Sep 22, 2008 — One of St. Lawrence County's best known cheese brands is about to disappear. Heritage cheeses and cheese curds are big sellers at local stores and quick-marts. But they didn't sell well enough to keep Heritage out of the red. The plant in Heuvelton was losing $3,000 a week. It owes almost $200,000 in public loans. Heritage Cheese House will stop accepting milk Friday night. Fifteen people will lose their jobs. All the milk comes from Amish farms. Amish dairy farmers can't join regular milk co-ops because they don't use on-site refrigeration. The number of farms selling milk to Heritage dwindled in recent years, from more than a hundred to 65. Lowell McAllister is chairman of the Heuvelton Community Irrevocable Trust, which manages the plant for the Amish. The plant was founded in 1994. It closed briefly in 2006. He told Martha Foley Friday that this time, the shutdown is final.  Go to full article

Jul 30, 2008 — A small town on the St. Lawrence River is going forward with a legal case against eight Amish residents. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Dec 13, 2006 — Horse-drawn buggies and farmstands with homemade baskets, jams and fresh bread are a common sight along some of the backroads in the North Country. The Amish have been part of the region's culture for more than 30 years. But how much do we non-Amish know about their lifestyle? SUNY Potsdam professor Karen Johnson-Weiner's new book, Train Up a Child, explores how schools among the Amish reflect and maintain their values and identity. Johnson-Weiner spent several years visiting Amish and Mennonite schools in five states, including northern New York. She spoke with Todd Moe.  Go to full article

Sep 11, 2006 — Providing health care to Amish communities poses unique challenges. So unique that the subject will have its own breakout session this week at the 5th Annual Conference on Rural Health. The conference starts today in Chatauqua.
Melissa Thomas is a social worker with the Community Outreach of Ohio Health. 10 years ago she got a grant to do breast cancer screenings in the Appalachian area of Ohio. She realized that Amish women weren't showing up at the mammogram clinics. So she got a mobile booth to come to them. As she told Gregory Warner, that still wasn't enough.  Go to full article

Aug 11, 2006 — There are still places in America where the Amish go to public schools. But here in the North Country, and in most other communities, the Amish learn in Amish schools. The schools go up to 8th grade. They use textbooks that are thirty, sometimes a hundred years old. And their methods are very different. Karen Johnson-Weiner is an anthropology professor at SUNY Potsdam. She's been visiting Amish schools; her book about Amish schools will be released later this year. She told Gregory Warner that the real growth in Amish schools came as public schools changed, in the 70s. Schools got bigger, and a high school education became mandatory.  Go to full article

Aug 01, 2006 — The Heritage cheese plant in St. Lawrence County will re-open tomorrow after a one-month shutdown. The Amish farmers who sell their milk there will become owners in a unique arrangement. David Sommerstein explains.  Go to full article

Jul 07, 2006 — Amish dairy farmers in St. Lawrence County want to form a trust to keep the Heritage Cheese plant open Heuvelton. The plant stopped taking milk last weekend from 95 Amish farms. Heritage says low cheese prices have made the business unprofitable. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Jul 06, 2006 — Amish dairy farmers in St. Lawrence County met yesterday to try to find a place to sell their milk. They'll reportedly seek an ownership share in Heritage Cheese House in Heuvelton. The cheese plant stopped taking milk from 95 Amish families Saturday. The company says low cheese prices have made the business unprofitable. The Watertown Daily Times reports this morning that the 71 Amish farmers who met yesterday were unanimous in their decision to form a trust to work with the plant. There's hope other buyers will also emerge in the effort to keep the plant open. David Sommerstein has more.  Go to full article

Dec 01, 2005 — Greyhound Bus Lines will cut its service from Syracuse to North Country communities this winter. Beginning February 23, buses will no longer run to Watertown, Gouverneur, Canton, Potsdam, and Massena, including stops at Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam. Martha Foley reports.  Go to full article

May 06, 2005 — Amish quilts are geometric pefecton...most of them. Commentator Jill Vaughan has an appreciation for one that doesn't quite measure up.  Go to full article