r e g i o n a l n e w s
NCPR News Staff: David Sommerstein
Reporter/ Producer
David Sommerstein, NCPR's roving St. Lawrence Valley/Fort Drum/Tug Hill reporter, began his career in radio, strangely enough, as a high school Spanish teacher in Buffalo. While drilling verb conjugations and teaching a love for Latino culture during the day, he sat in as a late night jazz and Latin DJ at Buffalo's NPR affiliate, WBFO. The radio bug bit, and David found his way to southern Colorado/northern New Mexico (the Taos/Santa Fe area) where he was Program Director, Music Director, Volunteer Coordinator, and "Just About Anything Else You Can Think Of" Director at NPR affiliate KRZA.Since joining NCPR's news department, David has reported from the chilly deck of a St. Lawrence icebreaker, the power-chord filled stage of the High School Rock Band Festival, and the tense Albanian street market of post-war Kosovo with soldiers from Fort Drum. David also gets to fulfill his passion for music of all kinds when he spins world dance and groove music on editions of The Beat Authority. E-mail
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Stories filed by David Sommerstein
Secretary Ray LaHood listens to lock leader Steve McCargar, Potsdam. Photo: David Sommerstein
Transportation chief says goodbye to Seaway
May 24, 2013 — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's farewell tour swung through Massena yesterday. One of the few Republicans in President Obama's cabinet, LaHood announced he was stepping down last January.
Obama's nominee to replace LaHood, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, breezed through a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
LaHood has overseen the St. Lawrence Seaway for four years. As David Sommerstein reports, he said the Seaway will always occupy "a niche" in the nation's infrastructure. Go to full article
Obama's nominee to replace LaHood, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, breezed through a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
LaHood has overseen the St. Lawrence Seaway for four years. As David Sommerstein reports, he said the Seaway will always occupy "a niche" in the nation's infrastructure. Go to full article
Chief Paul Thompson speaking at Wednesday's press conference, with Chief Ron LaFrance (left). Photo: David Sommerstein.
Mohawk chiefs hope casino pact paves way for more land
May 23, 2013 — On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo and the chiefs of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced a surprise deal in Albany. It grants the Mohawks' exclusive gaming rights in the North Country. In return, the tribe will resume sharing millions of dollars in casino revenue with New York State and St. Lawrence and Franklin counties. That after a three-year dispute.
Yesterday, the chiefs were back in Akwesasne, holding a press conference at their brand new hotel and casino expansion.
They called Cuomo "sincere". They said it was the promise of resolving the Mohawks' 31-year old land claim that made the gaming pact possible.
David Sommerstein reports. Go to full article
Yesterday, the chiefs were back in Akwesasne, holding a press conference at their brand new hotel and casino expansion.
They called Cuomo "sincere". They said it was the promise of resolving the Mohawks' 31-year old land claim that made the gaming pact possible.
David Sommerstein reports. Go to full article
Akwesasne Mohawk casino. Photo: David Sommerstein
What the Mohawk casino deal means for the North Country
May 22, 2013 — Mohawk tribal chiefs joined Governor Cuomo in Albany yesterday to announce a new deal on casino exclusivity.
They signed off on settling a long-running dispute over revenues from the Mohawks' Akwesasne Casino near Massena. In return, the Mohawks will get exclusive gaming rights in the 8-county North Country region.
David Sommerstein joined Martha Foley to sort out what the deal means for the North Country and the Mohawk land claim. Go to full article
They signed off on settling a long-running dispute over revenues from the Mohawks' Akwesasne Casino near Massena. In return, the Mohawks will get exclusive gaming rights in the 8-county North Country region.
David Sommerstein joined Martha Foley to sort out what the deal means for the North Country and the Mohawk land claim. Go to full article
St. Regis Mohawk tribal chiefs and North Country leaders with Governor Cuomo Tuesday in Albany.
Mohawks ink gaming exclusivity deal for North Country
Rensselaer, 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
The former General Motors site in Massena. Photo: RACER Trust
Will CSX grease the rails for a new plant in Massena?
Massena, NY, May 21, 2013 — The federal trust in charge of finding a new life for the General Motors property in Massena say the process is more marathon than sprint. But as David Sommerstein reports, they're hopeful a lift from a railroad giant will help. Go to full article
Iroquois Dam. Photo courtesy New York Power Authority
Why low Lake Ontario levels mean high St. Lawrence levels
May 17, 2013 — We've reported for months - years even - that the Great Lakes, from Superior to Ontario, are at historically low water levels.
So we were surprised to get the news this week that regulators are lowering the gates at the Iroquois Dam near Ogdensburg because the St. Lawrence River is too high.
