Northern Light

(Nov 12, 2026) The election results have sparked infighting among Republicans across New York, with some of those spats involving top leaders in the North Country; a panel of advocates and law enforcement shared strategies for identifying human trafficking and supporting survivors in Lake George this week; and we hear from a group of Indigenous elders, who published a book of essays about Haudenos...

(Nov 11, 2026) New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says Democrats have a lot they want to accomplish when they retake control of Congress in January; organizers in Saranac Lake are hosting a resource fair this weekend to help North Country veterans navigate their benefits and find support after military service; and we have a conversation with a decorated Vietnam veteran about how the loss of two Mar...

(Nov 10, 2026) Power dynamics in college admissions are shifting as schools face dropping enrollments and students face huge financial pressures; environmental advocates in the Adirondacks are discussing their concerns about a potential resurgence of acid rain amid the Trump administration's recent rollbacks of the Clean Air Act; and a community art project in Bolton Landing is taking on the...

(Nov 9, 2026) After last week’s midterm elections, we look back at the results and what they mean for New York politics; we go for a shoulder-season hike along a stretch of the Northville-Placid Trail in the southern Adirondacks; and in this episode of Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager explore what may be happening in the minds of animals while they sleep.

(Nov 6, 2026) We analyze the election results for the 21st Congressional District, where Republican Anthony Constantino squeezed out a narrow victory on Tuesday; we meet a man in Jefferson County who is an advocate and a resource for farmers; and thousands of snow geese stop over in Malone every fall on their route south. 

(Nov 5, 2026) The Warren County Sheriff's Office has concluded its investigation into the phishing scam that robbed the county of more than $2 million; we talk with a reporter in the region about how almost a dozen officers have left the Plattsburgh police department over the last year; and we get a preview of a film about immigrants premiering this weekend at the Lake Placid Film Festival.

(Nov 4, 2026) We’re breaking down results from yesterday’s election. In the race to represent the 21st Congressional District, Republican Anthony Constantino declared victory last night, after ending the night just a few points ahead of his opponent; we also have the results for the North Country’s State legislature races; and Chef Curtiss Hemm of the Carriage House Cooking School brings us a comf...

(Nov 3, 2026) Today is Election Day. Polls in New York are open until 9:00 pm. In Vermont, polls are open until 7:00 pm. For voters who are disabled or differently abled, filling out a ballot can pose an additional set of challenges on top of figuring out who to vote for; we visit Fort Ticonderoga, where reenactors recently brought to life a lesser-known skirmish between the young Continental Army...

(Nov 2, 2026) In the race for Clinton County sheriff, voters will choose between the longtime incumbent and a former State Police troop commander; many upstate hospitals are facing closure or consolidation after federal changes to the Medicaid system; and in this episode of Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager examined the mosses in the meadow at Stager’s home in Saranac Lake. 

(Oct 30, 2026) Voters in the 117th Assembly District will replace a retiring Republican lawmaker with either his former chief of staff or a Democratic political newcomer; before the spookiest day of the year, kids and adults gathered at a church in Canton to share ghost stories; and we’ll preview an exhibit in Chestertown centered around a turn-of-the-century Adirondack poet and a lifelong occulti...

(Oct 29, 2026) Republican Anthony Constantino has run a combative campaign in the race to represent the North Country in Congress; a traditional arts organization based in Canton is refocusing its mission after a series of challenges; and in a new memoir, an environmental journalist talks about how understanding black bears helped her understand her brother. 

(Oct 28, 2026) In the 113th Assembly District race, Democratic incumbent Carrie Woerner and Republican challenger Allen Caruso agree affordability is the district's biggest issue, but they have different ideas on how to tackle it; Republicans running for seats in the New York State Senate are trying to reduce the Democratic majority, while the Democrats are trying to grow it during this year’...

