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<title>NCPR Topical RSS: hardchoices</title>
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<title>Local schools study consolidation</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/16464/20101008/local-schools-study-consolidation</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Oct 8, 2010) In much of the North Country, declining enrollments and dwindling state aid are painting a stark picture for school districts.  Districts are talking about sharing administrations, teachers, and, in some cases, merging or closing schools.This week, the 18 school districts in St. Lawrence County are beginning a year-long study of consolidation.  Enrollment has plunged by more than 10,000 students from 30 years ago, a 40% drop.  Almost all the districts are classified as rural high-need.Tom Burns is district superintendent of St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES.  He told David Sommerstein the numbers are disheartening.  But he says full-fledged school mergers are a worst-case scenario, especially because of the distance students would have to travel. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/16464/20101008/local-schools-study-consolidation">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Story 2.0 - a journalism student finds a job after a long search</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/15655/20100517/story-2-0-a-journalism-student-finds-a-job-after-a-long-search</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 17, 2010) A Story 2.0 today, where we follow-up with people we’ve reported on in the past.  Last year as a part of our Year of Hard Choices series, we met Sarah Minor, a photojournalism graduate from Syracuse University.  She was living with her parents in St. Lawrence County while looking for a job.  It was 2008 and 2009, the depth of the Recession, and newspapers were laying off reporters and photographers in droves.  She moved to Chicago and got a part-time job with Suburban Life.  The company owns 14 weekly papers in the area.  She adapts print stories for the website, researching sidebar topics and adding links to stories.  And she gets to do the occasional photo shoot.  Last week, Sarah was hired full-time.  She spoke with David Sommerstein during one of her first morning commutes as a full-time worker. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/15655/20100517/story-2-0-a-journalism-student-finds-a-job-after-a-long-search">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>STORY 2.0:  After A year of Hard Choices, checking in on the region?s economy</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/15610/20100504/story-2-0-after-a-year-of-hard-choices-checking-in-on-the-region-s-economy</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 4, 2010) North Country Public Radio kicked off its “Year of Hard Choices” look at the impact of the Great Recession last year with a conversation with economist Greg Gardener.Gardner has been a student of the North Country economy since coming to the region over 15 years ago. He teaches at SUNY Potsdam. He and his wife live outside Watertown. He says the year looked about like he had thought it would…unemployment is up, there’s been pressure on the private sector, but the region had an OK tourism year…”we got leaned on hard,” he said, but it wasn’t catastrophic.But Gardner told Martha Foley there was a troubling erosion of what’s traditionally been the region’s buffer against hard times. Public sector jobs: from prisons to schools to local government. They’re threatened, and hurts the North Country. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/15610/20100504/story-2-0-after-a-year-of-hard-choices-checking-in-on-the-region-s-economy">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Year of Hard Choices: Classes and hope at career centers, but few jobs</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14976/20091230/year-of-hard-choices-classes-and-hope-at-career-centers-but-few-jobs</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Dec 30, 2009) Over the last year, the NCPR news team has been reporting on the impacts of the so-called Great Recession in our series, A Year of Hard Choices.  What we didn’t necessarily consider is that the year after the recession could be even tougher for many people.  Unemployment remains around 10% throughout much of the North Country.  The manufacturing sector has been hit hard with massive job losses, from General Motors and Corning in St. Lawrence County, to Pfizer in Clinton County, to New York Air Brake and Covidien in Watertown.  During 2010, those workers&apos; jobless benefits will begin to run out.  And they will join an already overcrowded market of job seekers.  The situation is making for stressful times at the state-run career centers across the region.  At the One Stop Career Center in Canton, the unemployed are trying to stay busy and keep their hopes up.  David Sommerstein reports.CORRECTION: The correct title of the employment center is &quot;One Stop Career Center&quot;. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14976/20091230/year-of-hard-choices-classes-and-hope-at-career-centers-but-few-jobs">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Year of Hard Choices: A job search, delayed</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14947/20091228/year-of-hard-choices-a-job-search-delayed</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Dec 28, 2009) At the beginning of this year, we began a series called A Year of Hard Choices, looking at the challenges posed by economic losses and budget deficits.  You can review all of our coverage on our website, ncpr.org.  One of those stories introduced us to the Carpenters.  Sharlene and Randy are both in their late 40s.  They live in Heuvelton.  Sharlene lost her job three days before Christmas last year.  She made high tech glass lenses at the Corning plant in Canton.  She was collecting unemployment.  