With a healthcare vote expected sometime later today in the House, North Country congresswoman Elise Stefanik still isn't saying how she'll vote. Yesterday afternoon her office said the legislation is still being "finalized." "She is waiting to review the final text that is passed through all Committees and negotiated by Congress and the White House," said spokesman Tom Flanagin. [full story]

Database analysis shows that winter, in addition to its other woes, is volcano season. Martha Foley wonders why.Dr. Curt Stager points the finger at the Pacific Ocean, which piles water on the North American coast and lightens the load on Asia. The stress comes out it crustal acne. [full story]

Our Town Theater Group's spring production of Ken Ludwig’s award-winning comedic farce "Lend Me A Tenor" opens Friday at 7:30 pm in the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek. The show tells the story of a crazy evening in 1934 at the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, when a world-renowned special guest singer arrives and is indisposed through a series of mishaps. Director Jordan Hornstein told Todd Moe that the show includes some larger-than-life characters, mistaken identities and door-slamming farce.Cast includes Judy Stafford and Dan Studnicky of North Creek, Wendy Joy-Hayes, Hannah Jay and Dennis Wilson of Chestertown, Eduardo Munoz of Minerva, John Gable of Lake George and Kim Smith of Wevertown. [full story]

The spring musical season continues this weekend at a number of high schools in the North Country. It's a busy time back stage and on stage with final rehearsals amid wet paint. Todd Moe stopped by Edwards-Knox Central School as students took a break from an afternoon rehearsal for "Grease."The musical has been extremely popular since the movie version came out nearly forty years ago, but it's been toned-down a bit for high school productions. The song and dance fest is set in the 1950s and centers on a group of high school kids dealing with love, friendships and coming-of-age. The cast at Edwards-Knox says the show and its themes are alive and well today, too. [full story]

Thousands of refugees frightened by the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies are still fleeing from the U.S., many of them heading north into Canada. They often make the dangerous, snowy crossing from Upstate New York into Quebec, where they’re arrested by Canadian border agents or Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But what happens to them after that, once they’re inside Canada? [full story]

Proponents of raising taxes on New York’s wealthiest say they have a new impetus to increase the state’s revenue - the continued bad news from Washington about deep federal cuts to health care and other areas.Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has called an amendment to the federal repeal of the Affordable Care Act that would force the state to pick up county Medicaid costs “unconscionable.” [full story]

A controversial plan that allows greater fluctuations in water levels along Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River, has been in effect since January. It could be 30 years before the benefits of Plan 2014 are fully felt - restoring the health of the waterway and surrounding wetlands. But Jim Howe, of the Western and Central New York Nature Conservancy, says it’s likely that wildlife will benefit before then. [full story]

Joe Pete Wilson is a Lake Placid native, an Olympian, and a lifelong sportsman. As a child Joe Pete worked on his family’s farm in Keene during the summers, and lived in Lake Placid during the rest of the year, where he learned to cross-country ski. That's where it all began. [full story]

Jane Austen fans and scholars from around the world are gathering in Plattsburgh for a conference this week. Austen was a British author during the Georgian era, best known for social commentary and wit in novels including "Sense and Sensiblity," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Emma." This year marks the bicentenary of her death, and conference organizer Dr. Anna Battigelli says the three-day event, which starts on Thursday, is open to everyone. Battigelli, an admitted Austen-phile, teaches 18th century literature at SUNY Plattsburgh. The theme of this conference is “Jane Austen & the Arts." It will include lectures, exhibits, and an English Country dance on Friday night.So, what's an 18th century author like Austen doing at a 21st century college campus? Battigelli says Austen's novels, of love among the landed gentry, are more popular than ever and appeal to both general readers and academics. She says Plattsburgh has a rich history that includes early 19th century homes, and the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812. [full story]

Officials in the North Country want to know why Franklin and St. Lawrence counties wound up on a list of places that allegedly refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.The Department of Homeland Security published the list on Monday. It’s part of an effort by the Trump administration to publicly shame so-called sanctuary communities and pressure them to get tougher on immigration. But local officials say they already cooperate. [full story]