Top Stories from NCPR

The tiny community of Waddington on the St. Lawrence River is in for a bit of a shakeup.

The eastern spiny softshell turtle is rare in the north, but a small population lives at the top of Lake Champlain. Shyer than their armored cousins, the encroachment of human activities is making it harder for them to breed.Martha Foley and Paul Smiths College naturalist Dr. Curt Stager discuss this uncommon holdover from the days of the dinosaurs.

North Country School-Camp Treetops is one of the six founding members of the Edible Schoolyard Project, a national initiative of chef and food activist Alice Waters. The goal of program is to give students the knowledge and skills to make healthy food choices for themselves, their community and the environment.

The Champlain Valley and the eastern Adirondacks are seeing a farm and food renaissance. Local families and companies are making everything from craft beer to artisan cheeses to organic vegetables. But one thing missing from the food economy is grocery stores. In places likes Crowne Point, Keeseville, Westport, and Willsboro, full-service groceries have shut down. In the winter months, it can be hard to buy basic fresh fruits and vegetables. In Keeseville, farmers are trying a new experiment, opening a produce section in a local drug store.

Heuvelton wasn't the only turkey town in the North Country - it was the largest of a trio of towns that raised tens of thousands of turkeys a year from the late 1800s to the late 1940s. Heuvelton, Madrid, and Lisbon farmers would raise, butcher, and dress turkeys for the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets of big Northeastern cities like New York, Boston, and Montreal.

Many people who are in the U.S. illegally have been allowed to stay in the country for years, as long as they didn't commit a crime. They've had to check-in regularly with federal immigration officials, and in the meantime, many have gone on with their lives. They have families and careers, despite their legal limbo. That's changing. This year, President Trump granted broad authority to the Department of Homeland Security to deport unauthorized immigrants far more aggressively. Now many of those routine meetings end in arrest, detention, and deportation.That's what happened to Moussa Mahaman a 53-year-old originally from Niger in West Africa. He overstayed his visa in 2003, and said he feared violence in his native country. He was detained a few weeks ago, and this week, he was deported.

Tuesday was Native American Day at Massena high school. It's a chance for Mohawk students to share their culture. About a tenth of the student body is from the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation right next door. And the big hit is the social dancing.

Eurasian watermilfoil is nothing new to North Country waters. First found in the U.S. in the 1940s, it has since spread to almost every corner of the country. For decades is has endangered swimmers, boaters and other aquatic plants. Since the 1970s, its growth has exploded.

Nine candidates hoping to unseat Congresswoman Elise Stefanik met last night for a debate at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh. The most contentious questions focused not on the North Country or the 21st congressional district, but on President Donald Trump. Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has sparked a wave of liberal activism. Last night, the fiercest argument centered on whether Trump should be removed from office.

At least four counties across the North Country are moving ahead with plans to file lawsuits inspired by the opioid crisis.