For North Country artist Kari Zelson Robertson, clay is a perfect material. She says her passion for art came from her mother, who was a "maker." Robertson taught art for years in Jefferson County and today creates out of a small pottery studio near the back of her 1840's farm house.

You probably won't see it listed on your wall calendar or desk journal, but today is an unofficial holiday to honor a mechanical device that dominated the 20th century workplace. It's World Typewriter Day!On June 23, 1868, American inventor Christopher Sholes was granted a patent for his typewriter, the first to be commercially marketed. It looked a bit like a toy piano, and could only type uppercase letters. It was one of the first devices to revolutionize the world of communications. And check your laptop or smartphone - Sholes' QWERTY keyboard layout is still in use today.But manual typewriters aren't just found in museums and attics. Even the digital generation loves collecting and using them. Actor Tom Hanks owns over 50 vintage typewriters and has written a book of short stories about his passion for the devices. Todd Moe spoke with David Wells, an avid Vermont typewriter collector and school principal, who lives near Montpelier. He uses manual typewriters in the classroom, to write essays for his blog about old typewriters, and to admire. Wells has about 30 vintage machines in his collection.

The fire danger is low. There's a New Moon rising during the day, and the solstice has passed; daylight is now getting just a little shorter each day.

Professional baseball in the North Country is back. Last year there was a pro team in Watertown called the Bucks. There were tensions between city officials and the team, and the city didn't renew their contract. Now, the independent Empire Professional Baseball League is trying again in Plattsburgh. The new team is called the RedBirds, and tomorrow is opening day.Update, 6/23/17, 1:13 PM: Opening day has been moved to Saturday, June 24, at 5 PM because of the rain. Friday's game will be made up in a double header on Sunday at 3:15 PM, after the 1 PM game that's already scheduled.

A hearing on whether 2010 gubernatorial candidate and Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino should be thrown off his city's school board began Thursday at the state education department in Albany.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's disappointed lawmakers have ended their session without loosening the statute of limitations for molestation to give victims more time to report abuse.

The gray fox has been in North America for millions of years, but the more common red fox is a relative newcomer, crossing over during more recent Ice Ages. The two kinds of fox are not only different species, they do not even belong to the same genus.Besides differing in color and aggressiveness, the gray fox has semi-retractable claws that allow it climb trees to escape from predators. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the slyer end of the canid family.As a bonus see the video below of baby gray foxes that live under Joel Hurd's barn in Pierrepont.

This week, a top official with the Federal Reserve visited the North Country. His name is William Dudley, and his trip made ripples across the world. After he spoke in Plattsburgh, the U.S. dollar got stronger, according to Reuters. The Fed is the central bank of the U.S. It sets monetary policy, and works to stabilize the economy. Dudley is president of the Fed's New York branch. He came to the North Country to talk about what the Fed does, and to learn about issues that local businesses are dealing with.

The New York State Assembly and Senate adjourned for the year Wednesday evening, without any deals on extending control of the New York City Mayor’s authority over the public school system, or the continuation of sales taxes in Upstate and Long Island counties.

Life during the Gilded Age takes center stage this summer at the Sembrich Opera Museum on Lake George. Originally the lakeside home and teaching studio for Met Opera diva Marcella Sembrich, the landmark hosts summer concerts, lectures, and recitals.Sembrich was born in the 1850s in the Ukraine. She first studied violin and piano with her father, and later became an opera sensation and lived in New York City. She spent summers in Lake Placid and bought a cottage on Lake George in the 1920s. Today, it’s a museum and performance space.Sembrich Artistic Director Richard Wargo says the theme this year is "Sembrich and her Circle" - a look at some of the people who shared her life and career in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.