North-Country Matters

02/12/2025

December 2025 Cold Moon
December 4 brings the Cold Moon, and this year it’s a dazzling supermoon. Rising brighter and slightly larger than usual, it lights up the long winter nights.
The full Moon will be 100% illuminated on December 4 at 6:14 P.M. EST. For the most dramatic view, watch just after moonrise, when the Moon appears larger near the horizon—a phenomenon called the “Moon illusion.” Clear skies and minimal light pollution will make it easier to appreciate the Moon’s brightness and detail.
A supermoon occurs when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, called perigee.
December’s full Moon is most commonly called the Cold Moon (Mohawk), reflecting the frigid season. It is also known as the Long Night Moon (Mohican) because it rises during the longest nights of the year, near the winter solstice, and remains above the horizon for an extended period.

Discover the December 2025 Cold Moon, a dazzling supermoon. Learn when it rises, why it’s called the Cold Moon, and the folklore, history, and science behind this winter full Moon.

02/12/2025

Many Fighting Climate Change Worry They Are Losing the Information War
Shifting politics, intensive lobbying and surging disinformation online have undermined international efforts to respond to the threat.
When nearly 200 nations signed the 2015 Paris agreement, acknowledging the threat of rising global temperatures and vowing action, many hoped that the era of climate denial was finally over.
Ten years later it has roared back, arguably stronger than ever.
As delegates wrapped the annual United Nations climate talks last Saturday, those who have campaigned to reduce the use of fossil fuels expressed growing alarm that forces arrayed against them are gaining ground in the information war.
The oil, gas and coal industries continue to downplay the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is dangerously heating the planet. It’s a strategy that has been echoed by oil-rich countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and — under the Trump administration — the United States.
President Trump mocks global warming as a hoax, cheered on by a chorus of influencers online who regularly promote disinformation on social media platforms that once tried to curtail it. While such views have long been dismissed as conspiracy theories, their influence on the global policy debates has clearly grown.
The final statement of the U.N. talks, which were held in Belém, Brazil, did not even use the words “fossil fuels.”
“We thought that good ideas would get people to act,” J. Timmons Roberts, a researcher at Brown University and executive director of its Climate Social Science Network, lamented in a briefing on the eve of the talks.

Shifting politics, intensive lobbying and surging disinformation online have undermined international efforts to respond to the threat.

02/12/2025

Building an emergency fund can feel daunting, but these tips can help
Maybe your car broke down, your computer was stolen, or you had a surprise visit to urgent care. Emergencies are inevitable, but you can prepare to deal with them by building an emergency fund.
The industry standard is to save three to six months of expenses in an emergency fund. However, this can feel daunting if you live paycheck to paycheck or if you have debt. But if you’re in either of these situations, it’s even more crucial to build a financial safety net that can help you in times of crisis.
“Emergency funds allow you to prevent further debt,” said Jaime Eckels, certified financial planner and wealth management leader for Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
The idea of saving for three to six months’ worth of expenses can be daunting, so it’s best to start with a smaller milestone. Rachel Lawrence, head of advice and planning for Monarch Money, recommends starting with a goal of saving $1,000, then moving on to save one, three, and six months of expenses.
“Starting small is okay. Even if it’s $20 right out of your paycheck, those small things can add up,” Eckels said. She recommends building your emergency fund in a separate account from your regular savings account, ideally a high-yield savings account, which offers a higher interest rate than a traditional savings account.
Eckels recommends setting up automatic savings as a low-effort way to build your emergency fund. Scheduling your savings to be withdrawn from your bank account as soon as your paycheck arrives is an effective way to build a savings habit without having to transfer the money manually.
“Unexpected chunks of money that maybe you weren’t expecting, like tax refunds or getting a third paycheck when you normally get paid twice a month, or a bonus, those are your best ways to make progress when you’re tight otherwise,” said Lawrence. In general, Lawrence recommends that people keep 10% of their windfall for themselves and the rest for their emergency fund. With that breakdown, you can both save and feel rewarded by the unexpected income.
Chances are that an emergency will happen, and when it does, you don’t need to feel guilty for using your emergency fund, Lawrence said. Instead, it’s best to think about how you’ve achieved your goal of building a financial safety net for yourself.

Maybe your car broke down, your computer was stolen, or you had a surprise visit to urgent care. Emergencies are inevitable, but you can help by building an emergency fund.

02/12/2025

Recovery Dharma held each Wednesday in Potsdam for those suffering with addiction
Recovery Dharma, a peer-led community group for those suffering with addiction meets every Wednesday at 6:30 pm at the Trillium in Potsdam, 42 1/2 Elm St.
They look to traditional Buddhist teachings, often referred to as the Dharma. They offer a short guided meditation followed by book reading and a discussion.
This event is free and open to anyone who suffers with any type of addiction.