Her husband, Randy, had been laid off from a pallet mill three months earlier.  Randy was looking for work at Fort Drum.  Recently, David Sommerstein visited the Carpenters again to see how 2009 treated them, and what next year may have in store. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14947/20091228/year-of-hard-choices-a-job-search-delayed">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Story 2.0: In prolonged time of need, food bank still provides</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14868/20091210/story-2-0-in-prolonged-time-of-need-food-bank-still-provides</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Dec 10, 2009) As the unemployment rate in much of the North Country remains just under 10%, more families are struggling to put food on the table.  Thousands of people live with food insecurity - that means at some point, they don&apos;t know where their next meal will come from.  Demand at the region&apos;s food pantries and kitchens is up.  But the Food Bank of Central NY says it&apos;s been planning for this kind of crisis for years, and it&apos;s still ready and able to fill the demand.  Todd Moe and David Sommerstein revisit a story from 2008. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14868/20091210/story-2-0-in-prolonged-time-of-need-food-bank-still-provides">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Disabilities advocates fear funding cuts</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14693/20091110/disabilities-advocates-fear-funding-cuts</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Nov 10, 2009) Governor Paterson’s deficit reduction plan is facing opposition from many groups who rely on government funding.  People with disabilities have been keeping a vigil in Albany since last week to protest proposed cuts.  St. Lawrence County NYSARC didn’t send anyone to Albany to join in because they couldn’t afford it, says Daphne Pickert, the group’s executive director.  NYSARC provides services to 650 people with disabilities and employs almost 600 people in St. Lawrence County alone.  Pickert told David Sommerstein the 10% proposed cuts would leave her with no choice but to cut programs and jobs. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14693/20091110/disabilities-advocates-fear-funding-cuts">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<title>Dede Scozzafava: &quot;I&apos;m proud of my investment&quot;</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14358/20090916/dede-scozzafava-quot-i-apos-m-proud-of-my-investment-quot</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Sep 16, 2009) Seaway Valley Capital Corporation has become a concern in Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava&apos;s campaign for Congress.  According to her personal finance disclosure form, Scozzafava has at least $1 million invested in the company.  Financial filings show her firm, Seaway Capital Partners, loaned Seaway Valley more than $400,000 last month.  Dede Scozzafava was mayor of her hometown of Gouverneur and has enjoyed broad support while serving in the state Assembly since 1999.  Her public stature is often cited by investors as a factor in their decisions to buy stock in her brother&apos;s company.  And now that their investments are nearly worthless, they want answers.  &quot;I can’t defend any of that,&quot; Scozzafava says, &quot;because I&apos;m not involved in any decision making in the public company.&quot;  Dede Scozzafava is vice-president and chief operating officer of Seaway Capital Partners, the firm that started Wise Buys in 2003.  In 2007, Seaway Capital sold its share in Wise Buys to Seaway Valley in exchange for preferred shares of stock.  Scozzafava told David Sommerstein she has always been just a &quot;passive investor&quot; in the new company. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14358/20090916/dede-scozzafava-quot-i-apos-m-proud-of-my-investment-quot">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Seaway Valley &amp; Hacketts: a special report</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14357/20090916/seaway-valley-amp-hacketts-a-special-report</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Sep 16, 2009) This morning, we have a special report on how two North Country retailers, Hacketts and Wise Buys, came together in a shifting delta of deals and dreams.  And debt, because this is a story of a bold idea for a homegrown venture gone sour.  Republican Dede Scozzafava&apos;s run for Congress helped turned the spotlight on the business dealings of her brother, Tom, and her involvement in them.  But the fortunes of Wise Buys and Hacketts had been in the headlines for years. They were joined two years ago in a new company, headed by Tom Scozzafava. Seaway Valley Capital Corporation has now absorbed other local businesses as well, including Sackets Harbor Brewery and Alteri&apos;s bakery in Watertown.  Dede Scozzafava plays no active role in the company, but she is one of its most valued lenders.  The company is now buried under $37 million in debt, double its assets. A look at the company&apos;s public filings shows a thicket of complex debt instruments, used to raise capital and pay off other loans.  Stockholders have lost millions of dollars.  As with all struggling companies, it wasn&apos;t supposed to turn out this way.  In this special report, David Sommerstein untangles the complicated story of Seaway Valley, Hacketts, and Dede and Tom Scozzafava. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14357/20090916/seaway-valley-amp-hacketts-a-special-report">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Year of Hard Choices: public defenders swamped</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14085/20090803/year-of-hard-choices-public-defenders-swamped</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Aug 3, 2009) Tonight, the St. Lawrence County legislature takes up a measure to increase the salaries of its public attorneys.  