You can’t blame America’s teenagers for no longer congregating at the mall like generations past: There aren’t all that many stores left.

In the last 48 hours alone, several shopping-center staples unveiled plans to trim their footprints across the U.S. Gap Inc. said it would slash the store count of its struggling namesake brand by 230 locations over the next two years, just hours after J.C. Penney Co. said it would shutter 18 of its department stores. That news came on the heels of L Brands Inc.’s decision to close 53 Victoria’s Secrets in North America this year.

When asked if the Victoria’s Secret store in Watertown’s Salmon Run Mall was on the list of closures, L Brands said, in an emailed statement, “We are not releasing a list of stores closing, which will occur over the next year and represents less than five percent of our total store count.”

And it’s not just apparel: Tesla Inc., whose galleries are often inside shopping centers, just said it’s moving all its sales online.

These moves come on top of all of the chains that have already announced they’re closing down or reducing their footprints due to bankruptcy. This includes Payless Inc., which is abandoning 2,500 stores, Things Remembered, which is closing most of its 400 stores and selling the rest, while mall favorite Brookstone Inc. slims down operations and Sears continues to shutter locations. Taken as a whole, many of today’s shopping centers are becoming little more than an assemblage of fast-fashion retailers, Apple stores and food courts.

Things Remembered was not able to provide information as to whether the store in Salmon Run Mall would remain open.

“You hear so much about shopping centers are dying. There definitely needs to be attrition, and there’s too many in the U.S.,” Michael Guerin, senior vice president of leasing at mall-owner Macerich Co., said in an interview earlier this year. The mall “just needs to evolve.”

The dying-mall narrative isn’t a new one, with the phrase “retail apocalypse” making its way into the American lexicon years ago as America’s over-stored suburbs and the continued gains of online shopping took their toll. But after a brief period of shopper stabilization — fueled by rising consumer confidence and low gas prices — it appears another culling is in order for the industry.

The vacancy rate in U.S. malls was 9 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 8.3 percent a year earlier, Barbara Byrne Denham, a senior economist at Reis Real Estate Solutions, wrote in a retail sector report. Even though Sears shuttered some locations earlier in 2018, causing vacancies to rise to an even higher 9.1 percent in the third quarter, the so-called “dark” stores did not impact occupancy for most malls, according to the report.

Some malls have found ways to adapt. Macerich — which has already started offering 180 day leases to encourage pop-ups to fill empty storefronts — added 32,898 square feet of co-working space to its shopping plaza in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this year. The two-floor space is inside a former Barneys New York.

Non-traditional tenants like bowling alleys, movie theaters and digitally native brands are also finding their way into malls. Online-first companies like Warby Parker, Bonobos and Casper are embracing what they call “offline” in a big way.

“They need brick and mortar — we’re hearing that loud and clear — when they open a store their online sales go up,” Macerich’s Guerin said. “A lot of the stores you’re seeing now weren’t there five years ago.”

In the fourth quarter, mall landlords increased rent by 0.8 percent, or $0.35 per square foot, from a year earlier. They’re making plans to re-develop some spaces for alternative uses — such as gyms and entertainment spaces, the Reis report shows.

Planet Fitness is one brand taking advantage of retail store closings, as landlords and REITs increasingly approach the operator of fitness centers as a potential tenant. Even as retailers look to downsize their square footage, Planet Fitness can sublease some space.

Planet Fitness Chief Executive officer Chris Rondeau said his business is immune to e-commerce’s effects on brick-and-mortar, making it a good mall tenant.

“Our business can’t be Amazoned. We’re un-Amazonable,” he said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “We do about 5,000 workouts per gym per week, about 8 million workouts a week in the U.S., so look at how much traffic we drive to these centers every day. And the majority of those visits are Monday through Wednesday; most retailers are busy on the weekends, so we’re a great co-tenant for these retailers to drive that traffic.”

Planet Fitness shows how mall landlords, especially those with higher-quality malls in heavily trafficked, urban locations, are using store closures as an opportunity to use the spaces differently, said Lindsay Dutch, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence.

“They’re taking advantage when they get that space back to turn it into something more experiential,” she said. “They’re looking to make it into offices, sometimes medical offices. Every once in a while there is a chance to put apartments in there, and go with something more residential.”

Times reporter Marcus Wolf contributed to this report.

EAST MEADOW — Watertown High School’s Nate Carlos qualified for Saturday’s final round of the state boys swimming meet in four events during preliminaries Friday at the Nassau County Aquatic Center on Long Island.

Carlos, a junior, advanced in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and also appeared on Watertown’s qualifying 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

The Cyclones’ 400 free relay placed sixth in qualifying with a time of 3 minutes, 13.13 seconds, featuring Caleb Way, Andrew Victoria, Simon Stratton and Carlos. Watertown’s 200 free relay of Victoria, Way, Stratton and Carlos finished 16th in 1:28.52 to qualify.

Carlos placed a qualifying 10th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.75. He was the final qualifier in the 200 freestyle preliminaries, finishing 30th in 1:45.57.

Finals in all swimming events are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

MASSENA — Hockey action hits the Massena Arena from Friday night to Sunday morning, and it’s all for a good cause.

