Top Stories from NCPR

When I was a kid growing up in a rainy corner of Alaska, we took "sunshine days" whenever the clouds broke. They let us out of school to soak up the sun.I felt the same way this week hiking up Coon Mountain in the Champlain Valley on a rare bright afternoon.

Lake Ontario reached its highest level over the weekend since record keeping began a hundred years ago. The lake was at 248.8 feet, well above flood level of 247 feet. The St. Lawrence River is at 242 feet above the dam in Massena, according to the International Joint Commission.

The Frederic Remington Art Museum will add a new permanent gallery space dedicated to Ogdensburg’s other famous sculptor, Sally James Farnham. A gift from the McCabe Foundation will fund the new, permanent exhibit on the second floor of the museum. Farnham, who lived from 1869 to 1943, was a contemporary of Frederic Remington. Remington executive director Laura Foster says Farnham was known for her works in bronze, but equally skilled in a variety of mediums. The new space, scheduled to open in the summer of 2018, will include Farnham sculptures and portrait works. The Remington Museum is home to the largest public collection of Farnham’s work, according to Foster. Farnham’s 1906 monument in Ogdensburg’s Library Park titled “The Spirit of Liberty” is a local landmark.

The Community Theatre Players' spring production of "She Loves Me" opens Friday night, 7:30 pm, at Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake. It tells the story of a store clerk and a salesgirl in a Hungarian parfumerie cannot stand each other, but are unaware that they are conducting an anonymous romantic correspondence.The musical began on Broadway in 1963 and there have been revivals and movies, like "You've Got Mail," based on it. The CTP production is directed by Jason Brill and includes a cast of local actors. Todd Moe spoke with director Jason Brill, who says "She Loves Me" was his mother's favorite show, and it's been his dream to do the musical in her honor.

Greenhouse people say the plants that sell best are the plants that are already blooming. It makes sense: they're pretty, and so appealing early in the season, when gardeners are yearning for some color. And, when you see a bloom, you know what you're getting. Pink cosmos or white? Orange or yellow marigolds? But Cooperative Extension's Amy Ivy says there are risks in buying plants that are that far along in their growth cycle. She shares tips on what to look for, and how to mitigate some common downsides.

"For $32 million, the governor could probably pay off every mortgage and buy everybody a new car in the town of North Hudson," says Peter Bauer head of Protect the Adirondacks.

The ubiquitous bird of cities and towns was designed for a different environment. The pigeon's distinctive style of flight is adapted for maneuverability in tight places - near vertical takeoffs and quick changes of direction. This adaptation to cliff and mountainside environments serves them well among our urban cliff dwellings. Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss.

North Country congresswoman Elise Stefanik says she has "concerns" about the "timing and appearance" of President Trump's decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

A new online ad featuring Gov. Andrew Cuomo and promoting tolerance has once again fueled talk that New York’s governor may be planning a presidential run. There are some questions, though, about the ad and its donors.

Two cab companies in Plattsburgh have been fined for overcharging refugees headed to the border to seek asylum in Canada. Northern Taxi and C&L Taxi were investigated in an undercover sting operation by the New York Attorney General’s office. One driver was found charging more than four times the going rate. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the cabbies took advantage of “frightened and desperate people.”