Top Stories from NCPR
1,050 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsNCPR provides locally-produced news stories from around the Adirondack and North Country regions of New York State, as well as Western Vermont, and Ontario and Quebec in Canada. 010329
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Episodes
Cuomo: dual crises make for "perilous times"
June 04, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 713 KB(Jun 4, 2020) The death toll due to COVID-19 hit its lowest level since the peak of the pandemic, with 49 people dead yesterday. Hospitalizations dipped below 3,000 for the first time since March. At his daily briefing yesterday, Cuomo said the dual crises of coronavirus and protests against police brutality are making for “perilous times.”
Avoid the Adirondack High Peaks due to muddy conditions, says the DEC
June 04, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 544 KB(Jun 4, 2020) It's mud season in the Adirondacks, as snow at higher elevations begins to melt. The DEC has issued an advisory urging hikers to stay below 2500 feet and avoid hiking the high peaks.
Outdoor dining reopens in upstate regions
June 04, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 645 KB(Jun 4, 2020) Governor Andrew Cuomo says outdoor dining can begin in Upstate regions of the state now in phase two of reopening, beginning June 4.
Can Adirondack lake trout survive climate change?
June 04, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 2.27 MB(Jun 4, 2020) Lake trout require a lot of cold, oxygenated water to survive. Lakes in the Adirondacks of upstate New York are at the southern edge of their natural range. Although about 100 Adirondack lakes and ponds are still home to lake trout, even a small increase in temperature could sharply cut that number.
How COVID-19 is playing out in NY prisons, through one inmate's eyes
June 04, 2020 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.77 MB(Jun 4, 2020) While the number of people testing positive or being hospitalized for COVID-19 continues to fall around the state, those numbers are going up inside New York prisons, where nearly two thousand staff and inmates have gotten sick.
"I'm angry": NY21 candidate Cobb attacks Stefanik on police brutality response
June 03, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.45 MB(Jun 3, 2020) Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb harshly criticized President Donald Trump and her Republican opponent, Elise Stefanik, for their comments about protests against police violence across the country.
Assemblyman Dan Stec calls for "peace and dialogue," but few policy details
June 03, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 1.85 MB(Jun 3, 2020)
Organizers behind #BlackBirdersWeek tackle race and privilege outdoors - and their favorite birds
June 03, 2020 04:00 - 5 minutes - 2.57 MB(Jun 3, 2020)
Joyful Noise: virtual choirs keep Dean Lichterman's love of singing alive
June 03, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.25 MB(Jun 3, 2020) Choruses and choirs are a great way for singers to socialize and do what they love - sing. But it’s impossible to rehearse or perform in person right now, so virtual choirs have been growing in popularity.
Stefanik: Police involved in George Floyd's death should be prosecuted to the "absolute fullest extent"
June 02, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.15 MB(Jun 2, 2020) Congresswoman Elise Stefanik says police need to be held accountable in the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last week.
Chef Curtiss: Cauliflower Steaks - grilling from the garden
June 02, 2020 04:00 - 6 minutes - 3.15 MB(Jun 2, 2020) Chef Curtiss Hemm thinks of cauliflower as the "chicken beast" of the vegetable world, a sort of blank canvas upon which to impose rich flavors. Since it takes aggressive heat and chars well, he finds it's a good candidate for summer grilling.
Hundreds turn out in Ogdensburg, Potsdam for protests against police brutality
June 02, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.46 MB(Jun 2, 2020) North Country protesters talk about their own experiences with racism and prejudice at demonstrations honoring George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man killed in police custody.
Cuomo: Mass protests could lead to new coronavirus outbreak
June 02, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.74 MB(Jun 2, 2020) Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the mass protests in New York City and in upstate cities over the past few nights have been "counterproductive" to the cause of racial justice and may even reignite the spread of the coronavirus.
"The Mercies": a novel of love, racism and challenging established gender roles
June 01, 2020 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.88 MB(Jun 1, 2020) Inspired by real events in 1617 Norway, Kiran Millwood Hargrave's novel, The Mercies, is a story of love, racism and challenging established gender roles.