The Massena Volunteer Fire Department is hosting the 2nd annual Firehouse Cup, featuring a Massena firefighters team and teams from the New York State Police, Norfolk Fire Department, Brasher-Winthrop Fire Department and Massena Police Department. A sixth local team that’s not affiliated with fire or police departments is also taking part.

Last year’s tournament was successful, according to organizer Evan Raymo.

“We ended up raising $5,500 for Believe Northern New York,” he said.

Believe NNY was founded in May 2016 to offer financial assistance for housing, mileage, resources and materials to volunteer firefighters and other first responders from St. Lawrence, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Essex and Hamilton counties who suffer from a life-threatening illness, such as cancer.

Games will be played Friday night, starting at noon Saturday and Sunday morning, Mr. Raymo said.

Friday’s games include Massena Fire versus House at 5 p.m., Brasher-Winthrop versus Norfolk Fire at 6:10 p.m. and the Massena Police Department versus the New York State Police at 7:20 p.m.

Saturday’s action begins with the Massena Police Department facing off against Brasher-Winthrop Fire at noon. That’s followed by Norfolk Fire against Massena Fire at 1:10 p.m., House against the New York State Police at 2:20 p.m., Massena Fire against Brasher-Winthrop Fire at 3:30 p.m., House against the Massena Police Department at 4:40 p.m. and the New York State Police against Norfolk Fire at 5:50 p.m.

On Sunday, the first place team will play the fourth place team at 7:30 a.m. The second place team will face off against the third place team at 8:40 a.m. The winner of the 7:30 a.m. contest will face the winner of the 8:40 a.m. contest at 10:40 a.m.

Admission is free, and donations will be accepted at the door. There will be a 50/50 raffle and Chinese Auction. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Massena Volunteer Fire Department, with partial proceeds going to Believe NNY to assist first responders battling cancer and other illness.

“We’re splitting the profits with the fire department and Believe Northern New York,” Mr. Raymo said.

The gist of it

n WHAT: Six teams will battle it out for the Firehouse Cup Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Massena Arena

n WHO: The teams include the Massena Volunteer Fire Department, New York State Police, Norfolk Fire Department, Brasher-Winthrop Fire Department, Massena Police Department and a sixth local team that’s not affiliated with fire or police departments

n WHY: The Firehouse Cup raises money for Believe NNY, an organization that assists first responders suffering from life-threatening illnesses

SYRACUSE — Jackie Piddock scored 19 points and Alyssa Stevenson added 16, plus several huge rebounds, as South Jefferson held back Westhill, 54-50, to capture the Section 3 Class B girls basketball title Friday at the Carrier Dome.

South Jefferson (20-3) led by 11 at halftime but saw its lead cut to a single point late in the second half before rallying to oust Westhill (19-4). The Spartans move on to the state tournament where they will play the winner of the Section 4 championship game between Norwich and Owego, on March 9 at Onondaga Community College.

Taylor Scoville provided 10 of her 12 points in the first half for the Spartans, who won their first Section 3 crown since 2012.

Catherine Dadey scored 15 points and MacKenzie Martin added 14 for Westhill.

EMILY’s List, the national political organization that supports Democratic women who endorse abortion rights, has announced a list of 43 congressional representatives they are putting “on notice” and planning to challenge in 2020. U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is one of the five New York Republicans on the list.

“After flipping the House with Democratic women in 2018, we’re ready to send more Republicans packing in 2020,” Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List, was quoted as saying in a press release. “These members have loyally supported their party’s harmful agenda, advancing policies — such as attempting to repeal access to affordable health care — that harm working families in their districts.”

Ms. Stefanik won NY-21 with the largest margin of any Republican candidate in the state, about five points more than Thomas Reed in NY-23, the only New York Republican not on the “on notice” list. Ms. Stefanik is not on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee list of 24 districts they are targeting, although Mr. Reed is.

A spokesperson for EMILY’s List said she was not sure why Mr. Reed was not targeted while Ms. Stefanik was. She added that EMILY’s List was looking at districts that had trended Democratic in the last election to expand control of the house, even in districts that might be longshots.

It is unclear whether EMILY’s List is specifically working with former Democratic candidate Tedra L. Cobb, who is likely to run again in 2020, although she has not officially announced. They did endorse Ms. Cobb toward the end of her campaign last year.

Ms. Stefanik’s campaign spokesman Lenny Alcivar Tweeted that he was “looking forward” to Ms. Cobb’s EMILY’s List-backed run. Mr. Alcivar has repeatedly taken the position that his campaign hopes to take Ms. Cobb on after winning against her by almost 14 points in November.

DENMARK — A man who police had sought in connection with a theft Jan. 10 at Farney’s Home and Building Center has turned himself in.

State police charged Joshua A. Murdock, 35, of Watertown, with misdemeanor petit larceny Thursday at the state police barracks in Carthage.

Mr. Murdock was issued an appearance ticket for Denmark Town Court .

WATERTOWN — A Syracuse man faces charges after allegedly possessing a fake Ohio driver’s license with a woman’s name on it.

City police charged Al-Amin, H. I. Mcmillon, 31, with felony first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument at 1:40 p.m. Tuesday at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building.

