Northern Light

(Sep 16, 2025) A local nonprofit has been leading an effort to train officers across the Adirondacks; Today's North Country at Work story starts in childhood, from growing up cleaning grounds and shucking corn for the family business;  and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue guides us through what to look for in this month's night sky.

(Sep 15, 2025)

(Sep 12, 2025) The Adirondack Rail Trail is seeing steady traffic and boosting business in the Trilakes area; 2025 was a big summer for fishing tournaments in Massena, and it's becoming more nationally recognized as a fishing destination; and we drop by the Downtown Artist Cellar in Malone to talk with North Country artists Mary Woodcock Johnson and Angela Nephew.

(Sep 11, 2025) Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones, who stepped down last week to take a job at a local community college, reflects on his nine years in office; as colleges and universities begin a new school year, many are grappling with how to implement and regulate the use of artificial intelligence; and we preview the Jazz at the Lake festival in Lake George this weekend.

(Sep 10, 2025) Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Plattsburgh yesterday to attend the grand opening of a bus manufacturer that helped save hundreds of local jobs and highlight funding for northern border security; federal officials arrested dozens of people at a food processing plant in Central New York last week; and North Words host Mitch Teich talks with Giles Blunt about his new book "Bad Juliet," which is set at a tuberculosis sanitarium in the Adirondacks.

(Sep 9, 2025)

(Sep 8, 2025) We have an update on the St. Regis Falls Central School District, a year after major turmoil; experts share how they think summer's drought will impact the colors changing this fall; and we have a conversation about the unexpected services that North Country libraries offer. 

(Sep 5, 2025) Students across New York went back to school this week, and this year, they'll have limits on using their cellphones at school; we head to Schroon Lake to meet someone working behind the scenes in the performing arts; and we'll venture to the starting line of this year's 90 Miler Canoe Classic in Old Forge.

(Sep 4, 2025) NCPR reporters Cara Chapman and Emily Russell preview the roundtable discussion they're co-hosting in Lake Placid on Monday; state lawmakers voted to study the standards and fees for annual motor vehicle inspections. It comes at the urging of service stations and car dealerships across New York; and, the Otis Mountain Getdown music festival is back in Elizabethtown this weekend. We listen back to a conversation with one of the 30 bands in the line-up, Petite League.

(Sep 3, 2025) Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman officially launched his campaign for an anticipated special election in the 115th Assembly District yesterday; we talk with the logistics coordinator of the 90-Miler Canoe Race about what it takes to keep everyone safe and everything running smoothly; and as apple season begins, Chef Curtiss Hemm shares a recipe for a quick apple cake.

(Sep 2, 2025) Despite the Trump administration asking schools to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, one local district says it has no plans of stopping; the chairs of the Democratic county committees in the 115th Assembly District say they're nominating Plattsburgh's town supervisor for an upcoming special election; and many hiking enthusiasts know the basics of the story, but the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown put together a special exhibit to dive deeper into the history of the first 46ers.

(Aug 29, 2025) Sen. Chuck Schumer says the ROTC program at Clarkson University in Potsdam will not shut down, a reversal of a previous Army announcement; a volunteer who works with children who have been abused shares why the work is valuable to him; NY-21's Elise Stefanik addressed concerns that ICE recruitment would take away from local police hires; we tag along with Emily Russell for a trail run in the Mediterranean; and, a preview of the Northern Current Music Festival in Saranac Lake.

(Aug 28, 2025) After more than a year and a half of planning, moving and renovating, Clinton Community College started classes at its new campus this week; we stop by a state park where New York has been offering free swimming lessons this summer; and a conversation with artist Margaret Jacobs of the Akwesasne Mohawk community about her sculpture "Carrying Knowledge: Mint," now on permanent display at the Adirondack Experince: the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.

(Aug 27, 2025) We remember John Cogar, a longtime veterinarian and former bobsled athlete in the Adirondacks who drowned in Lower Saranac Lake last week; an arts organization in Watertown is hosting an event for local music acts to get professional quality photos and videos of themselves; and North Country at Work tells the story of a Westport farm where horses get a second chance.

