Northern Light

Today's podcast includes Sochi updates for North Country Olympians Bill Demong, Tim Burke, and Peter Frenette. Plus: Brian Mann has an essay on Andrew Weibrcht's rocky journey. We go to a former Hershy's chocolate factory in Ontario, where medical marijuana is now grown. Joel Hurd has a preview of jazz saxophonist Brian McCarthy's upcoming performances, and Todd Moe speaks with an organist who will provide live accompaniment at an upcoming silent film festival.

In the latest from Sochi, Erin Hamlin from Remsen brought home a historic first

We have updates from Brian Mann, Chris Knight, and Nancie Battaglia on how North Country athletes are faring in Sochi. A look at how school officials decide whether to cancel school, delay, or brave the weather. The State Board of Regents is poised to delay some requirements of the federal Common Core standards. And a Silicon Valley-based group of investors has launched a foundation to spur innovation of gun safety technology.

Kinney Nursing Home may close, Winter Olympics coverage of North Country athletes, Saranac Lake Winter Carnival ends, This is War plays in Ottawa and Amy Ivy talks about building the Perennial Garden. All of this and more on the Eight O'clock Hour.

In today's Eight O'Clock Hour, Chris Knight checks in from Sochi, Russia with the North Country's biathlon contingent. NCPR's Sochi correspondent Nancie Battaglia also talks with Brian Mann about the final preparations for the Olympic Games. Sarah Harris introduces us to Tom Foulkes, an 80 year old curling enthusiast, at the Ontario curling championships held in Smiths Falls. Todd Moe brings a story about the connection between traditional songs of the northeast and midwest. And from John Warren: This Weekend in the Adirondacks.

Brian Mann and Andy Flynn offer a peek inside the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival's packed schedule for this weekend. Chris Knight checks in from Sochi, Russia. Northern New York is seeking state money for its new drone testing program. The Cuomo administration is moving ahead with a bill that would allow limited access to medical marijuana. And today in Natural Selections: the seasonal evolution of ice.

This Saturday, one of the very first Olympic events will be the biathon sprint in Sochi Russia. Two of the strongest veterans on the US biathlon team hail from the Adirondacks. Legislators are urging the State Board of Regents to delay the new federal Common Core standards for at least another two years. The United Way is one of America's largest charitable organizations, helping to sustain thousands of small nonprofits that in turn help millions of people. But the Northern New York chapter of the United Way is needing some help itself. And Adirondack writer T.J. Brearton's debut novel is out as an e-book.

An Olympic pep rally in Saranac Lake, the energy was sky high. We rebroadcast a profile of Billy Demong, the Nordic combined skier from Vermontville. New York's health commissioner continues to remain quiet about the hydro-fracking review. And Aileen O'Donoghue stops by the NCPR studios to give us an update on the night sky.

The Defense Department has named Fort Drum as one of four military installations to house a possible East Coast missile defense facility. Governor Cuomo has been taking credit for a $2 billion dollar budget surplus in his new spending plan. But critics say that claim is not entirely accurate because the windfall will only actually materialize for another two years if certain conditions are met.