North Country Public Radio

I was part of the local press pool that interviewed Gov. Kathy Hochul in Saranac Lake yesterday. Story airing Monday on @ncprnews.bsky.social.
📷: Nancie Battaglia

The 2015 Dannemora prison escape revealed security cracks. What's changed? Failures, from state leadership in Albany down to prison staff in Dannemora, contributed to the 2015 escape.

From prison leadership in Albany down to staff in Dannemora, a series of failures contributed to the 2015 escape. Here's what has and hasn't been done to address those failures.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks carry out a hiker who broke her leg Rangers carried the women 3 miles back to the trailhead through the night, over unstable ground and sometimes through ankle-deep water.

Last Tuesday night, Forest Rangers carried a woman about 3 miles out of the woods who had broken her leg in multiple places while hiking in the Adirondacks.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Border crossings from Canada to the North Country are down significantly Last month, border crossings from Canada into Ogdensburg and Alexandria Bay were down by more than 31% compared to last April.

In April, border crossings from Canada into Ogdensburg and Alexandria Bay were down by more than 31% compared to last spring.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Here's how Trump's federal funding cuts are impacting the North Country Trump has slashed support for schools, for scientific research, for arts and libraries. Some North Country organizations are feeling the impat.

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake lost all 8 AmeriCorps members. Museums and other arts organizations in the Adirondacks lost grant funding.

Here's how Trump's federal funding cuts are impacting northern NY.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Trump's 'skinny' budget would cut these major North Country programs They include reduced air service funding for North Country airports, eliminating all heating assistance, and shuttering the Northern Border Regional Commission.

Trump's budget would slash funding for North Country airports, eliminate all LIHEAP heating assistance, and shutter the Northern Border Regional Commission.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Stefanik 'strongly considering' run for NY governor; Hochul says 'bring it on' Rumors have been swirling for weeks about North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik’s next political move after President Donald Trump took her out of the running for UN ambassador last month.

From @ncprnews.bsky.social: Rumors have been swirling for weeks about North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik’s next political move after President Donald Trump took her out of the running for UN ambassador last month.

www.wrvo.org/2025-05-07/s...

The U.S. went through a prison-building boom decades ago. But today, many prisons are closing down, and that's hit some economies in rural America especially hard.
Hear my story today on @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/05/07/n...

Stefanik "strongly considering" run for NY governor, Hochul says "bring it on" Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul could face off in next year’s gubernatorial election.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul could face off in next year’s gubernatorial election.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Hiker reservation system at Adirondack Mountain Reserve is now permanent The reservation system out of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) has been a pilot program since 2021, but it became permanent this year.

From today through Oct. 31, if you want to hike in one of the most iconic sections of the Adirondacks, you need to reserve a spot ahead of time.

The hiker reservation system at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve became permanent this year.

www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Forest Rangers extinguished a 14-acre fire in the southern Adirondacks The fire was reported in Lake Luzerne in Warren County on Thursday, April 24. It burned across 14 acres and was extinguished later that day.

According to the DEC, the fire was reported in Lake Luzerne in Warren County on Thursday, April 24. It burned across 14 acres and was extinguished later that day.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

NY's prison boom brought jobs Upstate. Now the region is paying the price NY opened more prisons than most other states during the 1980s and '90s, aimed at boosting rural economies. Now it's closing more, too.

NY opened more prisons than most other states during the 1980s and '90s to boost rural Upstate economies. Now it's closing more, too, with five more potentially on the chopping block.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Saranac Lake joins nationwide pro-Democracy, anti-Trump Hands Off rally About 100 people rallied in Saranac Lake, joining Potsdam and hundreds of other towns around the US in the Hands Off anti-Trump protests.

