Top Stories from NCPR

Imagine a house five times smaller than your own. Now imagine fitting all of your stuff into that house, and living there full-time without running water. Now you've got a "tiny house."

This year writer Madeleine Thien is the big winner in Canada's literary awards for fiction. Her novel explores life for a family of musicians in China during the Cultural Revolution and won the 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award. It was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Thien lives in Montreal, the daughter of Malaysian-Chinese immigrants.

The North Country wasn't treated to the big celestial show of a total eclipse yesterday. But thousands of people did turn out with special glasses or other viewing devices to see the partial eclipse. I set off to see the show from the summit of Mt. Marcy, New York state's highest peak. It's a 14-mile round-trip hike into one of the wildest corners of the Adirondacks. The High Peaks and the open blue sky were the perfect setting for the eclipse.

The city of Plattsburgh is moving forward with a plan to abolish some departments and absorb them into other parts of the city government. Mayor Colin Read and other city leaders say it's a way of saving money and preventing major tax increases. At last week's meeting, the council updated the city codes to reflect the cuts, which were first approved last month. But a lot of people still had questions about how the plan will work.

Non-citizens are eligible to serve in the U.S. military. But even as veterans, they can still be deported if they commit crimes after they leave the service.Army veteran Mario Martinez spent six years of his life fighting for the United States. Now, he's fighting for the right to keep living here.

(Aug 21, 2017) One of the biggest geographic features of our region is the St. Lawrence River. It's a natural border, a vacation hot-spot, and a major trade route. It's also a big obstacle between us and Canada - even more so before the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge was built in the 1950s, and completed in 1960.

One way to get across was the Morristown to Brockville ferry, which has history going back to the 1870s.

Tomatoes may be taking their sweet time this summer, but lots of flowers and herbs are cycling nicely through the season. Cooperative Extension's Amy Ivy offers tips on saving seeds for next year's planting season, and drying herbs and flowers to use and enjoy all winter.

Teachers across New York are gearing up for the start of the new school year. Karen DeWitt spoke to the leader of the state's teachers union, New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta, who says controversy over the Common Core learning standards isn't quite over yet.

Last week, NCPR worked closely with National Public Radio to report on the meaning and political fall-out of the violent rally in Charlottesville Virginia. As part of that coverage, Brian Mann looked at a question we've been hearing from listeners here in the North Country about counter-protesters at these rallies. A small minority of left-wing activists, known broadly as "anti-fascists" or "Antifa," often show up at street marches wearing masks and carrying street weapons. Police and some elected officials say that has escalated tension and the risk of violence.

We've got two more weekends after this, to deal with higher than usual number of visitors - even for the summer season - in the Adirondack backcountry. Popular parking areas, boat launches, and campsites fill early; consider visiting less popular areas of the Adirondack Park.