Northern Light

(Mar 19, 2026) New York State needs more power. Some developers want to build battery storage sites in the Adirondacks, but they're facing pushback. Plus, today's North Country at Work story is about a common profession - sales - and a salesman in Schroon Lake who's selling something pretty uncommon — medical devices for mice and rats. And, local kiddos have a new space to play and learn about the North Country. The Children's Museum in Potsdam recently added a whole new floor. We check out the new interactive activities about daily Amish life, Akwesasne Mohawk music, and community theater. 

(Mar 18, 2026) Thousands of people are expected at the Cross-Country World Cup finals in Lake Placid this weekend; snowmaking is trying to catch up. Gov. Hochul's budget proposes several cuts to programs that help people with disabilities live more independent lives. We preview a series of concerts at the Crary Mills Community Center in St. Lawrence County.

(Mar 17, 2026) Three years after the Adirondack Mountain Club bought the Cascade Ski Center outside of Lake Placid, its leadership put the property back on the market. Gwendolyn Craig, with the Adirondack Explorer, dives into what contributed to the breakdown of the ADK's ambitious plans; plus, before April showers bring May flowers, February snowstorms bring lots of March potholes. We'll tag along with a public works crew in Saratoga Springs that's patching them as fast as they can; and, we've got a good chance to see the aurora borealis this week! Astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is our guide through the morning and evening skies this month.

(Mar 16, 2026)

(Mar 13, 2026)

(Mar 12, 2026) The village of Saranac Lake has scrapped a plan to install surveillance cameras on its streets after residents raised concerns over privacy and a lack of input in the process; a Glens Falls photographer has built a community space to connect to share her hobby with others; we'll head to Clinton County, where a West Chazy couple has built a successful farming business around solar grazing.

(Mar 11, 2026) Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Ogdensburg yesterday to announce that the city will receive $10 million to improve its downtown; a popular social media foodie, Eat Local New York, visited St. Lawrence County last week; a new novel out of Montreal takes a fresh tone to consider the role of A.I. in the arts.

(Mar 10, 2026) Officials say they're keeping a close eye on the region's rivers as warm temperatures cause rapid snowmelt in the Adirondacks; there's growing momentum across Northern New York around tackling affordable housing for the local workforce; we'll talk with a former editor of Adirondack Life Magazine about his new Cold War spy novel inspired by the 1980 Winter Olympics.

(Mar 9, 2026) Amid its ongoing financial turmoil and bankruptcy filings, the relationship between the North Star Health Alliance and a healthcare consulting group has come under scrutiny; prisons are still understaffed, family visits are limited, and inmates are enduring the consequences a year after the end of the illegal strike by thousands of guards; and we get a preview of the upcoming season of the Howl Story Slam events hosted by NCPR and the Adirondack Center for Writing.

(Mar 6, 2026)

(Mar 5, 2026) The Firefighter Association for the State of New York is hoping to reverse a statewide decline in volunteerism with a new legislative package that incentivizes volunteering as a firefighter or EMS responder; we walk along SUNY Canton's footbridge for a nearly-spring adventure; and we get a preview of the 14th Annual Mountain Warrior Sled Hockey Tournament for para-hockey players. 

(Mar 4, 2026) The Adirondack Experience Museum in Blue Mountain Lake will debut a new permanent exhibit dedicated to the region's Black history next year; we head to the Champlain Valley for a snowshoe hike up Whipple Mountain Loop on the Twin Valleys property outside of Wadhams; and Chef Curtiss Hemm joins us to share a versatile vinaigrette recipe that can add vibrancy to any dish.

(Mar 3, 2026) We take a closer look at the candidates' sources of funding as the race for the 21st congressional district seat heats up; a dog team in the Adirondacks offers rides on frozen Mirror Lake in Lake Placid; and we talk with Kitty O'Neil about how biosolids and PFAS affect farms. 

(Mar 2, 2026) The Saranac Lake school board voted last week to close Bloomingdale elementary, a decision that one board member called "profound and painful;" Utility bills are soaring for many in the North Country, and State Assemblyman Michael Cashman met with seniors in Plattsburgh who are asking for relief; we have a conversation with a married couple in the Adirondacks who are responsible for building dozens of breathtaking set designs for theater, opera and television shows.

