Northern Light

(Oct 2, 2026) Gov. Kathy Hochul is appointing the state's top lawyer to lead a special investigation into the alleged gang rape at Cornell University; we meet a woman in Ticonderoga who helps high schoolers start their careers off on the right foot; and we tag along with a volunteer leaf spotter whose observations go into New York's weekly fall foliage reports.

(Oct 1, 2026) The New York Power Authority now has majority ownership of the largest solar project in St. Lawrence County; we explore options for hunters with disabilities as hunting season ramps up; and there's a new nature preserve to visit and explore in Cape Vincent in Jefferson County with sweeping shoreline views. 

(Sep 30, 2026) A highly regarded election forecaster has changed its rating of a North Country Congressional race from solid to likely Republican for the first time in several years; leaders are marking the political strides Latinos have made at the local level in New York state, while noting that there have been few elected to higher office; and Ogdensburg native and author Kate Bracy says her debut novel is a love letter to her hometown and the people who live there.

(Sep 29, 2026) Two housing projects in Tupper Lake are trying to chip away at the affordable housing shortage in the Adirondacks; environmentalists are concerned that federal rollbacks on power plant regulations will hinder the Adirondacks' recovery from acid rain; and we have a conversation about how the Kingston WritersFest is creating opportunities for aspiring writers to connect.

(Sep 28, 2026) The New York News Publishers Association is holding a series of fact-checking seminars to help folks determine what's factual, misleading, or just untrue on their social media feeds; as Election Day gets closer, our Albany reporters break down the latest in the New York gubernatorial race; and on the latest episode of Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager talk about the planting schedule and molecular makeup of garlic.

(Sep 25, 2026) We join a group of adaptive kayakers in the Adirondacks, where some creative equipment is helping people with disabilities get out on the water; the village of Hammond in St. Lawrence County is moving forward with dissolving its government after voters decided to merge with the town; and we'll preview a southern rock show at a brand-new venue in Akwesasne this weekend.

(Sep 24, 2026) The candidates running to represent much of the North Country in Congress still haven't agreed to a debate; a plumber living and working in the southern Adirondacks says it's a balancing act to make a living as a tradesman; and we get a preview of a sustainability event in Potsdam tomorrow.

(Sep 23, 2026) Residents in a remote Adirondack community are raising the alarm about the lack of road access; the state is launching a campaign to get more people vaccinated against measles; and we have a conversation with a trumpeter from Chicago who is bringing his style of jazz to Canton for an upcoming performance.

(Sep 22, 2026) We break down what voters told us they want to hear from Republican Anthony Constantino and Democrat Blake Gendebien in New York's 21st Congressional race; we talk with an Olympic freestyle skier who trains here in the North Country, but competes for Austria, the country her grandparents fled during World War; and we get a preview of the Crane School of Music's inaugural Brass Summit this weekend. 

(Sep 21, 2026) A conflict over how St. Lawrence County's multi-use trail system is planned for and used has been brewing between neighbors; concerns over AI and data centers are shaping election campaigns across New York State; and we inspect the lifecycle of monarch butterflies on this week's Adirondack Selections.

(Sep 18, 2026) The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh will stay open after announcing it was on the brink of closure; we go to the shores of Lake Ontario for a late-summer stroll through the El Dorado Coastal Preserve in Henderson; and John Warren checks on trail conditions for a weekend in the Adirondacks.

(Sep 17, 2026) Massena's Town Board voted against a 6-month moratorium on a controversial data center project; a woman in Champlain is balancing her work in health care with caring for her family; and we talk with Ottawa Valley singer-songwriter Mimi O'Bansawin, who is putting her ancestors' language into her latest album “Evoke.”

(Sep 16, 2026) A controversial proposal to test military cannons in the Adirondacks is heading back to the APA for a final vote; the Army is cross-training its medics to improve its ability to care for dogs wounded in battle; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes talks about the latest novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason.

(Sep 15, 2026) New York State is walking back its plans to explore building a new prison that could house up to three thousand inmates; we join a Saranac Lake man with cerebral palsy on his journey to walk all 34 miles of the Adirondack Rail Trail; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue preps us for what to expect under autumn skies.

