Works starts on Ti wastewater system pg. 11
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Oct. 28, 2017
Times of Ti
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• EDITION •
Write what you know at workshop
FAN TREATED TO RED SOX GAME
Author Joni Cole will help aspiring writers get started
pg. 5
Becki Wykes didn’t let pancreatic cancer stop her
By Lohr McKinstry STA FF W RITER
PORT HENRY | Noted Vermont author Joni B. Cole is headed to Sherman Free Library to hold a creative writing workshop. The 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 event, “Good Naked: Wit, Wisdom, and a Writing Workshop,” is free, but the library asks attendees to call 518546-7461 to register. Sherman Free Library is at 20 Church St. in Port Henry. The inspiring talk and informal workshop will be lead by Cole, author of the new book “Good Naked: Reflections on How to Write More, Write Better, and Be Happier,” which is included in Poets and Writers Magazine’s list of Best Books for Writers.
Comptroller offers North Country economic forecast
Local sales tax collection strong, but job creation remains sluggish, says Thomas DiNapoli in Plattsburgh By Pete DeMola EDITOR
PLATTSBURGH | The unemployment rate in the North Country is higher than the state average. Median household incomes are lower, and so is the labor participation rate. The population is shrinking. Job growth is largely frozen, and child poverty rates are higher. But property taxes are lower, sales tax collection is robust and there are a number
of promising economic development and initiatives on the horizon. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli visited Plattsburgh last Friday to deliver the results of the North Country’s economic profile, part of a series of regional breakouts being rolled out this year. “We are a big state, and we are a diverse state,” he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
From 2010-16, the state’s population grew by 1.8 percent — but decreased in the North Country by 1.9 percent. In August, the unemployment rate was 5.6 percent compared to a statewide average of 4.9 percent. “Unemployment, relative to other regions in the state, is higher in the North Country,” said DiNapoli, calling it a “trend that is of some concern.” Essex County has the highest median household income in the region at $52,758; St. Lawrence is lowest at $44,700. Clinton ranks $49,930.
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Property owners in the six-county region pay lower property taxes than elsewhere in the state. The estimated median tax bill in Clinton County was $3,858 in 2015, less than half of the statewide average of $8,173. And housing is more affordable than elsewhere in the state. “Just over 25 percent of homeowners in the North Country spent over 30 percent of their income on housing,” said DiNapoli, referring to the federal threshold for affordability. Statewide, the number is 38 percent. “That’s a plus in terms of your region’s standards,” DiNapoli said.
» Writers Cont. on pg. 15
2017
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CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES
The comptroller flagged an aging workforce and high unemployment as leading concerns. State unemployment numbers as a whole are rebounding, he said, but there’s significant variety between each of the 10 regions.
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» Comptroller Cont. on pg. 7
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