NCPR News: Joanna Richards, Watertown Correspondent

(05/21/12) Every spring, a Department of Environmental Conservation biologist drives along north country highways at dawn or dusk, stopping every so often to pull over and listen. They're listening for the distinctive "peent" of the singing American woodcock, a brown speckled bird a little larger than a songbird with a long, narrow beak for pulling earthworms out of the ground.

The little game bird is under threat New York state, and the survey each year is meant to get a handle on what population trends are in this region. DEC regional spokesman Stephen Litwhiler is the happy host to several of the birds in his backyard in southern Jefferson County. He says the birds' appearance each year is his personal "harbinger of spring."

For this Heard Up North, reporter Joanna Richards donned camouflage and hid behind the birds' favorite tree in Litwhiler's backyard to get a close-up look - and listen. more

(05/18/12) The Vermont Air National Guard is proposing to start training flights over the Adirondacks and Watertown area with F-35 jets.

The big, loud planes would replace the smaller, quieter F-16s the National Guard is using now --but not until at least 2015. The Guard is accepting public comments on the plan until June 1. It's held public hearings on the proposal in the Burlington area, and last night in Watertown. Joanna Richards reports. more

(05/10/12) Many rural school districts rely heavily on state aid because of a relative lack of property wealth in their regions, so the past few years of deep state aid cuts have hit them hard. Rural districts also have experienced declining enrollments that have helped dull the pain.

But two school districts in southern Jefferson County say the decline in their student populations isn't keeping pace with the rapid reductions from the state that make up most of their budgets. Joanna Richards reports. more

(05/04/12) A female Sheriff's deputy has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Jefferson County department, over racy photos she says were taken of her as part of an online pedophile investigation. The lawsuit is about to proceed to the next phase, and the deputy and her lawyer are calling for an independent investigation. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/27/12) Fort Drum is being eyed as a possible location for a new east coast missile defense site. Republicans in the House Armed Services committee called this week for a study on the issue. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/23/12) It's common sense that Fort Drum plays a big role in the North Country economy. Just how big is the subject of a report the post puts out every year, called the annual economic impact statement.

This year's report says Fort Drum contributed over $1.6 billion in spending in the 2011 fiscal year. more

(04/18/12) A female sheriff's deputy in Jefferson County reportedly filed a $50 million state Supreme Court lawsuit against the department, its leadership and a detective Monday.

She claims a male detective took topless photos of her, saying they were for use in an online pedophile investigation. The suit claims the deputy never learned how the photos were used and the detective failed to return them when she asked for them. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/12/12) A group of Jefferson County legislators has for the second time in two years expressed opposition to offshore wind turbines in Lake Ontario. Almost two years ago, the New York Power Authority proposed an offshore wind turbine project, which Jefferson County rejected. Now the county may move to oppose federal overtures in that direction. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/10/12) An era in north country and national journalism came to a quiet close at the end of March. The Watertown Daily Times closed its Washington, D.C. bureau, laying off the last of its capitol beat reporters, part of a tradition that stretches back more than 60 years.

The closure is part of a steep decline in regional newspapers providing their own eyes and ears on the ground in Washington, looking out for their readers' and their regions' interests as federal policy is made. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/02/12) New York State has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana products. Marketed as "herbal incense" and sold under names like Spice and K2, the fake pot has been popular with people across the North Country, including Fort Drum soldiers. The post near Watertown recently announced it would ban soldiers from spending money at any businesses that sell synthetic pot. But as Joanna Richards reports, it now seems that won't be necessary. more