(Feb 27, 2026) Following President Trump's State of the Union address this week, we're checking in on how people around the North Country feel about the president a year into his second term; we talk with a worker in the Adirondacks' hospitality and marketing industry about why it's not just pushing paperwork; and the consistently cold temperatures bode well for Lake Placid's annual ‘Ice Out' fundraiser. 

(Feb 26, 2026) Nearly half a million New Yorkers will soon have to prove they're working or looking for work to stay on federal food assistance benefits; Champlain Area Trails, or CATS, recently acquired a 700-acre property in Essex County; and we have a conversation with a Black gospel scholar about how the genre has evolved ahead of his visit to St. Lawrence University tomorrow.

(Feb 25, 2026) A reporter's investigation found the state police have no clear standard for disciplining troopers, and troopers found guilty of misconduct were given lax or inconsistent treatment; leaders of the state legislature's transportation committees are supporting more funding for upstate transit agencies; and NCPR's Chief Announcer, Shelly Pike, stops by to give a shout-out to three guys in Canton who pitch in and smooth out the ice on the community skating rink.

(Feb 24, 2026) The Essex County Land Bank was established just three years ago in hopes of alleviating a growing affordable housing crisis; New York state lawmakers and leaders are hyper-focused on addressing hunger at the state level after federal funding cuts to food assistance programs; a bookseller in the Adirondacks shares a few recommendations from regional writers; and Catherine tries to stump Monica in a sound quiz.

(Feb 23, 2026) The Olympic Regional Development Authority has voted to spend millions of dollars on a 30-year maintenance plan for its facilities; We head to the frozen Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, where local park officials clear space for people to skate and walk in the wintertime; and we have a conversation with an author of a new young adult spy novel, who drew inspiration from her time substitute teaching in Adirondack schools. 

(Feb 20, 2026) The APA approved plans for a new housing development in Lake Placid at its meeting yesterday; Black lawmakers and other lawmakers of color in Albany are highlighting key priorities, like more education funding, affordable housing and progress on issues like sentencing reform; and John Warren checks trail conditions in the Adirondacks ahead of a snowy weekend.

(Feb 19, 2026) The Olympic Regional Development Authority says it doesn't have a long-term plan to care for its facilities in Lake Placid; people living north of Syracuse are concerned about the wastewater that could come from the massive Micron semiconductor chip plant; and as the Winter Olympics wind down in Italy, we have a conversation with a filmmaker about his own portrait of many of the athletes in the years ahead of the games.

(Feb 18, 2026) Some residents in the village of Fort Edward are raising concerns about a proposal to allow a nearby incinerator process PFAS-contaminated soil; we venture to a snowy forest in Essex, where a young teacher says she's found her calling in a forest Kindergarten; and we have a conversation about a recent memoir that traces one woman's hard fought fight to rehab a derelict house in Indian Lake.

(Feb 17, 2026) Glens Falls first female mayor says she's focused on housing, development, and long-term planning; Utica is celebrating the reopening of a historic ski hill following a $2 million renovation of its snowmaking and lift equipment; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue guides us through the night sky.

(Feb 16, 2026)

(Feb 13, 2026) We hear from one woman about a lifetime of working with the skills that were passed down to her; a duo from the Plattsburgh area is sharing the stories of everyday Americans at their musical theater concert this weekend; and we have a conversation about the origins of Friday the 13th and why there's a lot more to superstition than what meets the eye.

(Feb 12, 2026) People with disabilities and their advocates are gathering in Albany this week to press state lawmakers on key priorities; New York schools are a year away from electric bus requirements, but school officials say it's going to be a challenge; and we get a preview ahead of the Empty Bowls fundraiser in Keene Valley this weekend. 

(Feb 11, 2026) The North Star Health Alliance is filing for bankruptcy after months of financial instability, employee layoffs, and the resignation of its CEO; Margot Ernst, a leader in the Adirondack philanthropic community and a passionate public radio supporter, died Sunday at 80 years old; and we'll check in with longtime NCPR reporter Brian Mann, who is in Italy covering the Winter Games for NPR.

(Feb 10, 2026) Gov. Hochul is proposing several initiatives for farmers who are feeling squeezed by tariffs, but lawmakers have questions about the spending; many bald eagles migrate south during winter to northern Pennsylvania, where eager birders try to get a glimpse of America's bird; and we'll check in with a snowmobile club in southern St. Lawrence County for more details on their poker run this week.

