NCPR's Story of the Day

(Sep 15, 2026) The Rail Trail connecting Tupper Lake and Lake Placid has become one of the Adirondacks' biggest attractions. A Saranac Lake man with cerebral palsy is on a journey to walk all 34 miles of it. Also: Half of New York's households are now eligible to receive discounts on their monthly utility bills thanks to an expansion of the state's energy affordability program.

(Sep 14, 2026) The trolls at the Wild Center have drawn two million visitors and counting. There's good news: a new troll is coming and making a permanent home in the Adirondacks. Also: The ferry connecting Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island in Canada is planned to be purchased and restored.

(Sep 11, 2026) It's the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We talk to a Clarkson alumnus who helped lead cleanup at the site. Also: We talk with a state police sergeant who led a troop to New York City just days after the attacks on the World Trade Center.

(Sep 10, 2026) It's a special weekend in Plattsburgh, with celebrations of the Battle of Plattsburgh, which was a turning point in the War of 1812. This weekend, folks will get the rare opportunity to climb up the MacDonough Monument downtown. Also: Local counties are preparing to pay more for the cost of SNAP benefits. That's because the Trump Administration shifted the majority of that cost to states.

(Sep 9, 2026) The Village Mercantile in Saranac Lake was a way to replace the loss of Ames department store without succumbing to Walmart. After 15 years and huge shifts in the way people shop, the community-owned store is closing its doors. Also: The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh is at risk of closing if it can't raise $50,000 to pay its bills.

(Sep 8, 2026) Efforts to modernize aging infrastructure at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base are moving forward. The town has been added to a federal program that will fund a study to keep pollution out of Lake Champlain. Also: We preview Afrofestival Ottawa, a celebration of African music and culture this weekend in Canada's capital.

(Sep 4, 2026) A big, free music festival has become an annual Labor Day weekend tradition in Saranac Lake. We preview this year's eclectic lineup at Northern Current, which is on Sunday. Also: More local governments are seeking exemptions from the state's property tax cap.

(Sep 3, 2026) Millions of people come to the Adirondacks seeking an outdoor experience. We climb into the treetops at a high ropes adventure course in Bolton Landing, where a guide has been keeping people safe for decades. Also: Immigration arrests surged across New York State last month after ICE conducted what it calls "Operation Rotten Apple."

(Sep 2, 2026) Even though New York is barring local police from collaborating with ICE, other programs, especially here along the northern border, encourage local police and federal border agents to work together, sometimes on immigration matters. We hear about one such program, Operation Stonegarden. Also: The late Labor Day is forcing Plattsburgh's city beach to close early because the lifeguards are going back to shcool.

(Sep 1, 2026) New York's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from a job that used to be sought after in the North Country. Why people no longer want to work as corrections officers. Also: Republicans and Democrats in the Oswego County legislature are both opposing Lake Ontario's name change.

(Aug 31, 2026) Amid an escalating trade war with Canada, President Trump signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. We speak to people along the North Country coast about what they think of the name change. Also: Our Albany reporters Jimmy Vielkind and Samuel King break down the latest from the state capitol.

(Aug 28, 2026) An immigrant advocacy group in the North Country is getting new funding to expand its work with families dealing with the impact of ICE detentions. Also: Local officials are praising the military's selection of Fort Drum to host a nuclear “microreactor” as a once in a lifetime boon to the Army base near Watertown. But the technology is totally unproven and comes with some big questions.

(Aug 27, 2026) Each summer the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts takes a musical on the road. We preview "The Last Five Years" coming to five communities in the Adirondacks. Also: Clifton Fine Hospital in Star Lake turns 75 today. As rural healthcare struggles nationwide, the smallest hospital in the state has found a way to survive and add new services.

(Aug 26, 2026) Much of the North Country is classified as a child care desert. A new study from Jefferson Community College puts data behind how that's impacting residents and the local workforce. Also: St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis County sheriffs are among those suing New York over a law that prevents local collaborations with ICE.