(Oct 27, 2026) In the race to represent the North Country in Congress, Democrat Blake Gendebien is selling himself as a moderate candidate who can flip the district; we go behind the scenes at Clinton County’s only early voting site; and we get a preview of a new exhibit at St. Lawrence University and an event that is setting the mood for this spooky time of year. 

(Oct 26, 2026) In the race to represent the 118th Assembly district, Democrat Colleen Maxwell is facing Republican Heather Scribner; New York eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent offenses six years ago, yet it remains a political flashpoint, including in this year’s governor’s race; and in this week’s Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager talk about sharing...

(Oct 23, 2026) In the race to represent the 49th State Senate District, Republican incumbent Mark Walczyk takes on Democratic challenger Cassie Robbins-Forbus; the Adirondack Thunder hockey team celebrated with fans in Glens Falls after starting the season with a win; and we check on trail conditions in the Adirondacks with John Warren and search for the last peak fall foliage of the season. 

(Oct 22, 2026) New York State’s top lawyer says voters should be more skeptical than ever about what they hear about political candidates; we meet a builder in the Southern Adirondacks who is keeping the timber framing tradition alive; and we take a tour of the newly revamped Remington Museum of Art in Ogdensburg.

(Oct 21, 2026) People in Jefferson County are pushing back on a proposed solar farm in Hounsfield that’s supposed to help the state meet its renewable energy goals; New York has updated its blueprint for conservation efforts for the next decade; and we’ll get to know Michael Livingston, NCPR's newest reporter based in the Southern Adirondacks.

(Oct 20, 2026) Moratoriums on new battery storage systems are popping up in towns all over the North Country, but energy experts say they're crucial to upgrading New York's aging grid; in the upcoming midterm elections, Democrats are challenging Republican incumbents on St. Lawrence County's legislature; and astronomer Aileen O’Donoghue is in the studio this morning with a map for t...

(Oct 19, 2026) Protestors gathered at No Kings rallies across the North Country over the weekend, with a focus on midterm elections; we dig into the race to represent the 114th Assembly District between incumbent Republican Matt Simpson and Democrat John Gunther; and we learn why squirrels come in all those colors in this week’s Adirondack Selections.

(Oct 16, 2026) In a recent poll for NY-21, 5% of respondents opted for a write-in candidate who's not on the ballot; the remains of Continental soldiers who died in the Battle of Valcour Island were laid to rest in Saratoga County, 250 years after the conflict; and we check out a spooky festival in the Champlain Valley, along with other events on the community calendar.

(Oct 15, 2026) Akwesasne Mohawk students recently won a big legal victory regarding their ability to get financial aid at colleges and universities in the U.S.; we meet a woman in Rouses Point who has found a way to give academically minded kids a competitive outlet; and we'll get a preview of how an all-volunteer theater company in North Creek plans to put on their comedic fall production th...

(Oct 14, 2026) We have a conversation with Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a Republican running for New York's 21st Congressional District; the candidates for New York governor met for their first and only debate, sparring over affordability, data centers and immigration; and we talk with one of the actors in "The Last American Newspaper," a dramatization of the Glens Falls Po...

(Oct 13, 2026) We have a conversation with St. Lawrence County farmer Blake Gendebien, a Democrat running in NY-21, who wants to flip the district; a group of community members and Indigenous elders are urging the governor to stand firm against federal efforts to greenlight a natural gas pipeline; and we have a conversation about art and science with poet Alison Hawthorne Deming, St. Lawrence Univ...

(Oct 12, 2026) President Trump held a rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in Syracuse last Friday night; we hear about the problems that happen when forest rangers and other environmental officers are stretched thin; and in this week's episode of Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager explore the intricate ecosystem of his front yard.

(Oct 9, 2026) Republican Incumbent Dan Stec and Democrat Challenger Melissa Seale debated affordability issues facing the 45th State Senate District in Plattsburgh this week; nurses in Saranac Lake picketed outside the local hospital, demanding better health insurance; and we have a preview of this weekend's reenactment of the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, featuring more than 20...