(Sep 14, 2026) A new wooden troll made by a globally celebrated artist has moved into the Wild Center and is making a permanent home in the Adirondacks; the ferry that connects Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island in Canada is slated to get up and running thanks to a community member; and we're debuting a new segment called Adirondack Selections.

(Sep 11, 2026) It's been 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and we hear how people around the North Country played a role in the aftermath; John Warren checks on trail conditions in the Adirondacks; and we talk with NCPR news director David Sommerstein live at the starting line in Old Forge for the 90-Miler Canoe Classic that kicks off this morning.

(Sep 10, 2026) Counties across the North Country are preparing to pay more for SNAP benefits after the Trump Administration shifted the majority of the cost to states; folks will get the rare opportunity to climb up the Macdonough Monument this weekend during the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration; and we take a look at NCPR's community calendar and preview a few events, including a genealogy workshop in Ogdensburg and a folk performance in Edwards.

(Sep 9, 2026) The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh is at risk of closing if it can't raise $50,000 to keep itself afloat; The Village Mercantile in Saranac Lake is closing its doors after 15 years; and we have a conversation with a teacher in St. Regis Falls about why her fifth graders mean so much to her.

(Sep 8, 2026) The town of Plattsburgh's former Air Force Base has been added to a federal program that will fund a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; there may be a slow start to this year's fall foliage season, but forest researchers are still expecting vibrant colors across the landscape; and we preview Afrofestival Ottawa, a celebration of African music, fashion, food, and culture in Canada's capital, coming up this weekend.

(Sep 4, 2026) We visit the Evans Mills Raceway in Jefferson County ahead of big races this weekend; we tag along with kids at the Little River Community school outside Canton, as they paint local wildlife for nature trail signs; John Warren checks on Adirondack trail conditions for this first weekend in September; and we have a preview of the Northern Current Music Festival in Saranac Lake this weekend.

(Sep 3, 2026) Immigration arrests surged across New York State last month after ICE conducted what it calls "Operation Rotten Apple"; we tag along with a professional 'treetop rescuer' in the Southern Adirondacks; and Kitty O'Neil joins us for a conversation about what's going on on North Country farms this month.

(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; we meet a crossing guard in Canton who delights kids with her fun chatter and collection of funny hats; and Chef Curtiss Hemm of the Carriage House Cooking School joins us for a discussion about cookbooks.

(Sep 1, 2026) The crisis within New York's prison system is driving staff away from jobs that used to be sought after in the North Country; we go to Dekalb in St. Lawrence County, where an educational program immerses kids in the Revolutionary War era; and we get a preview of the Bike the Barns event in the Champlain Valley, where cyclists can get an up-close view of the region's farms.

(Aug 31, 2026) We speak to people along the North Country coast about President Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario; a law prohibiting local law enforcement in New York from signing formal cooperation agreements with ICE is getting backlash from the state's Republicans; and we listen back to a story about a small group of Americans and Canadians who want to preserve the relationship between the two countries amid the challenges of the second Trump administration.

(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; we visit a summer basketball camp in western New York, where college athletes are preparing for the sport they love; we check out the trail conditions in the Adirondacks for this final weekend of August.

(Aug 27, 2026) As rural healthcare struggles nationwide, Clifton-Fine Hospital, the smallest hospital in the state, has found a way to survive and add new services; a musician from Jefferson County says he has an unlikely figure to thank for his career; and we go to Blue Mountain Lake for a preview of a musical that's taking its show on the road across the Adirondacks.

(Aug 26, 2026) A new study from Jefferson Community College puts data behind how a lack of child care options is impacting residents and the local workforce; the permit application for a controversial weapons testing range in the Adirondacks is stuck in legal limbo; and we hear from one of the top anglers in the country about why the St. Lawrence River is his favorite spot to fish.

(Aug 25, 2026) Since last summer, food insecurity has climbed by 14%  in some North Country counties and nearly 20% for children; a new state law restricts local police from making formal agreements with ICE, but some officials are resisting; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is in the studio to guide us through the expanding darkness.

(Aug 24, 2026) Clinton County is looking at ways to transform the former Clinton Community College campus; some Adirondack paddlers are in France this week for an international dragon boat competition, which they say has become a means of therapy for thousands of women with breast cancer; and we have a conversation with a journalist who is recounting caregiving and post-traumatic stress disorder in a new memoir.

