Northern Light

Drones train above the North Country Adirondack region, some raise civil liberties objections. Writing the rules for domestic drone use. NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo will deliver his budget address today

A small Potsdam hunting store owner says his business could be "crippled" by New York's new gun laws. Meanwhile, a new poll finds wide support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's agenda, and editorial writers criticize the process that saw it debated and signed so quickly. Ottawa's Rideau Canal skateway opens today. We talk with former North Country reporter, now foreign correspondent, Jacob Resnick. Live music from Potsdam "gypsy jazz" group Minor Swing. And Adirondack conditions for the weekend.

New York state's new gun law prompts concerns from advocates for the mentally ill, and Remington, of Ilion, NY, feels ignored by the law's passage. The St. Lawrence Seaway digs its way out of the recession. A team of researchers at Clarkson University seeks earlier diagnosis, treatment for autism. Skiing into the Hoffman Notch wilderness; and on Natural Selections, more about moles.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs sweeping new gun control legislation for New York state. Sen. Patty Ritchie explains why she didn't vote for the legislation, and New Yorkers respond to the new laws. Cuomo and state Democrats push for a new reproductive health act. Tracking the future of outdoor skating using the web. And we wrap up our series of audio postcards from Crane School of Music graduate Christopher Battles, as he tries to make it as a musician in New York City.

One day after the New York State Senate passes toughest-in-the-nation gun laws, the Assembly acts today. A closer look at US Rep. Bill Owens' big new assignment to the House Appropriations Committee. Watertown works to scare away tens of thousands of "nuisance" crows with pyrotechnics, noise. Seaway shipping was up four percent in 2012. A Massachusetts motor company could bring new jobs to Glens Falls. It's been a record season for counting birds in Saranac Lake; and we check in with birder and birding guide Joan Collins.

A Saratoga gun show has become a major flashpoint in the post-Newtown weapons debate. Iberdrola wind energy company pulls out of Hammond. The New York State Assembly takes a last-minute look at fracking, and the practice attracts some high-profile critics. And US Sen. Charles Schumer touts the return of federal funding to Lewis County General Hospital, warns of "devastating" effects of sequestration.

First Nations chiefs are meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa today in response to Idle No More protests, and U.S. and Canadian customs agencies loosened import rules, allowing "informal entry" on both sides of the border.Governor Cuomo's State of the State message was perceived as a a leftward turn, with a priority list that include gun control, abortion rights, and raising the minimum wage, but he says his ideology hasn't changed a bit. Karen DeWitt reports that Cuomo says he has no timeline for agreement with the legislature on gun control, and Matt Richmond reports that the governor says he wants new casinos to hit upstate New York before the rest of the state. In the Adirondacks, one of the North Country's largest healthcare providers has announced plans to explore a partnership with Albany Medical Center, an environmental group based in New York City has purchased an iconic parcel of land in Hamilton County known as the "Marion River Carry", the Adirondack Park Agency is hiring a new top attorney, and John Warren checks in with a look at outdoor conditions for the weekend.Betsy Kepes reviews two new books by writers with ties to the Adirondacks that feature girls in elite level sports, and Todd Moe talks with artist Diane Leifheit, about The Adirondack Artists' Guild opening of The Market Show: The Guild Celebrates Charlie Green, at a reception in Saranac Lake tonight.

Gov. Cuomo's 2013 State of the State speech this afternoon will spend some time on Superstorm Sandy, gun control, education reform, campaign finance, and a constitutional amendment to expand gambling in New York, meanwhile a coalition of progressive groups held their 23rd annual People's State of the State on the steps of the Capitol in Albany yesterday. Counties across New York are struggling under growing budget pressure, and Essex County leaders are trying to talk about next year's budget.It's January and the Rideau Canal in Ottawa remains closed, waiting for a good long stretch of cold weather, and we continue our series, the Adirondack Attic today, with a 1969 interview with Tupper Lake business pioneer Mose Ginsberg, who immigrated to the Adirondacks in the 1890's as a teenager.

Brian Mann and Clyde Rabideau poke at the question of whether northern New York's incredible natural beauty is being marketed as effectively as other tourist destinations. New York State leaders remain unable to agree on gun control legislation. Saranac Lake schools contemplate school security.It's Elvis' birthday, and Nora Flaherty talks with DePeyster's "Memories of Elvis" museum owner, Shirley Gonyea. And Martha Foley discusses the appearance of Saturn and Jupiter in our night skies.

Mohawks march for indigenous solidarity. Schools are on Gov. Cuomo's State of the State list. While students are out on break, SUNY Plattsburgh police train to respond to a shooter. New York state completes the first Finch Pruyn land transfer