NCPR News: The 8 O'Clock Hour

The movement to essentially ban water diversions from the Great Lakes moved on to Washington this week. It took years for all eight Great Lakes states to pass the Great Lakes compact. Michigan was the last legislature to ratify it earlier this month. Now Congress needs to act for the compact to become law. Minnesota Democrat James Oberstar, who chairs an influential committee, has promised quick passage in the House. New York Senator Hillary Clinton helped introduce the measure in her chamber on Wednesday. To assess the political landscape awaiting the compact on Capitol Hill, David Sommerstein spoke with journalist Peter Annin. He wrote The Great Lakes Water Wars about the compact. He says it remains a mystery how lawmakers from other parts of the country will react.

A New York State ethics panel says four members of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s administration broke the law in connection with the scandal known as Troopergate. Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt reports.

Scientists want your help counting fireflies. Mark Brush reports researchers hope to answer a commonly asked question.

Take a paddle or hike along a stream, or spend some time gardening and you’ll likely hear the familiar click of wings or glimpse a flying glint of blue or green. Dragonflies are a familiar and favorite sight in the North Country. And now, during the summer months, excitement is high among "dragonfliers" whose calendars are extra full because this is the time of year when dragonflies are most commonly seen. But researchers say there are more questions than answers about dragonflies. This is the fourth summer that the DEC and Nature Conservancy have seriously studied dragonflies and their close relatives, damselflies, in some of the more remote parts of the state. With the help of volunteers, biologists are out to foster public interest in the conservation of the colorful, winged insects and their aquatic habitats. Todd Moe found that, for a hobby that includes searching for large bugs in swampy areas, it has a lot of followers.