Mr. Mcmillon was held pending arraignment Wednesday in City Court.

WATERTOWN — A city man and woman face charges after allegedly having weapons at 213 S. Meadow St.

City police charged Shaun R. Brice, 33, with felony third-degree criminal possession of a weapon at 9:09 p.m. Thursday at the residence, where he allegedly had a set of throwing daggers and metal knuckles. Mr. Brice was convicted of third-degree assault in 2011, police said.

He was held at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building pending arraignment in City Court.

Mary E. Bidwell, 44, also of 213 S. Meadow St., was charged there with misdemeanor fourth-degree possession of a weapon. Police said she, too, had a set of throwing daggers.

Ms. Bidwell was released with an appearance ticket for City Court.

WATERTOWN — Developer Brian H. Murray is all set to give back $1.243 million in state money slated to restore more than 25 downtown storefronts and reallocate the funding for a proposed aquatics center on Clinton Street.

Mr. Murray, who owns Washington Street Properties in Watertown, has decided it would be too costly to accept the Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding and complete his facade project, so he’s encouraging the state to use the grant for the aquatics center that the Watertown YMCA plans to build.

He’s pulling the facade project out of the city’s $10 million DRI program after learning the incentive program is “less economically viable than anticipated,” according to a letter he sent to the state.

“We are grateful for the opportunity and disappointed that we cannot accept the incentive proposal,” Mr. Murray wrote in the Feb. 21 to the state.

He believes that the $16 million aquatics, racquet sport and wellness center project could become the most important downtown development in a generation.

“It would be an economic boom for economic development for downtown,” he said, because it would create and retain jobs, and bring many visitors into downtown every day.

Recently, the city’s Planning Department contacted state Department of State officials who oversee Watertown’s DRI program to see “if there’s a process in place” to take DRI money from one project and give it to another.

A state Department of State official said Friday the agency is already working with local folks on the issue.

“The Department of State is actively engaged in conversations with specific parties in Watertown on this matter,” the official wrote in an email.

Mr. Murray had planned to use the $1.243 million in DRI funding to restore facades on a series of buildings along Franklin Street, just off Public Square, and 25 nearby storefronts.

In his letter, he addressed concerns that the State Historic Preservation Office’s requirement to restore existing windows rather than replacing them would “significantly increase” the cost of the project.

He also found out that last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act caused changes that would result in his company being required to pay income tax on the entire $1.243 million grant, or about $300,000.

Property taxes doubling on those buildings was another factor in not accepting the DRI funding, he said.

Instead, it’s important to pursue projects that would result in as much bang for its buck as possible, Mr. Murray said.

“The city of Watertown needs to build on the current momentum of revitalization efforts and further implement its vision of a vibrant future,” he said.

The YMCA’s 56,000- to 70,000-square-foot aquatics center had been in the early stages of planning when 14 DRI projects were selected in July, so it did not get any funding from the program. However, the project did receive $2.133 million in state funding through from the state’s Consolidated Funding Application process through the Regional Economic Development Council program.

Mr. Murray believes the YMCA project is so crucial it should receive more state money.

The aquatics center would consist of a six-lane lap pool, a separate full-size recreational pool, a full-service wellness center, an arts/multipurpose room, two indoor tennis courts and a running/walking track. Y officials need to find other funding sources to proceed with the project.

While not accepting the DRI funding, Mr. Murray intends to complete the facade project over a period of time and using private financing, like he has done with almost all of the 30 plus properties he owns, Mr. Murray said.

He also will proceed with plans to use $825,000 in DRI funding on restoring the third and fourth floors in the Lincoln Building.

Twelve other DRI projects are still proceeding, including restoration of the historic Masonic Temple.

Last fall, plans were dropped by a local agency to use $149,568 in DRI funding for a community cafe and grocery store in a building at 138 Court St.

CANTON — Although bank robberies are rare in St. Lawrence County, there were three in the village of Canton several years ago that all remain unsolved.

The most recent took place Jan. 9, 2009, when $221,500 was stolen from the SeaComm Credit Union, 101 E. Main St.

Armed with a handgun, a thin white male walked into the branch shortly after 6 p.m. that day and demanded money from a teller. Police said the robber forced tellers into the branch’s vault and demanded they fill a gray duffel bag with money.

Police said the robber walked behind a red barn through the snow in the credit union’s parking lot and headed toward the former P&C grocery store parking lot. It’s believed he left the area in a vehicle.

The same SeaComm branch was robbed about two years earlier, shortly after closing on Dec. 21, 2006. In that robbery, $270,000 was stolen by two men wearing black hoodies. The two armed men tied up three employees and made off with a suitcase-like courier’s bag with the money.

In June 2006, an armed robber stole about $10,000 from the NBT Bank, 5 Park Place. A single robber brandishing what appeared to be two semiautomatic pistols entered the bank shortly after 10 a.m. June 30. He fled out a side door, crossed a rear parking lot and last was seen entering the woods that lined the CSX tracks.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin M. Wells said the quality of surveillance equipment has improved significantly since those robberies, which all remain unsolved. Mr. Wells said the higher quality photographs and video may help police solve Thursday’s robbery of the Community Bank, N.A., 111 Church St., Hermon. At 12:53 p.m. a white male, armed with a silver handgun, robbed the bank. Police said the man demanded money be placed in a black backpack and fled north toward Main Street.

