Top Stories from NCPR

In this story adapted from the Brothers Grimm, a poor shoemaker and his wife find mysterious help in the night and a change in their fortunes. As Christmas approaches, they work to make gifts for their benefactors.

If you're looking for something to do on a winter Friday night in Watertown, you might try catching a Wolves game. They're the city's minor league hockey team, and their home games are a good time: think affordable ticket prices, drinks, snacks, and merchandise, and really fun, fast-paced hockey.

It's been more than ten years since the Defense Department completed its last major round of military base closings.There are no current plans for another round. The U.S. Senate recently backed away from a proposal to consider further closings. But with the Pentagon saying that a fifth of its facilities may be unnecessary, some military communities are taking no chances. They've been working to reduce their vulnerability by throwing a surprising amount of civic muscle into their relationships with the military.

A company called Union Tank Car is pulling its mothballed rail tanker cars out of the Adirondack Park, following pressure from Governor Andrew Cuomo.Roughly 65 industrial rail cars have been stored on track near the High Peaks Wilderness owned by Iowa Pacific and the Saratoga North Creek Railroad.

Last week, Governor Cuomo vetoed a bill that would have significantly boosted state aid for SUNY and CUNY colleges.According to reports, Cuomo said he's committed to funding education at all levels but this was too expensive for taxpayers, especially with looming cuts coming from the federal government. The extra funding might have helped the state's public colleges through another tough budget year. Colleges in the North Country and across the U.S. have seen low student enrollment for years.At SUNY Plattsburgh, cuts were already in the pipeline when the veto came down. The college is cutting its budget by three percent across the board, and so far, that means seven people will lose their jobs at the end of the academic year.

States and cities around the country are ramping up their efforts to attract military retirees, who they hope can boost the local economy. People who've retired from the armed services come with government pensions and VA health care, and some stay in the workforce after leaving the military.

There's a big difference between delivering mail on a city route in a small town like Potsdam or Saranac Lake and delivering mail on a rural route to remote houses in farm country or along the back roads of the Adirondacks.There's an even bigger difference between how mail was delivered 100 years ago and how it's delivered today.

Governor Cuomo has not officially announced a candidacy for a third term, but has told everyone he's planning to run next year.But it's hard to talk about Governor Cuomo's potential race for re-election next year without discussing the Presidential race in 2020, and whether Cuomo will be a candidate.

Unsettled weather is forecast that will bring a range of conditions through the weekend - so watch the weather closely. Summit temperatures this weekend will be in the 20s and 30s during the day through Saturday, and falling to the single digits Sunday, with windchills to 20 below zero on Christmas Day.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing early voting in New York as part of his State of the State message, due out Jan. 3. But a top aide to the governor said it might be awhile before the proposals could become law and take effect.