May 03, 2013 — Many nursing homes around the state are seeing big financial losses, and the situation is the same, if not worse, here in the North Country.

That's sparked a dialogue in the last few months among the region's long-term care leaders about ways they can partner, share services or even consolidate under one organization. Leaders of at least eight to 10 of the region's nursing homes have been involved in these talks.

Some long-term care advocates believe North Country nursing homes are at a tipping point.  Go to full article

Jan 09, 2013 — We continue our series, the Adirondack Attic, with Andy Flynn. You may know Andy from his series of Adirondack Attic books on local history. He uses the objects people make, use and leave behind to tell stories about the life and times of the region. NCPR is collaborating with Andy and his sources at the Adirondack Museum and other historical associations and museums in the region to bring these stories to air.

Today, we'll listen to a 1969 interview with Tupper Lake business pioneer Mose Ginsberg, who immigrated to the Adirondacks in the 1890's as a teenager.  Go to full article

Oct 02, 2012 — Andy Flynn visited the Adirondack Museum to look at architectural drawings for Ton-Da-Lay, a development in the town of Altamont, now Tupper Lake, that was proposed in the 1970s.

It called for creating 4,000 lots on 18,500 acres of property in the northern part of the town, with a goal of attracting 20,000 people. That's four times the population of the villages of Tupper Lake or Saranac Lake. The proposal was approved by the town, but rejected by the state.  Go to full article

Sep 26, 2012 — A local group that organized in 2009 to reopen Big Tupper Ski Area and to advocate for development of the Adirondack Club and Resort says the popular local destination will not reopen this year.

The group, called ARISE, operated the mountain on a volunteer basis, while waiting for a new resort destination to be built in Tupper Lake.

The group struggled last year because of the warm, snowless winter.  Go to full article

Sep 11, 2012 — The outdoors and natural beauty are draws for many communities in the Adirondacks. According to the author of a new book, Rising from the Swamp, a source of pride for many in downtown Tupper Lake, aka the "Swamp," is the legacy of its pioneer families. Todd Moe talks with author and Tupper Lake native Carol Poole about the book and a decade of research into Tupper Lake's past.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Nov 09, 2011 — Brian Mann and Martha Foley sort through the implications of an Election Day that featured scores of races that decided important questions about local leadership.  Go to full article

Aug 25, 2011 — Tupper Lake village mayor Mickey Desmarais says he won't seek another term and is bowing out of the mayor's race. In an interview with the Tupper Lake Free Press, Desmarais said the criticism that he has received over his handling of the Adirondack Club and Resort project has put strain on his family. "It doesn't bother me, but it hurts them," Desmarais told the newspaper.

Desmarais has continued to raise questions about the proposed resort, its impact on the local economy and plans for the Big Tupper Ski resort. The mayor had faced growing criticism from his opponent in the race, Republican Paul Maroun, who argued that village leaders should strongly back the project.

Speaking with WNBZ radio, Maroun said the community's mayor should be "110% behind the resort." According to Maroun, environmental groups are "still out there right now lobbying in Albany to kill this project."

The Adirondack Club and Resort project is expected to face a vote by the Adirondack Park Agency in January.  Go to full article

Jun 29, 2011 — Most people in Asia, Africa and South America eat bugs--prepared with shallots, lettuce, chilies, lime or spices. So, why not the rest of us? Seattle-based naturalist and author David George Gordon has written 19 books on a subject that makes some people squirm.

Orzo with Crickets? Three Bee Salad? Waxworm cookies? Gordon says it's all good for us. Todd Moe spoke with him as he was about to bake European house crickets for one of his favorite creepy-crawly dishes. He says it's cuisine he'll share during BuzzFest at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake this Saturday.  Go to full article

Jun 23, 2011 — There's relief this morning after state officials scrambled yesterday to ease fears the Sunmount Developmental Center in might be closed.

Travis Proulx, spokesman for the Office For Peoples With Developmental Disabilities, told North Country Public Radio there is an overall plan to close New York's developmental centers, but Sunmount is not one facilities slated for closure.  Go to full article

Jun 22, 2011 — An official with the Office for People with Development Disabilities, Travis Proulx, just spoke with Martha Foley, NCPR's news director, stating firmly that Sunmount is not on any closure lists, including one set for 2014.

We'll have more on this story during All Before Five and again during the 8 O'clock Hour tomorrow, but again, state officials say this unambiguously.

The confusion - and deep anxiety in Tupper Lake - were triggered on Monday when OPWDD Commissioner Courtney Burke was asked directly by WCNY reporter Susan Arbetter whether Sunmount would be closed.

"We are seeking to close all of our developmental centers by the end of 2014," Burke replied.

Her comments were rebroadcast on NCPR's newcasts, triggering a wave of anxiety in the village, which relies on Sunmount for employment. This from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise:

[Village mayor Mickey Desmarais] said there were people crying as they heard the news of the facility's closure on the radio Tuesday night and this morning.

"I mean, this is a huge wave of panic," Desmarais said.

Again, this is a developing story. Tune in to All Before Five this evening for more details.  Go to full article