Northern New York Daily Brief: November 12, 2026

The Watertown Post

Thursday, November 12, 2026 · Daily Brief
Ten stories from across Northern New York, followed by today’s regional weather and dated fuel averages. All times are Eastern.

A fatal police shooting in Carthage is under investigation, Watertown’s golf-course lease proposal has changed, and public meetings in Essex, Croghan and Saranac Lake are on today’s calendar. In the mountains, a winter weather advisory begins at 10 a.m. for western Essex County; lower-elevation forecasts differ substantially.

Image: Adirondack High Peaks viewed from Giant Mountain, May 28, 2013. Photo by Yinan Chen / GoodFreePhotos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Archival regional photograph.

Essex County: Town budget adoption meeting is tonight

The Town of Essex lists a special meeting at 6 p.m. today to consider adoption of its 2027 budget. The town says the council will consider feedback from the November 5 public hearing and refine the preliminary spending plan before adopting a final budget by resolution. This is a scheduled decision, not an adopted budget as of this edition. The town’s budget page includes the meeting agenda and preliminary documents. Source: Town of Essex.

Clinton County: Peru fire commissioner candidacy deadline is November 18

A Peru Fire District notice published November 11 sets November 18 as the deadline for receiving letters of intent from district residents seeking a commissioner seat. The five-year term begins January 1, 2027. Letters should go to Peru Fire District, P.O. Box 603, Peru, NY 12972. Voting is scheduled for December 8, 6–9 p.m., in the basement of Peru Town Hall, 3036 Main Street. The notice also links the district’s 2027 budget. Source: Fire District secretary’s notice in The Peru Gazette.

St. Lawrence County: Investigators examine Ogdensburg Legion building fire

City and state investigators are working to establish the cause of Tuesday’s fire at the vacant former American Legion building at 328 Franklin Street in Ogdensburg. WWNY reported Wednesday that officials suspect a connection to people sheltering in the building, but the exact cause remains under investigation. No injuries or arrests had been reported. Police plan to seek neighborhood surveillance footage, while code officials will assess the building’s structural condition and whether it can be saved. The building housed the Legion from 1945 to 2011. Source: John Moore, WWNY, November 11.

Franklin County: Five business finalists pitch tonight in Saranac Lake

The Adirondack Innovation Initiative’s Launchpad Pitch Day runs 5:30–7:30 p.m. today at Hotel Saranac, 100 Main Street. Five early-stage North Country ventures will present their ideas, with fields including artificial intelligence, small-business software, community services and craft manufacturing. The organizer says the event is open to the public and provides an RSVP link. It is a chance to hear the proposals; no winner or investment outcome has been announced in the event notice. Source: Adirondack Innovation Initiative.

Jefferson County: Man dies after State Police shooting in Carthage

A man died after being shot by a State Police member during a vehicle stop on West Street in Carthage Wednesday, according to troopers’ account reported by WWNY. Police said they were seeking to apprehend him on a Lewis County bench warrant involving a first-degree rape charge. Troopers said he pointed a handgun at an investigator and did not obey commands to disarm. Those details are the police account of the encounter.

The man received medical aid and was taken to Carthage Area Hospital, where he later died. Police reported no injuries to State Police personnel. Neither the man’s name nor the identity of the officer who fired had been released in the report checked for this edition. WWNY reports that the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating. Source: Diane Rutherford and Seth Appleby, WWNY, updated November 11.

Jefferson County: Revised golf-course proposal leaves repairs with city

A revised proposal from Andrea Doane to lease Watertown’s Thompson Park Golf Course would rename it Mulligan’s at the Park. WWNY reports that the proposal includes a $21,000 payment and operating costs for Doane, while the city would remain responsible for repairs, including clubhouse and irrigation work. A negotiating team will meet with her; the report does not establish a completed lease. Doane projects nearly $650,000 in revenue next year, a projection rather than money already earned. Source: Lexi Bruening, WWNY, November 11.

Jefferson County: SPCA seeks supplies after taking in 25 puppies

The Jefferson County SPCA is seeking bleach and disinfectant after taking in 25 puppies from one household, WWNY reported Wednesday. The shelter’s operations director said symptoms prompted parvovirus testing and that employees would foster puppies during recovery. Adoption depends on their health and quarantine, so readers should contact the shelter directly about current needs and availability rather than assume the puppies can go home immediately. Source: Levi Coovert, WWNY, November 11.