(Feb 9, 2026) A new state proposal could change how people with disabilities experience the Adirondack wilderness; Democratic state lawmakers are pushing the New York for All legislation, an alternative to the bill to limit federal immigration agents' authority; and the Twitchell Lake Association in the southern Adirondacks has spent months compiling the lake's social, natural, and even legal history, and are publishing it all on a new website.

(Feb 6, 2026) A small state park in Colton has become home to some of the best cross-country skiing in the North Country, thanks to some dedicated volunteers; local government leaders in Clinton County say they're optimistic about the economic outlook of the region; and we've got a preview of the Empire State Winter Games this weekend.

(Feb 5, 2026) A new statue in Lake Placid honors the legacy of Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 Olympic hockey team; we board a Saranac Lake school bus to learn about the unexpected perks of the essential job; and we have a profile of American skier Jessie Diggins, who is competing in her last Olympics before coming to Lake Placid for a World Cup competition.

(Feb 4, 2026)

(Feb 3, 2026) St. Lawrence County lawmakers voted to allow its sheriff's department to sign an agreement with ICE; Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants to change New York State law to ban local enforcement from signing those kinds of agreements; and we learn more about what it takes to create a new Canadian English dictionary.

(Feb 2, 2026) Gov. Kathy Hochul says she's proposing legislation that would ban agreements between local police departments and federal immigration authorities; a skeleton race in Lake Placid has become the subject of intense controversy that could determine whether a US sledder can compete in the Olympics in Italy; and we talk about some sayings that help us get through the winter.

(Jan 30, 2026) Jefferson County's sheriff is warning residents to be prepared for icy roads and arctic cold after the lake effect dumped more than four feet of snow on the region; a high-tech event earlier this month honored the Miracle on Ice Olympic legacy in Lake Placid with hologram reenactments; and we tag along at St. Lawrence Nurseries' Wassail party, an ancient tradition meant to bless the orchards for the growing season.

(Jan 29, 2026) The DEC has updated its management plan for brook trout in Adirondack Ponds, in part to limit the threats from climate change and the use of live baitfish; we follow one archaeologist's journey to preserve historical objects while having a steady job; and folks at a bookstore in Lake Placid are hosting a low-pressure singles' night this weekend.

(Jan 28, 2026) A fraud case in Warren County has stirred up infighting and sparked a blame game within county government; We visit the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library to learn how it helps visually impaired people access reading materials; and we have a conversation with Canadian author Giles Blunt about his historical novel set in the Saranac Lake cure cottage era. 

(Jan 27, 2026) Advocates hope that recent policy changes will start to make a difference in New York's child poverty ranking; we talk to a longtime mariner who piloted freighters on the St. Lawrence Seaway and around the world; and we sit down with NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes at the Gouverneur public library to dig into the latest book from Adirondack environmentalist, Bill McKibben.

(Jan 26, 2026) David Sommerstein makes a sub-zero but sunny trek to Lampson Falls for an audio postcard; people in the western part of the North Country say they are continuing to struggle with affordability, according to an annual survey of communities; and as the Pentagon rolls out tougher fitness standards and punishments for troops who fall short, some advocates are criticizing approaches that emphasize discipline over support.

(Jan 23, 2026) The Adirondack Park Agency approved a battery storage site near Great Sacandaga Lake at its meeting yesterday; Clarkson University has owned a historic portrait of George Washington for decades, and it's being sold at auction today; and we'll get a preview of a storytelling event in Canton this weekend, hosted by NCPR and the Adirondack Center for Writing.

(Jan 22, 2026) St. Lawrence County is considering a partnership between the sheriff's department and ICE; Malone's town council is leaving a board seat unfilled; and we discuss farm and ag groups' policy priorities for the coming state legislative session with Kitty O'Neil.

(Jan 21, 2026) We meet someone who has found a home in a recently-completed workforce housing project in the high peaks of the Adirondacks; we listen as cold settles into the woods during an arctic front that's bringing frigid air to the North Country; and volunteers at the observatory in Tupper Lake are sharing an Emmy award with NASA for their coverage of the 2024 solar eclipse.