“The technology has improved and there are many more cameras out there,” Mr. Wells said. “Many businesses and homes have cameras now.”

OGDENSBURG — Millions of dollars in investments at multiple companies that will create dozens of new jobs in St. Lawrence County made 2018 one of the most active economic development years in recent memory, according to Patrick J. Kelly, executive director the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency.

In an interview this week, Mr. Kelly said there are multiple projects underway in several communities, including Massena, Ogdensburg, Potsdam and Canton that should help strengthen the north country’s economy. He said investments in those communities and others will not only preserve hundreds of existing jobs, but create new ones across the region in the coming years.

“2018 was a busy year for us, probably the most active year we’ve had in over 10 years, if not more,” Mr. Kelly said. “I’m hopeful that this is a pattern of greater economic activity, not an isolated event. To make a lasting impact, we need every year to be like 2018, and we’re trying to make it the norm, not an exception.”

Last year was encouraging when it comes to economic development in St. Lawrence County because of the wide variety of projects and range of locations involved, according to Mr. Kelly. As such, he said the scale of economic investment currently underway is impressive.

In particular he pointed to major expansions at Corning in Canton and at the North Country Dairy factory in North Lawrence.

In the case of North Country Dairy LLC, success actually began with an $800,000 low-interest loan several years ago aimed at helping the company later invest $10 million to modernize the facility with a goal of creating 55 jobs. However, the company has surpassed the initial job requirement from that project, and now employs 73 people at the facility, according to Mr. Kelly.

Because of that success, Mr. Kelly said this past year the IDA and the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency agreed to provide an additional $1 million in loan funds to enable to company to again expand, this time with a goal of adding 17 full-time jobs. He said the company’s total investment in the latest expansion will be about $3.4 million.

Likewise, in what he deemed another major success of 2018, Mr. Kelly pointed to the IDA’s involvement in a new $14 million expansion at the Corning plant in Canton. He said in May the IDA began working with Corning Inc. to add 2,280 square feet for material storage and handling, 7,565 square feet of office space, and environmental improvements including the addition of nearly 4,000 square feet to the existing bag house at the facility. Approximately 4,400 square feet of existing space will also be renovated and converted for manufacturing to increase furnace capacity.

Mr. Kelly said the expansion will help retain about 250 jobs at the Canton facility, and has the potential to create more. He said over the past four years Corning has added nearly 60,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space to the local plant through a series of IDA projects.

“There isn’t a county in the state, or anyplace for that matter, that wouldn’t be happy to have companies like Corning and North Country Dairy making multi-million-dollar investments, adding both production capacity and workers,” Mr. Kelly said.

While the Corning and North Country Dairy expansions may top the list of economic development in 2018, Mr. Kelly said there are multiple smaller, yet equally important business expansions underway in St. Lawrence County aimed at creating dozens of new jobs.

He said North American Forest Group’s acquisition of the former ACCO building in Ogdensburg to create a new sawmill operation with a potential to employ 20 people is one example. He also pointed to two other companies — From the Heart Cabinetry and AmTech Yarns — that are taking over buildings in the Potsdam and Massena industrial parks. Mr. Kelly said both are prime examples of small businesses revitalizing what were once considered to be underutilized properties in each of those communities.

“Each of these properties will be put to better use than they have been in years,” Mr. Kelly said. “Our goal is to use our buildings, and the properties we are redeveloping, like the Newell Building (in Ogdensburg), to help create jobs and to add to the tax base. There isn’t a community, school district or resident in this county that can’t benefit from that process.”

Mr. Kelly said the IDA and its partner development agencies helped provide more than $2.5 million in loans and leases during 2018, made progress on cleaning up the J&L mine site in Star Lake, and provided a million dollars of funding for community development projects with the River Valley Redevelopment Agency.

“The Power Proceeds Fund from the New York Power Authority was really put into use during the year, with over $1.5 million in local awards,” Mr. Kelly said. “Years of work by a lot of stakeholders went into the creation of that fund, and getting the money out into local projects is a great sign of progress.”

With such a robust year in 2018 regarding business development, Mr. Kelly said he worries that unforeseen setbacks like the potential for prison closings in the region could offset recent economic gains. However, he said it is important to remember that economic development projects rarely just materialize, and usually involve a long development cycle — and a lot of ups and downs along the way.

“In addition to the struggle to find new projects for the area, I worry about the threat of closure to our three prisons and I know that all of our firms, big and small, face their own slew of operational, marketing and industry challenges,” Mr. Kelly said. “As we’ve seen in the past week, these challenges can create sudden and profound impacts to our local workers and economy. That said, we have created a strong economic development strategy, one that we said we would follow, not just put on a shelf, and we have done that, and we’re continuing to do it. I think this gives us the best chance for success.”

