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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

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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

DEC bands ducks to track populations

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 21, 2011 — The north country is part of the Atlantic flyway, one of four major bird migration routes in the nation. Every year, thousands of waterfowl migrate north and south with the seasons along the route. And each summer the Department of Environmental Conservation traps and bands ducks as part of an effort throughout the northeast states to track populations. Reporter Joanna Richards went out with a crew from the DEC's Brownville field office to the shore of Perch Lake near Watertown to see how the process works.  Go to full article
We've learned over years to go to the places where people already trust.

Van to provide mobile HIV, STD testing in North Country

by Joanna Richards
Watertown, NY, Sep 15, 2011 — A new mobile testing unit for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases will offer confidential services for residents of Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties. The Syracuse-based group AIDS Community Resources unveiled the van Tuesday at a news conference at the Thompson Park zoo in Watertown. Joanna Richards has the story.  Go to full article
It's hard, it's really hard. I mean, we gotta live. We gotta tell our children what happens and why daddy can't be here.

Ft. Drum soldiers, families reflect on the legacy of 9/11

by Joanna Richards
Fort Drum, NY, Sep 12, 2011 — Military families have carried a heavy burden since 9/11, with many military service members serving multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Ten years after the attacks, Joanna Richards spoke with Fort Drum soldiers and their families about their thoughts on service in the post-9/11 world.  Go to full article

Ft. Drum ceremony marks 10 years after

by Joanna Richards
Fort Drum, NY, Sep 12, 2011 — As the nation marked the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, yesterday, a formal ceremony was held at Ft. Drum to remember the victims and the 10 years of military action that followed that day's events.

The morning ceremony took place outside the post's Mark W. Clark Hall, where a monument memorializes 9/11. Joanna Richards was there and has the story.  Go to full article

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