(Apr 30, 2025) The Adirondacks are home to a large number of New York's bears. We talk with a bear expert about why they're a fascinating and still mysterious animal, and how people can help keep them wild. Also: State lawmakers say there are still some loose ends to tie up in state budget talks, even though Governor Hochul announced a tentative deal Monday.

(Apr 30, 2025) Jeremy Hurst, a big game biologist with the DEC, shares best safety practices to avoid human-bear conflicts in the Adirondacks.

(Apr 29, 2025) It's been more than two decades since a Republican won statewide office in New York. With Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said to be considering a run for governor, we talk with a political science professor about her chances. Also: Gov. Hochul and New York state lawmakers have struck a tentative budget deal. We sort through what's in and what's out.

(Apr 29, 2025) A new poll has the North Country congresswoman dominating in a Republican primary, and trailing Gov. Kathy Hochul by 6% in a general election.

(Apr 29, 2025) Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is reportedly mulling a run for governor next year, and experts say, for a Republican, she has a decent shot; A new committee in the Warren County town of Johnsburg is working to better meet the needs of its aging population; and a listener submitted a recording for a sound quiz.

(Apr 28, 2025) Democrats in Albany are looking to close up to 5 more prisons in the next year, in part to alleviate the shortage of corrections officers. We talk to a researcher who studied why New York and two other states account for a third of all prison closures around the US in recent decades. Also: The section of Route 56 that connects Potsdam to Tupper Lake may reopen as soon as Tuesday. It's been closed for nearly 2 months after a sinkhole caused a major reconstruction of the road.

(Apr 28, 2025)

(Apr 28, 2025) NY opened more prisons than most other states during the 1980s and '90s, aimed at boosting rural economies. Now it's closing more, too.

(Apr 25, 2025) After a sinkhole caused the stretch of road to close in early March, the state Department of Transportation says construction is nearly complete.

(Apr 25, 2025) NPR's Brian Mann sends a postcard from a Champlain Valley farm in the midst of lambing season; Glens Falls basketball star Jimmer Fredette announced his retirement from the sport this week; and in celebration of National Poetry Month, we listen to two poems submitted by North Country poets.