Northern Light

An update on the most important news of the North Country

Ontario to ADK wildlife corridor, Watertown zoo donations, Saranac Lake thriller

(Oct 23, 2025) An environmental group wants Ontario's transportation ministry to include wildlife over and underpasses in its plans to expand a major highway that cuts through a critical pathway for animals; Watertown’s Zoo has seen a surge of donations after The New York Times published an article about it last week; and we hear a review of a thriller set in a fictional Saranac Lake follows a murderous coven of man-killing witches.

10-23
29:22

Prison oversight legislation, fixing transmitters in Old Forge, NCPR founding mother Martha Foley

(Oct 22, 2025) Advocates for people incarcerated in New York State are pushing Gov. Hochul to sign a bill that would expand prison oversight and require more cameras; we trek up McCauley Mountain in Old Forge with NCPR’s engineers as they prep a transmitter for winter; and one of NCPR’s founding mothers, Martha Foley, joins us in the studio to talk about building the station into a community resource.

10-22
29:13

Potsdam's "No Kings" protest, NYS Young Republican fallout, effective protesting

(Oct 20, 2025) About 7 million people across the country took to the streets over the weekend to protest the Trump Administration, including more than a thousand people in Potsdam; a private group chat is having big consequences for Republicans around the country and in New York; and sit down with a local philosopher and Quaker to talk about what makes for effective demonstrations.

10-20
33:20

NYS looking at Whitney Estate, Malone school librarian, a hike up Jay Mountain

(Oct 17, 2025) Gov. Hochul wrote a letter last week expressing interest in the state purchasing 32,000 acres of the Whitney estate in the Adirondacks; we meet an elementary school librarian in Malone who doesn't think her library should be quiet; and Catherine Wheeler and a friend hike up Jay Mountain for some fall leaf-peeping.

10-17
33:16

SNAP policy impacts, LaFargeville teens volunteering, Estonian folk duo Puuluup

(Oct 16, 2025) Many New York families could lose their SNAP benefits next month following federal policy changes; teens in LaFargeville are determined to fix up a local basketball court that's fallen into disrepair; and a European band is reviving the talharpa, a stringed musical instrument, to create a unique sound.

10-16
30:46

Young Republicans' texts, Saratoga reenactment, woodwind summit, "Radium Girls"

(Oct 15, 2025) The Indian River High School thespian troupe is exploring explores workers’ rights, corporate profit, and one of the very first workers’ compensation cases in their staging of the play ‘Radium Girls.’

10-15
29:32

James indictment, Vermont farmers on drought, Halloween events at the Chapman Museum

(Oct 13, 2025) We break down what's happening after federal prosecutors secured an indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James last week; amid the ongoing drought, farmers in Vermont are wondering if their water will be enough to last them through the winter; and we get a preview of the Halloween events lineup at the Chapman Museum in Glens Falls.

10-13
33:04

Unemployment checks, tree rodeo, Plattsburgh native on "The Voice," Joan O'Leary

(Oct 9, 2025) New Yorkers on unemployment benefits could see their payments rise by hundreds of dollars per week; we take you to a competition for utility arborists that happened last weekend in Burrville, just ouside Watertown; a North Country native has made it past the first round of "The Voice;" and a conversation with Lake Placid author Joan O'Leary, who is will be signing books and giving a talk tonight in downtown Lake Placid.

10-09
29:42

APA move to Saranac Lake, apple scraps making meatballs healthier, hunting season updates

(Oct 8, 2025) As the APA moves forward with plans to build a new headquarters in downtown Saranac Lake, critics are asking the board to question the reasons behind the move; Cornell scientists have come up with a way to use apple scraps to make healthier meatballs; and the DEC has some updates to regulations, including that hunters can now use electronic hunting licenses and tags.

10-08
29:42

Immigration on farms, COVID vaccine update, ADK woodworker

(Oct 7, 2025) Limitations to federal visa programs and ramped up immigration enforcement are creating creating uncertainty for some North Country farmers and farmworkers; we break down federal COVID-19 vaccine guidance after lots of confusion; and a woodworker in the southern Adirondacks is incorporating technology into his pieces.

10-07
30:47

Northern Forest Canoe Trail, counterterrorism funding, ADK dancing witches

(Oct 6, 2025) This year marks 25 years since the creation of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a 740-mile route that connects the Adirondacks to northern Maine; New York State won't be facing major federal cuts to their counterterrorism budgets after President Trump's administration reversed course; and every fall, a band of dancing witches descends on the southern and central Adirondacks.

10-06
29:20

Upward Bound cuts, Remembering Jim Benvenuto, World Cup mountain biking in Lake Placid

(Oct 3, 2025) Two colleges in the region have lost funding for a federal college prep program; we revisit an audio postcard from a sailing trip with Potsdam's Jim Benvenuto, who died in a motorcycle accident a couple weeks ago; and ahead of this weekend's World Cup mountain biking races in Lake Placid, we listen back to a story about the races last fall.

10-03
30:51

Lakeview Inn, tree rodeo, Bloomingdale Bog hike, Lake Flower Landing fall preview

(Oct 2, 2025) It can be tricky to earn a living while running a seasonal tourism business. A Schroon Lake couple is trying to make it work to be in a place they love; a "tree rodeo" is being held in New York, perhaps for the first time, and it’s happening here in the North Country; as the fall colors are hitting their peak, we take a walk along the Bloomingdale Bog trail in the Adirondacks; we preview the adventurous fall lineup at Lake Flower Landing in Saranac Lake.

10-02
31:05

Canton's driest summer, NY inflation rebate checks, Chef Curtiss

(Oct 1, 2025) We speak with St. Lawrence University professor Alexander Stewart about how Canton just had its driest summer on record; inflation rebate checks will start arriving in New Yorkers' mailboxes this week—and they'll have to pay federal income taxes on the money; and Chef Curtiss Hemm shares a recipe for an autumnal kale salad.

10-01
31:00

Health care subsidies, Newton Falls paper mill fire, search and rescue thriller

(Sep 30, 2025) As federal health care subsidies are set to expire in just a few months, many lower and middle-income families could start paying a lot more for insurance; the Newton Falls paper mill caught on fire Sunday; and we’ll head to the Ogdensburg Public Library for a conversation with NCPR’s book reviewer Betsy Kepes about a new thriller on a search and rescue effort.

09-30
31:03

ADK manhunt update, Fort Ti ferry suspension, teen attempted murder suspect located in Jefferson County, Ottawa Latin Jazz Orchestra

(Sep 26, 2025) Police believe the Cohoes murder suspect is injured, but alive as the manhunt continues in the Adirondacks; below average water levels on Lake Champlain have led one ferry operator in Essex County to cease operations for the season; a 16-year-old in an attempted murder investigation in Jefferson County has been located; and, a preview of events around the region, including the Ottawa Latin Jazz Orchestra.

09-26
29:13

Recommend Channels