Northern Light

There's still no word this morning on a final decision involving Lake Placid's emergency room. President Obama has nominated a former Ohio Congresswoman to be the next U.S. head of the St. Lawrence Seaway. There is a fight brewing over who will pay for the massive cleanup in Lac-Megantic. A longtime dairy family in Fort Ann, in Washington County is using social media to grow hops. NCPR intern Conant Neville sends an audio post-card from Elk Pass in Keene. Dale Hobsen tells David Sommerstein about NCPR's new iPhone app. NCPR intern Claire Woodcock talks with members of CPS's production of "Hairspray." John Warren from the Adirondack Almanack brings this look at outdoor recreation conditions around the Adirondacks for this weekend. Theatre critic Connie Meng reviews "Maid for a Musket" at the Kinsmen Amphitheatre in Prescott Ontario.

This morning Brian Mann reports on a developer from Malone says he plans to build a new luxury resort-hotel in the village of Saranac Lake. In Saranac Lake a board meeting will decide the fate of Lake Placid's emergency room. The State is extending a public comment period on whether it's a good idea for Verizon to stop providing land line service to some customers and supply a wireless telephone connection instead. Also, David Summerstein tells the story of Bud Fowler, the first African-American professional baseball player.

This Sunday, three deceased men will be inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Canton and Potsdam Central schools will get 25,000 dollars from the state to study the idea of merging the two districts. New York enters into the sixth year of debate on whether to allow hydrofracking in the state.The Hill Cumorah Pageant comes to Palmyra and brings with it tourism and an economic boost. Sarah Harris interviews Adam Broughton who owns a farm supply store in Bridport, Vermont. NPR CEO Gary Knell is visiting Adirondack North Country from Washington.

Brian Mann talks with Martha Foley about the outcome of the Adirondack Challenge. Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is asking President Obama to add a "place of celebration" to increase the equal rights of same sex married couples. An old community school in Essex County has been renovated and converted into an assisted living center for senior citizens. Sarah Harris talks with Lorraine Franklin of Addison County, Vermont, who helped move the rebuilding of the Lake Champlain bridge. Todd Moe spoke with the managing director of the Depot Theatre.

Yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo raced with politicians, journalists and business leaders down the Indian River for the Adirondack Challenge. Sarah Harris covers a progressive mixer in Vermont designed for New York and Vermont businesspeople to meet each other. The state's network of community colleges is hoping to establish a health care worker training program. The Sierra Leone All Stars returned to Vermont to create their forth album. Martha Foley talks with Amy Ivey offers a pep talk and some advice in this week's gardening conversation. Connie Meng reviews "Boeing Boeing" at the Depot Theatre in Westport.

Many skeptics now say that the Common Ground Alliance has helped shift the conversation and even produced some tangible victories. The Adirondack Nature Conservancy says it will provide $500,000 in grant funds to help businesses and communities developing new projects. The North Country local food movement just got a big boost. The ribbon was cut Thursday on a new, USDA-certified, mobile poultry processing unit. The Adirondack Challenge, to be held in the town of Indian Lake, will feature a series of whitewater rafting and canoe and kayak races. Todd Moe talks with TAUNY director Jill Breit about a project that will showcase and raise awareness of the folk music of the Adirondack North Country. John Warren provides information about local outdoor and back-country conditions.

More than 150 area residents supported the new water level plan at a public hearing in Alexandria Bay. Lt. Governor Bob Duffy is expected to be in Newcomb today for a meeting of the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance. The driver of a tractor-trailer that killed six people in the town of Antwerp has been charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and three traffic infractions. The Amish have partnered with Agri-Mark to find a place in the local economy. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the upside of light pollution and cigarette butts. Joel Hurd talks with The Canal Street String Band, who are playing three upcoming shows in the North Country.

The International Joint Commission that governs water levels on Lake Ontario and St Lawrence River is presenting a new management plan in New York and Canada this week. Danilo Lopez, a Vermont migrant-worker-turned-activist from Mexico, will be allowed to stay in the country for at least another year. This is the final week for the public to offer input on how to manage new public lands in the Adirondack Park. Clarence Forbes hauls an Amish shed to David Sommerstein's house in today's Heard Up North. Todd Moe talks with Pendragon's new Artistic Director Karen Lordi-Kirkham and Managing Director David Zwierankin. David Sommerstein talks with the band Elastic Bond from Miami play Friday and Saturday at the Grassroots Music Festival.

New York's Acting Commissioner for Mental Health Kirsten Woodlock says that the loss of some services at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg doesn't have to mean a loss of jobs. An Adirondack lakefront property that's the subject of a multi-million-dollar federal lawsuit filed against the state Adirondack Park Agency and the Adirondack Council has been sold.NCPR's Prison Time Media Project continues with a profile of one caregiver at New York's maximum-security prison for women.Experts say that New York farmers will have to boost milk production by 15 percent to keep up with the increasing demand for milk and Greek yogurt. Todd Moe speaks with Karen Wells, director of the Grasse River Player's production of 1940's Radio Hour. And Todd talks with Canadian reenactor Michael Whittaker about recreating life along the St. Lawrence in the 18th century.

As the official death toll rises to 35 in Lac-Megantic, Brian Mann looks at the town's first steps toward recovery. Upstate New York saw some growth as spending rose across every region of New York state last year. David Sommerstein talks with the man that painted one of the tallest bridges over the St. Lawrence River. NCPR's latest installment of the Prison Time Media Project, Natasha Haverty sets out to learn why the numbers of mothers in the prison nurseries have gone down. Todd Moe spoke with Amy Ivey about late blight identification and prevention in the North Country. Connie Meng reviews the production of "Third Floor" at the 1000 Islands Playhouse.