Dec 02, 2008 — First, a First Lady. Then U.S. Senator. Now, if confirmed, Secretary of State. President-Elect Barack Obama introduced his national security team yesterday in Chicago, naming Hillary Clinton to lead his diplomatic corps.
But it's New York's, and the North Country's, loss. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Nov 19, 2008 — In our occasional series, Moving the World, we meet North Country people who take their skills, expertise and resources to share with communities around the globe.

This summer, eight women from Canton and Watertown traveled to Malawi, a landlocked former British colony in east Africa. The CIA's world fact book ranks Malawi as the poorest country in the world. Wikipedia agrees that Malawi is among the world's least developed countries. It's also among the most densely populated, though it's mostly rural, and the economy mostly based in agriculture. The North Country women, from Canton and Watertown churches, brought donated medical supplies, eyeglasses, soccer balls. They were invited into peoples' homes. They met with widows struggling to earn the means to raise their children. They visited schools and medical clinics. The Canton group was led by Linda Potter, who joined Martha Foley and Todd Moe in the studio to share stories and sounds from the visit.  Go to full article

Nov 17, 2008 — We're asking people to think big, for the Obama Administration. Michael Shuman thinks big, about small things: small business, local economies. He's brought his ideas about local economies to North Country sustainability symposiums. His books include Going Local: Creating Self-reliant Communities in a Global Age, and The Small-mart Revolution - how Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition. As an economist, Shuman speaks the language of high finance, but applies it to the most local of transactions. He's proposing a massive DE-regulation of microfinance, while the rest of the world is focused on increasing regulation on macrofinance. In conversation with Martha Foley, Shuman said the most important thing the Obama Administration needs to understand is that revitalizing America's economy requires revitalizing the Main Street economy.  Go to full article

Sep 15, 2008 — Environmentalist Bill McKibben cautioned a standing-room-only audience at St. Lawrence University that materialism and growth don't lead to happiness. It's part of a larger...  Go to full article

Sep 10, 2008 — Walk into a coffeehouse or boutique almost anywhere, and you may see a display of brightly-colored world music CDs. Putumayo Records' compilations are famous for bringing...  Go to full article

Jul 23, 2008 — One of Watertown's biggest private sector employers is cutting 40 jobs by the end of the year. Massachusetts-based Covidien is moving two lines of medical equipment to a...  Go to full article

May 29, 2008 — The North Country's manufacturing industry continues to decline. Jarden Plastics, in Tupper Lake, closed earlier this month. Some companies are holding on and looking for...  Go to full article