Top Stories from NCPR

Many people who know about boats and boating in the Thousands Islands region of New York will recognize the name of a launch from the 1920s called Idyll Oaks. It's the godmother of the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, as it inspired the first Antique Boat Show in 1965 here on the St. Lawrence River.Andy Flynn recently spoke with Antique Boat Museum Curator Claire Wakefield about Idyll Oaks at the museum's boat storage facility. They also explored the history of boat making in the Thousand Islands. [full story]

One of the big issues still in play in Albany is a $7-billion plan that would subsidize three upstate New York nuclear power plants, including the Fitzpatrick plant on Lake Ontario in Oswego, between Watertown and Syracuse. [full story]

New York state will avoid a government shutdown after lawmakers approved a two-month stopgap spending plan.The short-term budget passed Monday was introduced by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he and lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a one-year budget. [full story]

Lots of people were already upset about President Trump’s plan to slash Great Lakes funding in next year’s federal budget. Now he’s recommending a $50 million cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for this year. [full story]

Franklin and St. Lawrence counties say they don’t belong on a list of places that aren’t cooperating with federal immigration officials. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, first published the list last month. It includes so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to work with federal agents to deport undocumented immigrants.St. Lawrence county’s sheriff says his officers work “hand in hand” with ICE agents. Franklin County said he got an apology from ICE for having gotten some of its facts wrong. [full story]

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) Vermont wildlife officials are warning motorists to drive with caution due to the seasonal migrations of frogs and salamanders. [full story]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has speaking engagements coming up at three upstate New York colleges.She's scheduled to visit Albany Law School Monday evening to address the law school community. She'll receive the school's Kate Stoneman Award, presented annually to people in the legal profession who have demonstrated a commitment to seeking change and equal opportunities for women. [full story]

Despite weeks of negotiating, state lawmakers and Governor Cuomo can't pass a budget for the new fiscal year that started on Saturday. Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on several issues, and closed-door sessions with Cuomo have yet to yield a compromise. [full story]

The debate in Albany over teenagers behind bars is only one flashpoint in a wider battle in New York state over how state prisons should operate. The Cuomo administration is also pushing to reform the way solitary confinement is used in correctional facilities and wants tougher disciplinary rules for corrections officers who abuse inmates. [full story]

Sunny Spring days are a temptation to plant the year's earliest vegetables: peas, spinach, arugula and other hardy seedlings. But as warm as the breezes might be, it's still too early if the soil isn't registering 50 degrees F. So says Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy. [full story]