 11 a.m.

Helen’s daughter-in-law, Diane, says she was last seen by her son and daughter at a residence on King Street in the village of Tupper Lake at approximately 7:15 a.m.
Diane says she arrived at the home at about 9:15 a.m., and soon after friends and family members filed a missing persons report.

Bridge update this morning...

The Associated Press reports that officials with the state Department of Transportation will provide an update on the Lake Champlain bridge project.

Here's the AP brief:

New York state transportation officials and the contractor building the new bridge across southern Lake Champlain will give the public an update on the $70 million project.