Skip Navigation
r e g i o n a l   n e w s
News RSS News Podcast

NCPR is supported by:

SeaComm Federal Credit Union

NCPR Reporters:

Regional Headlines:

NCPR News Staff: Joanna Richards

Watertown Correspondent

Joanna Richards grew up in Louisville, Kentucky but feels like a true north country native now that she owns winter boots rated for temps down to forty below zero. She worked for an alt weekly paper, as an associate editor for the NPR series This I Believe, and as a staff writer for an arts and entertainment weekly in Louisville, before moving to Watertown in 2008 to work as a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times.

She's thrilled to be working in radio again as the Watertown correspondent for North Country Public Radio and especially enjoys doing stories about intriguing local subcultures. Outside of work, she is a regional explorer, vegetarian cook, and regular volunteer for various community groups, as well as a voracious reader, aspiring pool shark and an orange belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. E-mail

Stories filed by Joanna Richards

Show             

New unmanned aerial vehicles to be flown out of Fort Drum

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Oct 13, 2011 — A Syracuse Air National Guard unit is about to begin operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9, out of Fort Drum. The 174th Fighter Wing already conducts MQ-9 flights in Afghanistan, flights which are controlled from an operations center at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse.

The partnership with Fort Drum will allow the unit to train Air Force and Air National Guard troops from around the country on flying the MQ-9. Joanna Richards went to an event last week at Fort Drum demonstrating the vehicle and has the story.  Go to full article
I don't talk about my life. I don't put pictures of my husband on my desk. I just leave them at home.

Fort Drum soldier talks about what it's like to be gay in the military

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Oct 11, 2011 — Just after the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, we ran a story gathering a variety of Fort Drum soldiers' reactions to the policy change.

Some were comfortable serving with openly gay colleagues; others were not. But there was one group that was noticeably absent from that conversation: gay soldiers themselves. After the story ran, one soldier got in touch with reporter Joanna Richards and wanted to share his story.

He said because of the continuing stigma against gays in the military, he wanted to go unnamed. Joanna met with the soldier, who we'll call Ryan, and his partner, who we'll call Billy, in a diner near Fort Drum.  Go to full article
I mean, we have patients who will end up in emergency rooms. Many patients may end up in jail

Officials race to save Watertown mental health clinic

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Oct 07, 2011 — A Watertown mental health clinic that recently changed ownership may close soon, and that has a lot of elected officials and community leaders worried. The Community Clinic, formerly known as Mercy Behavioral Health and Wellness, serves a large population of the poor with mental illnesses. As officials race to find funding to keep the clinic open, the worry is that the cost to the community of a closure would be far higher. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article
WW II-era barracks being demolished to make way for new housing. Photo: Army Corps of Engineers
WW II-era barracks being demolished to make way for new housing. Photo: Army Corps of Engineers

New construction on Drum will serve Guard, Reserves

by Joanna Richards
Fort Drum, NY, Oct 06, 2011 — Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced last week $46.4 million in funding for new construction at Fort Drum. The new facilities will help National Guard and Reserve troops with their training. Joanna Richards has the story.  Go to full article
Almost 1,200 civilians work at the post now. The goal is to reduce that by 97 positions by Oct. 1, 2012.

Anticipating budget cuts, Drum culls its workforce

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 30, 2011 — As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down and the federal government prioritizes reining in expenses, Fort Drum is anticipating a 10 to 15 percent cut in its budget in fiscal year 2012, which begins this October. To save money, the Army post is looking to cull its civilian workforce over the next year. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article
It's pretty typical for us to drop way off in June of a school year and then get ready to receive 150, 200, 250 in September.

School district near Fort Drum sees rapid expansion

by Joanna Richards
Philadelphia, NY, Sep 29, 2011 — The Indian River Central School District in Jefferson County is growing, fast. As the school year began this fall, the district received 90 new students in nine school days. Nearly 70 percent of the district's students come from military families, so numbers fluctuate with deployments and as housing is built on Fort Drum and in surrounding areas. Reporter Joanna Richards spoke with Assistant Superintendent Mary Anne Dobmeier about population trends at Indian River, and how the district is absorbing so many new students after the school year has begun.  Go to full article
The company promises loans regardless of credit history, but fails to provide any services once the victim has wired money.

State Attorney General issues fraud alert in Watertown

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 28, 2011 — The office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today issued an alert about a phone scam targeting residents of Watertown. A spokesman says three victims so far have contacted the office and have each lost between $300 and $700 to the scam. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article
This is not like closing a post office in an urban area, where maybe you'll find another post office six blocks away.

Workers rally to save Postal Service

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 28, 2011 — A group of postal workers and retirees rallied outside of Representative Bill Owens's office in Watertown Tuesday, urging him to pass a bill that would help save the Postal Service from its current financial worries. If the bill passes, it could save local post office branches from closing. Joanna Richards was there and has more on the story.  Go to full article
We really have to look harder than we have in the past at where we're gonna spend our money.

Bridge closure tells of "new normal" for region's infrastructure

by Joanna Richards
Sep 27, 2011 — A bridge in the town of Wilna, east of Watertown in Jefferson County, was closed recently after a regular state inspection showed it was no longer safe for motorists. The bridge didn't get much traffic - fewer than 100 cars a day, according to the state Department of Transportation - but residents of the area will now have to get used to a five-mile detour. And, transportation officials said, closures like this one will likely be more common as the federal government reins in its budget for repairs. Joanna Richards has the story.  Go to full article
It's something that you're just gonna have to adapt to, and that's what the Army's good at - adapting.

Soldiers react to end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 23, 2011 — The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of dealing with gay service members officially ended this week. Now, gay soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen can serve openly without fear of being kicked out because of their sexuality. Around Fort Drum, some soldiers cheered the change, while others expected it to cause new problems. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article

« first   « previous 10   121-130 of 157 stories   next 10 »   last »