Washington, DC, Jun 24, 2010 — Yesterday President Obama fired his top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, in the wake of comments he made in Rolling Stone magazine. Pundits applauded McChrystal's replacement, General David Petraeus. But the dismissal has renewed doubts over the military's ability to win the war. Violence is at its highest since 2001. Corruption and poppy production remain serious obstacles.

With thousands of Fort Drum soldiers already in or soon going to Afghanistan, we're examining the war effort from various points of view. Several years ago, photojournalist and ex-soldier Bill Putnam sent us audio diaries from Iraq. Now, Putnam is in the mountains of Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan. He's embedded with a unit out of Texas. Today he sends us the first in a series of audio journals.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Jun 01, 2010 — It's been about two years now since the near collapse of our economy, and Congress is finally getting serious about making financial institutions follow tougher rules.

Commentator George Gonos thinks this all to the good, because, he says, de-regulation of the banking industry over the last 30 years - the weakening or elimination of rules - was a major cause of the crisis. He hopes Congress will pass new laws to govern the banks, and put some teeth into them. But he adds that at best, reining in the financial executives will deal with only one-half of the problem.

George Gonos is associate professor of sociology, at SUNY Potsdam  Go to full article

Indian Lake, NY, Feb 12, 2010 — Three years after the Nature Conservancy bought tens of thousands of acres of timberland from the Finch Pruyn paper company, the company is buying some of the land back near the town of Indian Lake. The sale is part of a complex plan to return some of the land to private ownership, or to ownership by local towns. Chris Morris has our story.

Also yesterday, an environmental group called the Open Space Institute announced that it had acquired a conservation easement on 1400 acres in Essex County.
The deal will prevent future commercial or real estate development on a section of forest that includes the shore of Butternut Pond and part of Poke-O-Mmoonshine Mountain.
The land will remain in private ownership. But the conservation easement was donated to the green group by the family of Eric Johansen. Logging will still be allowed on the property.  Go to full article

Westport, NY, Feb 10, 2010 — The state corrections officer union says it will launch an "aggressive" campaign today designed to save three prisons in the North Country. The effort will include an ad...  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Dec 10, 2009 — Commentator Paul Willcott and his wife, Ann, had long dreamed of the perfect Christmas tree. In 2002, when they became the new proud owners of a rambling old cure cottage in...  Go to full article

Westport, NY, Jul 27, 2009 — It's not too late for some planting...but don't wait long to get the garlic out of the ground. These, and other midsummer notes, as Martha Foley catches up with cooperative...  Go to full article

Jul 03, 2009 — On this first Independence Day of the Obama years, liberals may be feeling a sense of pride and triumph. A lot has changed since a year ago, and most of the changes are to...  Go to full article