Northern Light

(Oct 8, 2026) People in New York's rural communities worry there are few to no alternatives if their landlines are cut off; we go to Keeseville, where the co-founder of a local brewery says his community is a place for small businesses to thrive; and we dig into how the historic El Niño might lead to a milder winter in the North Country.

(Oct 7, 2026) A statewide moratorium on new data centers is currently in effect, but a massive proposed facility near the St. Lawrence River in Massena could be exempt; the price of heating oil has almost doubled from last year, and it’s hitting people in their pocketbooks; and Chef Curtiss Hemm of the Carriage House Cooking School serves up a recipe that takes advantage of apple season.

(Oct 6, 2026) Residents in Chateaugay are pushing back on a data center development proposed by a man from Plattsburgh; women make up the fastest-growing group of U.S. veterans, but fewer than half of them are enrolled in VA health care; and Kitty O'Neil discusses how frost affects North Country farms. 

(Oct 5, 2026) One candidate for a North Country Congressional seat may have violated federal election rules, while the other is facing calls to apologize to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe; a printmaker in St. Lawrence County is part of an international collective working in sustainable Japanese blockprinting; in the latest Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager talk about goldenrod,...

(Oct 2, 2026) Gov. Kathy Hochul is appointing the state’s top lawyer to lead a special investigation into the alleged gang rape at Cornell University; we meet a woman in Ticonderoga who helps high schoolers start their careers off on the right foot; and we tag along with a volunteer leaf spotter whose observations go into New York's weekly fall foliage reports.

(Oct 1, 2026) The New York Power Authority now has majority ownership of the largest solar project in St. Lawrence County; we explore options for hunters with disabilities as hunting season ramps up; and there’s a new nature preserve to visit and explore in Cape Vincent in Jefferson County with sweeping shoreline views. 

(Sep 30, 2026) A highly regarded election forecaster has changed its rating of a North Country Congressional race from solid to likely Republican for the first time in several years; leaders are marking the political strides Latinos have made at the local level in New York state, while noting that there have been few elected to higher office; and Ogdensburg native and author Kate Bracy says her de...

(Sep 29, 2026) Two housing projects in Tupper Lake are trying to chip away at the affordable housing shortage in the Adirondacks; environmentalists are concerned that federal rollbacks on power plant regulations will hinder the Adirondacks’ recovery from acid rain; and we have a conversation about how the Kingston WritersFest is creating opportunities for aspiring writers to connect.

(Sep 28, 2026) The New York News Publishers Association is holding a series of fact-checking seminars to help folks determine what's factual, misleading, or just untrue on their social media feeds; as Election Day gets closer, our Albany reporters break down the latest in the New York gubernatorial race; and on the latest episode of Adirondack Selections, Emily Russell and Dr. Curt Stager tal...

(Sep 25, 2026) We join a group of adaptive kayakers in the Adirondacks, where some creative equipment is helping people with disabilities get out on the water; the village of Hammond in St. Lawrence County is moving forward with dissolving its government after voters decided to merge with the town; and we’ll preview a southern rock show at a brand-new venue in Akwesasne this weekend.

(Sep 24, 2026) The candidates running to represent much of the North Country in Congress still haven't agreed to a debate; a plumber living and working in the southern Adirondacks says it’s a balancing act to make a living as a tradesman; and we get a preview of a sustainability event in Potsdam tomorrow.

(Sep 23, 2026) Residents in a remote Adirondack community are raising the alarm about the lack of road access; the state is launching a campaign to get more people vaccinated against measles; and we have a conversation with a trumpeter from Chicago who is bringing his style of jazz to Canton for an upcoming performance.

(Sep 22, 2026) We break down what voters told us they want to hear from Republican Anthony Constantino and Democrat Blake Gendebien in New York's 21st Congressional race; we talk with an Olympic freestyle skier who trains here in the North Country, but competes for Austria, the country her grandparents fled during World War; and we get a preview of the Crane School of Music's inaugural B...

(Sep 21, 2026) A conflict over how St. Lawrence County’s multi-use trail system is planned for and used has been brewing between neighbors; concerns over AI and data centers are shaping election campaigns across New York State; and we inspect the lifecycle of monarch butterflies on this week's Adirondack Selections.

(Sep 18, 2026) The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh will stay open after announcing it was on the brink of closure; we go to the shores of Lake Ontario for a late-summer stroll through the El Dorado Coastal Preserve in Henderson; and John Warren checks on trail conditions for a weekend in the Adirondacks.

(Sep 17, 2026) Massena's Town Board voted against a 6-month moratorium on a controversial data center project; a woman in Champlain is balancing her work in health care with caring for her family; and we talk with Ottawa Valley singer-songwriter Mimi O’Bansawin, who is putting her ancestors’ language into her latest album “Evoke.”

(Sep 16, 2026) A controversial proposal to test military cannons in the Adirondacks is heading back to the APA for a final vote; the Army is cross-training its medics to improve its ability to care for dogs wounded in battle; and NCPR book reviewer Betsy Kepes talks about the latest novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason.

(Sep 15, 2026) New York State is walking back its plans to explore building a new prison that could house up to three thousand inmates; we join a Saranac Lake man with cerebral palsy on his journey to walk all 34 miles of the Adirondack Rail Trail; and astronomer Aileen O’Donoghue preps us for what to expect under autumn skies.

(Sep 14, 2026) A new wooden troll made by a globally celebrated artist has moved into the Wild Center and is making a permanent home in the Adirondacks; the ferry that connects Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island in Canada is slated to get up and running thanks to a community member; and we're debuting a new segment called Adirondack Selections.

(Sep 11, 2026) It’s been 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and we hear how people around the North Country played a role in the aftermath; John Warren checks on trail conditions in the Adirondacks; and we talk with NCPR news director David Sommerstein live at the starting line in Old Forge for the 90-Miler Canoe Classic that kicks off this morning.

(Sep 10, 2026) Counties across the North Country are preparing to pay more for SNAP benefits after the Trump Administration shifted the majority of the cost to states; folks will get the rare opportunity to climb up the Macdonough Monument this weekend during the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration; and we take a look at NCPR’s community calendar and preview a few events, including a genealogy wor...

(Sep 9, 2026) The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh is at risk of closing if it can't raise $50,000 to keep itself afloat; The Village Mercantile in Saranac Lake is closing its doors after 15 years; and we have a conversation with a teacher in St. Regis Falls about why her fifth graders mean so much to her.

(Sep 8, 2026) The town of Plattsburgh's former Air Force Base has been added to a federal program that will fund a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; there may be a slow start to this year’s fall foliage season, but forest researchers are still expecting vibrant colors across the landscape; and we preview Afrofestival Ottawa, a celebration of African music, fashion, food, and culture...

(Sep 4, 2026) We visit the Evans Mills Raceway in Jefferson County ahead of big races this weekend; we tag along with kids at the Little River Community school outside Canton, as they paint local wildlife for nature trail signs; John Warren checks on Adirondack trail conditions for this first weekend in September; and we have a preview of the Northern Current Music Festival in Saranac Lake this we...

(Sep 3, 2026) Immigration arrests surged across New York State last month after ICE conducted what it calls "Operation Rotten Apple"; we tag along with a professional 'treetop rescuer' in the Southern Adirondacks; and Kitty O’Neil joins us for a conversation about what’s going on on North Country farms this month.