Apr 23, 2008 — NCPR is media sponsor for "Local Foods Connections," three events in early May celebrating the agriculture of the North Country with a focus on local food and the farm-to-table movement. The events will feature food experts, farmers, chefs and business people working toward local food sustainability. The events are May 1st in Lake Clear, May 2nd in Alexandria Bay and May 3rd in Croghan. Todd Moe spoke with Jefferson County Cooperative Extension's Molly Ames, one of the organizers.  Go to full article

Feb 08, 2007 — The environmental group Save The River is kicking off a campaign to urge Seaway freighters to clean their ballast water this weekend in Alexandria Bay. At the group's annual "Winter Weekend," the new St. Lawrence Seaway chief is scheduled to make his first public appearance in the North Country. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Sep 14, 2006 — A tanker had gone aground on Whiskey Island shoal on the St. Lawrence Seaway, spilling 100,000 gallons of thick oil. That was the nightmare scenario emergency responders on both sides of the river faced in a drill exercise last Thursday and Friday. 150 people charted the simulated oil's progress downriver, laid booms to contain it, and then reviewed what went right and wrong. As David Sommerstein reports, the exercise demonstrated the first hours after an accident need the most attention.  Go to full article

Sep 12, 2006 — The teen champion of Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing did it again last weekend. 14-year-old Jonathan Hammond of Clayton edged out Marc Orstein to win the men's national championship Saturday in Peninsula, Ohio. The tiny sport is like figure skating or synchronized swimming in a canoe. David Sommerstein caught up with Hammond yesterday by cell phone.  Go to full article

Sep 07, 2006 — This weekend, a couple dozen paddlers are in Ohio for the National Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing championships. Picture figure skating or synchronized swimming in a canoe, replete with dance-like flourishes and evocative music, sometimes even costumes. Defending his title is the youngest canoeist to win top honors in the sport's 20-year history - 10th grader Jonathan Hammond of Alexandria Bay. David Sommerstein has this profile.  Go to full article

Jul 18, 2006 — If you're among the thousands of people making a splash in the St. Lawrence River this summer, the Coast Guard wants you. Its "Waterway Watch" program enlists river goers to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious activity - the kind of things a drug smuggler or potential terrorist might do. David Sommerstein went to a "training session" in Alexandria Bay and filed this report.  Go to full article

Jun 29, 2006 — This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the "Slick of '76", a 300,000 gallon oil spill in the heart of the Thousand Islands. Thick, gooey crude coated the shoreline from Alexandria Bay to Massena. The accident remains one of the largest inland oil spills in the United States. Many river residents still remember where they were on June 23, 1976. The event re-shaped the way a generation views its relationship to the river and the giant freighters that ply its waters. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Oct 13, 2005 — While children with disabilities are in special education, they're also preparing for what educators call "the transition" - what they'll do after they graduate from high school, or when they turn 21. By law, the transition process starts at age 12. School counselors ask the student what they want to do, what they like and don't like. The same questions are asked parents and teachers. By the time the student is 16, a written transition plan lays a roadmap for the child future schooling, job, and housing. David Sommerstein visited Alexandria Bay high school to see the transition process in action. At its best, transition does more than help students go to college or get a job. It's a carefully monitored path of self-discovery that teaches the student to know what kind of help they need and how to get it.  Go to full article

Oct 07, 2005 — The head of the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada says expanding the waterway's locks and channels is off the table, at least for 20 years. He made the remarks at a maritime industry conference in Toronto this week. As David Sommerstein reports, a local group praised the comments, but still has some concerns.  Go to full article

Sep 22, 2005 — A judge in Alexandria Bay has resigned following censure by a state commission. The commission recommended that Judge Charles Pennington be removed from the bench for using racially tinged language during a trial, and for taking a 17-year-old defendant to his home after another trial. Pennington says he will appeal, but this isn't the first time he's been censured by the commission.  Go to full article