North-Country Matters

19/09/2025

North Country Matters Presents: Hospice Myth Busters
North Country Matters host Donna Seymour talks with Kate Favaro, Outreach Coordinator with Hospice of the St. Lawrence Valley, about an education series called Hospice Myth Busters. The series is designed to clarify misconceptions and myths about Hospice Care, explain the truth behind each of these myths, and demystify what Hospice care is and does, who it is for, and how it works. In addition to end of life care for the patient, Hospice also supports the family caregivers and provides important grief counseling services to them.

North Country Matters host Donna Seymour talks with Kate Favaro, Outreach Coordinator with Hospice of the St. Lawrence Valley, about an education series call...

19/09/2025

All you bilge rats, Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh! Get ready to celebration Talk Like a Pirate Day September 19.
As you are out and about today, don't be surprised if people are saying, "Ahoy Matey," "Avast," "Aye, Aye Capt'n," "Land ho!" "Hornpipe," and many other pirate-like phrases, because it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
While ordering your coffee in the drive-thru, ask if they have change for gold bullion. Try testing your pirate language out at the library when asking for the location of Moby Dick. The pirate language always fairs well in rough seas. Settle a debate with "I'm right or I'll walk the plank!"
When the boss gives you a new project, "Aye, aye, Capt'n," is the correct response. However, beware calling the boss any frothy names. The goal of the day is not to lose your job.

TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY All you bilge rats, Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgh! Get ready to celebration Talk Like a Pirate Day September 19. As you are

18/09/2025

Ozone layer ‘healing’, on track to recover by mid-century: UN
The Earth’s protective ozone layer is healing and the hole should fully disappear in coming decades, the UN said Tuesday, hailing the success of concerted international action.
A fresh report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization highlighted that the ozone hole over the Antarctic was smaller in 2024 than in recent years, in what it said was “welcome scientific news for people’s and planetary health”.
“Today, the ozone layer is healing,” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said in the statement.
“This achievement reminds us that when nations heed the warnings of science, progress is possible.”
The WMO said as it published its Ozone Bulletin 2024 that the declined depletion “was partially due to naturally occurring atmospheric factors which drive year-to-year fluctuations”.
But, it stressed that the long-term positive trend witnessed “reflects the success of concerted international action”.
The bulletin was issued to mark World Ozone Day and the 40th anniversary of the Vienna Convention, which first recognized stratospheric ozone depletion as a global problem.
That 1975 convention was followed by the Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, which aimed to phase out ozone-depleting substances found primarily in refrigeration, air conditioning and aerosol sprays.
To date, that agreement has led to the phase-out of over 99 percent of the production and consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances, the WMO said.
“As a result, the ozone layer is now on track to recover to 1980s levels by the middle of this century, significantly reducing risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and ecosystem damage due to excessive UV exposure,” it said.

The Earth’s protective ozone layer is healing and the hole should fully disappear in coming decades, the UN said, hailing the success of concerted international action.

18/09/2025

Neighbors help neighbors with resources like clothing swaps, community fridges
When Cassie Ridgway held her first clothing swap in Portland, Oregon, 14 years ago, she had a few goals: keep clothes out of landfills, help people find free fashion treasures and build community.
The swap attracted about 150 people, and grew from there. Now, the twice-yearly event, which organizers call The Biggest Swap in the Northwest, draws between 500 and 850 participants to share clothes and accessories in a partylike atmosphere. “We have a DJ and two full bars, so there’s some singing and dancing. But no one’s getting drunk at 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon,” said Ridgway’s co-founder, Elizabeth Mollo.
The swap is part of a larger movement across the country to share resources with neighbors — one shirt, meal or book at time.
The Portland event asks for a $10 entry fee to cover costs, but the clothes are free and there’s no limit to how much participants can take. People bring their gently used clothing, shoes and accessories to a sorting station, where volunteers sort it into bins and onto tables.
Ridgway, who worked in the apparel industry, sees the process as an answer to throwaway “fast fashion.” She describes “the ‘peak pile’ moment, when our sorters are summiting a mountain, a literal tonnage of apparel, sorting as quickly as they can. In this moment, we see the true ramifications of consumer culture and waste.”
This style of hyper-local sharing is also a hallmark of Little Free Library, the nonprofit behind those cute little book huts that dot communities nationwide. The libraries offer round-the-clock access to free books, and are meant to inspire meaningful interactions.
“People tell me they’ve met more neighbors in one week than they ever had before putting up their library,” says Little Free Library CEO Daniel Gumnit.
Since the organization’s founding in 2010, book lovers have put up their own creative takes on the libraries, from cactus-shaped structures to miniature replicas of their own homes. There are now over 200,000 Little Free Libraries in 128 countries, Gumnit says.
“Access to books directly correlates to literacy in children,” he notes.

Clothing swaps, community fridges, Little Free Libraries. All are part of a movement in some communities to share resources.

