How Long Has That Evenin' Train Been Gone?

Much of the history of the North Country is tied to the railroads. My family came to Potsdam, NY in 1957, at the end of the passenger rail service era. I remember being five or six years old and taking my mother down to catch the New York Central Beeliner, a contraption that combined locomotive and passenger accomodations in a single bus-like car. By 1960, the Beeliner was gone, leaving the Greyhound as the only form of public transportation. A little something went out of the North Country that has never returned. See On Air below to share your memories of North Country railroads.

We're Asking For It

Our secret decoder magic bean counter software tells us that more people visited the superfund site link from last week's Listening Post than any other link to date. I hope you weren't disappointed that the three-legged ducks were only in my mind. More importantly, our site statistics tell us that readers of this newsletter reliably visit NCPR Online. That makes you the best people to tell us what we are doing wrong and what we are doing well. Please take a moment to give us a piece of your mind on our comments page.

Gomez Would Be So Proud

Wednesday, the daughter in The Addams Family, when going out for Halloween, was asked why she didn't have a costume. "I'm going as a homicidal maniac," she said, "we look just like everyone else." The scary thing about Jody Tosti's slideshow tour (below) of North Country toxic waste sites, is how much they look just like everywhere else. Except, of course, for the featherless, three-legged ducks.

Superfund and Brownfield Sites in St. Lawrence County

If He's Skipper, I Must be Gilligan

My friend Jim says, "A bad day sailing is better than a good day working." We got in our first day Sunday, sailing from Chippewa Bay to Dark Isle, around Oak and back to the ramp. I had on a t-shirt, a sweater and a lined windbreaker under my life vest and needed it all. Brisk it was, 25 mph breeze. But he was right--sailing is better. I also got to see some parts of the North Country I had missed over the past few decades, tacking back toward Potsdam on little roads around Black Lake and down the Oswegatchie. I must say, late spring looks good in the partly cloudy, with the spirea and lilac peaking as the apple blossoms fade. You might want to turn off your computer and take a little walk (after you finish reading Listening Post).