WDT: North Country Christmas Plans on Hold As Ice Storm Grips Region

        Branches are down and power is off in large sections of NNY as a pre-Christmas ice storm grinds its way through our area.  A briefing on the scope of the storm is slated for later this morning.
         In the City, DPW crews are working to salt roads and clear branches as section of town lost power overnight. As I write this, there is power in my neighborhood.
         A more serious situation likely exists north of town where the ice was more sustained over the last 36 hours.
          This is certainly not what people wanted on Christmas Eve, but a well organized relief effort is certainly afoot as well.  Colder air coming in tomorrow will be a challenge as well.
           


Watertown Daily Times | Wintry ice storm freezes over NNY; thousands without power

WDT: Lewis County Hiring Will Be a Challenge for Elected Board

      Lewis County is again starting a search for a county manager. Since there is fear in smaller counties of an elected executive, selecting an appointed one can be a challenge for a board of elected lawmakers all with agendas, criteria and an understandable urge to run names by those closest to them.
      Process is important and frankly I am proud of how the selection of a city clerk and city manager went in 2011 and 2012. We had a great selection....it was kept discrete so nobody got outed....and the board doing the hiring arrived at a consensus.
    Key is keeping everyone involved at each turn. Don't let anyone feel they are an outlier. Harder with ten than with five..but still necessary
     We were served well with the use of John Krol as facilitator, but not "head hunter'. It provided some expertise, someone to do the initial recruiting and analysis of candidates so the decision makers could whittle the field.
     Nothing earth shattering in all of it, but for members of an elected board, it often is there first go around. Hopefully in Lewis County they will learn from others who have done the same thing.
 
    


Watertown Daily Times | Candidates sought by different means for Lewis County manager, attorney spots

Another Salacious Tale in Our State Capital’ | New York Post

      With 2013 about to sunset, what better way to ring out the old in Albany than with a new sex scandal...This one involves 62 year old Buffalo area Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak.  He is alleged to sexually harassed three staffers all the while constituents were no doubt impressed with his 37 year marriage.

    The guy looks young for 62, and must be feeling spry as well.
    This quote from the article sounds so Albany.
“I got a boner when I walked into the office today when I saw you,” the seven-year assemblyman allegedly drooled to his then-director of communications, Anna­lise C. Freling, 28, last year at a governor’s event, according to court papers filed Thursday.
Pol sent staff video of ‘oral sex’ | New York Post

Modern Journalism

    The Duck Dynasty non-story festers...someone floats an idea like this on the Internet....

 

 

     Then Hannity speculates about it....FOX reports on the possibility...MSNBC ridicules it and floats the issue of racism....the President feels obliged to react to reporters during a scrum in Hawaii...FOX reacts to the President and the talking heads all line up predictably....

     By then another fiscal cliff is looming and we move on to that...



Stormy Weather: Area Braces for Ice Storm

      With things like an ice storm, you don't know how bad till it happens, but already there are reported scattered power outages in Jefferson County and the county's emergency center is gearing up for a possibly rougher evening as temperatures drop.
    For many in the region, it's no problem as temps have stayed up, The dividing line between rain and ice seems to be around Watertown, so just as in 1998, expect the largest impact in the northern reaches of Jefferson County.
    Yesterday, the Governor's office reached out to let us  know they are ready to provide help as well should events warrant.
     As usual, be aware, limit your travel in affected areas and have a plan should you lose power.
And keep an eye out for those most vulnerable.

UPDATE- The latest weather information shows most impact will be to our north in northern Jefferson and St. Lawrence County with major ice accumulations possible in the range of an inch.
That has the potential for significant power outages.  The situation is changeable, so again keep posted.
     

Good Day to Be in the Salt Business

   On this icy morning, we had the parking lot salted again and scraped and hopefully some mid 30s temps will give us a head start on tonight's ice storm.
    This morning I slid down to Best Friends to have Jet groomed for Christmas. She was skittish going in but happy coming out with some holiday swag.

 

 

   I have never had a lot of luck getting dogs to look at the camera. That will give me something to work on. Tough part with digital is the delay. In the day with film, when you hit the shutter, that was it. Kids these days can't appreciate the simple beauty of Kodak Brownie camera.

WDT: Some landlords expected to raise rent as military allowances go up

       Greed is good ?  For some, and landlording is a tough business....You do have to make hay while the sun shines as things can turn quickly...
       But, the linkage between local rents and the Army's reimbursement rates has gotten to be a black eye
as the public knows the game. This week as new BHA rates are announced, the suspicion is renters will see the market move again.
       It was good to see local property magnate Brian Murray speak out about the phenomenon. I feel the same way and try to keep my two units affordable and have excellent tenants.      
      Watertown Daily Times | Some landlords expected to raise rent as military allowances go up