Top Stories from NCPR

Federal authorities say they have dismantled a heroin distribution ring in Plattsburgh. Ten people were allegedly part of the ring, and one of them was a state corrections officer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Northern New York.

Colton is one of many North Country towns that grew from a single industry - logging. The community began as a series of outposts and camps for loggers, and gradually developed into a permanent settlement.

The last of a group of World War II-era Norwegian sailors who came here to the North Country to cure from tuberculosis was laid to rest this week. Knute Grytebust died in December and was buried Tuesday in Malone.

The corruption conviction of the former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was overturned on a technicality by a federal appeals court.Silver's lawyers say they are "grateful" for the decision, but the U.S. Attorney's office for New York's Southern district says it will retry the case. Until recently, the office was headed by Preet Bharara. He was fired by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

The lives and work worlds of everyday folks are being brought to the stage this summer in Colton. "Working: the Musical" opens Thursday, July 20 in the old Fire Station in Colton. The Sunday Rock Legacy Project, a local community collaboration to promote Colton;s history and culture, is teaming up with the Grasse River Players to produce the musical.The show is part of the theme of the group's official 2017 project "All Geared Up," which will celebrate the businesses and people who have helped make the Town of Colton a success."Working" is based on the Studs Terkel book of the same name, and tells the stories of workers with words, song and dance. The musical will be held at the Old Fire Station in Colton on July 20, 21 and 23. As part of the industrial theme of the show, the stage is actually a flat-bed trailer. Todd Moe spoke three members of the committee putting on the show: Elaine Kuracina, Mary Jane Watson and Ruth McWilliams.

Hoedowns, reels, & frolics - Phil Jamison can do them all. Jamison is a dance caller, flat-foot dancer, and old-time musician. In the 1970s, he was a member of the St. Regis String band here in the North Country. In June, he came to Canton to talk about Southern Appalachian dance. He spoke to an enthusiastic audience at the center for Traditional Arts of Upstate New York, showing the crowd the dances he loves and exploring how the tradition began.

Ft Drum soldier Sgt. Justin Walters, who has been charged with murder in the deaths of his wife Nichole and NYS Trooper Joel Davis, had a troubling juvenile history in Holland, Michigan, where he was a student.One of the people who knew Justin Walters growing up is Matt Militello.

The former owner of Jreck's, a chain of sub shops based in Watertown, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for swindling investors out of millions of dollars.Christopher Swartz of Watertown was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Hurd in Utica on Wednesday.

While a new poll finds New Yorkers would like Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be a "national leader" challenging the policies of President Donald Trump's administration, Cuomo seldom actually mentions the president by name.Cuomo has railed against the Republican plans in Washington to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, singling out two New York GOP congressmen, Chris Collins and John Faso, who have proposed an amendment to charge the state $2.3 billion to pay for county Medicaid costs.

A source has given North Country Public Radio social media posts that Sgt. Justin Walters wrote in the weeks leading up to the shootings of his wife, Nichole, and New York State Trooper Joel Davis. The Facebook messages include a seemingly angry reference to death and mortality.