(Aug 26, 2025) U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited Saranac Lake on Monday, as she works to secure millions in federal funding for the Trudeau Institute amid the Trump administration's proposed cuts to scientific research; we follow along with one of the first users of the motorized wheelchair program at Great Camp Santanoni; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes talks about a new historical novel, The Jackal's Mistress. 

(Aug 25, 2025) Longtime friends from Richmond, Vermont (and now Portland, Oregon) drop a new EP September 9th

(Aug 25, 2025)

(Aug 22, 2025) A group of hundreds of North Country doctors and medical leaders is trying to figure out what can be done locally to minimize steep cuts to Medicaid; a former candidate for New York's 21st Congressional District plans to run for Assembly next year; after a month long closure, one of the Adirondacks' longest scenic train rides in back in service; NYS officials say they have strict rules in place meant to protect illegal immigrants who may be visiting the New York State Fair; and, Adirondack trail conditions and a visit to Camelot Island on the Canadian side of the Thousand Islands.

(Aug 21, 2025) North Country at Work takes us to the west end of Paradox Lake, where a series of summer cottages have played host to hundreds of families through several generations; though it's been 10 months since state and local authorities seized and killed Peanut the Squirrel, the effect on environmental enforcement in New York continues; and the founders of Abanakee Studios in Indian Lake are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this summer.

(Aug 20, 2025) Earlier this month, a group of locals and community leaders met in Essex to celebrate the legacy of civil rights activist Alice Green and continue a celebration she started; we preview the New York State Fair, which kicks off today near Syracuse; and Kitty O'Neil from the Cornell Cooperative Extension stops by to talk about how the hot summer has impacted North Country farmers.

(Aug 19, 2025) Congresswoman Elise Stefanik attended a dedication ceremony in Plattsburgh yesterday, following a rare public feud with local Republicans over selecting a candidate for an upcoming special election; a statewide program that allows college students to work on and off campus is helping them find their roots in the North Country; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is in the studio this morning to guide us through this month's night skies.

(Aug 18, 2025) In the North Country, a group of local drag performers says every show is a chance to build acceptance for their art form, one local stage at a time; we look back at New York state's road salt shortage last winter, which was connected to the wording of a state law; and we preview this weekend's St. Lawrence County rock and gem show.

(Aug 15, 2025) We visit the man who owns a well known caboose on Route 11 between Canton and Potsdam; Plattsburgh is getting a new 24/7 crisis center to close a gap in local behavioral health services; New York lawmakers say the state should cancel plans to send taxpayer rebate checks with the state facing a big budget deficit; National Grid customers will soon see a higher electricity bill after the state Public Service Commission approved a rate hike; and, Adirondack trail conditions and what's up with those pesky deer flies?

(Aug 14, 2025) ICE agents' use of masks when arresting people in New York and across the country has set off a debate in the state about whether to ban them from covering their faces; North Country at Work profiles one of the people behind the magic at the Lake George Dinner Theatre; and a new photo exhibit at the Tannery Pond Community Center celebrates the people who created the North Creek Mosaic Project Mural.

(Aug 13, 2025) In the small community of Inlet, a passionate volunteer gardener has spearheaded the effort to turn a former elementary school field into a thriving community garden; the town of Canton is preparing residents for a townwide reassessment; and we speak with artist Nancy Brossard ahead of the Adirondack Plein Air Festival, which will take place next week.

(Aug 12, 2025) A new report from the state's chief fiscal officer highlights a shortage of health care providers in the North Country; the union representing New York State Troopers says they should get time off after shoot-outs and other stressful calls; and NCPR's Howl Podcast kicks off its newest season on Wednesday.

(Aug 11, 2025)

(Aug 8, 2025) A major ski jumping event in Lake Placid has been cancelled because of infrastructure issues; thousands turned out for Plattsburgh's first-ever Michigan Fest; Alcoa and NYPA are nearing a deal to keep the aluminum giant in Massena; Plattsburgh's town supervisor will run replace Assemblyman Billy Jones; and, teen theatre in Westport and local music in Potsdam!

(Aug 7, 2025) Activists are traveling across the North Country this week in a "car caravan" to rally support for migrant farmworkers; Residents at a mobile home park in Lake Placid are trying to stop the property from being sold; and A significant cluster of the invasive water chestnut plant has taken root in the St. Lawrence River near Ogdensburg. 

