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One man says goodbye to the North Country, while at the same time, the community says welcome to another. Ft. Drum was the scene Thursday for a change in command ceremony, as Major General Micheal Oates passed command of the 10th Mountain Division over to Major General James Terry. Terry has been at St. Drum before, once in the early 90's and again earlier this decade. He replaces a general that has been known to very open to his soldiers and the community, something Terry says he hopes to continue. Terry also inherits a division where current and future deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are the norm. Oates has yet to receive orders from Ft. Drum in regards to his future.

12:19 PM

A man is dead after falling at a home in the Town of Theresa late Wednesday afternoon. State police say 72 year old Garry Coutts was working on a staircase at a rocky ledge that leads to the shore of Hyde Lake when he appeared to slip and fall approximately 12 feet, striking his head on rocks. The victim was found by his wife with no signs of life, and he was pronounced dead. The accident occurred at around 4 pm Wednesday along the Wilson Road.

12:17 PM

A project that could revitalize Downtown Watertown and bring new life to a historic building is getting a boost from New York State. Officials gathered at Public Square Wednesday to announce 2.5 million dollars in money from the Restore NY program will go to the rehabilitation of the Woolworth Building in the Square. Developer Micheal Treanor has announced plans to build an upscale hotel on the property. The 2.5 million is just a small chunk of the funding needed to get the project off the ground, as the total cost is expected to be close to 10 million dollars. The plans for the project also include increasing parking availability, setting up spaces at the site of the former Iron Block building in downtown.

12:15 PM

An Antwerp man has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor. Twenty one year old Harley Doyle was charged by the sheriff's department with first degree rape, and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest stems from a complaint made to the sheriff's department on Tuesday in regards to the alleged sexual assault against a child under the age of 13. Ft. Drum CID and Military Police were also involved in the investigation, which is continuing. Doyle was arraigned and ordered held in the Jefferson County Jail on $20,000 bail pending grand jury action.

12:13 PM

A local nursing student shouldn't have much trouble paying off her student loans, or any other bills for that matter. Thirty three year old Kate Williebey of Cape Vincent recently won 1 million dollars from the lottery. The winning scratch off ticket came as part of a birthday card from a friend several weeks ago. Williebey claimed her prize at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on Wednesday.

12:11 PM

The State Inspector General is criticizing two state agencies for allowing employees to use state vehicles for personal use. Joseph Fisch says the State Liquor Authority allowed employees to commute up to 600 miles round-trip, costing taxpayers at least $20,000 a year in gas alone. That includes SLA Chairman Daniel Boyle, who commuted in his assigned state car, but refused to report his commuting mileage as taxable income, despite warnings from the Governor's office. Boyle, who was formerly Schenectady's Public Safety Commissioner argued he didn't need to, since he was, "always working on the agency's behalf." Meanwhile, the state DEC spent $1600 a year from 2001 to 2006 for an administrative assistant to commute in a state vehicle.

12:10 PM

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is moving to the head of the class. The former governor will now teach as an adjunct professor in the New York City College political science department. The disgraced governor will hold a three-hour, once a week course entitled, "Law and Public Policy." He'll earn $4500 for the fall semester. Spitzer resigned in disgrace 18 months ago after he was linked to a high-priced prostitution ring.

12:09 PM

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