Hammond, NY, Sep 10, 2012 — The elaborate castle built on the St. Lawrence River by sewing machine magnate Frederick Bourne is a relative newcomer to the Thousand Islands tourism scene. Singer Castle on Dark Island was only opened to the public ten years ago, and is accessible only by water from the United States. A Canadian lawmaker is pushing the U.S. to open a port of entry there to increase visitor traffic.  Go to full article

Waddington, NY, Aug 20, 2012 — The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce is working hard to market the St. Lawrence River as the world's fishing capital, an initiative it calls "FISH CAP." One part of that project is to hook the next generation of anglers with the 10th annual International Junior Carp Tournament. It was held over the weekend.

Massena's Bryaunna Murphy took first place, the first girl to win top honors in the tournament. She took home the $1500 grand prize.

David Sommerstein stopped by just as Jessica Payne, an eighth grader from Lisbon Central, was reeling in a 14 pound, 6 ounce carp.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Aug 09, 2012 — A long-time Adirondack summer resident is finishing up the third book in a series of novels about the history of the region. Tony Holtzman will talk about his Adirondack Trilogy at the Northwoods Inn in Lake Placid on Thursday night at 7 pm. Holtzman first visited the Adirondacks in the early 1950's, and after retiring from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2002, he bought a cottage at the Bartlett Carry Club on Upper Saranac Lake.

Holtzman's first novel in the trilogy, Axton Landing, was published last year. His second book in the series, The Railroad, was released earlier this summer. The trilogy portrays life in the Adirondacks in the late 19th century and tackles topics such as the environment, land use, logging, railroads and tourism--topics that are still important today.

Todd Moe spoke with Holtzman about his novels and his love of the Adirondack Park.  Go to full article

Iroquois, ON, Aug 08, 2012 — It's easy to miss the Doran Bay Model Ship Museum. Just off County Road 2 in Ontario's South Dundas Township, it fills the first floor of a solitary house overlooking an inlet on the St. Lawrence River.

The museum opened in September of 2011 to showcase a large private collection of model ships, from the very famous to little-known vessels. Founder Bert Cunningham told Lucy Martin this unexpected hobby grew to the point where sharing it just seemed like the right thing to do.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Jul 23, 2012 — All over Ottawa, you can spot clusters of red bikes parked on street corners. They're known as Bixi bikes; it's a bike-sharing program that's supposed to make it easy for tourists to get around the city. There are 25 bike stations all over the dowtown area. And the same model is used in Washington DC, Boston, Toronto and Montreal. But as reporter Karen Kelly discovered, there are a few challenges to mastering the Bixi bike experience.  Go to full article

North Creek, NY, Jun 28, 2012 — The Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek is marking its 10th anniversary this week with a celebration. After a decade of operating with a volunteer Board of Directors, the center will also have its first paid executive director starting on July 1. The center is owned and maintained by the town of Johnsburg.

Town officials and board members at the Tannery Pond Community Center Association say it's time the building becomes self-sufficient. And they want the center to play a bigger role in the North Creek economy. Andy Flynn sat down with the new director and has this profile.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Jun 11, 2012 — In March, two environmental groups and a small number of landowners sued the state of New York, hoping to invalidate permits allowing construction of the Adirondack Club and Resort in Tupper Lake. Green groups argued that the Adirondack Park Agency had failed to enforce key regulations designed to protect open space in the Park.

The lawsuit has been moving forward, with all sides filing legal briefs with the state Supreme Court. Brian Mann spoke about the latest developments with Martha Foley.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, May 30, 2012 — The International Joint Commission is holding public information sessions this week in the North Country to gather public comment on its new plan to regulate water levels in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. The two meetings are part of a series of public sessions.

There was one meeting last night in Louisville, NY, near Massena, and another is scheduled Wednesday at 7pm in Clayton, NY.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, May 23, 2012 — The Adirondack Carousel holds a Grand Opening in Saranac Lake this Saturday. The $1.3 million project is the culmination of years of work. Todd Moe talks with Karen Loffler, who first proposed the idea to the village board in 2001, and Marge Glowa, the project's capital campaign director.  Go to full article

Paul Smiths, NY, May 17, 2012 — A crew from one of the country's most famous clothing companies has been at a historic Adirondack great camp this week to shoot photographs for its fall and winter 2012 catalog.

A crew of about 20 from L.L. Bean, based in Freeport, Maine, was at White Pine Camp on Osgood Pond on Monday and Tuesday. The rustic Great Camp was built in the early 1900s and served as the "Summer White House" for President Calvin Coolidge in 1926. Chris Morris dropped by the set.  Go to full article