Some key IDA projects during 2018 included:

n AmTech Yarns Inc., a Canadian-based manufacturer of industrial yarns, deciding to establish a U.S. production facility in the Massena Industrial Park. AmTech is a subsidiary of a Canadian company that specializes in manufacturing a variety of twisted, air-entangled and air-textured high-performance yarns for application in aerospace, firefighting, military, automotive, wire cabling, rope and cordage and other industries. The company is acquiring the 20,000-square-foot Lot 18 building at the Massena Industrial Park and is building a 3,600-square-foot addition to the building to accommodate equipment for the operation. Additionally, the New York Power Authority Proceeds Allocation Board has recommended to the NYPA Board of Trustees approval of a grant for $370,000 to assist with the project. It is expected the project will create 11 new jobs over three years.

n The acquisition of the former ACCO manufacturing building in the town of Oswegatchie by North American Forest Group Inc. In October, the IDA-LDC authorized a loan of up to $400,000 to North American Forest Group Inc. for the proposed acquisition and updating of the former ACCO Manufacturing facility in the town of Oswegatchie. The IDA compiled a financing package for the $2,000,000 project from a number of local and regional funding sources, including a $400,000 IDA loan and a $100,000 loan from the RVRDA. The project is expected to create 20 jobs over the next three years.

n The IDA-LDC and RVRDA assisted Kingston Pharma with an equipment lease in November 2016. The RVRDA authorized a loan of up to $96,000 to the company to assist in the purchasing of equipment. At that time, the company had 11 full-time equivalent employees and pledged to create five more jobs as part of the equipment lease project. The company has exceeded those projections and currently has 25 full-time- equivalent positions at the Massena facility. Subsequently, the transition of the Lot 18 building in the Massena Industrial Park to AmTech Yarns has allowed Kingston Pharma to move warehoused materials from the Lot 18 building to the St. Lawrence Centre mall in Massena. IDA staff helped to facilitate this arrangement. Relocating to the unused mall space is a positive development as it converts to a warehousing location for Kingston Pharma and will assist the mall in generating revenue from space that has been unused.

n In May, the IDA authorized a project with Corning, Inc. to assist with a $14 million expansion at the Corning Canton plant. The project will help keep approximately 250 jobs at the Canton facility.

n From the Heart Cabinetry, a tenant in the Potsdam Commerce Park building, is in discussions with the IDA to acquire the building. The company recently received a recommendation for an award of $95,000 for the project from the Northern New York Power Proceeds Allocation board. The IDA facilities manager has been the primary contact with the company and has assisted the company as it completes an application for Excelsior Tax Credits through Empire State Development for the proposed project. From the Heart Cabinetry currently employs five people and is hoping to add five as a result of the project.

n The IDA-LDC and RVRDA approved a loan for $44,600 to Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm as part of a project that includes purchasing and installing product wrapping equipment, purchasing peripheral equipment and fixtures, making facility improvements to expand production process efficiencies, as well as working capital to help expand the business.

The project will assist in the retention of six jobs and the creation of 1.5 new full-time-equivalent positions over the next three years and will help with the production, packaging and selling of locally-made products both in and outside of this area.

n Loan financing was provided to Bregg Winery Inc. in the amount of $30,000 for the purchase of equipment to produce fruit juices, hard ciders and wine at the facility the company is renovating on Main Street in Norfolk. The company has agreed to retain one full-time-equivalent position and create a part-time position as part of the project.

n The IDA Civic Development Corp. approved a loan for $130,000 for the Town of Oswegatchie Crematory. The town constructed a crematory facility at Foxwood Memorial Park in late 2017 and is using all proceeds from the crematory to maintain the property. The town has applied for a loan to assist with financing a second crematory chamber at the facility.

n The IDA authorized an application to the Rural Business Development Grant Program in the amount of $57,850 for the benefit of LC Drives in Potsdam. The company was awarded an RBDG in 2017, along with a Loan and a Convertible Note from the IDA-LDC. The company now employs 16 people in the Damon Hall incubator facility in the former downtown Clarkson campus.

HERMON — St. Lawrence County sheriff’s detectives have released new information about a vehicle they believe to have been in the vicinity of Thursday’s armed robbery of the Community Bank, N.A. branch at 111 Church St.

Detectives said the vehicle of interest that was seen in the Hermon area, near the bank around the time of the robbery, is described as a white Chrysler 300, believed to be a 2015 to 2018 model, with trim levels of either C-package or Platinum with a panoramic moonroof and chrome rims.

“It is unsure if this vehicle is involved but the operator may have seen something,” detectives said in a news release.

The suspect, still considered armed and dangerous, is described as a white man armed with a silver handgun, wearing a dark-blue hooded sweatshirt with the word “Carhartt” in white letters down the left sleeve; blue jeans, white sneakers and a black cloth mask.

Anyone with information should contact the sheriff’s office at 315-379-2222.

The sheriff’s office has been assisted from the start of the investigation by the New York State Police major crimes unit out of Ray Brook; the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Border Patrol.

About 1 p.m. Thursday, Kelly M. Hamilton, the director of the Hermon Hepburn Library, locked the library door, went down to her boss’s office to get a check signed and pulled up to the bank, around the corner from the library, when she found herself surrounded by police.

