Latest news with #GarryDouglas
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NY announces plan to revitalize Plattsburgh waterfront
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (ABC22/FOX44) – Plattsburgh residents may be looking at a very different landscape downtown within the coming years. The New York Department of State (NYDOS) announced Monday that a plan for the future of Plattsburgh's waterfront has been completed. The Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) plan identifies 31 potential projects ranging from additional signage and art displays and a seasonal ice rink to a new fishing pier. The plan also recommends improvements to a trail on the shore of Cumberland Bay. With the completion of this plan, the city now can apply for funding from the state to implement any of the recommended projects. The full plan is available on the NYDOS website. Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman called the plan 'a big step forward not just for the City, but for the entire region.' Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, was enthusiastic about the city's progress. He said, 'The completion of the city's waterfront revitalization plan is a major advance. 'It positions Plattsburgh for substantial new progress toward enhancing our connections with Lake Champlain and the Saranac River as major assets for the community's future economy and quality of life.' Any town in New York State with a waterfront, whether on a river, lake, or ocean, is entitled to begin the planning process for an LWRP project. Towns that already have such plans approved include Saranac Lake, Malone, Wilmington, Essex, and Whitehall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Met Office weather map shows how hot it will be in Greater Manchester today
The UK is set to enjoy its warmest day of the year on Friday - with Greater Manchester also set to bask in the sunshine. The Met Office has said central parts of the country could enjoy highs of 24C during the day - making the UK hotter than a lot of European tourist destinations, including Corfu, Majorca, Lisbon and Naples. The highest temperature recorded so far this year was 21.3C in Northolt, west London, and Chertsey, Surrey, on March 20.. READ MORE: Police searched his phone - what they found has earned him a life sentence READ MORE: 'She's dying': Parents' grief as toddler dies hours after A&E visit Speaking on Thursday, Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: 'M much of the country is looking at another fine and dry spring day tomorrow (Friday) with a lot of warm sunshine on offer, although still holding on to those cool temperatures near the east coast. 'But one thing we are expecting tomorrow (Friday) is for temperatures to creep up into 23C or maybe the odd isolated 24C, so potentially the warmest day of the year so far.' While temperatures will not be quite as high in Greater Manchester, it is still expected to be a pleasant day. The latest weather map from the Met Office shows how warm it will get across the North West and Greater Manchester at around 3pm, the hottest time of the day. Here is a breakdown of how warm it will get where you live in Greater Manchester, and when. Bolton - 17C between 2pm and 4pm Bury - 17C between 2pm and 4pm Manchester - 18C between 2pm and 4pm Oldham - 16C between 2pm and 3pm Rochdale - 17C at 3pm Salford - 18C between 2pm and 4pm Stockport - 18C at 3pm Tameside - 17C between 2pm and 4pm Trafford- 18C between 2pm and 4pm Wigan- 18C between 2pm and 4pm Meanwhile, a 'very high to extreme' risk of wildfire remains in place across the country until Monday due to the recent warm and dry weather. The Met Office issued an amber warning for fire severity earlier this week across parts of England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said there is a 'very high to extreme risk' of wildfires. It comes after England saw its sunniest March on record and its sixth driest March since records began in 1836, according to the Met Office. Garry Douglas, group commander from the SFRS, said: 'There is a very high to extreme risk of wildfire from Wednesday 2 April until Monday 7 April and we are urging the public to avoid lighting fires outdoors across all areas of Scotland during this period. 'During any period of heightened risk, fires can ignite easily, spread very quickly and burn with high intensity.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Country businesses report drop in Canadian visitors
A survey of hotels, restaurants and retailers in the North Country suggests businesses in the hospitality industry saw fewer Canadian visitors in March because U.S. tariffs and Canadians are responding. Garry Douglas, president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, says the feedback from businesses reflects the expected decline in Canadian plans to visit the North Country this year. 'We saw a 16% decline in cars at the Champlain border crossing in February and, while we don't yet have March numbers, we expect this number to be larger for the last month,' Douglas said. The Chamber says more than three-quarters of the businesses surveyed — 76% — say the political climate and tariffs are the main cause the decline in business; 43% also blamed the decline to the exchange rate. which is about 70 cents now. Other findings from the survey include: One in four businesses say Canadians make up 26-50% of their customers; More than 13.3% says Canadians are more than 50% of their business; Major retailers estimate that 30% of shopping traffic is driven by Canadians; About 60% of businesses report that 25-50% of their revenue is generated by Canadian visitors More than quarter of business in the survey say they have reduced staffing in response to the decreas n visitors from Canada. North Country businesses turn on the charm to bring back Canadian visitors With so much of its economy tied to Canadian tourism, the Chamber is asking North Country businesses to join its Welcome Canadians campaign. The Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau is providing businesses with signs and other materials to create and spread 'a consistent, region-wide message of welcome.' 