(Aug 21, 2026) Federal prosecutors have arrested an Albany woman for allegedly plotting to blow up the New York State Capitol building; the Plattsburgh YMCA's board plans to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations at its child care center; and John Warren checks on weekend trail conditions in the Adirondacks.

(Aug 20, 2026) A new program in Johnsburg is helping the community's older residents make a few home improvements so they can stay in their homes as they age; we go to Champlain, where a paramedic says the hectic moments keep him thinking on his feet; and Plattsburgh children's book author and illustrator's latest book shares some things you might not know about the singer Cyndi Lauper.

(Aug 19, 2026) Many international students in the North Country have to choose between going home to see their families or staying in the U.S. until they graduate because of a federal travel ban, a new study shows that the Buffalo Bills' new stadium is the most expensive venue for families to attend an NFL game; and we meet three of the Seagle Festival's returning artists for a conversation about the community.

(Aug 18, 2026) The Adirondack Common Ground Alliance is ending after nearly two decades of creating a culture of cooperation inside the park's blue line; a Clinton County non-profit wants to bring the joy of cycling to everyone, and in turn, bring people together; and Ottawa singer-songwriter, Mia Kelly, drew inspiration from van life, self-help books and medical aid in dying for her new album.

(Aug 17, 2026) The Adirondack Community Foundation gives out about 10 million dollars in grants each year and is working to strengthen rural communities in the park; police in Akwesasne are warning community members about an illegal drug called pink cocaine that contains dangerous ingredients; and we listen back to a conversation with North Country sculptor Margaret Jacobs and her take on the Adirondack pack basket.

(Aug 14, 2026) The Adirondack Park Agency had a complicated debate over a logging project in southern St. Lawrence County at its meeting yesterday; wooden trolls have taken over Tupper Lake, and they're on a mission to help us reconnect with our environment; John Warren checks on trail conditions in the Adirondacks; and we have a preview of Songs at Mirror Lake's 20th anniversary festival in Lake Placid this weekend.

(Aug 13, 2026) President Trump's 50 percent tariff on many Canadian goods is scheduled to take effect next week, and the uncertainty is straining businesses that rely on cross-border trade; this week marks the 249th anniversary of the end of the siege at Fort Stanwix in central New York; dozens of the country's top pro anglers are in the North Country this month to compete for the title of Angler of the Year.

(Aug 12, 2026) Republican Bruce Blakeman is running to oust Governor Kathy Hochul, and he's taking a page out of President Trump's playbook on immigration; some scientists in St. Lawrence County are spending the summer collecting mosquitoes to test for diseases; and a forester in Vermont is out with a new book to empower people to be more hands-on with forest management. 

(Aug 11, 2026) State and volunteer crews have been working this summer to clean up and rebuild the trail through Avalanche Pass; the state is pushing for more adults without college degrees to enroll in a program that allows them to attend community college for free; and we have a conversation with Kingston Whig-Standard reporter Gare Joyce who has written a series of articles for the paper, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the time the Summer Olympics came to Kingston.

(Aug 10, 2026) A new documentary from Vermont Public re-examines what happened on the March day when local and state police and ICE clashed with protesters on a busy street in South Burlington; plus, a federal judge has issued a split ruling on New York's laws for federal immigration agents; and, you're invited to a film screening of the musical “1776” tonight in Schroon Lake in honor of America's 250th anniversary. Organizers are hoping it will help you grapple with some of the complicated parts of the country's founding.

(Aug 7, 2026)

(Aug 6, 2026) More than 50 people showed up at the Adirondack Park Agency public information session to voice their opinion on the agency's proposed move to Saranac Lake; a flower farmer in Keeseville spends her summers growing and arranging colorful blooms; and we hear from one of NCPR's music hosts, Barb Heller, about some of her unusual experiences on the road as a touring musician.

(Aug 5, 2026) St. Lawrence County's sheriff says the plan to partner with ICE isn't moving forward after the state banned certain collaborations between ICE and local law enforcement; we get an update from a local reporter covering the trial of a man accused of killing his daughter in Essex County last year; and Chef Curtiss Hemm of the Carriage House Cooking School joins us for a quick weeknight dinner recipe that takes advantage of those farmers market greens.