(Aug 25, 2026) Food insecurity is rising to higher levels in the North Country. Since last summer, it's climbed by 14% in some counties and nearly 20% for children, as people get cut off from federal food assistance. Also: Republicans are planning to sue as a new state law takes effect today that prohibits local law enforcement from working with ICE.

(Aug 24, 2026) Every Friday this summer, a woman from the Caribbean is cooking up and selling dinners at a little hotel next to the brewery in Tupper Lake. The story behind Brenda Bedeau's Caribbean cooking in the Adirondacks. Also: Developers broke ground today on a massive project to convert a Tupper Lake blighted factory into apartments and commercial space.

(Aug 21, 2026) The Plattsburgh YMCA's board plans to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations at its child care center. That's part of its plans to move ahead after an incident that damaged trust within the community. Also: A new poll released this week has Republican Anthony Constantino leading Democrat Blake Gendebien by double digits, shortly after another poll found Gendebien with a lead.

(Aug 20, 2026) EMTs meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives. Our North Country at Work series brings us the realities of being a paramedic in the North Country. Also: Federal prosecutors have arrested an Albany woman for allegedly plotting to blow up the New York State Capitol building.

(Aug 19, 2026) As colleges reopen for the fall semester across the North Country, some international students won't be able to make it. A federal travel ban from 40 countries has forced many students to change or abandon their academic plans. Also: Gun-rights groups are suing New York state over a new law they say bans the sale of a popular pistol.

(Aug 18, 2026) We listen back to a profile on a new Clinton County nonprofit that aims to bring the joy of cycling to everyone —- and, in turn, bring people together. Also: For nearly twenty years, the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance created a culture of cooperation inside the park's blue line. Now, its mission is ending.

(Aug 17, 2026) The Adirondack Community Foundation gives out about $10 million in grants each year and is working to strengthen rural communities in the park. Also: Police in Akwesasne are warning community members about an illegal drug called “pink cocaine" that contains dangerous ingredients.

(Aug 14, 2026) Wooden trolls have taken over Tupper Lake, and they're on a mission to help us reconnect with our environment. We visit the TROLLS: Save The Humans installation at the Wild Center that's become a summer sensation on social media and in person. Also: At its meeting yesterday, the APA had a complicated debate over a logging project in southern St. Lawrence County.

(Aug 13, 2026) President Trump's 50% tariff on many Canadian goods is scheduled to take effect next week. We talk with North Country firms on both sides of the border that say the uncertainty is straining their business. Also: New York is considering suing the federal government over new electric shock gloves that ICE agents may begin using.

(Aug 12, 2026) Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman is ramping up his attacks on his opponent Kathy Hochul, focusing on her record of handling undocumented immigrants. Also: SUNY officials are making a push to enroll more students in a program that allows adults without college degrees to attend community college for free.

(Aug 11, 2026) On today's Story of the Day, we hear from one of the volunteers working to rebuild the trail through Avalanche Pass after a massive landslide closed it last year. Also: a jury in Essex County has found a man guilty of killing his daughter in the Adirondacks last summer.

(Aug 10, 2026) Earlier this spring, federal ICE agents clashed with protesters on a busy street in South Burlington, Vermont. A new documentary from Vermont Public re-examines what happened that day, using hours of body camera footage.

(Aug 7, 2026) Research has linked exposure to a popular herbicide used in agriculture to Parkinson's disease. Advocates, including residents of the Washington County town of Hebron, want a statewide ban on the use of the herbicide paraquat. Also: A new report commissioned by the state Legislature takes a close look at New York's court-ordered mental health treatment program, more than a quarter century after Kendra's Law first took effect.

(Aug 6, 2026) The Adirondack Park Agency is moving its headquarters from Ray Brook down the road to Saranac Lake. The public got a chance to see the plans and weigh in on how the move will affect the agency and the village. Also: New York State's top energy regulator is moving to implement consumer protections in the state budget.

