Top Stories from NCPR

An ethics reform proposal quietly circulated between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders for a possible special session that also could include a pay raise is getting blasted by the state’s attorney general as possibly unconstitutional. [full story]

U.S., Canadian, and Akwesasne Mohawk border agents arrested five people, and charged four of them, for human smuggling across international borders following a seven-month investigation, a multi-agency team announced Thursday. [full story]

Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the hottest and coldest places on earth. Death Valley is no longer the hottest. Libya takes (or bakes) the cake these days. The lowest, as you would expect, is in Antarctica. How cold? You don't want to know. [full story]

One of the features of a hard winter can be loud spooky booming noises. These may be cryoseisms or "icequakes," caused when masses of ice expand and contract until they reach a breaking point. The sound signals the release of large amounts of energy.Lake ice can also make alarming noises; some expert skaters can accurately estimate the thickness of the ice from the pitch of the noise.Ice expansion within trees and within homes can also add to winter jitters. Martha Foley and Curt Stager listen to the winter. [full story]

The former SUNY Potsdam student charged with sending a professor racist and homophobic letters testified in court for the first time Tuesday. Amjad “Mark” Hussain said he was aware police found his fingerprints on at least one of the letters.Hussain also acknowledged changing his story three times since he was first questioned shortly after the letters were found in April 2015. His testimony came at a supression hearing over whether a videotaped statement he made to police the day he was arrested can be used as evidence in trial. [full story]

Plattsburgh is making some tough decisions for 2017. Some city lawmakers are proposing major tax hikes, even as high as 22 percent, and that has a lot of people worried. With shrinking reserves and rising costs, some officials say the city has no choice. [full story]

Today's Story Traveler is a special Christmas tale from Italy, the story of a surprise gift for the "Feast of the Three Kings" festival.Story Traveler is an occasional series of five-minute stories told by Gioia Timpanelli, widely considered to be one of the world's foremost storytellers. Her unscripted stories, both contemporary and world folktales, come from everywhere and blend ancient and modern themes. They speak to the heart and the imagination. [full story]

Two Adirondack artists will host an evening of traditional Tibetan music and Indian classical dance tonight in Saranac Lake.Born in exile and trained at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in India, Techung moved to the U.S. in 1987 to continue his musical career. A couple of years ago, Techung gave a concert at SUNY Plattsburgh. Recently, he and his wife, Sisa Salgado, settled in Lake Placid. They own the Tibetan gift shop, "Vision of Tibet," and are working on a Tibetan music preservation project. Their concert tonight will be held at Inner Quest Yoga & Wellness Center in Saranac Lake at 6:30 pm. Techung has recorded over fifteen musical albums and collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Phillip Glass, Patti Smith, and Iggy Pop.A trained classical dancer, Sisa Salgado has lead a cultural project called "The Dance Road" for the last few years. She's traveled to several countries in Asia learning from elder artists and offering workshops to adults and children. Techung and Sisa spoke with Todd Moe about bringing together centuries-old culture and historical connections between Tibet and India through their music and dance. [full story]

State officials have torn down an iconic landmark in the Adirondacks. The famous "red barn" that sat near the intersection of Rt. 73 and Rt. 9N in the town of Keene was part of a landscape backed by meadows and distant mountain summits. [full story]

In the Adirondack Park, snowmobiles and motorboats are banned from wilderness areas. It's one of the rules that shape how we use the Park. But what if hikers and paddlers are just as disruptive to wildlife as ATVs and jetskis? What if cross-country skiers actually do more harm to some animal species than someone on a snow machine? Those are questions being raised by new research published this month by the Wildlife Conservation Society. [full story]