Dec 12, 2012 — A new center to help veterans through mental health problems opened Friday in Watertown. Senate Republicans dampened expectations that the new governing coalition in the Senate would move quickly on progressive issues championed by Democrats, including a minimum wage increase and public financing of campaigns. Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates, known as ARTA, formed last year, reviving the debate over what should be done with the historic rail corridor that stretches from Old Forge to Lake Placid.

Betsy Kepes reviews Half-blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, a novel that won the 2011 Giller Prize, Canada's premier literary award for fiction in English. And Todd Moe talks with David Schryver, co-author of the new book, Waterfalls of New York State.