May 11, 2012 — A new report says North Country congressman Bill Owens took a $22,000 trip to Taiwan that was backed by lobbyists. Brian Mann spoke with Owens. And we look at the politics surrounding the Obama administration's decision to scrap new safety laws for young teenagers working on farms.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, May 11, 2012 — Today we conclude our two part investigative series on Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake with a look at the Institute's future.

It has been a year and a half since Trudeau's Board of Trustees voted to keep the 128-year-old biomedical research laboratory in Saranac Lake.

They rejected a plan negotiated in secret that would have moved the institute to a research park under development in Florida.

Since then, the institute has faced budgets cuts, layoffs and the departure of key research teams. The lab has been without a director for nearly a year.

Sources at the lab, and internal documents, suggest that Trudeau has reached a tipping point. The institute's survival may hinge on whether it can adapt to a changing funding and scientific climate.

As Chris Knight reports, Trudeau officials say they have a long-term vision, but questions and doubts remain.

Editor's note: How viable is Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, and how bad is morale, really? Those are some questions prompted by Chris Knight and Brian Mann's two-part investigative series, and the reporters are working on stories to expand on those topics. They have documentation, such as an April 2011 staff satisfaction survey and studies recommending relocation and comparing sites, but they want to hear from more people inside and outside Trudeau. If you have something to say, contact Mann at brian@ncpr.org or Knight atcknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com or 518-891-2600 ext. 24.  Go to full article

Granville, NY, May 11, 2012 — The Obama administration has scrapped an effort to introduce new safety regulations designed to protect the tens of thousands of kids who work in agriculture.

Many farmers are applauding the decision to shelve the rules, calling it a victory for their rural way of life.

But safety experts say more teenagers under the age of 16 die each year working on farms than in all other industries combined.

With the presidential election just six months away, supporters and critics alike say the new rules were just too controversial. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 11, 2012 — The American Cancer Society and other health groups are pressing for a law in New York State that would ban anyone under the age of 18 from using a tanning salon. They argue...  Go to full article

May 11, 2012 — John Warren, of the Adirondack Almanack, joins us Friday mornings with information about local outdoor and back-country conditions.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, May 10, 2012 — Top executives and board members at Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake worked in secret for more than two years in an effort to move the research laboratory to a new site in...  Go to full article

Adams, NY, May 10, 2012 — Many rural school districts rely heavily on state aid because of a relative lack of property wealth in their regions, so the past few years of deep state aid cuts have hit...  Go to full article