(Sep 9, 2026) The Village Mercantile in Saranac Lake was a way to replace the loss of Ames department store without succumbing to Walmart. After 15 years and huge shifts in the way people shop, the community-owned store is closing its doors. Also: The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh is at risk of closing if it can't raise $50,000 to pay its bills.

(Sep 8, 2026) Efforts to modernize aging infrastructure at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base are moving forward. The town has been added to a federal program that will fund a study to keep pollution out of Lake Champlain. Also: We preview Afrofestival Ottawa, a celebration of African music and culture this weekend in Canada's capital.

(Sep 4, 2026) A big, free music festival has become an annual Labor Day weekend tradition in Saranac Lake. We preview this year's eclectic lineup at Northern Current, which is on Sunday. Also: More local governments are seeking exemptions from the state's property tax cap.

(Sep 3, 2026) Millions of people come to the Adirondacks seeking an outdoor experience. We climb into the treetops at a high ropes adventure course in Bolton Landing, where a guide has been keeping people safe for decades. Also: Immigration arrests surged across New York State last month after ICE conducted what it calls "Operation Rotten Apple."

(Sep 2, 2026) Even though New York is barring local police from collaborating with ICE, other programs, especially here along the northern border, encourage local police and federal border agents to work together, sometimes on immigration matters. We hear about one such program, Operation Stonegarden. Also: The late Labor Day is forcing Plattsburgh's city beach to close early because the lifeguards are going back to shcool.

(Sep 1, 2026) New York's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from a job that used to be sought after in the North Country. Why people no longer want to work as corrections officers. Also: Republicans and Democrats in the Oswego County legislature are both opposing Lake Ontario’s name change.

(Aug 31, 2026) Amid an escalating trade war with Canada, President Trump signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. We speak to people along the North Country coast about what they think of the name change. Also: Our Albany reporters Jimmy Vielkind and Samuel King break down the latest from the state capitol.

(Aug 28, 2026) An immigrant advocacy group in the North Country is getting new funding to expand its work with families dealing with the impact of ICE detentions. Also: Local officials are praising the military’s selection of Fort Drum to host a nuclear “microreactor” as a once in a lifetime boon to the Army base near Watertown. But the technology is totally unproven and comes with some big questions.

(Aug 27, 2026) Each summer the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts takes a musical on the road. We preview "The Last Five Years" coming to five communities in the Adirondacks. Also: Clifton Fine Hospital in Star Lake turns 75 today. As rural healthcare struggles nationwide, the smallest hospital in the state has found a way to survive and add new services.

(Aug 26, 2026) Much of the North Country is classified as a child care desert. A new study from Jefferson Community College puts data behind how that's impacting residents and the local workforce. Also: St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Lewis County sheriffs are among those suing New York over a law that prevents local collaborations with ICE.