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wr M M A 'Hepublican \etown Newspaper of Hi Clinton, Essex, Franklin Counties The Hometown Newspaper of Vol. 103 - No. 75 © Copyright 1998, Pww-KeRUblican Plattsburgh, NY 12901, Saturday, November 4,1995 Suggested Price: 50 e 28 Pages By RONALD POWERS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Upstate New York's wet and rugged Adirondack Mountains might never recover from the deadly scourge of add-rain pollu- tion, says a densely written Snd long overdue report.just released by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. While portraying a potentially bleak future for the region, the report has come under searing criticism from environmentalists and lawmakers for failing to set standards or recommend remedies. The EPA, for its part, says that despite years of study — the report itself was due two years ago — its scientists still don't - know enough about acid rain to may go up Regents tests proposed for all By DAVID BAUDER Associated Press Writer ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York should make the path toward a high school diploma tougher by dropping low-level competency tests and requiring all students to take Regents ex- ams, the state education com- missioner said Friday. Regents exams should also be' made more challenging by rais- ing the passing ddi hd i g pg g harder questions, Education Commissioner Richard Mills said. \I think we need to send a very clear signal that the level of play is going up,\ he said. The plan needs the approval of the Board of Regents, the state's education policy-setting board. Its chancellor, Carl Hayden, signalled enthusiasm for the idea, as did the state's largest teachers union. New York has a two-tiered testing system for high school diplomas. Students who pass six basic competency tests can earn a local diploma. Those who pass a more challenging series of eight Regents exams, generally designed for college-bound stu- dents, earn Regents diplomas. Of the 157,654 high school graduates in New York last year, just over 59,900 earned Regents diplomas, the state Education Department said. Mills wants to phase out the competency exams for public and private school students, perhaps starting as.early as next year, and ^equire__everyone^ to jtake Regents exams. Those who fail to score above a certain level will still be able to earn a local diploma. \The idea is to have one set of standards, which we do not now have,\ he said. \Not everyone will perform at the same level, but we all ought to have the opportunity to play in the same arena.\ In New York and elsewhere, there has been criticism in the education, establishment, that some students are unfairly denied an opportunity to excel when they are shunted into less intellectually challenging pro- grams. The Mills initiative would appear to make that less likely. Car crash claims Moriah man ByLOHRMcKINSTRY Staff Writer Southern Ettw Bureau ELIZABETHTOWN - A Moriah man was killed in a one- car crash early Friday morning in the Town of Elizabethtown. Oliver J. Hickok Jr., 30, of Mutton Hollow Road was driving south on Lincoln Pond Road, two miles south of the Simonds Road intersection, when he lost control of his 1985 Nissan on a curve, State Police at Westport said. The car crossed the road and hit a tree. Police said Hickok was dead when they arrived. Essex County Coroner Walter Marvin Jr. of Elizabethtown .was called to con- firm the death. The 3:30 a.m. crash was at- tributed by police to speed too fast for conditions and slippery pavement due to rain. The accident occurred near the Lincoln Pond State Campground. No cause of death was avail- able. Police said Hickok was taken to Adirondack Medical Center at Saranac Lake for an autopsy. Hickok was self-employed as a carpenter. WEATHER Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers. Temperature about steady in the mid 30s. West wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30 percent. 9NDEX Business News 9 Classified 20 Comics 10 Editorial 4 Entertainment 8 Horoscope ,...10 Ann Landers 10 Family 6 Religion ...J Public Record 12,13 Sports 16-21 Weather 11 N.Y. Lottery: 067. Pick 4': 8834. Take 5: 2-8-22-23-24. Pick 10: ?, IS, W, 18, JH; 22T30; 33,41, «r43,44*7,55; 58,65/«471,72; r 74, N»w England: Pick 3'j 649. Pick 4': 1 272. acid-rain solutions set any meaningful standards. But according to EPA projec- tions, nearly half of the 700 ponds and lakes it is currently studying could be so spoiled by manmade pollution they'll be vir- tually devoid of life by 2040. , Environmental officials in New York said they were frustrated by the EPA's apparent lack of concern about upstate New York, which has experienced more acid-rain damage than any other region of the country. \New York was very disap- pointed in this study,\ said Gary Sheffer, a spokesman with the state Department of En- vironmental Conservation. \We don't have a lot more time to do more studies and do all of this research they