Top Stories from NCPR

It’s been over one hundred years since a search party found Grace Brown’s body in the bottom of Big Moose Lake in the western Adirondacks. The murder trial in Herkimer of her boyfriend, Chester Gillette, made the front page in newspapers around the country and inspired Theodore Dreiser’s weighty novel, An American Tragedy. In 1986 Craig Brandon wrote a history of this famous pair and now his new edition of Murder in the Adirondacks contains more photos and facts. Betsy Kepes has this book review. [full story]

U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had an apparently cordial meeting at the White House Monday. Trudeau is among the first few foreign leaders to come to the White House. In the press conference following the meeting, they talked about their two nations' long, productive relationship, and trod lightly on their differences. [full story]

President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held their first joint press conference yesterday at the White House. They affirmed their shared values and tread lightly over their differences, but not ignoring them. And they touched on several vital issues to North Country life. [full story]

The leader of the Senate Republicans said he’s against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to require local governments in each county to offer government consolidation plans to go before voters in November. [full story]

Plattsburgh is just about ready to get started on a multi-million dollar makeover for its downtown.The city won a $10 million state grant for downtown revitalization last year. For months, officials have been gathering feedback on how to spend the money. The last community workshop happened over the weekend, and soon the city will send a final plan to New York State. [full story]

Here’s Kris Rusho of Oswego, with a story about playing chess with her grandfather that left not a dry eye in the house at the Howl Story Slam Grand Slam at Pickens Hall.The Adirondack Center for Writing is co-sponsor of the Howl Story Slams [full story]

With the confirmation of Rowan Wilson to the New York Court of Appeals, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has now picked all of the judges on the state’s highest court. He’s the first governor to do so since his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. [full story]

Everybody's got a system for starting seeds indoors. One thing everyone has to sort out right is the lighting. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy unpacks questions about what bulbs to choose (should you upgrade to LEDs?) and how to set them up.Short version: she's sticking with conventional fluorescent shop lights, one warm, one cool. There are increasingly efficient ones. LEDs are most efficient, but switching can be costly.And she's got a cool way to set them up. See the links. [full story]

The Adirondack Park Agency gave final approval Friday to a new waterfront resort in Saranac Lake. The 93-room structure with two restaurants, a spa and meeting facilities will sit on the shore of Lake Flower. The four-acre property is squeezed between the lake and Rt. 86, one of the busiest small highways in Upstate New York. But questions continue to be raised about whether the project could have been made smaller, with fewer impacts on traffic and the environment. [full story]

Over the weekend, pro-life groups rallied against Planned Parenthood clinics in the North Country and across the U.S. They’re calling on President Trump and Congress to follow through on promises to “defund” Planned Parenthood, the national health care provider that also performs abortions. [full story]