It's quite a puzzle. Go to full article
So we were surprised to get the news this week that regulators are lowering the gates at the Iroquois Dam near Ogdensburg because the St. Lawrence River is too high.
It's quite a puzzle. Go to full article
Louis Cook (2nd row, center) with NCPR staff in the late 1980s.
NCPR jazz host and producer Louis Cook dies
Hogansburg, NY, May 15, 2013 — A prominent voice from the early days of North Country Public Radio has died. Louis T.K. Cook, of Akwesasne, was the late night host of "Jazz Waves" in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Cook also educated listeners - and producers at this radio station - about native political and cultural issues with his series, "You Are On Indian Land". Cook is remembered here at the station as full of life and was known as a wild guy.
His cousin, Ray Cook, who is now Op/Ed editor at Indian Country Today Media Network, says he owes his career in media to Louie Cook. He describes Cook as a natural teacher. "He was an artist in the traditional form," says Ray Cook. "He believed in the power of music and how it can soothe the soul and he always treasured the stories that he recorded and the people he talked to when he was in the production mode."
Louis T.K. Cook died Monday from injuries he suffered in a car crash last week on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. He had been working with a not-for-profit there that helps families on the reservation build and maintain gardens. Go to full article
Cook also educated listeners - and producers at this radio station - about native political and cultural issues with his series, "You Are On Indian Land". Cook is remembered here at the station as full of life and was known as a wild guy.
His cousin, Ray Cook, who is now Op/Ed editor at Indian Country Today Media Network, says he owes his career in media to Louie Cook. He describes Cook as a natural teacher. "He was an artist in the traditional form," says Ray Cook. "He believed in the power of music and how it can soothe the soul and he always treasured the stories that he recorded and the people he talked to when he was in the production mode."
Louis T.K. Cook died Monday from injuries he suffered in a car crash last week on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. He had been working with a not-for-profit there that helps families on the reservation build and maintain gardens. Go to full article
The Northern Grape Project's test vines at Coyote Moon winery, Clayton. Photo: David Sommerstein
North Country wines survive the cold, please the palate
Clayton, NY, May 13, 2013 — The New York wine industry is booming. According to the New York Wind and Grape Foundation, five million people visit New York wineries every year. The industry generates almost $4 billion.
The New York Farm Bureau is pushing for an official designation for a new Adirondack Wine Coast Trail to bring enthusiasts to seven vineyards in Clinton County.
A lot of the credit for New York wines can go to a team of researchers that's doing what you might call "extreme winemaking": Breeding grapes that survive the North Country's frigid winters and still make delicious wine.
They hope names like Frontenac and Marquette will one day be as popular as Cabernet and Merlot. Go to full article
The New York Farm Bureau is pushing for an official designation for a new Adirondack Wine Coast Trail to bring enthusiasts to seven vineyards in Clinton County.
A lot of the credit for New York wines can go to a team of researchers that's doing what you might call "extreme winemaking": Breeding grapes that survive the North Country's frigid winters and still make delicious wine.
They hope names like Frontenac and Marquette will one day be as popular as Cabernet and Merlot. Go to full article
David Dodge, the Antique Boat Museum's in-water fleet coordinator, pilots the swanky "Miss T.I.". Photo: David Sommerstein
Heard Up North: Gentleman's runabout in the Thousand Islands
May 10, 2013 — Spring means life on St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands is coming back to life. One of the region's anchor destinations, the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, opens for the season this weekend.
Fritz Hager is the museum's executive director. "We've got a lot going on here. We've got a lot of boats under restoration here," says Hager, "including our gigantic 110-foot houseboat, La Duchesse, which will be in restoration for a couple of years. So there's always a lot going on here boat-building wise. We also have boat rides, sailing classes, and other educational programs, and it all starts on Friday." Go to full article
Fritz Hager is the museum's executive director. "We've got a lot going on here. We've got a lot of boats under restoration here," says Hager, "including our gigantic 110-foot houseboat, La Duchesse, which will be in restoration for a couple of years. So there's always a lot going on here boat-building wise. We also have boat rides, sailing classes, and other educational programs, and it all starts on Friday." Go to full article
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Photo: Mark Kurtz
Gillibrand wants food stamps, milk price reform in Farm Bill
May 08, 2013 — Congress is back to work on a new five year Farm Bill. The Senate passed one last year, but the House of Representatives couldn't agree on the size of cuts to the food stamp program and other issues.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says preserving food stamps is "a moral issue." And she says there's a way to pay for them. Go to full article
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says preserving food stamps is "a moral issue." And she says there's a way to pay for them. Go to full article
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2013 North Country Public Radio, 
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New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
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St. Lawrence University, Canton,
New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
radio@ncpr.orgNCPR is a proud affiliate of:
NPR • American Public Media • Public Radio International
