Albany, NY, Jan 01, 2010 — Yesterday, NCPR's David Sommerstein and Brian Mann helped Martha Foley sort through the top North Country stories of 2009. The economy topped the list. That was predictable, even as long as a year ago. But politics was number two, and no one could have predicted what a dramatic and ongoing story that would have been for the region.

Similarly, in Albany, observers expected a bad year economically. But who knew how bad the political scene would look by the end of the year: with the "coup" in the state Senate, the governor's plunging popularity, gridlock over the budget, and the conviction of longtime Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno on corruption charges?

Martha Foley and Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt look back, and ahead:  Go to full article