“I went to the bank to cash it and right as I pulled up all these cops swarmed around and I was, like, ‘Oh goodness! Something is going on,’” Ms. Hamilton said.

At 12:53 p.m., minutes before she pulled up to the bank, it had been held up at gunpoint by the unidentified man still on the loose.

Detectives said the man demanded money be placed in a black backpack and fled on foot north toward Main Street.

“We’re not used to this so it is very in our face. I got here at 9 a.m. (Friday) and there were at least eight cop cars over there when I was on my way to Woody’s this morning,” Ms. Hamilton said. “Police are going kind of door-to-door, asking people if they’ve seen anything. It’s making me a little nervous because you don’t want to think there is some guy walking around with a gun who is desperate enough to rob a bank in a small town where everybody knows everyone and in the middle of the day.”

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, business at the bank was bustling, with people going in not only for business purposes, but to check on the well-being of the employees, who were being addressed by first name.

State police troopers and detectives and sheriff’s detectives and deputies were seen driving and walking around the area, with a major convergence on Church Street between Main and Maple streets.

Tellers on duty Friday morning apologized to a Times reporter and said they were not allowed to discuss the robbery, under orders of their higher-ups.

Nancy and Rick Bardeschewski live next door to the bank, but said they weren’t home at the time of the crime. “Sometimes I think people go in just to visit for a few minutes,” Mrs. Bardeschewski said prior to checking on bank staffers, whom she called friends. “That’s the beauty of a small town. But maybe that’s changed a little. It’s so scary to think of all of our friends over there working and then someone is pointing a gun at you. That’s pretty traumatic.”

In the hours following the robbery, state police had portions of Church Street blocked off, at Miles and Russell roads on the south side; at Main and Water streets on the east side; and Canton and Thatcher streets on the north side.

Mr. Bardeschewski said he gained access to his neighborhood about an hour after the robbery, on the west side, on Catherine Street, but that he was then stopped by an officer who made him park his car away from Church Street and then escorted him, on foot, to his home.

“I said, ‘well, my house is unlocked,’” Mr. Bardeschewski said. “He went in and took his gun out and he walked through the house. They may have been searching around the house before I got here because there were footprints all around the house.”

At about 2 p.m., an hour after the robbery and an hour before children were released from Hermon-DeKalb Central School, Superintendent Mark E. White said the school did a lockout upon learning of the robbery. He said the kids were allowed to continue about their school day, but all the exterior doors were locked and an administrator was posted at the one main door; others were posted at another access point to make sure no one gained unauthorized access to the building.

“We did communicate with the parents well and you have to make a decision on the fly when that happens,” Mr. White said Friday, just 24 hours later. “What we had done, we had reached out both to the sheriff’s department and the state troopers and got clearance from the state troopers and the sheriffs that the area was secure.”

Mr. White and administrators then contacted parents and gave them the option to contact the school if they decided to pick their kids up.

“And we had about 15 to 20 students that live in that Hermon area that we just held them here and the parents picked them up right after the buses dismiss,” Mr. White said. “You could prepare for everything but this is a little bit of a different twist than we would think of, and it was like, gosh, sometimes it just comes down to common sense and you try to keep the parents as informed as possible and not create a panic and try not to overreact in a situation like that.”

Mr. White thanked the state police for sending a trooper to the school to assist in bus loading, just in case there was an issue in the area.

He said there are three buses that drop kids off in and around Hermon and for those who rode the bus, the school had one of its male school psychologists, a substitute teacher who is also a retired corrections officer, and one of the school administrators riding on one of the three buses. For added security, each child was escorted right to his or her door and verified with a parent.

MARTINSBURG — A fatal snowmobile crash led to felony charges Friday morning against another sledder in the same group.

At about 2:40 a.m., Syracuse resident Britt Sherlock, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash where he went off the left side of the Rowsom Road Trail C5H with his 2017 Polaris Pro 5800. According to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office news release, Mr. Sherlock was thrown from his sled when he hit a tree then physically struck another tree himself before finally landing.

Another sledder in Mr. Sherlock’s group, Christopher Squires, 30, also of Syracuse, was charged with felony fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, felony illegal possession of a vehicle identification number, misdemeanor unauthorized use of a vehicle without registration or insurance and operating a snowmobile without a registration or insurance.

Mr. Squires was allegedly driving a Ski-Doo MXZ Adrenaline 600 SDI snowmobile that had been reported stolen in the town of Dewitt in 2016. The news release said the VIN number had been defaced on the sled.

The driver was arraigned in town court and put in county jail on $750 cash bail or $1,500 bond.

CARTHAGE — Residents of the town of Wilna were given the opportunity Wednesday to see what two proposed parks could look like.

Utilizing a $75,000 grant from the office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the town hired Saratoga Associates of Syracuse to assist with planning and design for parks in Herrings and Natural Bridge.

About 27 people, most of whom were residents of Natural Bridge, turned out to opine on the designs.

Utilizing suggestions from the steering committee, which includes representatives from the hamlets and the towns, Saratoga Associates came up with three conceptional designs for each project, which were presented by Michael Allen, a planner for Behan Planning & Design of Saratoga Springs.

