Podcasts about northernlight

(Jun 26, 2025) Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie was in Plattsburgh yesterday to announce new funding for a local nonprofit; registration to be a volunteer observer for New York's annual loon census is open; and a conversation about how the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts transitioned to a new home in Blue Mountain Lake this summer.

(Jun 25, 2025) Retired State Police Sgt. Jay Cook recounts the day he spotted, shot and recaptured Clinton Correctional escapee David Sweat in a field in Constable, ending the weekslong Dannemora manhunt; a project by the Potsdam Rotary Club gifts families with their own birthday celebration kit; and North Words host Mitch Teich sits down with Michael Aguirre from the Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake to preview its last summer season at its current location on Brandy Brook Avenue before it gets a new home.

(Jun 24, 2025) New York primaries are today; our Albany reporters break down this year's legislative session now that state lawmakers are on summer break; an event in Canton wants to show people how to fix their broken belongings; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is in the studio to guide us through this month's night sky. 

(Jun 23, 2025)

(Jun 20, 2025) Plattsburgh officials are again calling on the federal government to address failing infrastructure at the former Air Force Base; Glens Falls' mayoral race will be decided on the June 24 primaries; NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says President Trump should pursue diplomacy, not war, in the Israel and Iran conflict; Assemblyman Robert Smullen says he's considering a run for NY-21 if Elise Stefanik runs for Governor; Indian Lake will be celebrating monarch butterflies this weekend; and, a preview of the EP of ‘The North Country's Premier Post-Outlaw Country Band.'

(Jun 19, 2025) Eight candidates are vying for two spots on Watertown's city council, and many say they're running because they're tired of infighting within local government there; state lawmakers have left Albany after shelving environmental bills that faced pushback from big corporations and watering down consumer protection legislation; and we preview the 45th edition of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, which kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday, June 29.

(Jun 18, 2025) The state has found a developer for a new solar project at the Benson Mines site in the Adirondack Park; a North Country organization is planning a tour of the region's Underground Railroad sites this weekend in honor of Juneteenth; and Kitty O'Neil from the Cornell Cooperative Extension stops by to talk about how humid and wet weather from earlier this spring is impacting North Country farmers.

(Jun 17, 2025) We hear what the three-week Dannemora prison escape manhunt was like for the people nearby; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited a hospital in Saranac Lake yesterday to bring more attention to potential cuts to Medicaid included in Trump's proposed federal budget; and we meet a social worker in the southern Adirondacks who created a comic book series to encourage the teenagers she works with.

(Jun 16, 2025)

(Jun 13, 2025) NY's Governor testified in front of Congress about immigration policies; NY-21's Stefanik is supporting a northern border bill; St. Lawrence County hosted an open house to show the community all the ways the government serves them this spring, with few attendees; Emily Russell takes us on a trail run on Wellesley Island; Elizabethtown concerts this weekend feature an oddball instrument combo: the saxophone and clarinet; and, NoCo communities are out and proud this Pride Month. We'll get a preview of events in Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Lake George and beyond.

(Jun 11, 2025)

(Jun 10, 2025) Locals and town leaders weigh in on how Long Lake plans to manage the proceeds from the sale of the $125 million Whitney estate; survivors of a residential school in western New York are telling their stories of abuse and the efforts to destroy their Native American culture and identity; and a conversation with a St. Lawrence University grad about her new foundation that brings the sport of hockey to children across the globe.

(Jun 9, 2025)

(Jun 6, 2025) NPR's Brian Mann covered the Dannemora escape manhunt for North Country Public Radio and shares his memories and takeaways; Legislation legalizing physician-assisted suicide is one step closer to becoming law in New York; Ticonderoga is celebrating six new murals by artists from all over the world this weekend; and, Watertown students explore hip hop.

(Jun 5, 2025) The number of families using childcare assistance in New York has nearly tripled in just three years. But money for the program is running out, and families are now losing the childcare they've come to rely on; Fifteen years ago, workers  at the World Trade Center site made the discovery of a lifetime: a ship, deep in the muck, that dates back to the Revolutionary War; and a listener sent in a recording to try and stump Monica during a sound quiz.

(Jun 4, 2025) As New York is at the center of President Donald Trump's plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, we have a conversation with one of the state's largest immigrant advocacy groups; a new report finds winters on the Tug Hill Plateau are getting warmer and snowfall is getting more unpredictable; and Chef Curtiss of the Carriage House Cooking Schools joins the show for a recipe for smash burgers.

(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.