Top Stories From Ncpr

(Jan 26, 2021) The way we socialize and see friends during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed drastically. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, keeping our social distance, wearing masks, and hanging out outdoors have become norms. Of course, balmy summer temperatures are a lot easier than January snowstorms.

(Jan 21, 2021) What is a flame? Why is it shaped like that? How does it keep going? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager answer some burning questions about rapid oxidation.

(Jan 14, 2021) Dr. Curt Stager tries once again to answer the classic child's question. It is a poser that was worthy of Einstein's time, who eventually came up with the best answer. But it's complicated. And when the sky isn't blue, why not? What's up with that? Martha Foley wants to know.

(Jan 13, 2021) The spike in COVID-19 cases here in the North Country continues, with daily new cases of COVID-19 dwarfing peak days in the spring. David Clauss, Chief Medical Officer of the Elizabethtown Community Hospital, spoke during a video briefing on Friday, Jan. 8, which included county health directors and medical staff from regional hospitals. Clauss said we can’t treat our way out of the pandemic, and “we also are not going to be able to vaccinate our way out of this quickly enough to avoid significant tragedy. We have to prevent our way out of this pandemic with simple measures that we know.”

(Jan 7, 2021) The differing qualities of snow can determine the safety of structures, the back strain of shovelers and the danger of avalanche. Scientists look at how fast it falls, how it forms in the air, and whether or not it clumps into fat flakes to determine what impact it will have on those of us below. Every snowflake is unique, and so is every snowfall.

(Dec 31, 2020) Since our bodies replace most cells over a period of a few years, it raises the question "Is any part of us original equipment?" According to Curt Stager and Martha Foley, the answer is "Yes." Parts of the eyes and teeth, as well as many nerve and (bad news for dieters) fat cells last a lifetime.

(Dec 24, 2020) Rarely seen during the day, flying squirrels don't actually fly, but use flaps of skin that connect their fore and hind legs that enable them to glide up to a hundred feet, between trees and from tree to ground.

(Dec 17, 2020) Every family with kids has had to deal with the education question this fall - would they send their kid back to school? Keep them remote learning? And a third option: would they do it themselves? Fueled by COVID-19, homeschooling is on the rise in the North Country and across the nation.

(Dec 10, 2020) Snowy owls are normally a rare sight in North Country. Their usual range is in the Arctic north. But a few years ago, a large number were seen all across the region. Martha Foley asked Dr. Curt Stager why that has happened.

(Dec 9, 2020) When Tanya Roy first heard of the international charity called #happyperiod, it really clicked for her. The charity’s mission is to ensure that, quote ‘every girl has menstrual dignity’, by collecting and making available free period products. So in January, she and two other local women started a branch serving Jefferson and Lewis counties. They call it #happyperiodnorthcountry. As the 2020 holidays approach, they've started collecting in earnest.

(Dec 9, 2020) Saranac Lake native and Adirondack legend Natalie Leduc passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. She was 90 years old. Leduc was a fixture of community life in her hometown. She’s fondly remembered as many folks’ first ski instructor, and was deeply involved with Historic Saranac Lake. In 2018, she was recognized by the Norwegian government for the 37 years she spent tending the graves of Norwegian sailors in the Pine Ridge Cemetery. In 2016 Amy Feiereisel and Ellen Rocco interviewed Leduc for our North Country at Work series. We're republishing her work story in remembrance of Leduc.

(Jul 31, 2020) It’s been a steamy summer in the Adirondacks. It’s also been a busy summer, with people packing trailheads and campgrounds, mostly in the High Peaks. To avoid the crowded trails Emily Russell headed into Hamilton County. She hiked into Tirrell Pond in the town of Blue Mountain Lake and sent this audio postcard

(Jul 7, 2020) Sometimes achieving a dream can take a long time. That was true for David Lee Belding.

(Jan 24, 2020) Next week marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The concentration camp is where more than a million people, mostly Jews, were murdered during World War II. A group of Holocaust survivors are going back to Auschwitz for the anniversary, including Vladimir Munk, from Plattsburgh.

(Sep 23, 2019) A crisis and intervention hotline serving St. Lawrence County celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Reachout of St. Lawrence County was incorporated back in 1979, and has offered 24-hour phone crisis services, supportive listening, and a mobile crisis team that sends trained counselors to meet and assess people at risk at locations all around the county.

(Jul 31, 2019) The St. Lawrence River has changed a lot in the last century, from the construction of the Seaway in the 1950s to record high water levels in recent years. One local celebrity in the Thousand Islands, who turned 95 on Wednesday, looks back on his life on the river.

(May 31, 2019) Long-distance trail running isn’t for everybody. But there is a cool and growing subculture in the Adirondack North Country made up of people who get together each year to test themselves against some of our most challenging terrain.

(Apr 15, 2019) The 15.5-mile Adirondack trek offers some of the most spectacular views in the East.

(Mar 25, 2019) Last week marked the start of spring, and it's worth celebrating the truly old-fashioned winter we just had in the North Country. Emily Russell sent a postcard from Wright Peak in the Adirondacks.

(Feb 22, 2019) In warmer seasons, the Ausable Marsh is a paradise for paddlers, bird watchers and sun bathers. It lies on the western shore of Lake Champlain just south of Plattsburgh in the town of Peru. It turns out the marsh is also a gorgeous place to visit on a winter afternoon, full of quiet and color.