Feb 10, 2012 — NCPR kicked off election coverage with a series of stories this week. See below for more on the 23rd district race for the House of Representatives.

Politics are everywhere these days, from the bitter Republican primary fight that's playing out on our TV screens to the redistricting battle in Albany that could shake up politics right here in our own backyard. As 2012 goes on, the news and conversation will only get louder and more intense.

Most high school students can't vote, but politics plays a big role in their lives, too. And they're paying attention, at least the teens are who gathered recently in Peru to talk about government and politics. Our correspondent Sarah Harris sends this report.  Go to full article

Jun 15, 2011 — A dozen post offices in the North Country may close by the end of the year. These closings are part of the post office's response to record losses and declining mail volume as more people communicate electronically. The post office says they plan to close 2000 locations by next year.

That plan aims to adjust and streamline postal service after losses of 8.5 billion dollars in fiscal 2010. But some say those losses could be negated with a change to the post office pension funds. Steve Knight has more.  Go to full article

Nov 06, 2009 — Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, who lives in the town of Peru, was a staunch supporter of Republican congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava. The two women share a number of maverick views that clash with their party leadership, including their support for a woman's right to choose and gay marriage. In the days since Tuesday's election Duprey says her office has been barraged with angry emails, including some that threaten her with physical violence. She sat down yesterday to talk with Brian Mann about the future of the North Country's Republican Party.  Go to full article

Jordan, NY, Oct 06, 2009 — The Forrence Family Orchards, in Peru, NY, will be given an award by Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, this month. TAUNY will hand out its annual North Country Heritage Awards on Sunday, October 18th, in Canton. The Forrence family can trace its farming roots back to the early 1800s in the Champlain Valley. In the 1940s, the farm switched from producing milk to apples as its main crop. Today, it is owned and run by third and fourth generation Forrences, who use state-of-the-art technology to grow and harvest apples. But they still maintain many of the farm's original 18th century buildings. Todd Moe spoke with Mason Forrence about this year's apple harvest and a lifetime in the orchard.  Go to full article

Jul 28, 2009 — The Plattsburgh Press-Republican is reporting this morning that Peru town Supervisor Donald Covel has been found guilty of official misconduct. According to the newspaper, Covel faces up to a year in jail. Brian Mann has details.  Go to full article

Apr 13, 2009 — Small-town politics can be a tough business. Feuds over local taxes and skirmishes for control of village boards can be every bit as nasty as the political fights in Albany or Washington DC. But the rancor that has enveloped in the town of Peru, in Clinton County, is in a class by itself. For nearly four years, town supervisor Donald Covel has battled openly with members of his town board. There have been public shouting matches, a recall effort, and a flurry of costly lawsuits. Covel is now facing criminal charges of official misconduct and abuse of power. As Brian Mann reports, many locals say the rancor and bitterness have crippled their local government.  Go to full article

Oct 07, 2008 — We've been reporting this week on the Federal farm-worker visa program known as H2A. The system has caught on in the North Country, gaining wide acceptance in the Champlain Valley's apple orchards. Dairy farmers say they hope H2A can be adapted to help fill their labor shortage. But nationwide, the vast majority of farms still prefer to use undocumented or illegal workers. As Brian Mann reports, they say the Federal visa program is just too bureaucratic and too expensive.  Go to full article

Oct 06, 2008 — Last week, we reported on efforts to expand the agricultural visa program known as H2A. The federal system offers migrant workers from outside the U.S. a chance to earn decent wages on farms, without the complications and dangers of working illegally. Dairy farmers in the North Country hope H2A can be modified to better serve their industry, which faces chronic labor shortages. The program has already put a new face on the region's apple industry. Brian Mann has our story from Peru, in the Champlain valley.  Go to full article

Sep 15, 2006 — We've been running a series about place names in the North Country. It started out by accident - a feature on Saint Lawrence led to more calls about local place names and their origins. Yesterday on All Before Five, host Gregory Warner and our own resident poet and historian Dale Hobson sat down to talk about a few place names you asked us to investigate. Starting with Slab City, a small area in West Potsdam. Gregory called Joretta Creighton, a 3rd generation Slab City resident who owns Bailey's Florists. She says the place got its name from the slab wood that was the refuse of the area's paper mills.  Go to full article

Feb 17, 2005 — A state court has ordered New York's legislature to spend 5.6 billion dollars more each year to improve New York City's crumbling public schools. Governor George Pataki has promised to appeal the ruling. School officials around the North Country worry that increased funding for the city would mean fewer dollars for rural districts. Now the group that brought the lawsuit, known as the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, is working to convince upstate education leaders that their districts won't pay the price for rebuilding schools in the city. Brian Mann reports from Plattsburgh.  Go to full article