The vote comes after more than half of the county’s 21 lawyers have resigned in the last year.  Many cited low pay and high workload for their departure.  St. Lawrence may be an extreme example.  But across the North Country, the recession is putting increased stress on lawyers in public defenders and district attorneys’ offices.  For our series, A Year of Hard Choices, David Sommerstein reports. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14085/20090803/year-of-hard-choices-public-defenders-swamped">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Organic dairies struggling, too</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14069/20090803/organic-dairies-struggling-too</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Aug 3, 2009) The demand for organic milk and dairy products has grown by double digits each year since 2005, until this year. Now the shrinking economy has pushed consumer demand for pricey organic products down and that has left some organic farms in trouble. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, Susan Keese of Vermont Public Radio reports. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14069/20090803/organic-dairies-struggling-too">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Sen. Little on Adirondack land purchases:  ?when is enough enough??</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14075/20090731/sen-little-on-adirondack-land-purchases-when-is-enough-enough</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jul 31, 2009) This week, North Country Public Radio has been looking at the changing economics of big land purchases, in the Adirondacks, Vermont and across the Northeast. Land prices are down, making big parcels more affordable.  But state budgets and private donations are down, too, meaning there are fewer dollars to spend on land conservation.  State Senator Betty Little, from Queensbury, says it’s time to re-evaluate whether more land purchases make sense, given New York state’s massive budget shortfalls.  Little is lobbying for additional parcels of the Finch, Pruyn land to be sold to logging companies – with conservation easements – rather than added to the Adirondack forest preserve.  She spoke with Jonathan Brown. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14075/20090731/sen-little-on-adirondack-land-purchases-when-is-enough-enough">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Land conservation leader calls economic climate ?close to ruinous? for green groups</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14068/20090730/land-conservation-leader-calls-economic-climate-close-to-ruinous-for-green-groups</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jul 30, 2009) This week North Country Public Radio has been looking at the changing battle over land conservation.  In northern New York and Vermont the amount of private and taxpayer dollars available for protecting open space has been cut dramatically by the sour economy.  This morning, we’ll hear from one of the people on the front lines of the debate.  Kim Elliman heads the Open Space Institute, an organization that helps to finance land conservation projects from Georgia to Maine.  OSI – as its known – has helped fund some of the biggest land deals in the Adirondacks: the Finch, Pruyn land deal, and the purchase of the Tahawus tract in the southern High Peaks in 2003. Elliman tells Martha Foley the economic model for protecting forests and farms has changed dramatically.  (Tomorrow, we’ll hear from state Senator Betty Little, who opposes expanding the Adirondack forest preserve.  She says the changing economy means that land conservation groups should shift their agenda.) [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14068/20090730/land-conservation-leader-calls-economic-climate-close-to-ruinous-for-green-groups">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Imploding state budgets complicate land conservation efforts across Northeast</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14055/20090729/imploding-state-budgets-complicate-land-conservation-efforts-across-northeast</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jul 29, 2009) As we heard yesterday, plummeting land values mean there are new opportunities for conserving open space, in New York and across the Northeast. Forests and farms that would have sold at premium prices two years ago are sitting on the market and in many areas prices are dropping. But state officials in the region are struggling to find money for conservation projects as their own budgets implode.  As part of a collaboration with Northeastern stations, Brian Mann has our story. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14055/20090729/imploding-state-budgets-complicate-land-conservation-efforts-across-northeast">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Down economy changes the dynamics of land preservation</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14046/20090728/down-economy-changes-the-dynamics-of-land-preservation</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jul 28, 2009) This morning we begin a series about how the down economy is changing the dynamics of land preservation.States are facing tough decisions about where to invest their shrinking budgets. In most cases protecting open space is not at the top of the list. It’s also putting pressure on developers and landowners facing budget problems of their own.  The consequence, in some places, is a drop in land prices. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, Nancy Cohen of WNPR in Hartford, Connecticut reports there are new opportunities to preserve land and curb development. (Tomorrow, Brian Mann reports tight state budgets are putting the squeeze on land conservation by green groups.) [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14046/20090728/down-economy-changes-the-dynamics-of-land-preservation">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>A Year of Hard Choices:  Is this the perfect time to open a new business?