Top Stories from NCPR

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year. The official start of winter in the North Country will occur at 11:28 am on Thursday, December 21.St. Lawrence University physics professor and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue is savoring these cozy, dark evenings. She stopped by NCPR for an astronomical update.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has instituted a minimum wage increase for most workers in the state, now wants to extend that rate to tipped workers, including wait staff and car washers. That news is causing a backlash from restaurant owners and small business groups.

Last month's mass shooting at a Texas church has raised questions of whether the military does enough to help former service members with bad conduct discharges. They're not eligible for veterans' mental health care.

Chances are you have at least one green thumb to shop for this holiday season. Cooperative Extension's Amy Ivy has some ideas for gardening tools as gifts.

Watertown landlords will soon be required to register their rental properties with City Hall. The policy comes as the city is grappling with how to address abandoned properties, also known as "zombie houses."

Sled racers from around the world competed in Lake Placid over the weekend. Frigid cold temperatures made the ice incredibly fast and challenging. The World Cup competition also locked in trips to the Winter Olympics in South Korea for three North Country lugers, with a fourth just missing the cut.

The Town of Webb in Herkimer County covers a large part of the northwestern Adirondacks, but is sparsely settled and relatively young; the town was established in 1898. The area has been dominated by two big industries, logging and tourism.

Winter is really getting underway now, with about 6-10 inches of snow on the ground around most of the Adirondack Park at lower elevations, and as much as a foot or more at higher elevations.

With Donald Trump in the White House, the country is deeply divided and college campuses mirror those rifts, with rallies and protests and marches. Tensions at St. Lawrence University escalated earlier this year when campus leaders moved to revive the school's Republican student club. The effort to make conservatives feel more welcome angered many students. That controversy has now embroiled the student newspaper, The Hill News, sparking accusations of censorship and claims of personal attacks.

Two local radio personalities are trying to breathe new life into a defunct commercial station. WNBZ started in Saranac Lake in the 1920s, and for decades it was an institution in the Adirondacks. The most recent owner ran into financial trouble, and the station's frequencies are now silent or automated. But if all goes to plan, a new WNBZ will open soon in Plattsburgh.