Top Stories from NCPR

For more than twenty years, Dr. Curt Stager at Paul Smith's College has been one of the leading thinkers trying to understand and explain the Adirondack The last few years, he's also emerged as a leading voice trying to help non-scientists understand a changing world.

Stager's latest book is called "Still Waters." He's using lakes all over the world to help explain complicated ideas about climate and ecosystems. This summer, returning to one of the wildest, most remote lakes in the North Country, he found that even in deep wilderness, the pace of change appears to be accelerating.

2018 was another record-breaking year for the New York State Fair near Syracuse. 1,279,010 people visited the Fair this year, smashing last year’s record by 10 percent.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read released his proposed 2019 budget on Friday. It calls for more than $650,000 in permanent cuts, but no layoffs. Read says while the city still has serious financial challenges, it's now starting to turn a corner.

Although Carl Heilman II was raised in southern Pennsylvania, he feels as though he grew up in the Adirondacks. This is where he's been living since high school graduation, and it's where he'll stay, photographing mountain landscapes for people who love the Adirondack Park. He photographs and writes for magazines and book publishers, teaches photography workshops, and sells merchandise such as posters, calendars, playing cards and puzzles.

Canada has tighter gun laws than in the U.S. and suffers much less gun crime.

But this summer, that country's largest city Toronto has seen a sharp rise in the number of shootings and gun homicides. Some people are calling it the "summer of the gun."

That's challenging Canada's sense of itself a safe, relatively gun-free society. Even some conservative politicians say handguns should be banned outright.

The late warm weather helps extend the blooming season. Deadheading annuals like zinnia will also help. You can divide perennials that are not in bloom and thin out and move around early bloomers like lilies and iris. And it's a good time to beef up the soil while you're at it.

Cooperative extension horticulturist Amy shares tips and to-do lists with Martha Foley. She is a regular Monday morning guest on The Eight O'Clock Hour.

There is a chance for some afternoon storms this weekend, so keep an eye on the weather. It will be breezy. The fire danger remains moderate and DEC continues to respond to wild fires started by unattended campfires. Water levels remain low, even for this time of year, and moderate drought conditions are persisting, especially in the Central Adirondacks and High Peaks.

The summer break is almost over. Classes start back next week at North Country schools, and for a while now, those classes have been getting smaller in the Adirondacks. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise has been following this trend for many years, and joining Martha Foley to talk about it is the newspaper's managing editor, Peter Crowley.

It's official: the Plattsburgh City School District is getting two armed resource officers to help deter a potential active shooter. The city's Common Council gave the final sign off at the weekly meeting last night. The officers will be recent retirees from the City Police Department.

Hobofest, an all-day free music festival, celebrates its 10th anniversary in Saranac Lake on Sunday. A celebration of American roots culture and the independent hobo spirit, the event showcases many of the region’s finest musicians paired with imported traveling veterans.