The 10-acre site of the former Crown Cleaners of Watertown Inc. between the Black River and Route 3, is zoned as Residential 1 and has a Business 2 zone on the east side and Residential 2 on the west.

Design “A” was a more formal setting with a pavilion, visitor center, restrooms and observation deck overlooking the river. It would utilize the existing canoe, kayak hand launch.

The “B” concept is more natural, accessible and has educational components. It has passive green space, overlook seating areas, potential for a dog park, compost toilets, gazebo and a canoe, kayak hand launch.

The “C” concept is more organized, cultural and sustainable. Its features include a gazebo, compost toilets, passive green space, observation bridge, formal seating area, an area for a community garden and a river viewing area.

All three concepts have parking areas and walking trails.

Mr. Allen said the steering committee determined the preferred design was the “B” concept.

The Natural Bridge project is a 6.3-acre parcel in an agricultural and rural residential zone surrounded by a Business 1 zone behind the village post office.

Concept “A” calls for an open pavilion, concession stand, little league field and trail network with exercise stations.

The “B” design has a large multi-use athletic field encompassed by a walking trail, playground area, exercise trails and a sidewalk connection.

Concept “C” has an open lawn area, picnic area, playground and circuit workout area.

Again the “B” concept received the nod of the steering committee.

Natural Bridge resident Shari Gerber expressed concern about the entrance to caverns that run under a part of the hamlet and a sinkhole in the vicinity.

The plan calls for fencing around the park, said Mr. Allen.

During the discussion session, questions arose about funding for the construction of both parks and their upkeep.

Michelle Capone of the Development Authority of the North Country, which is administering the grant, said once the design phase is complete with cost estimates, funding sources would be sought for construction and a reserve fund could be set aside for maintenance.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Lori Hickey of Natural Bridge. “I like the idea of a place for community gatherings — it will do a lot for our community.”

“The steering committee came up with some beautiful designs,” said Paul Smith, town of Wilna supervisor. “They put a lot of thought and hard work into this. I commend them for what they have done.”

He estimated the park in Natural Bridge could be completed in about two and half years, but the Herrings park will have to wait until the cleanup is completed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The design sketches will be on display at the town offices, 414 State St. Comments on the designs can be sent to Ms. Capone at mcapone@danc.org until March 14.

The steering committee will take into consideration the comments received from the public presentation and any others which follow to finalize the development plan, which will also identify materials to be used and cost estimates. Once that step is complete, another public meeting will be scheduled to present the final plan.

OGDENSBURG — “Peter Pan and Friends On Ice” will be presented by Ogdensburg Command Performances Sunday afternoon.

Curtain time is 4 p.m. at the George Hall Auditorium at Ogdensburg Free Academy. There will be a pre-show chat at 3 p.m.

For tickets, call 315-393-2625 or visit ILoveTheatre.org.

Ice Creative Entertainment is bringing the performance to stages nationwide for the first time, including locally at OFA, according to OCP officials. The show boasts a custom modern soundtrack, elaborate costumes and sets, state-of-the-art projection mapping, and world-class performers from professional ice skaters to circus artists.

Performers include national and international figure skating champion Chase Belmontes, Billboard country star Linde LaChance, Cirque du Soleil performer Nate James, Canadian national medalist Spencer Barnes and international circus artist Lain Velasco. Many more performers round out the cast.

This performance is made possible with funds from Northern New York Community Foundation and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

WATERTOWN — Three members of the city police department have accepted new leadership positions in recent weeks.

The department promoted Sgt. James A. Romano to the rank of lieutenant on Sunday and gave him command of the C Platoon’s 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift. He filled the vacancy left after Lt. Mark Sutton retired earlier this month.

Patrol officer George A. Cummings was promoted to sergeant on Monday and will be assigned to the D Platoon’s 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift and Patrol Officer Christopher J. Kamide was promoted to detective on Jan. 14 and was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division. Mr. Cummings stepped into his new role when Lt. Romano was promoted; Mr. Kamide took over his new position after Detective Matthew Dawley retired earlier this year.

Lt. Romano joined the city police in 2000 when he was assigned to the patrol division and has served in several leadership roles during his tenure. Sgt. Cummings was hired as a patrol officer in 2007 and is one of the department’s drug recognition experts. City police hired Mr. Kamide in 2014 as a patrol officer but he began his policing career in 2011 as a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

WATERTOWN — The city’s Department of Public Works crew was scheduled to make repairs on a sewer line on Sherman Street today, but the work has been postponed due to cold weather.

The work on the 600 block of the street will be rescheduled for sometime next week.

WATERTOWN — Shawn Dunbar, 39, of 435 S. Hycliff Drive, Apt. 649-B, was charged by city police Tuesday with third-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor.

It is alleged that on March 20, 2017, he subjected a 16-year-old girl to sexual contact at a Starbuck Avenue apartment. He is due to answer the charge in City Court.

CANTON — The village of Canton has rejected a settlement offered by the law firm representing the Christian Fellowship Centers of New York.

In a statement emailed Friday, attorney John Mauck of the Mauck & Baker law firm, Chicago, said a letter sent to the village Feb. 18 gave the village a Feb. 27 deadline to respond to a settlement that would have allowed CFC to convert the former Club restaurant, 25 Court St., into a church.

