Lowville, NY, Feb 11, 2010 — Singer songwriter Lindsay Mac and her band take the stage in Lowville this Saturday night (8 pm) as part of the Black River Valley Concert series. Lindsay Mac is a cellist who plays standing up, with the cello strapped on like a guitar. But her cello strumming, plucking and singing isn't a gimmick. She's a classically trained musician who's studied in San Francisco, Boston and London. She also loves skiing and thought about a career in medicine. But she told Todd Moe that it was a year in a cabin in New Hampshire that produced her unique style.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Jan 20, 2010 — The Lewis County Historical Society's Black River Valley Concert series continues its sixth season this Saturday night in Lowville. Before she struck out on her own, Kelly Flint made a name for herself, as the sultry voice in Dave's True Story, a jazzy New York City cult band. Drive all Night is Flint's first solo cd. These are songs from heart. "Postmodern folk with a tinge of Americana", according to her website. Todd Moe spoke with Kelly Flint about her own music and the title track from Drive all Night.  Go to full article

Copenhagen, NY, Nov 26, 2009 — Today we celebrate food, plenty, and family. But dairy farmers are warning of a crisis. The price farmers are paid for their milk has been below the cost of production for almost a year. Farmers say without changes to dairy policy, today's farms won't be able to survive. The dire economic reality in dairy country is sparking a grassroots movement. Some North Country farmers are travelling to Washington next week to make an urgent appeal for reform. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Feb 19, 2009 — This week, we're viewing the recession through the lens of one North Country community: the village of Lowville in Lewis County. Yesterday we heard from Main Street merchants struggling to make a living. Climb the hill from Main Street, up the Tug Hill Plateau, toward the East's largest wind farm, and you reach Lewis County's social services building. Inside, caseworkers are flooded with new clients. Heating assistance and food stamp applications are up 40%. As David Sommerstein reports, those who hold the safety net want even more people to use it.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Feb 18, 2009 — This week, we take a snapshot of one North Country community and how it's being affected by the recession. Lowville is the seat of Lewis County. It's a cute village tucked in the Black River valley, between the Tug Hill Plateau and the western Adirondacks. The area has one of the highest concentrations of dairy farms in the state. There's also manufacturing jobs in the dairy and paper industries. And the Tug Hill relies heavily on snowmobile tourism for money. Unemployment is typically high. In December, the unemployment rate had climbed to 9%. Still, many small businesses populate Main Street. David Sommerstein inquired in Lowville's "gift shop district" about the effects of the recession.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Jan 30, 2009 — Take four very talented young vocalists, all women, add an expert percussionist and you get "Chic Gamine". The Winnipeg/Montreal-based quintet brings its brand of gospel, soul, doo-wop and blues to Lowville this Saturday night at 8 pm. Their concert is part of the Black River Valley Concert series at the Lewis County Historical Society. Todd Moe has a preview.  Go to full article

Lowville, NY, Jan 09, 2009 — The members of the band Toughcats aren't strangers to rural settings. They're from North Haven, an island in Penobscot Bay, Maine, and have performed in fields, bars and boats. You'll hear their music in Lowville as part of the Black River Valley Concert series this Saturday night. Todd Moe spoke with band member Colin Gulley about the inspiration for the acoustic trio's brand of bluegrass, folk and rock.  Go to full article

Aug 29, 2008 — Iberdrola is one of the owners of the Maple Ridge wind farm on the Tug Hill Plateau. With 195 turbines spanning miles of ridgeline, it's the largest wind farm in the East. Bill Moore is an energy consultant for Iberdrola. Starting in the late 1990s, Moore was the man who went door-to-door to persuade local residents to welcome wind power. Today the project has been producing electricity for almost three years. David Sommerstein asked Bill Moore how it's been going. They talk about megawatts, bird and bat mortality, and the vicious debate over wind power in the North Country.

Since their conversation, the New York Times reported that Maple Ridge has been forced to shut down sometimes because regional electric lines have been too congested to send the power downstate. Moore wouldn't talk about the article on tape. But he did confirm that Maple Ridge has had to shut down its turbines "about half a dozen times a year." Moore said that happens during the spring and fall, when electricity demand is lowest. He said as more wind farms come online in Clinton and Jefferson Counties, the problem could get worse. He agreed with the basic premise of the Times story, that wind energy is hampered by "insufficient grid capacity" to deliver electricity from where the wind blows to where the most people are.  Go to full article

Aug 28, 2008 — The northern chunk of the North Country is deep in the trenches of America's debate over wind power. Global energy firms want to erect several hundred new giant windmills from Cape Vincent in the West to Clinton County in the East. The promise of renewable energy and a whole lot of money has crashed into worries about views, noise, birds, bats, property values - you name it. We've reported extensively on the pros- and cons- of wind power. You can listen to our ongoing coverage on our website, ncpr.org. Today we look at the life on - or maybe under - an industrial-size wind farm. The Maple Ridge wind farm's 195 turbines have been spinning out power on the Tug Hill Plateau for almost three years now. David Sommerstein knocked on doors of the wind farm's human neighbors.  Go to full article

Aug 25, 2008 — The price of a regular gallon of gasoline has dipped below $3.90 in many parts of the North Country. That means gas station employees are scrambling out with a pole and suction cup to change the prices every day. David Sommerstein has this Heard Up North from the Sunoco station in Lowville.  Go to full article