NCPR Regional News Archives

(05/21/12) The new Lake Champlain Bridge opened for business back in November. But over the weekend, thousands of people gathered to officially dedicate the span, which connects Crown Point and Addison, Vermont. Brian Mann was there and sent this audio postcard. more

(05/21/12) Tonight the Potsdam Village Board will hold a public discussion on the size of the village Police Department. Potsdam has only cut its the department by one position, since former Sergeant Kevin Bates took over as Chief of Police, but that cut has sparked serious discussion about the future of the force.

As Tasha Haverty reports, this evening's meeting will help determine whether the village will restore the position, or take the opportunity to downsize and save money. more

(05/21/12) A high school science teacher from Lake Placid wants to help the town of North Elba change the way it disposes of organic waste.

Tammy Morgan teaches biology and environmental science at Lake Placid Middle-High School. She recently delivered a preliminary report to the North Elba town board on a proposed project to install an anaerobic digester at the town-owned landfill.

As Chris Morris reports, some farms already use anaerobic digesters to process manure, but North Elba would become the first municipality on the East Coast to use this kind of technology to process food waste on site. more

(05/21/12) IBM's Watson already has "Jeopardy!" under its belt. Now the computer giant is turning to the University of Rochester for ideas on what to do next. The Innovation Trail's Zack Seward explains. more

(05/21/12) Every spring, a Department of Environmental Conservation biologist drives along north country highways at dawn or dusk, stopping every so often to pull over and listen. They're listening for the distinctive "peent" of the singing American woodcock, a brown speckled bird a little larger than a songbird with a long, narrow beak for pulling earthworms out of the ground.

The little game bird is under threat New York state, and the survey each year is meant to get a handle on what population trends are in this region. DEC regional spokesman Stephen Litwhiler is the happy host to several of the birds in his backyard in southern Jefferson County. He says the birds' appearance each year is his personal "harbinger of spring."

For this Heard Up North, reporter Joanna Richards donned camouflage and hid behind the birds' favorite tree in Litwhiler's backyard to get a close-up look - and listen. more

(05/21/12) It's prime season for planting the vegetable garden. With hot, dry weather, tender new transplants and seeds need a little extra care. Cornell Cooperative extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley that light, frequent watering can be key.