Oswego County: Water-line funding supports inventory and replacement

In a November 10 announcement, the City of Oswego outlined funding for two parts of its lead service-line program: $2 million for identifying and documenting line materials, and a $7 million grant plus $3 million in interest-free financing for a proposed replacement project covering about 900 known lead lines. That proposed work is separate from the city’s ongoing 2026 project targeting roughly 350 lines. These are program plans and funding commitments, not a claim that all replacements are complete. Source: City announcement published by Oswego County Today.

Lewis County: Drop in today to help shape the comprehensive plan

Lewis County’s comprehensive-plan open house takes place 1:30–7 p.m. today at Moving Mountains Café in Croghan. Residents can stop by at any point, review themes gathered so far and give feedback on housing, infrastructure, funding priorities and local policies. The county describes it as an informal drop-in event with interactive poster boards, rather than a meeting requiring attendance for the entire afternoon. Source: Lewis County’s official event notice, checked this morning.

Lewis County: Lowville heads to the Dome for Saturday’s football final

Lowville will face Bishop Ludden-Grimes-SAS for the Section 3 Class C football championship at noon Saturday, November 14, at Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome, WWNY reports. The Red Raiders enter at 9–1 after nine consecutive wins; their opponent is 10–0 and advanced by beating General Brown in overtime. Source: Mel Busler, WWNY, November 11.

Regional weather: Mountain snow, rain and colder nights

Western Essex County: A National Weather Service winter weather advisory runs from 10 a.m. today to 10 a.m. Friday. The advisory, issued at 1:20 a.m. today, calls for 2–5 inches of wet snow mainly above 1,200 feet. Travel impacts begin at higher elevations and become more widespread in the advisory area after 7 p.m., affecting this evening’s and Friday morning’s commutes. This advisory is not a uniform forecast for all seven counties. Read the NWS advisory.

Watertown: Rain likely before 2 p.m., then a chance of showers; high 43°F, precipitation chance 60%. Cloudy tonight, low 28°F. Northeast winds 10–14 mph. NWS forecast, 3:57 a.m. November 12.
Lewis County: Rain changes to a rain/snow mix later today, with highs in the lower 40s. Tonight brings snow and rain followed by likely snow, with an inch or less of accumulation and lows in the mid-20s. NWS zone forecast, 4 a.m. November 12.
Oswego County: Rain and afternoon patchy fog; highs from the lower 40s on Tug Hill to the mid-40s lower down. Rain and snow showers are possible tonight, with lows from the upper 20s on Tug Hill to the mid-30s near the lakeshore. NWS zone forecast, 4 a.m. November 12.
Potsdam: A 40% chance of rain and snow, chiefly earlier today; high 41°F, with little or no accumulation expected. Cloudy tonight, low 29°F. NWS forecast, 1:21 a.m. November 12.
Malone: Mostly cloudy, with a 20% chance of snow or rain today; high 40°F. Tonight’s low is 29°F, with a slight snow chance. NWS forecast, 1:21 a.m. November 12.
Plattsburgh: Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain or snow; high 41°F. Tonight, low 30°F with a 30% precipitation chance and little or no snow accumulation expected. NWS forecast, 1:21 a.m. November 12.
Lake Placid: Snow today, high 35°F, with less than an inch possible during the day. Snow likely tonight, low 28°F, with around another inch possible at this forecast point. Higher terrain in the advisory area can receive more. NWS forecast, 1:21 a.m. November 12.

Fuel: Watertown–Fort Drum averages for November 12

Regular: $4.14 per gallon — down 1.89 cents from yesterday. Diesel: $6.37 per gallon — down 0.60 cents. Comparisons use AAA’s unrounded averages: regular $4.1426 versus $4.1615; diesel $6.3690 versus $6.3750. New York’s statewide regular average is $4.1894, or $4.19 rounded. These are area averages in U.S. dollars per gallon, not individual station quotes or a single price across all seven counties. Source: AAA, prices dated November 12, 2026.

This edition draws on the linked reporting, official notices and forecasts checked November 12. Developing investigations and proposed decisions remain attributed to their sources. Forecasts and event arrangements can change; follow the original links for updates. Read past Daily Briefs.