WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY, 8/6/09

HERMON BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT CHARGED WITH FELONY MISCHIEF AT JAIL--23-year-old James Russ of Hermon, accused of robbing the Community Bank branch in Hermon last month, was arrested Tuesday on a felony count alleging he broke a sprinkler head in his jail cell. He will appear in Canton Village Court on the new charge at a later date.

MILLION-DOLLAR LAD DEAL IN FINE--800 acres of prime Adirondack woodland has been sold to a company called "Oswegatchie River Forest." The company has not ruled out harvesting the timber. The land sold to Edmonson Properties in 1991 for 158-thousand, and for 976-thousand in 2006 when it was picked up by its previous owner, Sprague Brook.

ORTLOFF SENTENCING PUSHED BACK TO NOVEMBER--A scheduling conflict is cited as the reason for a second scheduling change on the sentencing of 61-year-old Chris Ortloff, the former State Assemblyman convicted of trying to set up a sex tryst with two young girls. Sentencing was originally scheduled for April, but a reported problem with the pre-sentence report pushed the date back to this coming Tuesday before it was changed again. Ortloff is expected to receive 10 years to life in Federal prison.

HEALTH CENTER BREAK-IN, THEFTS PUT NORFOLK MAN IN POKY--20-year-old Nathan Sprague of Morris Street allegedly entered the Norfolk Health Center last month and made off with prescription drugs and medical goods. He was arraigned Wednesday on felony counts of Burglary and Criminal Mischief, plus a misdemeanor petit larceny. Sprague was jailed on 10-thousand dollars cash bail, 20-thousand bond.

TEN PEOPLE BUSTED IN FRANKLIN COUNTY DRUG SWEEP, SOME LOCAL--30-year-old Corey Russell of Dickinson and 34-year-old Tammy Wells of St.Regis Falls were among the suspects rounded up in a bust of a sale ring that involved cocaine, marijuana, and prescription narcotics.

AUDIT FINDS ISSUES WITH FUND BALANCE AT NORWOOD-NORFOLK--The state Comptroller's Office report shows the school district over-estimated general fund revenues by over 1.5 million dollars from 2004-2007, and went from undesignated fund balance of 851-thousand dollars to 346-thousand in the hole from 2004-2006. Superintendent Elizabeth Kirnie says conditions have substantially improved.