Lark Hotels reaches Lake Placid
Lark Hotels is buying the Lake Placid Summit Hotel, overlooking Mirror Lake, for $6.2 million, the Massachusetts company’s biggest investment in New York, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. After a renovation, the property will become Bluebird Lake Placid. Lark also owns Spa City Lodge in Saratoga Springs, the story says.
Zaugg admits guilt in death of infant son
Tyler Zaugg has pleaded guilty to killing his infant son in Glens Falls last July, the story in the Post-Star said. The second-degree assault and first-degree manslaughter, both violent felonies, stem from a physical beating that Zaugg gave the infant who later died in the hospital from the injuries.
Gaston to hold public meeting on Short-term Rentals
Home owners who rent their properties online are essentially small businesses, Saratoga Springs Supervisor Tara Gaston, told the Daily Gazette. She announced a meeting for Feb. 17 to address the issue of parity between commercial rentals that pay occupancy taxes and are subject to code enforcement, versus residential properties that are flying under the governmental radar. Airbnb reported that property owners who use the online rental service in Saratoga Springs made more than $12 million last year, up 83% from 2019, the story says.
Public Meeting on Saratoga County Airport
The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors will discuss the county airport at their meeting Wednesday evening, Feb. 9. At issue is the lease with North American Flight Services, which hopes to build a hangar and donate it to the county, the Times Union says.
Decision later on mask mandate in schools
New York’s schools will continue to operate for the foreseeable future under a mask mandate, the Times Union is reporting. Gov. Kathy Hochul told educators that she will wait until month’s end to make a decision, even though the mandate for businesses is set to expire this week, the story says. Educators generally want more detail to understand the decision.
Adirondack invaders
The hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer, both invasive insect species that kill the trees that bear their names, have been found in new locations of the Adirondack Park, beyond where they were initially discovered, the Adirondack Explorer is reporting. The ash borer seems to be winning, though officials hope the adelgid can be stopped or slowed.
Protecting the peat
Also in the Adirondack Explorer: Environmentalists across New York are getting behind a proposal in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget that would strengthen protections for over 1 million acres of wetlands statewide, and give the Department of Environmental Conservation a wide berth to designate wetlands as protected..