'While overall visitation numbers may be down, it's important to remember that Canadians are still crossing the border and choosing our region as their getaway,' says Kristy Kennedy, the bureau's vice president of marketing and tourism. The bureau is also amping up its advertising in Montreal and expanding efforts into New York's 'drive markets' to help boost lost visitation. 'For some perspective on the stakes, a Chamber study in 2004 estimated that Canadians were spending $310 million annually in just Clinton County, including shopper. tourists and other visitors,' Douglas says. 'Even without applying inflation since then, the economic impact is huge, and the impact of any significant drop is large as well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Fire brigade warning as wildfires hit in dry weather
Firefighters have warned of an "extreme" risk of wildfires across all areas of Scotland over the next comes as crews tackled a large blaze in the Kilpatrick Hills near Glasgow on Tuesday, while gorse was set alight in a deliberate fire in Banchory, is the third wildfire warning issued by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) this year as the weather gets warmer and public has been urged to avoid lighting any fires outdoors until next week. Fire crews were previously called to a wildfire in the Kilpatrick Hills less than two weeks ago on Thursday 20 March. Group Commander Garry Douglas told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the area was particularly said: "Hills are prone to wildfires because the fire can spread far quicker uphill than on flatter ground."In these valleys you can get areas of micro-climates, where the sun's drying out the fuel and that allows the fire to spread."In Banchory fire crews were called out to the gorse fire between 16:00 and 18:30 on Tuesday. There were no injuries and the fire was extinguished. Mr Douglas warned that there was typically a large volume of "dead, bone-dry vegetation across large areas of countryside" at this time of year which acts as a fuel for fire. Mr Douglas said: "Wildfires are extremely difficult to deal with because they can be so unpredictable with the weather."In the morning we generally have calm weather, but as the temperature and the wind picks up throughout the day, fires can start to spread and we get more fuel sources drying out. "They can spread onto farms, harm wildlife and be a high risk to the public as well."He added: "Human behaviour is the cause of most wildfires in Scotland, so it is imperative we all act responsibly while enjoying the outdoors, especially over the coming days of predicted sunshine."Temperatures hit as high as 20C on Monday, making it the warmest day of the year so far in has seen a dry and sunny start but the temperatures are expected to fall slightly at the weekend for slightly more mild weather.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lacolle border crossing project underway
PLATTSBURGH — A major renovation project at the St. Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing into Canada is expected to make life easier and better for cross-border travelers. 'While crossings are always dependent on staffing, volume and security situations, new state-of-the-art booths and a reconfiguration to remove pedestrians from the line of traffic can hopefully enhance the movement of cars' North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said. 'Also, there should be more efficiency in handling secondary processing for those needing to stop and go in, and the processing of bus passengers will be substantially enhanced.' Douglas was referring to the full start of construction on major upgrades and changes by the Canadian Government at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing which is the Canadian side of the Champlain crossing on I-87/Autoroute 15. 'As a major stakeholder representative for this border crossing, we welcome the full start of construction on a project that we and our Quebec partners have been supporting for several years,' Douglas said. 'It is another major step toward the Port of Excellence vision we laid out 25 years ago, seeking greatly improved border facilities at all North Country crossings, starting with $170 million for the new Champlain Port of Entry which began construction in 2005.' The first stage of the Lacolle vision included a major new truck crossing and commercial processing facility that opened several years ago. The new three-year project will demolish outdated buildings at the car crossing, creating a reconfigured complex including all new booths and enhanced processing for buses. Construction will be staged to minimize the impact on continued operations including flow, the chamber said. 'We have been pleased to provide stakeholder input during the design process and will be taking part in a border crossings meeting in Quebec City in May,' Douglas said. The chamber has also advocated for a planned new Rouses Point border crossing facility, including proper facilities for processing incoming Amtrak trains, with construction expected to begin in late spring or early summer. 'With all of the current atmosphere around potential tariffs, it's good to have positive news about such border investments designed to enhance travel and commerce north and south,' Douglas said.
