Apr 17, 2013 — You might have been surprised last summer to hear politicians walking around and talking about--yogurt. Governor Andrew Cuomo held a Yogurt Summit at the Capitol in Albany, where he said the explosion of the Greek yogurt industry in New York is a once-in-a-generation moment. "This is one of the best private sector market opportunities that Upstate New York has had in 30, 40 years," procliamed Cuomo. "I don't know when we get another one. I really, really don't. And that entrepreneurial spirit is when you see an opportunity, grab it."

New York has invested millions of dollars in tax breaks into new and expanding yogurt plants. Cuomo wants to ease environmental rules to encourage 200 cow dairy farms to become 300 cow dairy farms and make more milk.

Experts say New York farmers will have to boost milk production by 15 percent, or two billion pounds each year, to keep up with demand.

So does New York have a milk shortage? And are farmers stepping up it fill it?

The answers lie in cream cheese, Old McDonald, and something called the Chobani Paradox.  Go to full article

Washington, DC, Mar 06, 2013 — A major newspaper covering the military is reporting John McHugh may step down as Secretary of the Army.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Jan 15, 2013 — It's an eerie sight: Every winter, around dusk each night, a flock of between 20,000 and 30,000 crows gathers in the trees around the Black River in Watertown.

They can be a neat sight against the white winter landscape, but the city wants them gone. That's because they squawk and poop and generally annoy a lot of city residents. The city has hired a wildlife management company to disperse the birds.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Dec 17, 2012 — While lots of industries turned to information technology long ago to improve efficiency, accuracy and collaboration, until now, health care has lagged behind. Now, a big project has aimed to leverage IT in the health care in the North Country.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Nov 07, 2012 — Jefferson County businessman Matt Doheny lost a second straight close election to Democratic Congressman Bill Owens. With the race neck and neck most of the night, Owens took a 4,000 vote lead late.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Oct 19, 2012 — You may have heard about "food deserts", low income areas in cities where supermarkets won't open because they won't make enough money. Area residents struggle to find affordable and fresh fruits and vegetables. Food deserts are widely considered to be one cause of America's obesity epidemic.

It turns out rural areas have "food deserts", too - even when there's a roadside farm stand right down the road, and the USDA's food desert map shows much of the rural North Country falls into that category.

Cornell Cooperative Extension recently won a $96,000 grant to try to improve both consumer access to fresh fruits and vegetables and local farm production. Jefferson and Lewis County Extension Research Educator Amanda Root spoke with David Sommerstein.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Oct 12, 2012 — A company that wants to erect 48 wind turbines in the town of Clayton recently announced it would seek permitting through the state's Article X, not the town council. Another company did the same thing in nearby Cape Vincent earlier this year.

Article X is a law passed last year. It gives a state board the authority to green light new power plants, including wind farms, possibly over local objections.  Go to full article

WELLESLEY ISLAND, NY, Sep 27, 2012 — It's harvest season, and nearly two dozen farmers and farm businesses in Jefferson County are opening their doors to the public this weekend. Livestock, vegetable farms, wineries and retailers specializing in locally produced goods are participating in the 2012 Harvest Tour Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Dani Baker, co-owner of Cross Island Farms on Wellesley Island, is one of the co-organizers of the Tour and her farm is open to visitors, too. She said it should be a great opportunity to make connections with area farmers.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Aug 16, 2012 — Governor Andrew Cuomo hosted a "yogurt summit'' Wednesday in Albany, to talk with farmers and manufacturers about ways the state can help boost New York's share of the growing trade. Making yogurt has become big business in upstate New York in recent years.

Those yogurt plants that are the focus of the summit are in western and central New York. But North Country dairy farmers would still benefit from growth in that industry. Jay Matteson is Jefferson County's agricultural coordinator. He told David Sommerstein the more dairy plants in the region, the better.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, May 04, 2012 — 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.  Go to full article