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NCPR News Staff: David Sommerstein
News Reporter and Producer
 The former General Motors site in Massena. Photo: RACER Trust
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
Massena, NY, May 21, 2013 — The federal trust in charge of finding a new life for the General Motors property in Massena say the process is more marathon than sprint. But as David Sommerstein reports, they're hopeful a lift from a railroad giant will help. Go to full article
 Iroquois Dam. Photo courtesy New York Power Authority
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
May 17, 2013 — We've reported for months - years even - that the Great Lakes, from Superior to Ontario, are at historically low water levels. So we were surprised to get the news this week that regulators are lowering the gates at the Iroquois Dam near Ogdensburg because the St. Lawrence River is too high. It's quite a puzzle. Go to full article
 Louis Cook (2nd row, center) with NCPR staff in the late 1980s.
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
Hogansburg, NY, May 15, 2013 — A prominent voice from the early days of North Country Public Radio has died. Louis T.K. Cook, of Akwesasne, was the late night host of "Jazz Waves" in the 1980s and early 1990s. Cook also educated listeners - and producers at this radio station - about native political and cultural issues with his series, "You Are On Indian Land". Cook is remembered here at the station as full of life and was known as a wild guy. His cousin, Ray Cook, who is now Op/Ed editor at Indian Country Today Media Network, says he owes his career in media to Louie Cook. He describes Cook as a natural teacher. "He was an artist in the traditional form," says Ray Cook. "He believed in the power of music and how it can soothe the soul and he always treasured the stories that he recorded and the people he talked to when he was in the production mode." Louis T.K. Cook died Monday from injuries he suffered in a car crash last week on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. He had been working with a not-for-profit there that helps families on the reservation build and maintain gardens. Go to full article
 The Northern Grape Project's test vines at Coyote Moon winery, Clayton. Photo: David Sommerstein
by David Sommerstein, in Clayton, NY
Clayton, NY, May 13, 2013 — The New York wine industry is booming. According to the New York Wind and Grape Foundation, five million people visit New York wineries every year. The industry generates almost $4 billion. The New York Farm Bureau is pushing for an official designation for a new Adirondack Wine Coast Trail to bring enthusiasts to seven vineyards in Clinton County. A lot of the credit for New York wines can go to a team of researchers that's doing what you might call "extreme winemaking": Breeding grapes that survive the North Country's frigid winters and still make delicious wine. They hope names like Frontenac and Marquette will one day be as popular as Cabernet and Merlot. Go to full article
 David Dodge, the Antique Boat Museum's in-water fleet coordinator, pilots the swanky "Miss T.I.". Photo: David Sommerstein
by David Sommerstein, in Clayton, NY
May 10, 2013 — Spring means life on St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands is coming back to life. One of the region's anchor destinations, the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, opens for the season this weekend. Fritz Hager is the museum's executive director. "We've got a lot going on here. We've got a lot of boats under restoration here," says Hager, "including our gigantic 110-foot houseboat, La Duchesse, which will be in restoration for a couple of years. So there's always a lot going on here boat-building wise. We also have boat rides, sailing classes, and other educational programs, and it all starts on Friday." Go to full article
 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Photo: Mark Kurtz
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
May 08, 2013 — Congress is back to work on a new five year Farm Bill. The Senate passed one last year, but the House of Representatives couldn't agree on the size of cuts to the food stamp program and other issues. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says preserving food stamps is "a moral issue." And she says there's a way to pay for them. Go to full article
 Dairy farmer Mike Kiechle of Philadelphia, NY, spreads manure from his tractor. He's the kind of small farmer the new rules are trying to target, but he says he doubts he'll grow his herd bigger. Photo: David Sommerstein
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
Albany, NY, May 06, 2013 — Last month, Governor Cuomo carried through on a promise he made to dairy farmers, loosening environmental regulations for small farms. Right now, a farm with 200 cows or more has to prepare detailed and costly manure management plans. Starting this week, that threshold will be bumped up to 300 cows. Speaking at last summer's Yogurt Summit, Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine said the change would help boost milk production to meet demand fueled by Greek yogurt's popularity. "Simply put," said Aubertine, "this will make it much easier for small farms to grow." North Country lawmakers and the state Farm Bureau praised the rule change. But environmental groups say more unregulated manure means more farm runoff in rivers and streams. It remains a big question whether the change will do much of anything at all - to the environment or for the economy. Go to full article
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
May 03, 2013 — An audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says St. Lawrence County is "walking a financial tightrope". The audit found the county's fund balance decreased 68 percent from 2007 to 2011. Legislators used surplus funds to close budget gaps and keep property tax increases last year to an already-high 14 percent. Go to full article
 Bud Fowler as a member of the 1885 Keokuk, Iowa, baseball team. Photo courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
by David Sommerstein, in Cooperstown, NY
Cooperstown, NY, Apr 26, 2013 — Jackie Robinson is getting the big time Hollywood treatment with the new blockbuster "42". Meanwhile, a much lesser known African American baseball hero is getting his due in the cradle of baseball history. In 1878, John Jackson - aka Bud Fowler - became the first African-American to play professional baseball with white men. His career spanned more than 30 years as a player, manager and entrepreneur. Fowler grew up in Cooperstown, NY, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Last weekend, the town recognized his story of perseverance in the face of bigotry. Go to full article
 Mountain Mart in Canton, NY. According to EPA data, the agency found violations at seven gas stations in Malone, Massena, Moira, Plattsburgh, and Canton. Photo: David Sommerstein
by David Sommerstein, in Canton, NY
Apr 24, 2013 — A Malone-based company will have to install new equipment to detect leaks at gas stations it owns across the North Country. Federal officials already fined Adirondack Energy $46,000. Go to full article
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David Sommerstein, NCPR's roving St. Lawrence Valley/Fort
Drum/Tug Hill reporter, began his career in radio, strangely
enough, as a high school Spanish teacher in Buffalo. While drilling
verb conjugations and teaching a love for Latino culture during
the day, he sat in as a late night jazz and Latin DJ at Buffalo's
NPR affiliate, WBFO. The radio bug bit, and David found his
way to southern Colorado/northern New Mexico (the Taos/Santa
Fe area) where he was Program Director, Music Director, Volunteer
Coordinator, and "Just About Anything Else You Can Think
Of" Director at NPR affiliate KRZA. Since joining NCPR's news department, David
has reported from the chilly deck of a St. Lawrence icebreaker,
the power-chord filled stage of the High School Rock Band
Festival, and the tense Albanian street market of post-war
Kosovo with soldiers from Fort Drum. David also gets to fulfill
his passion for music of all kinds when he spins world dance and groove music
on editions of The Beat Authority. E-mailRecent David Sommerstein stories carried by NPR:
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St. Lawrence University,
Canton, New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
radio@ncpr.org
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