The leaves are peak or near peak color change throughout most of the Adirondacks. There is less leaf change at the periphery of the Adirondack Park, including the Lake George and Lake Champlain valleys.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday the state is suing the International Joint Commission. The IJC manages water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

Cuomo claims the IJC is partly to blame for the high water levels in 2017 and again this summer, but the IJC says it did all it could to control the record level outflows from Lake Ontario.

Glass is basic stuff - melted sand, pretty much. But your lovely crystal decanter or goblet gets its heft and clarity from a big dose of lead, up to one-fourth by weight.

That lead can leach out into liquids containing alcohol, such as wine or brandy - significant enough amounts to be a health risk if stored in crystal over a long period of time.

Martha Foley and Curt Stager clear up the differences between glass and crystal, and explain how lead can become transparent.

Natural Selections is a regular Thursday feature of the The Eight O'Clock Hour on NCPR. Get it delivered to your device automatically. Subscribe to the Natural Selections podcast.

No matter how hard Nina Schoch tried to answer questions about her job, she couldn’t help but keep her eyes on Little Green Pond and the four loons that call it home.

“Sorry I keep looking,” she said about turning her head to watch the loons, pointing to the water. “The birds are right there.”

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise has been looking in-depth at projects on this year's priority list for state Economic Development Council grants.

That was the topic this week when Brian Mann sat down with Enterprise managing editor Peter Crowley for their latest Tri-Lakes Takes conversation. Peter told Brian that the biggest project on the wish-list is a hotel in Lake Placid.