The leading provider of news, information and advertising in Northern New York Thank you!
NOTICE REGARDING CALENDAR ITEMS
If you would like your event featured in our calendar of events, please send your information to [email protected].
12/15/2025
Watertown Daily Times reporters Michael J. Greene, left, and Larry Cole look at a towering snowbank on County Route 61 near Tylerville from the Blizzard of '77. Watertown and its surrounding region, just off Lake Ontario, received anywhere from 60 to 120 new inches of snow with snowdrifts over 30 feet high in some areas. In the city of Watertown, January's snow accumulation was 90.8 inches, shattering the previous record for a month of 79.4 inches in 1940. More facts, figures, and photos below via the comments.
12/09/2025
Indoor basketball and tennis courts, an indoor pool, trampolines, an outdoor walking trail, sandy beach, and much more are part of the redevelopment planned by United Helpers.
Read more ⬇️
OGDENSBURG — A $9.8 million grant through the state’s Building Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors (NY BRICKS) capital grant program will allow United Helpers to transform the former
12/08/2025
State Education Department officials said this year’s assessment results “show meaningful signs of improvement, particularly in districts that have engaged deeply with NYSED’s professional learning resources and instructional supports.”
✏️ See how your north country school district fared ⬇
The state Education Department has released the results of the 2024-25 statewide assessments, including grades three through eight English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments.
12/08/2025
Collectively, the result of contested interest calculations has either deprived New Yorkers of millions of dollars in additional money when they lose their homes, or burdened them with higher levels of debt, a New York Focus/Gothamist analysis has found.
Read more from New York Focus ⬇
This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for the newsletter at wdt.me/NYFocus
12/08/2025
Jonathan Melendez was sentenced to 25 years to life on the murder charge, plus more time on related convictions, after he was found guilty at trial of killing Rena Eves with a hammer.
WATERTOWN — Convicted murderer Jonathan E. Melendez was sentenced Monday morning in Jefferson County Court to 25 years to life in state prison.
12/08/2025
Under state regulations that prohibit cannabis retailers from operating within 1,000 feet of one another, only one of these proposed shops could open in Watertown's Stateway Plaza.
Read more ⬇
WATERTOWN -- Two proposed cannabis dispensaries that are competing against each other at Stateway Plaza are taking different approaches.
12/08/2025
New Yorkers are set to face sharply higher premiums in 2026 due to the stalemate in Washington over federal subsidies, the tax and spending plan Republicans passed in July, and Gov. Hochul’s plan to minimize damage to the state budget while protecting low income, legal immigrants who will lose federal subsidies.
Read more from New York Focus ⬇
This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for the newsletter at wdt.me/NYFocus
12/07/2025
After last season's historic campaign for the LaFargeville girls basketball team, this year's squad is ready for another ambitious year, playing larger schools and leaning on a versatile lineup.
🏀 Read the season preview ⬇
LAFARGEVILLE — Last season proved to be a historic campaign for the LaFargeville girls basketball team.
12/07/2025
There was a huge turnout for River Santa in Village of Clayton NY today. Hundreds of kids saw Santa arrive on the Clayton Fire Department boat, the Last Chance. Presents for all.
12/07/2025
After a year of walking back its major climate commitments, New York moved an inch forward this week, when the Department of Environmental Conservation finalized rules to guide how major polluters report their greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more from New York Focus ⬇
This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for the newsletter at wdt.me/NYFocus
12/07/2025
If you haven't done so already, pick up a copy of this weekend's Watertown Daily Times. This edition is packed with local and state news, high school hoops, features, recipes, and much more.
Not subscribed? Visit wdt.me/supportlocalnews or call 315-782-1012 to subscribe.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Watertown Daily Times posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
The story of the Watertown Daily Times as a newspaper dates back to 1861, evolving from the weekly New York Reformer, which had been established in Watertown eleven years before. With the advent of the Civil war, and the necessity of getting news quicker being an urgent matter, a daily paper was created.
The original daily Reformer of 1861 was a four-page publication of about 1,500 circulation during the Civil war and less in the years following. It was edited from offices at the east end of the Paddock Arcade and moved into a new location on Arcade Street in 1861. The paper took its present name in 1870, although at that time it was by no means certain that the publication would survive its financial difficulties.
The newspaper did survive the financial perils of the 1870s and grew to prominence under the editorial leadership of Harold B. Johnson, who joined the city staff at age 22 in 1904. Mr. Johnson became editor in 1919 and acquired the business in 1932. The newspaper is now in its fourth generation of family ownership moved to Washington Street in 1962. The paper has the largest news gathering staff in the north country, and covers news in Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Oswego and Franklin Counties. It is Northern New York’s leader in reporting and advertising in print and online.
“The printed word possesses substance. Newspapers seek to provide as news that which has authenticity and thereby will stand up in contrast to the babble of misinformation.” -John B. Johnson, editor and publisher, 1949-2002.
