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Saturday,ÊF ebruaryÊ11,Ê2017
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 14-15
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Orange on road in Westport
In opinion | pg. 6
Guest editorial
Boy’s, girl’s teams play MVAC crossover games
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Ban on refugees misguided
In OUTDOORS | pg. 5
Boreas debate draws crowd Land use discussed at forum
Need for foster families reaches ‘crisis’ levels By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — Social service agencies across the Tri-County region are desperately searching for foster families to take in the influx of children entering the system. The need has reached a critical state, said John Bernardi, CEO of the United Way of the Adirondack Region. “It’s a crisis,” Bernardi said. Kids are now being sent out of the Tri-County region because there are not enough families, he said. But officials in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties want to buck the trend and keep kids here. DRUGS DRIVING NUMBER In 2012, an average of 113 children were receiving services each month in Franklin County alone.
The number leapt to 146 by 2015. The uptick is due to a constellation of factors. Unemployment and loss of income is one. But echoing national trends, substance abuse continues to be a leading culprit in family breakdowns, leading to abuse, neglect and abandonment. “I hate to be simplistic, but the drug epidemic is what’s driving that number,” said Jeremiah Pond, a children’s services supervisor for the Franklin County Department of Social Services. In Clinton County, 50 to 60 percent of children entering the system can be attributed to drug abuse. Heroin, in particular, puts a major human and financial strain on the system, said Clinton County Department of Social Services Commissioner John Redden. Officials had just gotten a grip on curbing meth before opiates took their place. “We never got to a stable spot before the opioids,” Redden said.
IndianÊ LakeÊ rollsÊ outÊ SnoCadeÊ events
Dozens of events on tap for winter festival, which runs from Feb. 17-25 By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
INDIAN LAKE — Organizers are encouraging visitors to make tracks to Indian Lake next weekend for SnoCade, the weeklong winter festival that lifts off on Feb. 17. The goal is snow — lots of it. But the events have been designed to bring people into the community regardless of the weather. “We never know what Mother Nature is going to bring,” said Patricia Mahoney, events and activities coordinator for the town. “Last year, it was brutally cold.” The festival kicks off Friday, Feb. 17 with a parade down Main Street at 4:30 p.m. The rest of the evening is low-key, ending with a benefit at Indian Lake Central and a film screening. But festivities whir to life the next morning with a full schedule beginning with a breakfast at the fire department.
Highlights include a craft show, a book and bake sale, snow sculpture competition, a frying pan toss and fireworks. Events will continue to snowball throughout the week, and aren’t limited to just classic wintertime activities. A cold water rescue demonstration is slated for Monday, for instance. The Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a snowshoe trip to Pashley Falls on Tuesday, and Jim Curry, a local resident, will give a lecture on his adventures snowshoeing in Japan on Wednesday. New this year are frisbee golf and human foosball, and mainstays like a bonfire and dog sled rides are also on deck. Guests are also encouraged to make the town their destination for ice fishing, snowmobiling and other winter activities that weekend. A snowmobile ride to Speculator is scheduled for Wednesday, with riders meeting at the Little League Field at 10 a.m. And visitors unaccustomed to a sled are invited to take a ride with the Indian Lake Snow >> See SNOCADE | pg. 13
Addicts have turned to heroin as a cheap alternative to prescription medication, which has been subjected to increased safeguards in recent years, including the creation of a statewide prescription tracking database and reformulations to make abuse more difficult. The northeast is getting hit particularly hard, Pond said, and neighboring counties are feeling the same pinch. The state has made culling the epidemic a chief priority. The governor last year signed a comprehensive reform package into law and aims to build on the momentum this year with proposals to increase access to recovery programs and insurance reforms, among other measures. But the drug continues to be stubbornly entrenched. STRUGGLING WITH NEED While kids are entering the foster care system at an increased clip — there are intakes daily, say social services of
>> See FOSTER CARE | pg. 13
Pictured: Long Lake Lion’s Club member Lew Plumley holds a certificate from the Electrathon Car Club to thank the Lions for their sponsorship of the cars. Photo provided