No state does economic development quite like New York. Under Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration, spending on job programs and business development has skyrocketed to $8 billion a year - more than any other state. But does it work?

With Congress deadlocked over immigration reform, lawmakers have proposed some quick fixes to alleviate the labor crunch in the dairy industry, and in agriculture overall. But many farmers and farmworkers say they're small band aids for a big problem.

Ferns invented nectar - a sugary reward - long before flowering plants evolved. But instead of using it to attract pollinators, the bracken fern uses it as "protection money," paying off ants and other predatory insects that will keep voracious caterpillars away when the plants are young and vulnerable.Martha Foley and Curt Stager unveil the mobster economics of nature.

One of Canada's award-winning ensembles is celebrating a milestone of ten years of making music with a new album, and a tour that includes a concert in Blue Mountain Lake at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts on Saturday night at 7:30 pm.The Sultans of String celebrate world musical fusion with fiery violin dances, Latin guitar, and a bass sound that adds a layer of depth.They've hit #15 on Billboard's world music charts, #1 across Canada on world music charts, and have received multiple awards and accolades. They've performed with such luminaries as The Chieftains and Sweet Honey in the Rock. But the group's fiddler, Chris McKhool, told Todd Moe that they really love being on the road and performing in small venues.

The often-reticent New York Assembly Speaker, Carl Heastie, showed a different side of himself when the lifelong "Star Trek" fan visited a museum in New York's North Country that replicates the fictional Starship Enterprise.

A man from Kashmir who came to the Adirondacks to compete in a snowshoe race has been indicted for allegedly having inappropriate contact a 12-year-old Saranac Lake girl.Tanveer Hussain faces charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

The first Olympic gold medal won by the United States in canoeing has ties to the Adirondack region. In August 1880, the American Canoe Association was founded on the shores of Lake George, and in 1948, an ACA member captured silver and gold medals for the U.S. during the Summer Olympics in London.

Brockville will re-open its historic railway tunnel during a big celebration with parades and parties the weekend of August 12th. As part of Canada's 150th anniversary, Brockville renovated the half-kilometer tunnel as a tourist walkway, with a new paved floor and state-of-the-art lighting. City leaders hope the nearly $4-million repurpose project will benefit local recreation, tourism and economic development.The tunnel, which runs under City Hall, connects the waterfront with the north side of the city. It's Canada's first railway tunnel, designed to move freight more efficiently from dockside to Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Completed in 1860, it was acquired by the city in 1983. Todd Moe visited the railway tunnel during restoration work this summer, and spoke with Dave LeSueur, the city councilor who chairs the Brockville tunnel committee. He says the tunnel will now be used more like a pedestrian path, but finishing touches will include railway tracks stamped into the concrete path.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has been touring parts of New York State north and west of Albany, and he was in the North Country on Tuesday. One of his stops was the Bombardier factory in Plattsburgh, where about 250 workers are building subway cars for New York and other cities. The visit came at a sensitive time. In New York City, trains are being canceled. Air conditioning is failing. There's overcrowding. Subway cars have derailed. Governor Andrew Cuomo has called it the "summer of hell."

Two replica Christopher Columbus ships are sailing across the Great Lakes this summer, offering visitors a chance to learn about the famous explorer's voyages. But some say the ships only tell half of a story.