(Aug 5, 2026) The trial of a Montreal-based man accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter in the southern Adirondacks is captivating the region. We get an update from a local reporter covering the trial of Luciano Frattolin. Also: St. Lawrence County's sheriff says the plan to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn't moving forward after the state banned such collaborations.

(Aug 4, 2026) Many Mohawk customs were passed down for generations, until forced assimilation disrupted that transfer of knowledge. A group of women in Akwesasne is working to reclaim their ancestors' medicine-making traditions and carry them forward. Also: Gov. Hochul was in Lake Placid yesterday promoting a potential bid to host the 2042 Winter Olympics in both Lake Placid and New York City.

(Aug 3, 2026) An auction house in Potsdam is selling hundreds of items from Whitney Park, a historic great camp near Long Lake. We hear about some of the items in the collection. Also: New York's new Medical Aid in Dying law takes effect on Wednesday. Groups challenging the law in court have had mixed results.

(Jul 31, 2026) The North Star Health Alliance announced that it's cutting its labor and delivery services at the hospital in Ogdensburg. On Wednesday, hundreds of people spoke out against the proposed closure at a public hearing. Also: Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. visited Fort Drum yesterday.

(Jul 30, 2026) Plattsburgh's Michigan Fest returns this weekend. We sample the annual event, which honors the region's iconic hot-dog-and-meat-sauce combo. Also: Farmers in multiple North Country counties who were impacted by spring freeze events may be eligible for federal emergency loans.

(Jul 29, 2026) High school trap shooting teams are becoming more popular across New York. Long Lake's team is one of the best. We visit the Long Lake Fish and Game Club, where the trap shooting team competes each spring and fall. Also: The Plattsburgh YMCA has chosen a new director after child abuse allegations at its day care center have rocked the organization.

(Jul 28, 2026) Lacrosse isn't just a sport in Akwesasne Mohawk territory. It's the Creator's game. We talk with a Mohawk artisan keeping his heritage alive through the art of lacrosse stick-making. Also: A new report finds New York needs to spend half a trillion dollars to combat the effects of climate change.

(Jul 27, 2026) The missing piece of a cannon that exploded during an early battle of the Revolutionary War was recovered from the bottom of Lake Champlain last week. For local historians and divers, the moment was almost three decades in the making. Also: The beleaguered health network that runs the Ogdensburg and Carthage hospitals may, or may not, be affiliating with a larger network based in Rochester.

(Jul 24, 2026) Food pantries across the North Country are scrambling to keep up with increased demand as prices remain high and federal food assistance is being cut. A food collection event in Potsdam aims to help food pantries stock up ahead of a busy summer. Also: The case of a rabid beaver biting two men on Lake George this summer is drawing attention to rabies treatment. Although rabies can be deadly, it's preventable with awareness and a few simple precautions.

(Jul 23, 2026) Food insecurity is rising sharply across the region as cuts to federal food assistance are hitting families. We visit a food pantry in Watertown that's seeing a sharp increase in need. Also: Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River are both hosting major bass fishing tournaments this weekend.

(Jul 22, 2026) Two years ago, a popular summer stage in Lake George was destroyed by fire. A new amphitheater framing the lake was rebuilt in its place, and the summer concert series is back. Also: The North Star Health Alliance says it plans to close its birthing center at the hospital in Ogdensburg.

(Jul 21, 2026) More than 20 people were detained in a series of immigration raids around Lake Placid last month. We hear what that was like firsthand from a Venezuelan man who was detained and later released. Also: Finch paper in Glens Falls will stop making its own pulp, which is a blow to loggers in the area.

(Jul 20, 2026) Clinton County has less than half the number of child care slots it needs. An planned day care center aims to help close that gap and promote workforce development. Also: We recap the 27th annual Lake Placid Ironman held Sunday.

(Jul 17, 2026) The North Country has slowly been building a public transportation network to help people without cars get around. The latest piece is a new bus system connecting Watertown to small towns across Jefferson County. Also: Emily Russell sends an audio postcard from Stewart Mountain in Chestertown.