(Aug 6, 2025) After announcing plans to step down last week, Assemblyman Billy Jones of Chateaugay Lake will head to Clinton Community College to lead workforce development initiatives; we join dive crew for a behind-the-scenes look at how they suction milfoil from Lake George; a five-year plan is underway to create a life-size bronze statue depicting all twenty players of the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team; and Chef Curtiss brings a shrimp and grits recipe. 

(Aug 5, 2025) With the school year quickly approaching, many families in Watertown don't know if their child will be able to attend pre-k after the city school district cut dozens of pre-k slots without explanation; Gov. Hochul says the days of nonpartisan redistricting in New York should be over as Republicans in Texas try to redistrict their state; and a conversation with the director of a museum in Saranac Lake about how a new, larger space will allow the museum to tell the village's broader cultural history.

(Aug 4, 2025)

(Aug 1, 2025) A festival honoring Michigans - Plattsburgh's culinary delicacy - will take place this weekend;  for the last games of the Tupper Lake River Pigs baseball season this weekend, we meet the team's unofficial mascot...and Santa Claus; the Quebec man accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter and hiding her body in a Ticonderoga pond earlier this month was arraigned in Essex County Court Wednesday; New York's legal marijuana industry is reeling after more than 100 dispensaries have been told they may have to move because they're too close to schools; and, a cooler but sunny weekend ahead in the Adirondacks.

(Jul 31, 2025) Canadians have changed the way they shop and travel amid President Trump's trade war on Canada; starting next year, New York state is requiring most new, small-scale buildings to be fully electric; and as lacrosse readies for its first Olympic appearance in more than a century, we talk with sports journalist S.L. Price about the role of the Haudenosaunee people in the founding and modern-day playing of the sport. 

(Jul 30, 2025) Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones of Chateaugay Lake plans to step down from his position next month to take a job that will allow him to spend more time with his family; New York's early intervention program is ranked last in the nation for the timely delivery of services, which has far-reaching consequences for children and the entire state education system; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes says she laughed reading every page of Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel's latest book "Spent: A Comic Novel."

(Jul 29, 2025) New York's 2025 Draft State Energy Plan outlines the state's efforts to combat climate change and decarbonize the grid over the next 15 years; fixed-wing airplanes will be flying over Lewis County starting Friday to drop bait that will vaccinate wild animals against rabies; and we go sailing on Cranberry Lake.

(Jul 28, 2025)

(Jul 25, 2025) We hear from the North Country's public television stations about how they're responding to more than a billion dollars in federal funding cuts for public media; a spot on the St. Lawrence River near Cape Vincent has failed water quality tests twice this summer; 376,000 fewer vehicles crossed into the U.S. from the New York-Canadian border than this time last year; Jefferson County has received a grant to increase the growth of native plants and help restore natural ecosystems; and, Warren County is named after a lesser known founding father, and the county's historical society opens a new exhibit dedicated to Joseph Warren this weekend.

(Jul 24, 2025) The death of an assistant forest ranger in the Adirondacks has sparked calls for reforms at the DEC; Hudson Valley Republican Mike Lawler says he will not run for governor next year, effectively clearing the field for North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to enter the race; and Kitty O'Neil from the Cornell Cooperative Extension stops by to talk about how the hot summer is impacting North Country farmers.

(Jul 23, 2025) We visit a new public dock in the southern Adirondacks that's helping paddlers of all ages and abilities get on the water; New Yorkers may be getting unexpected checks in the mail as the state comptroller's office implements a pilot program to proactively distribute unclaimed funds of $250 dollars or less; and a conversation with former Glens Falls Post-Star editor Ken Tingley about his play, "The Last American Newspaper." 

(Jul 22, 2025) Police say a Canadian man murdered his nine-year-old daughter while vacationing in the U.S.; during a town hall in Plattsburgh over the weekend, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and Republicans like North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik who supported it; and North Words host Mitch Teich speaks with Bloomberg Opinion columnist and part-time North Country resident Francis Barry about his book, "Back Roads and Better Angels," which chronicles his journey along the more than 3,000-mile long Lincoln Highway.

(Jul 21, 2025)