</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13831/20090625/a-year-of-hard-choices-is-this-the-perfect-time-to-open-a-new-business</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (Jun 25, 2009) This morning we continue our series &quot;A Year of Hard Choices.&quot;  Last year, the North Country lost more than 1700 jobs, according to the New York Department of Labor.  The national headlines these days are full of lay-offs, bankruptcies and government bail-outs.  But down in the trenches of America&apos;s struggling economy, thousands of entrepreneurs are opening new businesses, rolling out new products and even hiring new workers.  Brian Mann has our profile of four people in this region who decided to take the plunge. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13831/20090625/a-year-of-hard-choices-is-this-the-perfect-time-to-open-a-new-business">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Floor tax forces hard choices on restaurants</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13632/20090528/floor-tax-forces-hard-choices-on-restaurants</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 28, 2009) In our series, A Year of Hard Choices, we&apos;ve been reporting on the current economic downturn and how it&apos;s affecting the choices people in the North Country are making. With household budgets under pressure, these are already tough times for restaurants. Rick Davidson is co-owner of Davidson Brothers Brew Pub and Restaurant in Glens Falls. He says new fees and taxes meant to close government budget gaps are making things tighter. New York increased its excise tax on beer and wine—not much, he says, but it all adds up for businesses like his. North Country Assemblywoman Addie Russell is circulating a petition to repeal the &quot;floor tax.&quot; Russell says petitions are going out to local restaurants, breweries, wineries and liquor stores. There’s also a digital version on the assemblywoman&apos;s web site.Davidson tells Jonathan Brown that since May 1, restaurants, wineries, liquor stores and distributors are all paying 11 cents more for each gallon of wine, and three cents more for each gallon of beer they sell. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13632/20090528/floor-tax-forces-hard-choices-on-restaurants">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Massena abandons Kroc center plans</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13614/20090527/massena-abandons-kroc-center-plans</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 27, 2009) Another blow for the reeling community of Massena.  After years of work and planning, the village is giving up on its bid to build a $25-million community center.  Massena was the only town in Upstate New York to win a highly competitive Kroc grant to build the facility.  But the community couldn&apos;t raise enough money to fulfill the grant requirements.  Massena town supervisor Gary Edwards says the community is shocked and disappointed.  Massena has been devastated by job losses, with about 1000 layoffs this year, including the permanent closure of the General Motors plant and the temporary shutdown of an Alcoa smelter.  Massena had to raise $2.4 million in operating expenses for the Ray and Joan Kroc foundation to give $23 million for the construction and endowment for a state-of-the-art community center.  Major Donald Lance is the regional division commander for the Salvation Army, which was leading the campaign and would have run the center.  He told David Sommerstein after three years of fundraising, the campaign had only raised a third of its goal. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13614/20090527/massena-abandons-kroc-center-plans">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>A Year of Hard Choices: Tough times at the animal shelter</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13549/20090519/a-year-of-hard-choices-tough-times-at-the-animal-shelter</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 19, 2009) To many of us our pets are part of the family.  Now with the recession some families are having to split up.  As a part of our series, A Year of Hard Choices, our intern Sarah Minor looked into the effects of the recession on the Potsdam Humane Society.  Here&apos;s today&apos;s Heard Up North. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13549/20090519/a-year-of-hard-choices-tough-times-at-the-animal-shelter">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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<title>Hospital CEO says health care reform must include fundamental change</title>
<link>http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13521/20090512/hospital-ceo-says-health-care-reform-must-include-fundamental-change</link>
<description><![CDATA[ (May 12, 2009) President Barack Obama meets today with business executives to talk to them about the high price of health care. In a meeting at the White House yesterday, representatives of hospitals, insurance companies, drug makers and doctors promised to cut $2 trillion in costs over 10 years by improving coordination, focusing on efficiency and embracing better technology and regulatory reform. Obama calls their pledge a watershed event in a long and elusive quest for health care reform. Many lawmakers are skeptical. And the President acknowledges the step will be meaningful only if it is part of a larger and successful effort toward universal health care coverage for Americans. Martha Foley spoke with David Acker, CEO of Canton-Potsdam Hospital, about how the federal health care reform discussion plays out in rural northern New York. [<strong><a href="http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/13521/20090512/hospital-ceo-says-health-care-reform-must-include-fundamental-change">full story</a></strong>]]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
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