Arrangements and centerpieces and cut flowers may be a better gift for the non-gardener; live plants can bring a burden of guilt. but they can make a nice gift for the green thumbs in your life. Amy Ivy recommends cyclamens, which are hardy and long blooming, and have colorful leaves when not in bloom.

Garden gear may by pricey, or duplicate what someone already has, but a garden center gift certificate is a practical alternative and sure to be put to good use.

Horticulturist Amy Ivy trades tips and advice with Todd Moe.

A government reform group has filed a lawsuit to stop a pay raise granted to state lawmakers by a compensation commission. The conservative-leaning Government Justice Center said the salary increase is unconstitutional because it also “radically” changes the rules surrounding serving in the state Legislature.

One of the biggest hold-ups in the passage of the Farm Bill was proposed changes to food stamps, now called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). House Republicans, including North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, passed a version that included strict new work rules for SNAP recipients.

Howard Glass didn't move to the Adirondacks to jump out of helicopters. Howard came up to the Adirondacks in 1977 with a masters degree in biochemistry and cell biology and worked at a lab in Lake Placid for four years before it closed. Howard then went on a huge job search around the Northeast, but decided to stay in the Adirondacks to avoid jobs "surrounded by concrete."

Although we'll see some warmer weather this weekend, ice and deep snow reign in the backcountry. Plan for the possibility of encountering light rain or show showers, especially through tonight and again on Sunday.

Next year will be the first time some upstate House Republicans will be in the minority. Central New York Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) said he has built a lot of bridges with Democrats over the last four years.

One of the Adirondack Park’s most popular wilderness ski trails has been officially designated as a town road, thanks to a court battle known as the Old Mountain Road case that dates back more than fifteen years.

Naturalist and educator Paul Hetzler says he had intended to be a bear when he grew up, but when that didn't pan out, he settled for an educator position instead. His new book is titled, Shady Characters: Plant Vampires, Caterpillar Soup, Leprechaun Trees and Other Hilarities of the Natural World.

Hetzler's work has appeared in magazines, and the medical journal The Lancet. He also writes weekly natural-history columns for newspapers and magazines in northern New York State, as well as NCPR's All In blog.

The Adirondack Park Agency commission meets today in Ray Brook. Their agenda includes consideration of a new state plan that would expand and enhance cross-country ski trails on the Park's forest preserve. The commission could also approve regulatory changes that would allow removal of the rail line from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid.

The drug naloxone, or Narcan, is on the front line of response to the opioid epidemic. It can reverse an overdose, immediately, but temporarily. With rising overdose rates, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel commonly carry the life-saving drug.

St. Lawrence County Undersheriff said, "Anything that law enforcement and the sheriff’s department can do that saves lives, that’s what we obviously want to do out there, serve the public and save lives in any way we can."

But just regular folks are learning how to use Narcan too. The Canton Free library hosted an open training on how to use the drug last week.