Northern Light

(Jun 3, 2025) Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced on Monday he plans to challenge his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul for the state's top job; a developer from Texas is set to purchase a 36,000-acre estate in the heart of the Adirondacks near Long Lake; and we preview the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, which kicks off tomorrow and runs through the weekend.

(Jun 2, 2025)

(May 30, 2025) Democrats in New York continue to criticize the House-passed bill that slashes funding for social services; a recent study of New York's parole board found that it is about a third less likely to release a person of color on parole than a white person; Last weekend, the volunteer-run 'Friends of the Schroon Lake Library' Bookstore opened for the summer season; Arts in the Park is Parishville's latest push to pull together and try to meet the needs of the all the kids in their school district; and, a rainy weekend ahead!

(May 29, 2025) The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority has rejected all the construction bids for its child care center, which has been in development since 2021; we remember Dana Fast, a Holocaust survivor who lived in the Adirondacks until her death earlier this month; and in today's North Country at Work story, we speak with the only tattoo artist in Lake Placid.

(May 28, 2025) President Trump wants to cut funding for rural airports, like those in the North Country, by 50%; new initiatives in Clinton County want to make it easier to develop more housing; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes reviews a book from an Adirondack naturalist.

(May 27, 2025) New York food banks say more people are looking for food assistance, and that cuts to SNAP, included in the recently passed House budget, would make things a lot worse; two North Country students will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which kicks off today; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is in the studio to share what's going on in this month's morning and evening sky. 

(May 23, 2025) Two more Adirondack lakes will be treated with an herbicide to kill an invasive plant this summer; New York officials say the state is disproportionately affected by President Trump's “big beautiful bill” that House GOP members passed on Thursday; a Jefferson County man caught a state record-breaking catfish earlier this month; and, racing season at the Mohawk International Raceway kicks off tonight.

(May 22, 2025) The Plattsburgh city council installed Jarrod Trombley as its new police chief last week, and some residents expressed concern over past workplace misconduct allegations against him; locals in Glens Falls hope the opening of a new event and market center called The Ed signals a fresh start for the city; and for Mental Health Month, we're putting the spotlight on what makes farmers more vulnerable to mental health challenges.

(May 21, 2025) A hill in the Adirondacks has been renamed to honor a family of 19th-century Black settlers; Gov. Kathy Hochul called the residential boarding school system "sanctioned ethnic cleansing" when she apologized to the Seneca Nation yesterday; and North Words host Mitch Teich speaks with former Adirondack Life Magazine editor Chris Shaw about his new Cold War spy novel inspired by the 1980 Winter Olympics titled "The Manager."

(May 20, 2025) State and local leaders are warning that Medicaid cuts included in Trump's policy bill will have outsized impacts on the North Country; Gov. Hohcul is visiting the Seneca Nation in western New York today to apologize for the state's role in an former Indian school; and Kitty O'Neil gives us an update on what's happening on the North Country's farms this spring.

(May 19, 2025)

(May 16, 2025) The Watertown City School District is at odds with the child care providers who run its pre-K program. Those providers are calling for residents to vote the school's budget, which is over $103 million, down; John Brown Lives! is starting an oral history project to track the impact of federal policy changes on local residents; and, North Country Honor Flight will send veterans down to the war memorials in Washington, D.C. Saturday morning. Organizers say the trip is about thanking them and creating space for them to heal.

(May 15, 2025) Plattsburgh Press-Republican editor-in-chief Joe LoTemplio reflects on 40 years in local news as he retires; Albany lawmakers held a hearing on the state's prisons yesterday; and artwork created by teens in the southern Adirondacks will be on display at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls through this weekend.

(May 14, 2025)

(May 13, 2025) St. Lawrence County is temporarily combining two offices that handle cases for people who can't afford attorneys; new research from the University of Vermont found that old, dead trees that end up in streams can act as natural climate solutions;  and listener Phil Fitzpatrick of Onchiota has some advice to share on how to repel black flies.

(May 12, 2025)

(May 9, 2025) Senator Schumer is sounding the alarm about the impact of the Trump Administration's proposed budget cuts in the region; NCPR is starting a new series about volunteerism in the North Country; the Crown Point Bird Banding station is celebrating its 50th season of documenting the spring migration; State Police say no charges will be filed following an investigation into members of the Watertown City Council; Fort Ticonderoga kicks off its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution today; and, organizers are holding their annual celebration of John Brown's birthday at his historic home in Lake Placid.

(May 8, 2025) Dozens of prisons were built in Upstate NY during the boom decades ago, but now the prison bust is impacting rural economies; in today's North Country at Work story, we talk to a couple trying to make a difference amid the Adirondacks' housing shortage by investing in long-term rentals; and the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh will hold its second artisan market of the year this Saturday.

(May 7, 2025) Mohawk students at SUNY Canton celebrated a project they hope makes campus more welcoming for Native Americans with a trivia night last month; redevelopers of the former General Motors site in Massena say it's won a key endorsement that will help find a new buyer; and Chef Curtiss Hemm shares a recipe for eggs that can brighten up any brunch menu.

(May 6, 2025) Reporter David Escobar has a recap of NCPR and Adirondack Explorer listening sessions about welcoming and belonging in the region; Cornell Cooperative Extension is hosting a free webinar about how farmers can lower their energy bills; and Adirondack artist Andy Mitchell has a showing opening in Saranac Lake on Thursday, May 8.

(May 5, 2025)

(May 2, 2025) Lake trout have been restored to Lake Champlain, bringing an end to a decades-long stocking program; the state Assembly has approved a bill that would allow physician-assisted suicide; and we get a preview of this weekend's Clayton Spring Fest, which will have a focus on climate change.

