Top Stories from NCPR

If Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers hold a special session next week, they are likely to consider whether to allow ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to operate outside of New York City. [full story]

Plattsburgh city police have arrested two men who allegedly robbed a convenience store over the weekend. Investigators say 31-year-old Rudolph Franklin and 22-year-old Eric Schulz walked into Xpress Mart on Sunday, each holding a handgun. [full story]

Dale Healey grew up on a horse farm near Potsdam and has loved nature and animals since he was a teen. But during his college years he admits to being a "drinker and a rowdy". During a trip out west, Healey discovered a bond with Native American cultures.In his new book, The Buffalo Spirit, Healey recounts how he, as an outsider, spent nearly 20 years in the close company of Native American medicine men and spiritual guides. Healey’s book, subtitled "A Memoir of the Road Less Traveled By," traces the author’s wandering path as a young man from Potsdam to the American West. Recently retired from Buffalo farming, Healey’s book reveals a first-person account of sweat lodges, peyote and sacred ceremonies. He told Todd Moe that he was befriended by a Native American healer and teacher during a visit to a retreat in Idaho. [full story]

A Swedish company is acquiring the Potsdam firm NexID Biometrics for $3.5 million. NexID's software helps prevent people from fraudulently using the fingerprint sensor on your smartphone. The acquisition is a big win in Clarkson University’s game plan of sparking the economy through scientific research. [full story]

(Dec 13, 2016) At a recent North Country at Work photo scanning in Saranac Lake, longtime resident Ron Keough brought in a photo of his grandmother, Alice Keough, also known as Grandma Alice and Great Alice to her family. He also brought photos of the Keough Motel in Saranac Lake, which she opened, expanded, and managed for decades.

(Jun 13, 2016) For over fifty years, the planetarium at SUNY Potsdam has served the North Country by offering visitors the chance to learn about astronomy. The experience helps instill a love for science in young people, and provides viewers with an unforgettable experience.

(Dec 22, 2015) This week we’re looking at the controversial issue of corrections officer violence in New York prisons. Over the last five years, civil cases, criminal trials, and state and Federal probes have offered a new window into a problem that has plagued the state’s correctional facilities for decades.

This morning, we focus on one prison in particular, Clinton Correctional in Dannemora. It’s one of the toughest maximum security lock-ups in America. For years inmates and advocacy groups have complained of excessive guard-on-inmate violence.

The culture behind Dannemora’s big white wall is drawing new scrutiny in the wake of last summer’s escape and in the wake of a new video obtained by the New York Times that shows the death of a mentally ill inmate.

(Jul 29, 2015) Two thousand and five hundred people competed in the Ironman Lake Placid Triathlon on Sunday. Athletes swim two miles, bike 112 miles, and run a full marathon. Some hope to qualify for the world championships in Hawaii while some simply hope to finish.

(Jul 28, 2015) Tuesday and Wednesday are the last practice days for anglers getting ready to compete in the Bassmasters Elite tournament on northern New York's St. Lawrence River.

(Sep 5, 2014) Later this month in Washington D.C., a master basketmaker from Akwesasne will be honored with the nation's highest tribute in the folk arts. Henry Jake Arquette will receive a National Heritage Fellow award on September 19, the first such award for a Mohawk traditional basket weaver.

At 83, the retired iron worker is one of the few individuals who still knows how to make the elegant, sturdy baskets. Today Arquette is a revered community elder and his baskets are in collections around the world.

Todd Moe recently visited his basement workshop in Hogansburg, where he can still be found making a basket or two, and passing the traditional craft along to the next generation.