SUNY Adk sees 23% enrollment drop
More than 1 million students have stopped going to college since the fall of 2019, according to a story in the Albany Business Journal, over 700,000 of them were enrolled in the nation’s community colleges. SUNY Adirondack is off 23%. President Kristine Duffy says families are smaller, so there are fewer students to begin with, and the pandemic’s labor shortage has made entry-level wages more appealing than school. Duffy fears this could be a larger problem that may affect nursing, engineering and other professions in the future.
Lake George: No new aquatic invaders
The Post-Star is reporting that Lake George may have fought harmful algal blooms in 2021, but it did not gain any new invasive species. The boat inspection and washing stations have worked, according to a report cited in the story, and 113 boats had invasives cleaned away before launch.
Big Pharma money coming to Saratoga County
Saratoga County is getting $335,915 of the $200 million state-negotiated settlement with Allergan for its role as a producer and marketer in the opioid epidemic, a story in the Daily Gazette says. The money is beginning to arrive, the story says. The money is not the only thing. The settlement also restricted how the company can market and distribute drugs in the county. The settlement was finalized in December.
Greenfield’s new EMS
The Town of Greenfield announced Monday it has opened an emergency services station on South Greenfield Road, the Times Union is reporting. It’s the first in Greenfield, which relied on EMS companies from Ballston Spa, Corinth and Wilton to respond to their needs. The station is open around the clock and houses a full-time emergency medical technician and paramedic. It has a first response vehicle and in all will run the town $475,000 a year. Corinth EMS was a partner in the station, the story says.
Unique rail zipline planned for North Creek Ski Bowl
The North Creek Ski Bowl will build a $30 million lodge, open year-round, and offer various amenities including an all-season "rail zipline,” if plans are approved, the Adirondack Sun is reporting. The Olympic Regional Development Authority’s proposed lodge, at 18,300-square-feet, will include a restaurant, tavern, equipment shops, and patios with views of Gore Mountain. The restaurant’s windows will retract for open-air dining, the story says. The proposed “rail zipline,” a hybrid between a zipline and a chairlift, will be the only one in the country. The project is part of a focus on year-round tourism in Warren County and the North Country and should be open by fall 2023, the story says.