(May 1, 2025) Folks in the Southern Adirondack community of Gloversville are picking up the pieces after a massive fire burned several buildings downtown Tuesday night; the reservation system for hikers at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve begins today and runs through the end of October; and the trio Constantinople is bringing the magical sounds of the Persian setar and the Senegalese kora to the North Country this Sunday.

(Apr 30, 2025) As bears emerge from hibernation, we speak with a big game biologist for the DEC about bear safety and what makes the species so mysterious; North Country at Work visits a cannabis farm in Essex to talk to the owners about their first growing season; and Kitty O'Neil from the Cornell Cooperative Extension returns for a conversation about how North Country farms are faring this spring.

(Apr 29, 2025) Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is reportedly mulling a run for governor next year, and experts say, for a Republican, she has a decent shot; A new committee in the Warren County town of Johnsburg is working to better meet the needs of its aging population; and a listener submitted a recording for a sound quiz.

(Apr 28, 2025)

(Apr 25, 2025) NPR's Brian Mann sends a postcard from a Champlain Valley farm in the midst of lambing season; Glens Falls basketball star Jimmer Fredette announced his retirement from the sport this week; and in celebration of National Poetry Month, we listen to two poems submitted by North Country poets.

(Apr 24, 2025)

(Apr 23, 2025) St. Lawrence County could join a regional police team that responds to high-risk situations; a new decision from the state Department of Environmental Conservation has people worried about the future of walleye fishing; and we get a preview of the Orchestra of Northern New York's performances in Potsdam and Watertown this weekend. 

(Apr 22, 2025) Two years after a drag queen story hour controversy shut down the Lake Luzerne library, new board members and staff are working to rebuild its reputation with the community; North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik wants the U.S. Department of Education to investigate a school district in Saratoga County; and a new art exhibition in Plattsburgh spotlights the work of women artists.

(Apr 21, 2025) Over the weekend, hundreds of people protested in Saranac Lake and Potsdam against President Donald Trump; environmental advocates say they're ready to once again fight a proposed gas pipeline in New York that President Trump wants to revive; and NPR's CEO Katherine Maher speaks about the potential impact of cuts to public broadcasting.

(Apr 18, 2025) Every Thursday, there are free archery lessons at the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club; NYS leaders are promising reforms to the culture in prisons after guards were charged for another beating death of an inmate; a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump aims to stop the enforcement of some state climate laws; Several University at Albany students have had their visas terminated; and, warm mountain conditions at the end of April.

(Apr 17, 2025) Officials say Clinton Community College's impending move to SUNY Plattsburgh's campus is a game-changer after fiscal and accreditation challenges; a new program in Essex County aims to help tackle the housing crisis in the Adirondacks by giving people money to build new, long-term housing on their property; and in today's North Country at Work story, we talk to a couple from Tupper Lake who revived and rebooted a shuttered restaurant and turned it into a community success story.

(Apr 16, 2025) SUNY Plattsburgh officials say they're working to support an international student whose visa has been revoked; our Albany reporters break down how the state plans to address a severe staffing shortage in New York's prison system; and we learn about a new group in the Adirondacks that wants to connect young professionals so they can build lives in the North Country.

(Apr 15, 2025) A historic Boy Scout camp on Low's Lake could soon become part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve; Adirondack artist Nancy Bernstein has been illustrating maps for decades, and her latest project is for an NCPR tote bag; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue stops by to guide us through this month's morning and evening sky.

(Apr 14, 2025)

(Apr 11, 2025) We get a preview of tomorrow's North Country Sustainability Day and Green Living Fair at SUNY Canton, which will offer practical ways do live greener with workshops, talks on green jobs, and a big electric and hybrid vehicle car show; today's North Country at Work story takes us back in time to a childhood spent in a small-town diner in Croghan; and NCPR digital host Caitlin Kelly talks about the new Photo of the Day exhibit at the View Arts Center in Old Forge, which opens this weekend.

(Apr 10, 2025) We look at what President Donald Trump's plan to eliminate the federal Department of Education could mean for North Country school districts; Canton's sustainability committee is looking for volunteers for its first-ever Repair Fair; and North Words host Mitch Teich speaks with Aurora Pfaff about her book "Aviation in the Adirondacks," which tracks the history of flight in the North Country.

(Apr 9, 2025) Gov. Hochul says the family from a Jefferson County dairy farm who were detained and sent to Texas went through a "living hell;" organizations in the North Country say lay-offs at the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services could affect their funding and state-level staff who support them; and a listener shares a poem about friendship during National Poetry Month.

(Apr 8, 2025) A family detained during a recent federal immigration investigation on a Jefferson County dairy farm is coming home after community pushback; we hear from a Rochester woman who's working to show people of color that they belong in the Adirondacks; and NCPR reporter Amy Feiereisel brings a sound quiz and tries to stump Monica and Catherine. 

(Apr 7, 2025)

(Apr 4, 2025) Border Czar Tom Homan shed some light and raised  questions about the detention of seven people on a dairy farm in Jefferson County last week; DEC Forest Rangers and Adirondackers gathered this week to honor Trans Day of Visibility and remember ranger Robbi Mecus; Researchers at SUNY Canton are experimenting with new materials that could make houses more resistant to natural disasters; Congresswoman Stefanik is praising Trump's tariffs as important for an ‘America-first economy'; a Boston-based jazz musician is returning home to the North Country this Saturday night; and, another wintry mix weekend in the Adirondacks!