Northern Light

(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)

(Jul 18, 2025) A Croghan man caught a record-breaking brook trout in the Adirondacks earlier this month; Saratoga Springs residents are pushing for more resistance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action following recent detainments in the city; Clarkson University's ROTC program will soon shut down, leaving institutions without a way to train their young cadets; Hochul is directing her administration to find ways to save money after deep federal funding cuts; NPR's CEO talks about the way forward for public media after Congress passed Trump's rescission package, stripping federal funding from public media stations including NCPR.

(Jul 17, 2025) Less than two months ahead of the upcoming school year, schools across the nation and here in the North Country find themselves in a tough spot as the Trump administration withholds nearly $7 billion in already appropriated federal education funding; NCPR Station Manager Mitch Teich discusses the possible impacts of the rescission of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding, which passed the Senate last night and is expected to be taken up by the House later today; and we have a conversation with one of the artists featured in Keene Arts' current exhibit, "Follow the Water," which highlights the intersection of beauty and science in the Ausable River Watershed. 

(Jul 16, 2025)

(Jul 15, 2025)

(Jul 14, 2025) We visit a small hospital in the Hudson Valley that's trying to figure out how it can continue to serve its community as Medicaid cuts are coming; a new generation of owners is bringing fresh life to the Lazy River Playground in St. Lawrence County; and the artistic producers at the Depot Theatre in Westport are pretty curious about what you'll think of their new dark comedy, "Radiant Vermin," opening this week.

(Jul 11, 2025) Leaders from around the region gathered in Alexandria Bay this week for an informational session on nuclear energy; The recissions package that would claw back $9.4 billion dollars in already approved funding will likely be voted on by the Senate next week; Plattsburgh  manufacturer has received orders from two government contractors; Recent DEC rescues included two litter carry-outs and a helicopter airlift; and, a preview of the Paddle for Betterment this weekend!

(Jul 10, 2025) We hear from a Canadian trade expert about Canada's ongoing efforts to strengthen its economy beyond the U.S. amid the ongoing trade war; homeowners in Tupper Lake can now get help eradicating Japanese knotweed from their property; and News Director David Sommerstein previews the massive Ottawa Blues Festival, which kicks off tonight and runs for 10 days.

(Jul 9, 2025) With Republicans' big spending bill now law, reporter Amy Feiereisel stops in to help break down how Medicaid works, what is getting cut and how it will impact the North Country; North Country at Work profiles a technician with the Soil and Water Conservation District in Franklin County; and North Words host Mitch Teich sits down with an ESPN broadcaster from Norwood who's written a new book about striking the balance between working in sports and being a mom.

(Jul 8, 2025) A new bill could finally turn EMS into an essential service in New York and bring financial relief to local EMS squads; after a 20-year hiatus, a special day of wooden boat races returned to Blue Mountain Lake this summer; and we stop by the costume shop at the Seagle Festival in Schroon Lake ahead of opening night.

(Jul 7, 2025)

(Jul 3, 2025) Local officials are weighing the future of Clinton Community College's current campus as the institution prepares to move to SUNY Plattsburgh next month; ahead of this Sunday's Willard Hanmer paddling race in Saranac Lake, we listen back to last year's contest; and North Words host Mitch Teich sits down with Canadian rocker, Rob Benvie, about his latest novel, "The Damagers," that follows two teenage girls who stumble into a cult that's building its home base in the Adirondack High Peaks.

(Jul 2, 2025) As part of our volunteerism series, we visit a fishing day for middle schoolers organized by the Chazy Rod & Gun Club; the Potsdam Public Library has a volunteer program that offers free literacy tutoring; and Chef Curtiss Hemm shares a recipe for mushroom fricassée.

(Jul 1, 2025)