Top Stories from NCPR

The City of Plattsburgh is close to finalizing its budget for 2018. Usually budget talks officially start in October, but the Common Council has moved quickly and aggressively under Mayor Colin Read. The council is expected to hold a vote on the budget Thursday night.

Hurricanes in the southern U.S. have captured the nation's attention and federal aid. That's a concern in New York, where lawmakers are still seeking federal funds to help residents and businesses after months of flooding along Lake Ontario.

As part of national Hunger Action Month, a St. Lawrence County organization seeking to end hunger is asking residents to take the SNAP Challenge. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The challenge is whether you can feed yourself and your family on $4.60 per person per day. GardenShare's booth at the Canton Farmers Market has more information. Todd Moe stopped by earlier this month to meet the group's two AmeriCorps VISTA members who are helping out this year. AmeriCorps VISTA is a service program designed to alleviate poverty. Maggie Smith and Brianna Blackburn agree that their work at GardenShare gives them a great insight in the issues of hunger and poverty in the North Country. Blackburn says she was surprised to learn that one in seven people are enrolled in SNAP, and nearly half of them are children.

The 35th annual Adirondack 90 Miler Canoe Classic wrapped up on Sunday. About 600 paddlers raced over three days from Old Forge to the finish line in Saranac Lake. People of all ages compete, from 70 year-olds who have finished the race more than 20 times to teenagers on their rookie voyage.

There's good news for stargazers. The forecast calls for mostly clear skies for the next few days, and the nights are longer. In fact, the nights are getting longer by about three minutes a day right now. That leads us to the Fall Equinox: Friday, September 22, 4:02 pm.

Andrew Cuomo, in what has become an annual event for the New York governor, led a motorcycle ride along the path of a New York City firefighter rescue team to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

A highly-anticipated election in St. Lawrence County took a turn this weekend. Just days before the primary, criminal defense lawyer David Haggard announced he's dropping out of the race to become the county's next district attorney.

Martha Foley is still hoping to see her tomotoes ripen in the next few sunny days. But the evenings are pretty cool, so blanketing your tomatoes at night may help the ripening along.One thing that can be done before the frost comes is to take cuttings from nasturtiums, coleus or geraniums and root them in potting mix. The new plants can bring some color into the house all winter long. Horticulturist Amy Ivy shares tips on taking and propogating cuttings.Martha and Amy talk each Monday morning about gardening on The Eight O'Clock Hour.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe here in the North Country is set to receive more than $13 million from the drug-maker Allergan as part of a deal designed to help protect the company's pharmaceutical patents. As part of the deal, the tribe will receive $15 million each year in the future.

Tuesday is Primary Day for state and local races. There are primary elections in all North Country counties except for Franklin and Washington counties. In Clinton County, the primaries are in the towns of Saranac, Beekmantown, and Peru.