CHEERS: to retired State Trooper Wayne E. Beyea, now a Florida resident, who has turned a dream to honor an old friend into a permanent monument to him. The old friend is Frank Pabst, a North Country fixture for decades who is best known as the retired captain of the tour boat Juniper. The Juniper ferried diners, drinkers and just plain sight-seers around Lake Champlain in the vicinity of Plattsburgh beginning June 24, 1976, and kept it going for 25 years. Beyea's monument is a book, titled "The Captain of the Juniper," in which he explores Pabst's life, from beginning to current, and how he wound up with the second love of his life -- a 1945-era ferry boat, the Juniper. The book is available in local bookstores or from the publisher at www.iuniverse.com. Clearly, Beyea greatly admires the man he calls "a living legend" and poured his soul into the project.

CHEERS: to the City and Town of Plattsburgh, recognized for their work in maintaining proper fluoride levels in their water systems. They have been recognized for outstanding efforts by both the Clinton County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In commending the two units and their leaders, Bill Todd from the city and Dave Comfort in the town, the centers cited "their consistent and professional adjustment of the water fluoride content to the optimum level for oral health for 12 consistent months. Consistent high-quality water fluoridation practice as demonstrated by these water systems is a safe and effective method to prevent tooth decay, improving the oral health of community residents of all ages."

CHEERS: to Adirondack Medical Center, pivotal to the Tri-Lakes Uninsured Task Force, which has created a system wherein 89 percent of residents within its jurisdiction have health-insurance coverage. In the entire County of Essex, only 80 percent are covered. For seven years, the Task Force has worked at enlisting residents in some health-insurance program. It has worked remarkably well. This effort is in contrast to some others, which try to arrange free health care for needy families. The centerpiece of the program is AMC's offer of a 30-percent discount to patients who meet with insurance providers to try to work out coverage, and forgiveness of previous balances for those who qualify and enroll in a plan. The results speak for themselves, as State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard F. Daines acknowledged in a recent visit. The Task Force comprises representatives from the hospital and health and business leaders in the community. The problems are especially severe in small communities, such as the Tri-Lakes, because there are no large industrial employers. Residents work for small businesses, primarily, which have less in the way of resources to cover their employees.