Top Stories from NCPR

There are few regions in the world where you can make true "ice wine," a sweet vintage fit for after dinner sipping or dessert courses. You need warm summers to grow quality grapes. But they also have to be picked and pressed when it's well below freezing. The North Country is definitely one of those places. And last week's cold snap offered the perfect harvest conditions.

Tis the season for holiday cookies.Whether you're baking them from scratch or grabbing a roll of pre-made dough, cookie cutters have always been an easy way to make treats look top-notch. Earlier this month at Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, in Canton, cookie makers joined in baking and decorating sugar cookies with John Miller, of DeKalb Junction. The young bakers got to use cookie cutters from the Miller Family collection. For decades, John's family has collected cookie cutters for Christmas and many other special events. The collection, on display this month, ranges from late 19th century pieces to the present day, including ones made out of aluminum, tin, copper, and plastic. Todd Moe stopped by TAUNY to check out the dozens of Miller family cookie cutters, on display through December 31.

There is a new crow in the neighborhood! "Fish crows" aren't actually new to New York State, but they are increasing in numbers, and moving north from waterway to waterway.Martha Foley and Curt Stager share the scoop on their life and habits.

Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read addressed the city for the first time since a private conversation he had was caught on video and sparked a controversy. The video shows Read talking to City Councilor Mike Kelly last week. The mayor said the city could go bankrupt in the next decade, and he questioned whether city employees are productive enough. At last night's Common Council meeting, Read's voice was hoarse as he apologized to city workers in the room.

2018 might finally be the year that Democrats regain control of the state Senate. But they face a number of obstacles, and Republicans aren't ready to give up any time soon.

Members of the SUNY Canton baseball team are trying to raise $20,000 dollars here in the North Country to help Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands rebuild. And they have a surprising spokesman. The grandson of Latino baseball legend, Roberto Clemente, is a student and teammate.

This year Watertown got a big opportunity to breathe new life into its downtown. The city received $10 million from New York State. Now, they have to decide which projects they want that grant money to fund.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who's vowed to lead a campaign against the state's Republican Congressional representatives in the 2018 elections, has spent the final weeks of 2017 feuding with them over their votes on the federal tax overhaul bill.

There's a big scandal brewing in the City of Plattsburgh. In a private conversation caught on tape last week, Mayor Colin Read said the city could dissolve or go bankrupt in the foreseeable future. He also spoke bluntly about city employees and revealed a bitter feud between the city and the Town of Plattsburgh.

State Senator Joe Griffo stopped in the North Country this week to visit an iconic hockey rink in Massena. Griffo announced that the state will kick in $250,000 to help with needed repairs at the Massena Arena.