Top Stories from NCPR

Former soccer coach Nick Hillary has filed an intent to sue St. Lawrence County and the village of Potsdam for malicious prosecution. Hillary was found not guilty of murder last fall in the 2011 death of 12 year-old Garrett Phillips. [full story]

Climate change is an issue of concern for many around the world. Scientists say the signs are everywhere, and here in the Great Lakes region, the evidence of regional climate change can be seen in every day.The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center in Michigan specializes in presenting climate change information specific to this area. Researcher Laura Briley said one sure sign of regional climate change can be found in the water. [full story]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to offer free tuition at New York public colleges to eligible New Yorkers. Cuomo's plan would provide free tuition for residents whose families earn less than $125,000. [full story]

We first met Samantha Stinson at the Howl Story Slam in Potsdam on September 17, 2016. Her story there won her a spot in our Grand Slam at Pickens Hall in Heuvelton just a few days later. There she told us about missing a professional opportunity because of her unexpectedly growing family.Samantha Stinson lives in Potsdam. She recently earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She told her story at our Howl Grand Slam event in Heuvelton on September 22. [full story]

The United States and Canada are moving to ban microbeads — the tiny plastic bits in toothpaste and facewash that are big water polluters. Now scientists are focusing on a similar problem, one that’s lurking in your laundry pile.When you do laundry, take a look at the tags on your clothes. You’ll find that most shirts and pants have some synthetic material like polyester, nylon or spandex. Every time you wash them, tiny plastic fibers go down the drain. [full story]

As it gets colder, more people in the North Country look to helping agencies for food and shelter. In turn, those agencies are counting up their funding and support this time of year. Federal and state grants make a huge difference. Then there are really small, immediate things, like donated clothing. There are lots of efforts underway to help people in need this winter. [full story]

Some of the very last European battles of World War Two were fought around Lake Garda, the northern Italian villa of dictator Benito Mussolini. And they were fought by the Tenth Mountain Division. It was May, 1945. Partisans took Mussolini; Tenth Mountain troops captured the villa. Not long after the war, the division was disbanded.Almost 70 years later, a piece of that liberation history arrived by mail at Ft. Drum’s Museum. Andy Flynn spoke with museum curator Kent Bolke about what he found inside the envelope. [full story]

Sandy Maine began making soap in her kitchen in 1979. With only $15 and a soap recipe book, she founded Sunfeather Soaps with a goal of creating artisan soaps from scratch with local ingredients. [full story]

When Sen. Charles Schumer becomes Senate minority leader January 3, he will be one of the most powerful Democrats in the nation, at a time when the party is the weakest it’s been since the Great Depression. But the New Yorker says he has a plan to pull the party back into power.Schumer doesn’t mince any words when it comes to rehashing Democratic losses on Election Day. [full story]

Poinsettias and cyclamen are favorite holiday gifts. They're timed to bloom just right to brighten the indoor scene—for a while. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy says they really aren't meant to last forever, and it's OK to pitch them when they're played out. But that doesn't mean you can't keep them healthy and looking good for longer with a little TLC. [full story]