Northern Light

(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. 

(Jan 20, 2026)

(Jan 19, 2026) We break down reactions from the right and left following Gov. Hochul's State of the State address; Micron has broken ground in Onondaga County on what's billed as the largest private investment in New York history; and we remember NCPR's longtime theater critic, Connie Meng, who died last week at 86 years old.

(Jan 16, 2026) A group of anti-Trump protestors gathered at Canton's main intersection this week; we meet the newest generation of Jamaican bobsledders who are working to get to the Winter Olympics in Italy; and John Warren checks on weekend trail conditions in the Adirondacks. 

(Jan 15, 2026) People with disabilities and advocates are hoping for more progress on inclusive housing and higher wages for support professionals during the coming legislative session; officials in Jefferson County say a new transit system will start up this year; and an all-volunteer group of musicians is coming together in Potsdam this weekend to celebrate the everyday heroes in our communities. 

(Jan 14, 2026) We break down the biggest topics highlighted in Gov. Kathy Hochul's State of the State speech; the North Country's Republican lawmakers react to the governor's 2026 policy agenda, and we have a conversation with renowned bluegrass guitarist Jake Eddy, who is teaching a class and performing in Saranac Lake next week.

(Jan 13, 2026) Thousands of fans watched the top aerial skiers in Lake Placid over the last two days; the Trump Administration is restructuring the U.S. Army, and changes could affect the mission and actions of soldiers at Fort Drum, near Watertown; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue guides us through what to look for in this month's night sky.

(Jan 12, 2026) Ahead of Gov. Hochul's State of the State address, we talk with reporter Amy Feiereisel about preliminary details of a plan to expand childcare access; New York State is trying to find ways to keep vaping products out of the waste stream; and a conversation with the author of a new book about the New York City subway system's secret history. 

(Jan 9, 2026) The North Star Health Alliance says it can meet its payroll this week but officials say there are still financial challenges ahead; a new, free program at Clarkson University is training young adults for jobs in home energy efficiency; we hear about what it took to start a Glens Falls marketing firm that's making sure you know about every festival, artist, and small business the city has to offer, and John Warren checks on trail conditions in the Adirondacks this weekend.

(Jan 8, 2026) As lawmakers gather in Albany for the legislative session, some state officials are decrying the Trump Administration's freezing of child care funds; ships on the St. Lawrence Seaway are still stuck due to icy conditions, and it's forced the Seaway to extend its navigation season; and NCPR's station manager Mitch Teich joins us for a conversation about the end of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and for an update on NCPR's finances following the end of our federal funding.

(Jan 7, 2026) As ice forms on many of the region's waterways, we visit the East Branch of the Ausable River; Lake Placid is now hosting a World Cup ski event that was originally planned for Utah, after the Northeast's strong start to winter; and we have a preview of an artist exhibit in North Creek.

(Jan 6, 2026) At the Upstate New York airport where the captured Venezuelan president Maduro was flown into the US, there was mixed reaction to the US incursion into the country; A luge athlete based in Lake Placid won her second gold medal of the season last weekend; and we hear the hundred year old hockey mystery of the Ontario man who replaced a legendary Montreal goalie during a NHL game, then never played again. 

(Jan 5, 2026) Political will and public opinion for a statewide universal childcare program are at an all-time high, but lawmakers are hesitant to embrace the price tag; the iconic theater at the New York State Capitol Complex, known as the Egg, is reopening this week after six months of renovations; and a longtime resident of the North Country shows us his trick for clearing off snow from the roof of his house.

(Jan 2, 2026) We hear a refresher on ice safety; Mt. Van Hoevenberg is keeping the full moon ski parties alive this winter after Cascade Ski Center closed earlier this year; and John Warren checks on outdoor conditions for the first weekend of the year.

(Dec 31, 2025) We hear from a State Farm Bureau official about how the change of farm overtime hours affects operations; a new SUNY program matches formerly incarcerated people with internships to help them with the difficult process of finding a job after they're released from prison; and we revisit one of our favorite stories of the year featuring local drag performers.

(Dec 30, 2025)

(Dec 29, 2025) Warren County has been a leader in reducing its use of road salt during winters; the death of a Saratoga County resident helped to inspire new statewide regulations on an over-the-counter herb that could have negative health effects; and a sociologist wants people to recognize that Ottawa is more than just Canada's national capital.

(Dec 24, 2025)

(Dec 23, 2025)

(Dec 22, 2025)

(Dec 19, 2025)

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(Dec 17, 2025)

(Dec 16, 2025) The VA opened a food pantry at its medical clinic in Westport last week, the first in the state to offer food as rates of food insecurity rise; President Trump honored the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team at the White House last week with the Congressional Gold Medal; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue guides us through this month's night sky and reflects on a year in the stars.

(Dec 15, 2025) Some military members and their families around Fort Drum are struggling with food insecurity and the lasting impacts of the government shutdown; as the year winds down, Gov. Kathy Hochul is working her way through bills that still need her signature; and we talk to the man who has recreated his canoe journey from the headwaters of the Hudson River in the Adirondacks to New York City, after being the first recorded person to do it 35 years ago.