18/09/2025

Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Could Hamper Efforts to House the Homeless
In pushing deep Medicaid cuts through Congress this year, President Trump and his Republican allies did not just squeeze a program that pays doctors and hospitals to provide poor people health care.
Over the last decade, states have increasingly used Medicaid dollars for another critical effort: helping the homeless and other vulnerable groups find stable housing.
To glimpse that little-known work, consider the journey of Michelle Cates, a food safety trainer who lost her job and apartment after a brain disease triggered seizures and intensified her struggles with anxiety and depression.
After two years in a Baltimore shelter, Ms. Cates received a federal rent subsidy. But finding an apartment was a challenge for a woman prone to blackouts and panic attacks.
A caseworker financed by Medicaid found a willing landlord and cut through the paperwork. Now she visits weekly to monitor Ms. Cates’s moods and medications, and even takes her to the grocery store, a crowded space Ms. Cates otherwise avoids for fear of passing out.
“This isn’t a battle I can fight alone,” said Ms. Cates, 44, as she worked a pair of crochet needles to calm her nerves. “If I didn’t have the help, I wouldn’t be here — I would be homeless again.”

President Trump’s signature domestic policy law could make it harder for states to fund programs to help people find stable housing.

18/09/2025

Screening of 100,000 Beating Hearts
Canton United Methodist Church, 42 Court Street
Saturday, September 20, 2025 from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
CANTON -- Waste Not Permaculture, Local Living Venture and the Canton Methodist Green Team are presenting a screening of the movie 100,000 Beating Hearts, about a regenerative farm, White Oak Pastures in Bluffton Georgia, as part of its ongoing Regenerative Agriculture film series on at 7 p.m. at the Canton United Methodist Church, 42 Court Street. Also screened will be an interview with Will Harris, owner of the farm and Neil Degrasse Tyson, famed astrophysicist . Will is the fourth generation of Harris’ to operate the farm. Will converted the farm to a regenerative farm in the early 2000s after operating it conventionally for many years. In the early 2000s. White Oak Pastures employed three people. It now employs over 170 and has a weekly payroll of over $100,000.

15m

18/09/2025

18/09/2025

Food distribution
MASSENA -- St. Peter's Outreach Ministry, 128 Main St., will host a food distribution for St. Lawrence County residents on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 8:30-10 a.m.

18/09/2025

New York’s ban on addictive social media feeds for kids takes shape with proposed rules
New York’s attorney general on Monday proposed regulations for its crackdown on addictive social media feeds for children, including rules for verifying a user’s age.
The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, passed last year, prohibits social media companies from showing feeds personalized by algorithms to users under 18 unless they have a parent’s consent. Instead, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited to posts from accounts young users follow.
The law also bars companies from sending notifications to users under 18 between midnight and 6 a.m.
The proposed rules for implementing the provisions include standards for determining a user’s age and parental consent.
“Companies may confirm a user’s age using a number of existing methods, as long as the methods are shown to be effective and protect users’ data,” Attorney General Letitia James’ office said.
Options for confirming a user is at least 18, for example, include requesting an uploaded image or verifying a user’s email address or phone number to check against other information, the office said.
Users under 18 who want to receive algorithmic feeds and nighttime notifications would have to give the companies permission to request consent from a parent.
The New York attorney general’s office noted Instagram and other social media platforms themselves have been implementing various forms of age assurance in recent months.
“The incorporation of age assurance methods into the infrastructure of social media platforms is a positive development that demonstrates the technical and financial feasibility of age assurance methods for these platforms,” the office said. “Unfortunately, voluntary adoption of age assurance methods has not achieved the level of protection of minors required by the (SAFE) Act.”
After the rules are finalized, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the regulations.

AG Letitia James has proposed regulations to crackdown on addictive social media feeds for children, including rules for verifying a user’s age.

18/09/2025

North Country Matters host Donna Seymour talks with Erica Smitka, Executive Director, LWV-NYS, about the League response to the political events of 2025 and ways for grassroots advocacy to combat threats to democracy. On April 17, the League declared the United States was in a “Constitutional Crisis” based on federal action taken by the Trump Administration. The League’s Unite & Rise 8.5 Campaign is designed to empower people to resist these threats and motivate and educate 8.5 million new voters to turn out. The NYS League has also instituted a Democracy Defenders webinar series for civil engagement, among other actions. They discuss Vote411.org, a one-stop for voters to check their registrations and learn about their local ballot, and the League’s Students Inside Albany program for high school students to learn about how state government works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY761hOdEYc

North Country Matters host Donna Seymour talks with Erica Smitka, Executive Director, LWV-NYS, about the League response to the political events of 2025 and ...

18/09/2025

With general election less than two months away, are you ready?
The general election is less than two months away. That means it’s time to prepare ahead of key deadlines. Voting is a powerful tool. It allows United States citizens to hold politicians accountable, encourage change and shape the future.
It all starts with registration. It’s a simple process that can be done online, in person or even by mail.
All eligible U.S. Citizens are encouraged to register or double-check their registration. It’s very important to have your registration updated, your address updated if it’s changed, that way you have no delays when you decide to go vote and you can vote right on Election Day.
This is a local election year. There are no national candidates on the ballot.
Local elections are just as important as presidential elections. Your local leaders have more say over you and your everyday life than even the national politics.
Registering is the first step, voting is the last, and in between, voters should be researching their candidates and picking the ones that best align with their ideals.
The general election is coming up on Nov. 4. You must be registered by Oct. 25 to participate.
You can register to vote here:

New Yorkers can register to vote and update voter information online in just a few easy steps.