say is neces- sary. We've got to take action now to protect the Adirondacks from further damage,\ he said. The study was years in the making and very thorough with plenty of charts, graphs and statistics. But even some scien- tists complain it's written in such a dense and plodding style as to be virtually inaccessible for many readers. The researchers found that while improvements were • made*, in reducing sulfur emissions, a'\ main acid-rain component, nitrogen was emerging as an im- portant acid pollutant in the Adi- rondacks. In fact, said Paul Stolpman the EPA's director of atmospheric programs, the level of nitrogen acidification could be sufficient to offset the sulfur improvements. \There is still quite a bit of Continued Pag* 14 Paving the fog 1 Photo Editor/Dave Paczak Steam rises up from hot, freshly laid asphalt on Miller Street in Plattsburgh, creating an other-worldly effect. Luck Brothers, the con- tractor on the project, is racing against the clock as winter begins settling in and the closing down of the area's asphalt plant draws nearer. Malone candidates debate accomplishments By DEE BROWN Staff Writer Malom Bumau MALONE — The audience was a bit younger than usual, and many of them were not even old enough to vote. But the students of Franklin Academy proved they are politi- cally astute and concerned about their community as they fired questions at the two Malone mayoral candidates at a debate Friday. Incumbent Republican James Feeley and Democrat challenger Richard \Joe\ Gokey presented their political platforms and an- swered questions at the debate, sponsored by the North Franklin Jamci F««Uy Richard Gokty County Task Force for Youth. In his opening remarks, Gokey said Feeley has missed out on applying for grants and accused Feeley's administration of not being responsive to the needs of residents. \We have to replace our lackluster government,\ he said. Gokey, who served two terms as mayor before Feeley defeated him, said Feeley's claims that he had reduced the budget and in- creased services were incorrect. \Have you seen any new ser- vices?\ he asked. Gokey agreed Feeley did decrease taxes by 13 cents this election year, but said he raised them $1.90 last year and 90 cents the year before. Feeley said he and the board have worked hard to provide effi- cient and increased service. In response to Gokey's charge that he didn't get grants, Feeley outlined several the village has received, including a HUD grant, Justice Court grant and funding for village police training. Feeley said there's only one way spending is going, and that is down. He said Gokey claimed there was a contract-for funding from Department of Corrections that would help pay for repairing Elm Street. Feeley said the Correc- tions Department is not aware of any such agreement. Feeley said that during one term of his administration 6,300 tons of blacktop were put down, compared to 2,400 in Gokey's two terms. Continued Page 14 Flu season off to an early start this year By DONNA LIQUORI Associated Press Writer ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - You know the symptoms: dry cough, sore throat, fever, the chills, the aches. The flu's back, and this time it's early. Health officials are urging people in risk groups, or anyone who wants to avoid influenza, to get a flu shot. \We want people to get their shots now,\ said Dr. Barbara DeBuono, the state's health commissioner, just before she rolled up her sleeve for her shot Friday morning. A case was confirmed last month hi New York City. \This might-be a little earlier than usual,\ DeBuono said. Generally, the season runs from December to April, with many cases reported after the holidays due to travelers spreading it to people they're visiting. Arizona, Texas and Utah also reported early cases, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that about 20,000 people, mostly elderly, die each year in the U.S. from influ- enza or complications from the virus. > DeBuono said the flu can also lead to more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia. This year the vaccine combats the type A Texas and type B Harbin strains, as well as the type A Johannesburg, a new strain. New shots must be given each year because the vaccine is dif- ferent, according to Guthrie S. Birkhead, the director of the state Bureau of Communicable Disease Control. Birkhead said the vaccine does not cause the disease. Although, some people might experience a sore arm and a low-grade fever following the vaccine. Other people the CDC urges to receive shots include anyone who: • is 65 or older. • resides in a nursing home or chronic care facility. • had chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disorders, including children with asthma. • required hospitalization dur- ing the year because of diabetes or other chronic metabolic diseases. • is undergoing long-term aspirin therapy. APPhoto State Health Commis- sioner Dr. Barbara De- Buono gets a flu shot Fri- day from RN Jan Mastin.
