Top Stories from NCPR

There's a new mural in downtown Plattsburgh. It's called the "Read and Grow! Dream Garden," and it's on the side of the public library. The nonprofit group Outside Art spent more than a year on the project with lots of help from the public.

Thousands of asylum seekers traveled through Clinton County to cross the border into Canada this year, many driven by fears that they'll be deported to their home countries if they stay in the U.S. But Canadian immigration officials deport people, too. And they turn some migrants away at the border, leaving them stranded in the North Country. A group called Plattsburgh Cares has stepped up to give them comfort and care.

Summits got a little snow last night, but it looks like we'll get a bit of a break in the weather, at least until Saturday evening, when we'll start to see some rain and more early winter conditions, especially at higher elevations.

There's a big discussion underway in America right now about how we can talk to each other despite big political differences, huge disagreements over everything from healthcare to Donald Trump to black lives matter. Often, we're using different media. We're shouting at each other, not listening.

New York's leaders are continuing to struggle with actions in Congress on the federal budget and tax overhaul that could adversely affect the state's finances.

UPDATE: A federal judge yesterday denied a request by New York and 17 other states to force the federal government to restore health care subsidies that President Donald Trump cut off earlier this month. The payments reimburse insurers for reducing out-of-pocket costs to lower-income people, under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The President says the subsidies should be explicitly authorized by Congress. The states argued Trump is illegally trying to sabotage Obama's health care law.Oct. 24, 2017: In the meantime, the clock is ticking down to the next open enrollment period under the existing health law - known as Obamacare.

Why are bird eggs different colors? According to Dr. Curt Stager most of them start out white. Colors come later in development. Glands in the oviduct deposit color onto the eggs as they pass through to be laid. Speckled eggs are actually a little stronger than unspeckled ones. Emu eggs are almost black and some species have metallic colors. Individual variations in eggs of the same species can help parents return to the right nest.Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about why birds' eggs look the way they do.

This week was Take Back the Night at St. Lawrence University. It's a storytelling event and candlelight vigil for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. It happens all around the world. Recently, St. Lawrence has hosted the event once a semester, drawing huge crowds.

Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Glens Falls yesterday and laid out a plan to solve a grim mystery in New York state. Cuomo says scientists and health researchers will spend the next year trying to find out why cancer rates are so much higher in some areas - including a part of the North Country.

There's some misinformation on social media regarding a key ballot item in next month's elections on whether to hold a constitutional convention.