What North Country schools are thinking about returning to school in September
June 01, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 2.01 MB(Jun 1, 2020) Across the North Country, educators are nervous and unsettled. Their school budgets are up in the air as the state grapples with a massive deficit. And no one knows yet what school will even look like in the fall. It could be more learning online, a return to the regular classroom, or a mix of the two.
Grief, frustration, over police killing of George Floyd reaches Northern NY
June 01, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 958 KB(Jun 1, 2020) People in Potsdam, Watertown, and Keene, and in the Upstate New York cities of Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, joined the thousands of protesters taking the streets in cities across the U.S. to protest the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and the continuum of police violence and structural racism.
Additional state police called to upstate cities as protests continue over Floyd killing
June 01, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.02 MB(Jun 1, 2020)
The North Country is lagging behind the rest of the state in filling out the census
June 01, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.16 MB(Jun 1, 2020)
This weekend in the Adirondacks, 5/29/20
May 29, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 994 KB(May 29, 2020) We’ve had quite a stretch of nice weather. Although a bit of a cool down is in the forecast for Sunday - when we could see summit temperatures in the 30s - it looks like the nice weather is going to last into next week.
St. Lawrence County lawmakers step down to avoid conflicts
May 29, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 627 KB(May 29, 2020) Two members of the St. Lawrence County legislature are stepping down due to potential conflicts of interest. Their departure comes after another lawmaker stepped down in March.
Governor Cuomo extends Phase 1, North Country leaders outraged
May 29, 2020 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.84 MB(May 29, 2020)
Quebec pledges to staff up after military reports problems in Ontario and Quebec nursing homes
May 29, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 843 KB(May 29, 2020) The Canadian military delivered reports to the provinces of Ontario and Quebec this week on problems in long-term care homes. More than 1,600 military service-members are assisting staff in those facilities on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Social distancing is the law, but how do North Country police enforce it?
May 28, 2020 04:00 - 5 minutes - 2.52 MB(May 28, 2020) Since the North Country began to reopen, one big question is what if people don’t follow the rules? And what exactly even are the rules? On the front lines of these questions are local police, but how to enforce public health is something officers are figuring out as they go.
Closet nemesis: the clothes moth
May 28, 2020 04:00 - 5 minutes - 2.54 MB(May 28, 2020) Keratin, the substance wool, hair, and feathers are made from, makes a pretty thin diet, but the clothes moth has been dogging humanity's closets and drawers for hundreds of years, unravelling the work of generations of knitters and weavers to feed its larvae.
Cuomo pushes for federal relief in Washington, slamming Republican senators
May 28, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 822 KB(May 28, 2020) Governor Andrew Cuomo says often he eschews politics to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. But he sure got political in his daily briefing yesterday.
Cuomo calls for infrastructure stimulus, including new North Country transmission lines
May 27, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 604 KB(May 27, 2020)
Are the Adirondack rail trail battles finally over?
May 27, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.37 MB(May 27, 2020) The contentious rail-trail debate in the Adirondacks may finally see some closure. This month the Adirondack Park Agency approved plans to tear up a rail line between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake to make way for a recreational trail. The project also involves refurbishing a tourism train line from Tupper down past Old Forge.
Cornell study shows close connections complicate return to college
May 27, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 762 KB(May 27, 2020) North Country colleges are scrambling to figure out a plan for holding classes in the fall without causing new outbreaks of COVID-19. But a new study at Cornell University finds college students have very close connections when on campus.
Quarantine quality time for a Potsdam family
May 27, 2020 04:00 - 7 minutes - 3.48 MB(May 27, 2020) Over the last several weeks we've spoken with people across the North Country about coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools closed, people started working from home and, in many cases, families have spent a lot more time together at home.
Cuomo: Frontline workers who died due to COVID-19 will receive death benefits
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 809 KB(May 26, 2020) Governor Andrew Cuomo says the families of public workers who died due to COVID-19 will receive death benefits from the government. Cuomo announced the effort at his daily briefing on Monday.
Legislature returns to the Capitol this week
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 4 minutes - 1.97 MB(May 26, 2020)
North Country schools struggle with budgets, waiting on state and federal aid clarity
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1020 KB(May 26, 2020) School budget votes got delayed this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. And no one knows yet what classes in the fall will look like, and whether they’ll even be held in schools. But schools still have to finalize their budgets before a June vote. And they have fingers crossed the state and federal government will step in to help.
