Story of the Day

NCPR: North Country Public Radio · northcountrypublicradio.org

Get your daily dose of what's happening in New York's North Country, the Adirondacks, Vermont, Canada, and beyond. Host David Sommerstein presents the best stories from North Country Public Radio's award-winning newsroom. You'll hear the most interesting voices on the most important issues in the region. There's even a micro-newscast to keep you up to date. When you miss

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Episodes 100

8/28/26: "Preparing for the worst" if ICE comes knocking
2d ago · 10:03
An immigrant advocacy group in the North Country is getting new funding to expand its work with families dealing with the impact of ICE detentions. Also: Local officials are praising the military’s selection of Fort Drum to host a nuclear “microreactor” as a once in a lifetime boon to the Army base near Watertown. But the technology is totally unproven and comes with some big questions.
8/27/26: A traveling musical that could break your heart (and mend it)
3d ago · 9:33
Each summer the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts takes a musical on the road. We preview "The Last Five Years" coming to five communities in the Adirondacks. Also: Clifton Fine Hospital in Star Lake turns 75 today. As rural healthcare struggles nationwide, the smallest hospital in the state has found a way to survive and add new services.
8/26/26: A child care shortage weighs down the North Country economy
4d ago · 9:36
Much of the North Country is classified as a child care desert. A new study from Jefferson Community College puts data behind how that's impacting residents and the local workforce. Also: St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis County sheriffs are among those suing New York over a law that prevents local collaborations with ICE.
8/25/26: Food insecurity is up 14% in the North Country
5d ago · 9:04
Food insecurity is rising to higher levels in the North Country. Since last summer, it's climbed by 14% in some counties and nearly 20% for children, as people get cut off from federal food assistance. Also: Republicans are planning to sue as a new state law takes effect today that prohibits local law enforcement from working with ICE.
8/24/26: Caribbean flavor in Tupper Lake
6d ago · 8:57
Every Friday this summer, a woman from the Caribbean is cooking up and selling dinners at a little hotel next to the brewery in Tupper Lake. The story behind Brenda Bedeau's Caribbean cooking in the Adirondacks. Also: Developers broke ground today on a massive project to convert a Tupper Lake blighted factory into apartments and commercial space.
8/21/26: A path forward for the troubled Plattsburgh YMCA
9d ago · 10:00
The Plattsburgh YMCA's board plans to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations at its child care center. That's part of its plans to move ahead after an incident that damaged trust within the community. Also: A new poll released this week has Republican Anthony Constantino leading Democrat Blake Gendebien by double digits, shortly after another poll found Gendebien with a lead.
8/20/26: The life of a paramedic
10d ago · 9:35
EMTs meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives. Our North Country at Work series brings us the realities of being a paramedic in the North Country. Also: Federal prosecutors have arrested an Albany woman for allegedly plotting to blow up the New York State Capitol building.
8/19/26: International students and the travel ban
11d ago · 9:29
As colleges reopen for the fall semester across the North Country, some international students won't be able to make it. A federal travel ban from 40 countries has forced many students to change or abandon their academic plans. Also: Gun-rights groups are suing New York state over a new law they say bans the sale of a popular pistol.
08/18/26: Helping share the magic of biking with everyone
12d ago · 9:59
We listen back to a profile on a new Clinton County nonprofit that aims to bring the joy of cycling to everyone - and, in turn, bring people together. Also: For nearly twenty years, the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance created a culture of cooperation inside the park's blue line. Now, its mission is ending.
8/17/26: Philanthropy in the Adirondacks aids rural community
13d ago · 9:24
The Adirondack Community Foundation gives out about $10 million in grants each year and is working to strengthen rural communities in the park. Also: Police in Akwesasne are warning community members about an illegal drug called “pink cocaine" that contains dangerous ingredients.
8/14/26: The trolls of the Tupper Lake woods
16d ago · 9:57
Wooden trolls have taken over Tupper Lake, and they're on a mission to help us reconnect with our environment. We visit the TROLLS: Save The Humans installation at the Wild Center that's become a summer sensation on social media and in person. Also: At its meeting yesterday, the APA had a complicated debate over a logging project in southern St. Lawrence County.
8/13/26: More tariffs against Canada
17d ago · 9:56
President Trump's 50% tariff on many Canadian goods is scheduled to take effect next week. We talk with North Country firms on both sides of the border that say the uncertainty is straining their business. Also: New York is considering suing the federal government over new electric shock gloves that ICE agents may begin using.