In exchange, the CFC agreed to waive legal fees or damages it may claim from the village.

“CFC simply requested that the village uphold federal laws to allow the church to use its new property as a place of worship,” the statement said.

CFC wishes to remain transparent in its intent to amicably settle the case, but going forward will seek damages and attorneys’ fees, the law firm said.

“We are disappointed Canton has not accepted a very generous offer,” Mr. Mauck said. “The only reason the village has ever given for not allowing the church at 25 Court St. is the theoretical and speculative possibility that someone might want to sell alcohol within 200 feet of the front door of the church.”

He said there may be hundreds of locations where a new liquor seller could legally operate in the village.

The CFC is paying $500 every Sunday to rent space at the Best Western hotel to hold church services. The CFC purchased the former Club building on Jan. 11 for $310,000.

Several months ago, Jeffrey Murray, the village’s code enforcement officer, denied an application made by CFC to use the Court Street building for church services because it’s in a Commercial-1 zone that doesn’t list churches as an allowed use. His decision was supported by the village’s Planning Board and its Zoning Board of Appeals.

In response to the CFC letter to the village, Gregg T. Johnson, the Clifton Park attorney defending the village against the legal action, wrote the following on behalf of the village Board of Trustees:

“In light of the early procedural stage of the above-referenced action, the village is not in a position to agree to your demand within the time frame you have prescribed. However, you should not interpret this letter as an indication that the village forecloses any potential solution,” the letter states.

The village’s response continued: “Despite the significant effort and resources required to address the CFC lawsuit, the village will continue to provide all the vital services Canton residents require and expect from their municipality. It is our goal to promote the prosperity and vitality of our downtown retail commercial district while remaining committed to finding a space in our community where members of the Canton Christian Fellowship Center can worship.”

The CFC has argued that the village’s zoning code discriminates against religious institutions in violation of the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Despite already having six months to study and deliberate on whether to allow the church at one specific location, the village is further delaying the process, the CFC statement said.

As a result, CFC has no choice but to proceed with legal action to secure its RLUIPA rights to use the Court Street property as a place of worship for the congregation, it continued.

Although there are many other available properties in Canton, the village code requires churches to have a lot size of at least 3 acres in both residential and business districts.

Mr. Mauck said properties with such requirements are severely lacking in the area, which is why CFC purchased the Court Street building.

“We’ve been looking for properties for over two years and have come across no 3-acre properties listed for sale,” said CFC Pastor Jamie Sinclair. “There was one instance where we considered two properties for sale next to each other, but the lots only amounted to less than 1 acre. We’ve also considered unlisted lots and checked on a price for one that looked like it might work, but it was not something we could afford.”

LAFARGEVILLE — High school students in LaFargeville Central School District experienced the simulated dangers of distracted driving on Friday.

The International Save A Life Tour, run by Matrix Entertainment, travels to high schools, universities, military bases and offices to provide high-tech education on the consequences of impaired and distracted driving.

Starting with a presentation, the program shows videos with personal stories and statistics on distracted driving. Afterward, participants use the latest impaired and distracted driving simulation technology to learn the harsh consequences.

LaFargeville Superintendent Travis W. Hoover said the district has had several presentations on impaired and distracted driving, but nothing with simulators.

“As a school district with young drivers, we feel part of our responsibility is to teach driving skills and responsible decision-making,” he said.

When the program reached out to him, Mr. Hoover said, he considered it a safe and effective way for students to understand the effect distracted driving can have on them and the community.

In 2017, Jefferson County had 77 reported alcohol-related crashes, with no fatalities, according to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management. St. Lawrence County had 70, with one reported fatality, and Lewis County had 19 alcohol-related crashes, with two fatalities.

For each county, the number of alcohol-related crashes has decreased since 2010, but the number of fatalities associated with the crashes has fluctuated.

The impaired-driving simulator has three screens, one each for left, right and front views. The steering wheel and dash are all from a real Ford, with direction signal, speedometer, and pedals for the brake and gas. After 30 seconds of normal driving on the screen, the blood alcohol content shown begins to increase over three minutes. As that occurs the steering wheel, gas and brakes begin to have more delayed actions, similar to how a person would drive while intoxicated.

The distracted-driving simulator has one screen, facing forward, with a more arcade-game feel. A toy-like steering wheel is used, with a speedometer and brake and gas pedals. Attached to the “car” is a smartphone that sends text messages the participant is required to answer while continuing to drive for three minutes. With either simulator, if a participant crashes, his or her turn is over.

Hayley X. Timerman, sophomore, said using both simulators added to her personal experience with the dangers of distracted driving.

“My sister’s friend was killed in a car crash because of a distracted driver, so I have been aware of all of this,” Ms. Timerman said. She said her parents had taught her at an early age to steer clear of drunken driving.

Marlee J. Gill, sophomore, said the simulator “made me realize how serious it is. I’ve never been drunk, so I always thought to myself, ‘Oh, it can’t be that hard to drive while you’re intoxicated,’ but with the simulator now I know. It’s hard.”