Dr. Curt Stager took students to Walden Pond, the retreat of philosopher and citizen scientist Henry David Thoreau, to take sediment samples and compare modern observations with the meticulous records kept in Thoreau's journals.They found evidence of a changing climate and a lake ecology that has been altered by human use. The graphic novel that records the expedition might have bemused and amused the famed transcendentalist. Curt talks about the work with Martha Foley.

The city of Plattsburgh is nearing fiscal stress, according to a state Financial Restructuring Board report published last month. It says the city could save money by letting Clinton County take over certain departments.Mayor Colin Read is embracing those recommendations in his 2018 budget, and he's now proposing to lay off "about a half dozen" city leaders as their departments are eliminated or consolidated.

Since the November election, we've been looking at the very different ways that Americans see our politics. One of the things that divides us is the different media we use to get our information. More and more conservative voters, especially in rural areas like the North Country, are turning to right-wing media sources like Fox News and radio host Rush Limbaugh. They often get a very different picture of events and ideas than you see in mainstream media.This morning, we look at how conservative media are treating Russia and the story of how Moscow meddled in last year's presidential election. There are three separate probes underway, looking in part at whether Donald Trump's campaign or his family helped Russia in that effort. Conservative outlets regularly portray the Russia issue as fake news, a conspiracy designed to cripple President Trump.

David Haggard, one of two Democrats running for prosecutor in St. Lawrence County, has run into problems getting on the primary ballot this fall.

One of the first women in the North Country to publicly support the right of women to vote will be honored Saturday at a ceremony in Richville, NY. Helen Hinsdale Rich, who was born in a log cabin near Oxbow, took up the cause of Woman's Suffrage in 1862. A historical marker in her honor will be placed in front of the Richville Public Library at 2 pm on Saturday.2017 is the centennial of woman's suffrage in New York State. Nineteen historic markers in 12 counties, to commemorate women gaining the right to vote in New York State, will be unveiled this weekend. Richville historian Lila Youngs says Helen Hinsdale Rich, and her husband Moses, raised their family in Richville, where Helen became well-known as a poet, and first took her stand for women's suffrage. She studied at St. Lawrence University before traveling around the country writing and speaking in favor of women's rights. She was a member of the National Woman's Suffrage Committee in the 1890s.Youngs, who has done extensive research on Helen Hinsdale Rich's career, says Rich died at her daughter's home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1915 at the age of 87; five years before American women won the right to vote.Although she didn't attain the stature of Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony, Youngs says Helen Rich was an important pioneer North Country voice for women's rights.

It's an intense week of rehearsals at Keene Central School for more than a dozen young actors, dancers and singers in The Book & Blanket Players Youth Theatre production of the musical "Trixie True, Teen Detective." Director Kathy Recchia says the theatre-in-a-week production has been dubbed the Ironman of summer musical theatre in the North Country, with young actors arriving on Monday and performing Saturday night after a solid week of rehearsals. The theatre troupe will give one performance of "Trixie True, Teen Detective" on Saturday night at 7 pm at Keene Central School. The show is appropriate for all ages and admission is free. And, as an added bonus this week, Mana Allen, who starred in the Off-Broadway production, stopped by a rehearsal to share her thoughts on the show. Todd Moe caught up by phone with Allen and director Kathy Recchia, who says the dual-plot musical is a whimsical spoof of the classic Nancy Drew mystery series.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro) is shepherding a package of bills in the House that would help military spouses when they transfer from base to base.

The U.S. Senate is moving ahead on the repeal and possibly the replacement of the Affordable Care Act, and policy makers in New York are bracing for the worst.

The North Country's most infamous summer party is no more. The Lake George Park Commission voted yesterday to end the Log Bay Day gathering. The move followed a fatal boating accident last summer that left an 8-year-old girl dead.

Watertown sports fans are mourning the death of a popular player for the city's hockey team. 25 year-old Shane Halaas played his first professional season with the Watertown Wolves last winter. He died last Thursday. The cause is still unknown.