Detroit, MI, Mar 10, 2011 — A new report calls on the U.S. and Canada to do more to protect human health and water quality in the Great Lakes. The International Joint Commission's biennial report says beach closures, contaminated groundwater, and invasive species continue to be significant problems in the region. Todd Moe reports.  Go to full article

Oswego, NY, Feb 28, 2011 — This spring, residents of Potsdam will get their first look at a study of whether the village of Potsdam should disappear as a government body.

Governor Cuomo has said he wants to provide financial help for villages that consolidate into their surrounding towns.

Several other villages are also looking at the issue, including Mannsville in southern Jefferson County.

In 2009, a new law made it easier to dissolve local governments. But so far, every village that has voted on the issue has chosen not to dissolve. One exception is the village of Altmar in Oswego County. Reporter Dave Bullard explains the issue is more complex than it might seem.  Go to full article

Machias, NY, Feb 08, 2011 — Local leaders are scrambling to save a state agency that supports the isolated communities of the Tug Hill Plateau. Governor Cuomo wants to dissolve the Tug Hill Commission in next year's budget. 15 people would lose their jobs.

The Commission serves more than 60 towns and villages in rural Lewis, Jefferson, Oswego, and Oneida counties, helping with economic development, planning, and natural resource protection. David Sommerstein reports on efforts to save the agency.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Feb 01, 2011 — The resumption of production at Alcoa's east smelter in Massena is a huge boost to a region that's been battered by the recession. 120 people are back on the pot lines. Alcoa's planning to invest millions of dollars in modernizing the facility.

But there's a sliver of bad news. Alcoa's share of low cost power was going to businesses and farms across the North Country. Yesterday, the New York Power Authority announced those discounts will be phased out. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Jan 19, 2011 — This year, a reporter and a photojournalist from the New York Times have been following soldiers from Fort Drum during their deployment to Afghanistan. Through print, photos, videos, and readers' submissions, they've tried to capture the everyday reality of combat in northern Afghanistan for the 1-87th Infantry Battalion.

We've been checking in with reporter Jim Dao throughout the year. He's told us the stories of troops experiencing live fire combat for the first time and of families living through the pain of separation. Today we hear about the everyday stress of the young leaders on the ground in this war, the junior officers. Dao spoke with David Sommerstein.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Dec 23, 2010 — State lawmakers face a daunting slate of challenges in next year's session, including a $10 billion deficit, soaring taxes, and a seemingly intractable environment of discord and partisan bickering.
It's into this dysfunctional world that the North Country's newest State Senator is preparing to go. Republican Patty Ritchie is leaving St. Lawrence County government today for the first time since she started work at the local DMV office almost 25 years ago.
Ritchie's been county clerk for 11 years. Her successes in that position were the foundation of a winning campaign to unseat Democratic Senator Darrel Aubertine.
David Sommerstein stopped by Ritchie's office to talk politics, issues, and what she's leaving behind. He has this profile.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Dec 15, 2010 — Over the next month, we'll hear a lot about earmarks, also known as "pork." They're the district-specific pet projects of members of Congress. The new Republican-led House has vowed to ban earmarks, or at least strictly curtail them.

We've all heard about the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere." But for every one of those earmarks, there are many others that are filling a need in a community.

Fort Drum near Watertown is the only Army base in the country without its own hospital. Soldiers and their families rely on doctors and clinics in Jefferson, Lewis, and southern St. Lawrence counties. A $400,000 earmark funds an organization thats building health care assets for soldiers and civilians alike. avid Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Nov 24, 2010 — Jefferson County is coping with the first outbreak of whooping cough, or pertussis, there in decades. 195 people - almost all of them children - have been diagnosed as of yesterday. More than 200 more tests are pending.

Cases has been found in Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, too. But they've been sporadic.
The illness spreads quickly among children, but adults can get it - and spread it - too. Public health officials are encouraging adults to get a vaccine booster shot. Jefferson County is offering free shots Wednesdays from 12:30 to 3:30 at its clinic in Watertown.

Public health educator Kristie Briones told David Sommerstein the number of confirmed cases jumped by almost 50 in just 24 hours.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Nov 01, 2010 — The 48th Senate district race between incumbent Democrat Darrel Aubertine and Republican Patty Ritchie is one of a handful in New York that will determine who controls the State Senate. A new poll shows the race remains locked in a near dead-heat. Ritchie goes into the final day of campaigning riding the momentum of two key endorsements. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Oct 29, 2010 — The race between Democratic Congressman Bill Owens and Republican Matt Doheny has tightened to a near dead heat. And conservative Doug Hoffman is still playing a big role in who'll represent the 23rd Congressional district next year.

Today's Siena Research Institute poll finds Owens narrowly leading Doheny 40 to 37%, with Hoffman bringing in 15% of the vote, even though he suspended his campaign weeks ago. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article