Dr. Curt Stager tries once again to answer the classic child's question. It is a poser that was worthy of Einstein's time, who eventually came up with the best answer. But it's complicated. And when the sky isn't blue, why not? What's up with that? Martha Foley wants to know.

One community that has made some progress downtown is Saranac Lake. The signature Hotel Saranac has been restored and reopened. There's a major resort hotel about to go up on the village's lakefront. A boardwalk-style river walk follows the Saranac River right through the heart of the village and there's a sense of energy downtown. There's also a new set of projects in the works as part of the state's $10-million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

Two bills that challenge President Donald Trump and his policies are advancing in the New York State Assembly.

Wyeth Pharmaceutical in Rouses Point employed 1,700 people in the year 2000. It was still one of the largest employers in the North Country five years later, when it first announced it would close.

After the failure to include legalized recreational marijuana in the New York state budget earlier this year, sponsors of the legislation say they are introducing a new bill that they hope stands a better chance at becoming law.

Water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River are almost two feet above average for this time of year, but they haven’t reached 2017 levels yet. On Sunday, Lake Ontario was still six and a half inches below where it was the same day two years ago, when major flooding hit the region.

But shoreline homeowners and local leaders are anxious. Many are venting their frustrations by invoking an obscure agency - the International Joint Commission, or IJC.

Progressive groups, including the New York Civil Liberties Union, say they’re frustrated that action on left-leaning issues has stalled in New York in the final weeks of the legislative session.

Though the skywatching has been a little dismal in the last few days, there's a lot to look for if the weather clears. This is the best time of year to view the constellation Leo, which is now high in the southern sky in the early evening, flanked by two glittery star clusters. But enjoy Leo while it lasts; it will soon be lost in the daytime sky.

Mars can be seen in Taurus near an arc of bright stars that are at the top of vanishing winter constellations. Jupiter and Saturn are rising later in the evening, but will appear earlier in the sky as we move on toward summer.