This is a recorded version of the ABC50 NOW Live show that live-streamed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. The show streams live every Wednesday at 3 p.m. on InformNNY.com.
Temperatures won’t make it out of the single digits in the North Country today, with highs around nine degrees and sunny skies. Temperatures will drop below zero this evening but will rise back up after midnight, so we’ll be waking up to temperatures around 10 degrees in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon will be warmer, with highs in the 20s and mostly cloudy skies. Highs will be around 15 degrees on Friday, but temperatures will be dropping back down below zero over the weekend.
The mask mandate in New York State remains in effect. The mandate was reinstated on Tuesday after an appeals court judge granted a stay, temporarily blocking a ruling that struck down the mandate on Monday when a judge ruled it was unconstitutional since emergency powers were no longer in place. New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a notice of appeal following the ruling and another hearing on the mask issue is now scheduled for Friday morning. Governor Hochul said the mask mandate is critical in order to save lives, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep businesses and schools safe. Legal experts say this is only the beginning of a case that will likely play out in higher courts in the coming weeks. In the meantime, masks will be required in schools and in public per the state mandate.
World War II veteran and honored community member Glenn Dodge has died. Dodge was featured in our “Veterans Voices” special in November when we highlighted his extraordinary life and he shared some of his most memorable experiences with the North Country. He turned 104 years old in October. n Family, friends and community members filled the streets for his birthday parade. Dodge lived through various events throughout the century, including being drafted into World War II when he was only 23 years old. He received a purple heart for injuries he sustained during the war and among the many things he accomplished, he served on the village board, worked with a nonprofit senior housing company and was a member of the Chaumont Volunteer Fire Department for more than 80 years. ABC50’s Delaney Keppner had the pleasure of sitting down with Glenn Dodge for an interview. He was an incredible person with big stories to tell and an even bigger heart. You can see the full interview on our website. We send our condolences to his family.
Fort Drum has increased restrictions due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. The military base has moved from Health Protection Condition “Alpha Plus” to “Bravo.” Public Affairs officials said that reducing the spread of COVID remains a high priority in order to protect people who aren’t eligible for the vaccine and have compromised immune systems. With the increase in restrictions, additional changes will be made at all food courts and dining facilities on Fort Drum.
New York is expanding medical marijuana eligibility and has set up a new cannabis certification and registration system. The program will now allow a patient to get certified for medical marijuana by a practitioner for any condition they see fit. More patients will be allowed to obtain a prescription for medical marijuana and more practitioners will be able to prescribe it, including dentists, podiatrists and midwives. New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management announced that it is waving patient registration fees, allowing the sale of whole flower cannabis products and increasing the amount of medical marijuana supply from 30 days to 60 days. According to state officials, patients certified through this new program will be issued certifications from the Office of Cannabis Management. Those already granted through the State Department of Health remain valid until the expiration date.
The Jefferson County Board of Elections is in need of more poll workers for the upcoming 2022 gubernatorial primary and general election. According to the State Board of Elections, New York is currently experiencing a critical shortage of poll workers due to COVID-19. The county is seeking people at least 17years old to work polls on various dates in June , October and November. Poll workers are paid for training and each day of work they complete throughout the election season. Anyone interested can sign up online or over the phone.
Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo says fans of the Kansas City Chiefs have been sending in donations of $13 this week. The Chiefs knocked the Buffalo Bills out of the playoffs over the weekend with a touchdown in overtime that crushed the spirits of Bills fans everywhere. That game determined who would go on to battle the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC championship. The $13 donation amount is symbolic of the game between the Chiefs and Bills. The Chiefs were able to bring the game to a tie with 13 seconds of play left, sending the game into overtime. The game reignited discussion over the NFL’s overtime rules, which have been debated for a long time since a coin toss can be the deciding factor in the outcome of a football game. Regardless of how the game ended, Bills fans were waiting for the team’s arrival back home with open arms and are hopeful for next season.
Join us weekly on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. on InformNNY for the latest North Country news, events and weather updates.
Mark your calendars for February 9 when our “Honoring Black History” special will air on ABC50 at 7 p.m. with stories from pillars of our North Country community.
Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win one of our contests, like the NNY Gets Lit Book Giveaway. The North Country Library System has teamed up with us to give away two books each month, one for adult readers and one for kids. This month you will have a chance to win “Velvet was the Night” or “The Mitten” from the Massena Public Library.
You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter for local news delivered right to your inbox every morning and you can continue to stay up-to-date by tuning into NewsChannel Nine on ABC50 for a full hour of news, weather and sports every weekday at 5:30 p.m.
We’ll see you again next week.