8/12/26: Blakeman attacks on immigration
18d ago · 9:58
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman is ramping up his attacks on his opponent Kathy Hochul, focusing on her record of handling undocumented immigrants. Also: SUNY officials are making a push to enroll more students in a program that allows adults without college degrees to attend community college for free.
8/11/26: Rebuilding the Avalanche Pass trail
19d ago · 9:41
On today's Story of the Day, we hear from one of the volunteers working to rebuild the trail through Avalanche Pass after a massive landslide closed it last year. Also: a jury in Essex County has found a man guilty of killing his daughter in the Adirondacks last summer.
8/10/26: Inside a tense clash between ICE agents and protestors in Vermont
20d ago · 8:59
Earlier this spring, federal ICE agents clashed with protesters on a busy street in South Burlington, Vermont. A new documentary from Vermont Public re-examines what happened that day, using hours of body camera footage.
8/7/26: An effort to ban a potentially toxic herbicide
23d ago · 10:04
Research has linked exposure to a popular herbicide used in agriculture to Parkinson's disease. Advocates, including residents of the Washington County town of Hebron, want a statewide ban on the use of the herbicide paraquat. Also: A new report commissioned by the state Legislature takes a close look at New York’s court-ordered mental health treatment program, more than a quarter century after Kendra’s Law first took effect.
8/6/26: A first glimpse at the new APA headquarters
24d ago · 9:50
The Adirondack Park Agency is moving its headquarters from Ray Brook down the road to Saranac Lake. The public got a chance to see the plans and weigh in on how the move will affect the agency and the village. Also: New York State’s top energy regulator is moving to implement consumer protections in the state budget.
8/5/26: The Frattolin murder trial
25d ago · 10:06
The trial of a Montreal-based man accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter in the southern Adirondacks is captivating the region. We get an update from a local reporter covering the trial of Luciano Frattolin. Also: St. Lawrence County's sheriff says the plan to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn't moving forward after the state banned such collaborations.
8/4/26: Reclaiming Mohawk medicinal knowledge
26d ago · 9:52
Many Mohawk customs were passed down for generations, until forced assimilation disrupted that transfer of knowledge. A group of women in Akwesasne is working to reclaim their ancestors' medicine-making traditions and carry them forward. Also: Gov. Hochul was in Lake Placid yesterday promoting a potential bid to host the 2042 Winter Olympics in both Lake Placid and New York City.
8/3/26: Inside the Whitney Estate auction
27d ago · 9:31
An auction house in Potsdam is selling hundreds of items from Whitney Park, a historic great camp near Long Lake. We hear about some of the items in the collection. Also: New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying law takes effect on Wednesday. Groups challenging the law in court have had mixed results.
7/31/26: North Star struggles continue
1mo ago · 10:03
The North Star Health Alliance announced that it's cutting its labor and delivery services at the hospital in Ogdensburg. On Wednesday, hundreds of people spoke out against the proposed closure at a public hearing. Also: Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. visited Fort Drum yesterday.
7/30/26: The return of Michigan Fest in Plattsburgh
1mo ago · 9:59
Plattsburgh's Michigan Fest returns this weekend. We sample the annual event, which honors the region's iconic hot-dog-and-meat-sauce combo. Also: Farmers in multiple North Country counties who were impacted by spring freeze events may be eligible for federal emergency loans.
7/29/26: A top trap shooting team in Long Lake
1mo ago · 9:36
High school trap shooting teams are becoming more popular across New York. Long Lake's team is one of the best. We visit the Long Lake Fish and Game Club, where the trap shooting team competes each spring and fall. Also: The Plattsburgh YMCA has chosen a new director after child abuse allegations at its day care center have rocked the organization.
7/28/26: Preserving the Haudenosaunee tradition of lacrosse
1mo ago · 9:19
Lacrosse isn't just a sport in Akwesasne Mohawk territory. It's the Creator's game. We talk with a Mohawk artisan keeping his heritage alive through the art of lacrosse stick-making. Also: A new report finds New York needs to spend half a trillion dollars to combat the effects of climate change.
7/27/26: A revolutionary cannon, raised from Lake Champlain
1mo ago · 10:04
The missing piece of a cannon that exploded during an early battle of the Revolutionary War was recovered from the bottom of Lake Champlain last week. For local historians and divers, the moment was almost three decades in the making. Also: The beleaguered health network that runs the Ogdensburg and Carthage hospitals may, or may not, be affiliating with a larger network based in Rochester.