(Dec 12, 2025) For the last two summers, a woman from the Caribbean has been cooking up meals at a motel in Tupper Lake; we meet a young farmer in Jefferson County who is trying to make it in the industry; John Warren checks on trail and mountain conditions in the Adirondacks; and the 10th Mountain Division Band has two upcoming performances of "A North Country Carol."

(Dec 11, 2025) The House passed a bill to ratify the Mohawk land claim deal in the North Country; we ride along with social service case workers in Albany as they handle emergency calls;  and we'll find out about a few ways you can give back this holiday season.

(Dec 10, 2025) We speak with a filmmaker who has been interviewing incarcerated people around the state trying to help their clemency cases; advocates are calling on the governor to sign a prison reform bill, a year after corrections officers beat a Marcy Correctional inmate to death; and we'll hear conversation and music to preview the Orchestra of Northern New York's show, "Home for the Holidays."

(Dec 9, 2025) An unoccupied tour boat on Lake George was damaged by a fire on Monday morning; we head to Bradley's Lookout with reporter Amy Feiereisel for a short hike with a big payoff; a bill awaiting the governor's signature would ensure librarians across New York State can fight censorship within schools; and North Country writer Tim Brooks has been studying what's been happening to handwriting around the world in an increasingly digital society. 

(Dec 8, 2025) Bills are piling up on Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk as the end of the year draws closer; Democrat State Comptroller Tom Dinapoli is running for a fifth term in next year's election; and we listen back to a conversation with longtime friends and musical collaborators Barb Heller and Danny Gotham.

(Dec 5, 2025) The North Star Health Alliance says delayed reimbursements from the state threaten patients and over 1,700 jobs; a new study from the Adirondack Land Trust is helping people with disabilities navigate which Adirondack trails are truly accessible; and it's a big weekend for holiday celebrations throughout the North Country, and we'll hear about one for kids in Parishville.

(Dec 4, 2025) Two North Country community colleges had the highest enrollment gains among state schools in the region this fall; we hear about what it's like to work as a home health aide; and we have a conversation with the author and illustrator of a new children's book about how each of Santa's reindeer got their names.

(Dec 3, 2025) For the first time in years, SNAP work requirements will be enforced in the North Country; we sample the Tom and Jerry holiday cocktail at the Crystal in Watertown, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary; and Chef Curtiss Hemm joins us this morning for a rich and comforting recipe, full of melty cheese. 

(Dec 2, 2025) Amid one of this winter's first snowstorms, we head out with a young plow driver through Cascade Pass in the Adirondacks; a young family outside of Malone is determined to preserve their farmland by using sustainable farming methods; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes takes us out to her beaver pond to talk about a new book out of Vermont on beaver kit rehabilitation.

(Dec 1, 2025) A new state historical marker at Akwesasne Lake by Paul Smith's College is paying homage to its Indigenous history; NPR's Brian Mann sends an audio postcard from a wintry hike up Wright Peak in the Adirondacks; and we preview the Plattsburgh State Gospel Choir's Soulful Christmas concert this Sunday. 

(Nov 26, 2025) For some North Country communities, local food options are few and far between. This Thanksgiving, special food boxes connect families in the Indian Lake school district with regional farms; Gov. Hochul approved amendments to the Adirondack State Land Master Plan, which notably did not include a special provision for electric mobility devices in wilderness areas, and we continue the story of how the hermit thrush got its song with Mohawk artist and storyteller Dave Fadden. 

(Nov 25, 2025) After the state vastly expanded eligibility for childcare programs, funds haven't been able to keep up with demand, with over half of counties running out of money; delays in federal assistance and high food prices are making it a hard start to the holiday season for many in the North Country;  and we'll hear a Mohawk story about how the hermit thrush got its song.

(Nov 24, 2025) A new lodge at the base of Gore Mountain is ready to open, but is tied up in disputes between ORDA and the town of Johnsburg; Republican New York State Assemblyman Robert Smullen launched his campaign for the NY-21 seat last week, and he's playing up his connection to President Donald Trump; and an exhibit in St. Lawrence County explores how the work of three artists evolved after they developed Parkinson's Disease. 

(Nov 21, 2025) A village bill meant to protect immigrants in Saranac Lake sparked months of tension at board meetings and has left some locals questioning how their police force will respond to the growing threat of immigration enforcement; a federal jury in Rochester has awarded the largest wrongful conviction award in American history to the estate of one of the so-called Buffalo Five; and John Warren checks on trail conditions in the Adirondacks for this weekend.

(Nov 20, 2025) Assemblyman Scott Gray hosted two nuclear forums so locals could learn more about what it could mean to have a nuclear power plant in the North Country; today's North Country at Work story looks back in time to the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Ottawa musician Hannah Judge talks about how her chronic illness helped to inspire her band, fanclubwallet's new album.