May 23, 2013 — Governor Andrew Cuomo and his cabinet are hitting the road to push his proposal to create tax-free zones for businesses that set up shop on or near public college campuses in New York.

Deputy Secretary of State for Local Government Dede Scozzafava, formerly North Country assembly member and mayor of Gouverneur, will talk about the initiative in Potsdam today.  Go to full article

May 22, 2013 — Voters in the North Country sent a clear message to school districts that tried to exceed the state property tax cap. The answer was a resounding No.

The vast majority of the region's budgets came in under the cap and passed handily.

But four of the region's school systems -- in General Brown, Minerva, Newcomb and Tupper Lake -- asked voters to go beyond the roughly 4-5% hike allowed by state rules.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 21, 2013 — Fresh off a deal with the Oneida Nation, Governor Cuomo stood with chiefs of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe this afternoon to announced a deal to resolve gaming issues that affect the North Country.  Go to full article

May 24, 2013 — Music lessons are a part of life for many families. There are different methods of instruction, including something called the Suzuki method. It was developed in Japan by...  Go to full article

May 21, 2013 — These are the best of times and the worst of times for healthcare in the North Country.

The region is at the center of a new wave of innovation, experimentation,...  Go to full article

May 21, 2013 — As lawmakers in Washington debate the immigration reform bill released last month, farmers in New York State are hoping to find enough workers to fully staff their operations.

The Senate Judiciary Committee spent a day last week amending the 844-page bill, legislation that includes changes to guest worker programs. The changes may be good news for New York farmers.  Go to full article

May 20, 2013 — New York's farms employ about 60,000 people and no one knows how many of those workers are here illegally. According to one estimate, 70 percent of the state's agricultural workforce is undocumented.
Some stay for years, long enough to raise a family. But it's risky.  Go to full article

May 24, 2013 — Over the last week the Oneida Nation and the Mohawk Native have reached settlements with the Cuomo administration giving them exclusive rights to operate casinos in their regions.

The Seneca Nation is the third tribe now operating a casino in New York. They have yet to finalize a new agreement. Governor Cuomo, speaking in Buffalo on Wednesday, says that negotiations continue.  Go to full article

May 20, 2013 — NEW YORK (AP) U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is proposing new legislation to ease the burden for students who have borrowed to pay for their education.

The New York...  Go to full article

May 24, 2013 — State officials announced yesterday that they'll begin public hearings in June to decide how the former Finch Pruyn timberlands will be managed, now that they've been added to the Adirondack forest preserve.

The classification process will sort out what kinds of recreation and access will be allowed over a wide swath of the upper Hudson River that's being opened to the public for the first time in 150 years.

Environmentalists and local government leaders have very different visions.  Go to full article

Ithaca, NY, May 23, 2013 — Since 2006, honey bees have been abandoning seemingly healthy hives in large numbers.That's raised the alarm worldwide among beekeepers, farmers and researchers.

Honey bees are big business, and some of the industries that are dependent on bees are adapting, finding ways to manage the losses.  Go to full article

May 23, 2013 — The impact and severity of weather events like the tornado that hit Oklahoma City are increasing due to a changing global climate, according to research from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

And more of the related economic burden is being carried by taxpayers. In 2012, federal spending directed toward disaster response for storms, wild fires, floods and drought reached nearly $100 billion, the NRDC report says, beating out funding for education and transport.  Go to full article

May 23, 2013 — Governor Cuomo, who still has not issued a decision on whether hydro fracking should be allowed in New York, is backing further away from the controversial gas drilling...  Go to full article

May 23, 2013 — The Adirondack Interpretive Center in Newcomb kicks off the summer season with its second rubber loon race and the return of a 100-year-old Adirondack guide boat on Saturday.

The two events will be the centerpiece activities of the Visitor Center's second annual Loons and Logs Day, celebrating the AIC's second year of operation as part of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's Newcomb Campus.

The day's events will focus on the two most iconic symbols of human and natural history in the Adirondacks: logs and loons. Some 500 black-and-white rubber loons will be dropped into the Rich Lake outlet for a 425-yard floating race. Prizes will be awarded for those who sponsored the winners. Todd Moe spoke with Visitor's Center program coordinator Paul Hai.  Go to full article

May 22, 2013 — Almost twenty years ago, Christine Jerome and her husband paddled a weeks-long canoe route through the Adirondacks. They followed the path of a nineteenth-century writer and outdoorsman, George Washington Sears, known as Nessmuk to his readers. Our book reviewer, Betsy Kepes, spoke to Chris about the new edition of her book An Adirondack Passage, the Cruise of the Canoe Sairy Gamp.  Go to full article

May 23, 2013 — Plants have many strategies for manipulating animals to do their bidding. Some flowers focus the attention of their pollinators with a familiar pick-me-up--caffeine. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the natural world.  Go to full article

May 20, 2013 — It's been hot, or cold, and mostly dry and windy for most of this spring. None of those conditions is ideal for transplanting vegetables or flowers. But this week's weather...  Go to full article