May 27, 2004 — Many people in the North Country own their own homes, but they need help maintaining them to keep them safe, dry, and warm, especially in winter. The Ministry of the North County, or MINC, has a home repair program that tries to help. MINC gets more than 100 applications a year from people who need assistance fixing their homes. Sheryl Evans is MINC's outreach worker in St. Lawrence County. She spoke with David Sommerstein. You can reach MINC at 315-322-4271 or email to sbe1@lttfilsp.com  Go to full article

May 24, 2004 — In part one of our series 'Close to Homeless', David Sommerstein reports on a family in Dickinson Center in Franklin County who have experienced the most persistent kind of rural homelessness: chronic transiency.  Go to full article

Jan 07, 2004 — Groups that won a lawsuit to reform the state's school aid formula are urging Governor Pataki to announce he'll make a down payment on school aid changes during the State of the State.  Go to full article

Nov 26, 2003 — More on the decades old 'war against hunger'. A report this week said more people are in need and food donations are down. Meanwhile, obesity is a growing problem among the poor. Commentator Jill Vaughan makes a connection.  Go to full article

Nov 25, 2003 — Just days before Thanksgiving, food pantries and soup kitchens are out with their annual report. They find more people are stopping in for food, while charities are receiving less help to feed them. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.  Go to full article

Oct 23, 2003 — This Saturday is Make a Difference Day around the country, a day for volunteering and helping others. People throughout the North Country will clean up parks, visit senior citizens, pitch in many other ways in their communities. Fort Drum near Watertown is reaching out to its neighbors by stocking food pantries.

You can hear audio of this story later this morning.  Go to full article

Jun 27, 2003 — Tomorrow the affordable housing group Habitat For Humanity of Raquette Valley holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3pm in Rensselaer Falls in St. Lawrence County. The house is a first for the Habitat chapter because in addition to being affordable, it?s also energy efficient. Builders designed a home that uses 30% less energy than a conventional one. The organizers want the project to be a template for building more low-cost, energy-efficient housing. David Sommerstein visited the construction site last winter. He spoke with the designer and volunteers on the project and has this audio montage.

Call Community Energy Services at (315)379-9466 for more information about the energy efficient model.  Go to full article

Nov 26, 2002 — Religious and civic groups that run food pantries say more people are seeking help to feed themselves and their families than ever before. They are worried that the state's budget crisis could make that situation even worse. Karen Dewitt reports.  Go to full article

Nov 26, 2002 — Martha Foley talks with Shari Wilcox, Director of the Church and Community Services in Canton, about her struggles this season without Ames and how other local groups are helping make up for the loss.  Go to full article

Nov 12, 2002 — The staff of a college radio station in Plattsburgh went on a hunger strike of sorts Saturday, collecting nearly a thousand cans of food for charity. Martha Foley talks with station manager Andy Cox, who says they reached their goal over the weekend.  Go to full article