In the May skies: gaining daylight, finding planets and explaining "earthshine"
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 8 minutes - 4 MB(May 26, 2020) Where to find the planets in the evening and morning skies. And we get an explanation of earthshine on the moon and apparent retrograde motion of the planets.
Memorial Day ceremonies feel different during the coronavirus pandemic
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 559 KB(May 26, 2020) People across the North County yesterday honored the men and woman who gave their lives in military service to this country. They flew flags and left flowers at cemeteries and memorial parks.
Juggling a job, a family, and baby yaks in the 'dacks
May 26, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.67 MB(May 26, 2020)
Memorial Day weekend in Lake George
May 25, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.68 MB(May 25, 2020) Memorial Day weekend is normally a time of awakening for the North Country's tourist towns. Mom and pop businesses open to waves of visitors. Second homes start to see the arrival of seasonal residents. But COVID-19 has meant much smaller crowds and far more restrictions and expenses. Brian Mann, now with NPR, reports from Lake George.
Poppies for peace: North Country blacksmiths helped create WWI memorial
May 25, 2020 04:00 - 5 minutes - 2.62 MB(May 25, 2020) A war memorial in Belgium includes metal poppies forged in the North Country a few years ago. The Adirondack Chapter of the New York State Designer Blacksmiths created fifty metal poppies that are part of a memorial in Ypres, Belgium to soldiers and civilians who died in World War One.
Sports are coming back: New York allows professional teams to start up training camps
May 25, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 721 KB(May 25, 2020) At his daily briefing yesterday, Governor Cuomo said veterinarians can head back starting tomorrow. Campgrounds and RV parks can open today. And the state is allowing all professional sports teams to start training camps to get ready for a delayed season.
Ontario businesses start to reopen
May 25, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 611 KB(May 25, 2020) Many businesses were allowed to reopen in Ontario last week as the province loosens restrictions in place since March to slow the spread of COVID-19. The province has recommended physical distancing measures as shoppers return.
This weekend in the Adirondacks, 5/22/20
May 23, 2020 04:00 - 2 minutes - 1.08 MB(May 23, 2020) And what a weekend it’s going to be. Summer weather and plenty of sun.
Crews fight multiple wildfires in the Adirondacks, fire chief advises not to burn this weekend
May 22, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 758 KB(May 22, 2020) A wildfire burned through the night Thursday in Saranac, while crews from Keene and Upper Jay extinguished a wildfire Wednesday night.
COVID inflammatory syndrome complicates re-opening schools
May 22, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 718 KB(May 22, 2020) Governor Cuomo says there won’t be summer school this year - not in person, at least. Childcare services and meal programs for essential workers for students and staff will continue, he said, but all teaching will stay online.
Will people come to the Thousand Islands this summer?
May 22, 2020 04:00 - 6 minutes - 2.89 MB(May 22, 2020) Memorial Day is the traditional kickoff for the tourism season in the North Country. Nowhere is that more true than the Thousand Islands, whose businesses make the lion's share of their income between now and Labor Day. But with many attractions still closed and public health officials still urging travel closer to home, it’s unclear whether people will travel there - or should travel.
Lake George ready - and nervous - for holiday weekend
May 22, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.64 MB(May 22, 2020) A normal Memorial Day weekend in the big time tourist destination of Lake George is a festival of packed crowds, amusement parks, and busy retail outlets. Officials are hoping for something very different this year.
Cuomo announces small worship gatherings, takes heat for nursing home policies
May 21, 2020 04:00 - 1 minute - 876 KB(May 21, 2020) Places of worship will now be allowed to hold in-person religious services of up to ten people, starting today. Governor Andrew Cuomo made that announcement at his daily briefing yesterday.
Bats can sing, too!
May 21, 2020 04:00 - 5 minutes - 2.32 MB(May 21, 2020) Humans, birds, and whales are not the only creatures who can sing. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss recent research that uncovered bats also use learned songs to communicate.
Crime down across New York, and it's not just because of #StayAtHome
May 21, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 1.73 MB(May 21, 2020) Crime was down by double digits in every county in New York for March and the first half of April. Arrests dropped statewide by 50%.