About 100 people rallied in Saranac Lake, joining Potsdam and hundreds of other towns around the US in the Hands Off anti-Trump protests.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

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A man in his late 50s was reported overdue last Tuesday after hiking Seward Mountain. Ten hours after the search began, rangers found the man at the Ouluska Pass lean-off along the Northville Placid trail. According to the DEC, the man was tired, but in good health.

A photo from the 1930s shows lumberjacks in the woods with log scaling tools, somewhere near Saranac Lake, NY.

The photo was donated by Ralph Kelly. You can view it in person at Historic Saranac Lake. For more work photos from around the region, go to ncpr.org/work.

Trump is dismantling the Dept. of Education. What does that mean for the North Country? Federal funding each year usually represents between 2% and 8% of local school budgets.

One of Trump’s big campaign promises was to eliminate the US Dept. of Education. We dove into what this means for New York schools and North Country districts.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

North County orgs concerned over gutting of federal museum and library agency The Institute of Museum and Library services laid off its entire staff at the end of March.

Organizations in the North Country are sounding the alarm about the potential impact of federal cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, known as IMLS.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Mother and 3 Children Detained by ICE at Upstate N.Y. Farm Are Released The family was returned to New York after being taken into custody last month and held at a detention center in Texas, officials and advocates said.

The @nytimes.com used reporter Catherine Wheeler's photo and cited her and Amy Feiereisel's ongoing reporting on the ICE deportation, rally, and return of three local children.
Local news matters. Support your public radio station today ➡️ ncpr.org/givenow
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/n...

. @ncprnews.bsky.social sourcing the NY Times' coverage of Sackets Harbor.

Here Are the Places Where the Recession Has Already Begun Towns near the Canadian border are suffering.

A dairy farmer in Potsdam is one of tens of thousands of American business owners caught paying the price of a spiraling trade war.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

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Nearly 1,000 people rally in Sackets Harbor, calling for return of detained children On Saturday, people gathered across the United States for thousands of "Hands Off" protests, where demonstrators voiced their anger and frustration towards the Trump Administration for some of its rec...

From @ncprnews.bsky.social: Just under 1,000 people rallied to call for the return of three children who were detained during an ICE dairy farm investigation. They met on the green lawn in front of the Sackets Harbor Visitors Center.

www.wrvo.org/2025-04-07/n...

A moment of peace from a walk in the woods in the Adirondacks.

Stefanik's order to stay in Congress brings mixed emotions to the North Country Trump pulled Stefanik's nomination late last week due to the Republicans’ slim majority. In the North Country, the news was met with mixed emotions.

Today was supposed to be when Rep. Elise Stefanik was confirmed as US ambassador to the UN.

But Trump pulled her nomination late last week due to the Republicans’ slim majority. For many in the North Country, the news was met with mixed emotions.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

a beautiful view! where did you take this photo?

The rise and decline of NY prisons, and how closures impact the North Country Prison populations and staffing levels have dropped by 50% in recent decades. Now, Gov. Hochul wants the authority to shutter 5 more prisons in the next year.

The North Country is home to just 2% of NY's population, yet has 24% of its prisons. Advocates say closing more prisons is the right move, but rural communities say it would hurt local economies.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

Fired Adirondack girls' basketball coach apologizes for pulling the hair of a player Jim Zullo, formerly the coach of the girls' team at Northville Central, was fired after video footage showed him pulling the hair of a player.

Jim Zullo, former coach of the girls' team at Northville Central, was fired after video footage showed him pulling the hair of player Hailey Monroe moments after their team lost the Class D state final to La Fargeville, 43-37 on Friday night.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...

A large sinkhole that appeared in early March on Rt. 56 has kept the main road between Tupper Lake and Potsdam closed for weeks.

It also revealed a much larger problem beneath the pavement that the NYSDOT says will keep the road closed "until early spring."

Video from Kitty O'Neil.

Blink and you could miss it. The best bobsled and skeleton athletes in the world are competing in Lake Placid for World Championships. The final races are Friday and Saturday. Hear my story for NCPR 📻⤵️
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...