02/12/2025

Dec. 3: Su***de Survivor’s Group Meets @ 5:30 pm

02/12/2025

Blood Drives: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Best Western University Inn, 90 E Main St., Canton
12/03/2025 | 01:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Morristown High School, 408 Gouverneur St.
01:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Please call 1-800-Red-Cross or go online to www.redcrossblood.org to schedule your appointment. Walk-ins are welcome!

Blood donors report feeling a sense of great satisfaction after making their blood donation. Why? Because helping others in need just feels good. Donate blood today to help those in need.

02/12/2025

Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
Zillow, the country’s largest real estate listings site, has quietly removed a feature that showed the risks from extreme weather for more than one million home sale listings on its site.
The website began publishing climate risk ratings last year using data from the risk-modeling company First Street. The scoresaimed to quantify each home’s risk from floods, wildfires, wind, extreme heat and poor air quality.
But real estate agents complained they hurt sales. Some homeowners protested the scores and found there was no way to challenge the ratings.
Earlier this month Zillow stopped displaying the scores after complaints from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, which operates a private database funded by real estate brokers and agents. Zillow relies on that listing service and others around the country for its real estate data. The California listing service, one of the largest in the country, raised concerns about the accuracy of First Street’s flood risk models.
“Displaying the probability of a specific home flooding this year or within the next five years can have a significant impact on the perceived desirability of that property,” said Art Carter, California Regional Multiple Listing Service’s chief executive officer.

The scores aimed to predict a property’s risk from a fires, floods and storms, but some in the real estate industry as well as homeowners have called them inaccurate.

02/12/2025

Senate panel to question car safety improvements that are ‘making vehicles too costly’
A Senate panel is set to grill automakers about mandated car safety and climate-conscious improvements following concerns that they are making vehicles too costly.
At a committee hearing scheduled for January 14, Republicans will question requirements for safety measures, such as automatic emergency brakes and alarms to remind drivers that children are in the vehicle.
Bosses from major companies, including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and Tesla, have been summoned to appear before the panel.
“Americans have been clear that they are hyper-focused on affordability – and so is this committee,” said Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
“The average price of a car has more than doubled in the past decade, driven up by onerous government-mandated technologies and radical environmental regulations. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act took crucial steps to drive costs down with the repeal of the EV mandate and CAFE standards, but we must do more.”
The full committee hearing is titled “Pedal to the Policy: The Views of the American Auto Industry on the Upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization.”
It will aim to examine “how government interference continues to make vehicles expensive and out of reach for American customers and how we can restore competition and choice,” according to the committee website.

Bosses from major companies including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and Tesla have been summoned to appear before the panel on January 14

02/12/2025

A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media
Asked by the News Literacy Project for one word to describe today’s news media, 84% of teens responded with something negative — “biased,” “crazy,” “boring,” “fake, ”bad,” “depressing,” “confusing,” “scary.”
More than half of the teens surveyed believe journalists regularly engage in unethical behaviors like making up details or quotes in stories, paying sources, taking visual images out of context or doing favors for advertisers. Less than a third believe reporters correct their errors, confirm facts before reporting them, gather information from multiple sources or cover stories in the public interest — practices ingrained in the DNA of reputable journalists.
To some degree, teens reflect the attitudes they’re exposed to, particularly when the most prominent politician of their age has made “fake news” a mantra. Experts say few teens follow news regularly or learn in school about the purpose of journalism.
Upon retiring as editor of Newsday, Howard Schneider helped develop the State University of New York system’s first School of Journalism. But instead of teaching future writers, editors or producers, he became drawn to teaching non-journalists about being news consumers.
Now the executive director of SUNY Stony Brook’s Center for News Literacy, Schneider wasn’t surprised about any of the recent survey’s findings, either.
“The negativity, the feeling that news is biased, is just a reflection of how their parents feel,” Schneider said. “The more exposed to news, legitimate news, the more their attitudes turn positive.”
He has developed news literacy programs for school districts. “Students will say, ‘I get my news from YouTube,’” he said. “I say, ‘No, you don’t,’” and explains where the news originates and how to be discerning about what they see.

You don't have to tell Cat Murphy or Lily Ogburn about the attitudes of young people toward journalists.

02/12/2025

St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are looking for volunteer home delivered meal drivers! Make your own schedule. Volunteers can work an hour or two a day; a few days a week; a month - whatever works best for them! Volunteers pick up the meals at the Nutrition Center and receive a roster of clients to deliver to. The average route takes an hour to an hour and a half total.
Drivers are reimbursed 70 cents per mile! Nutrition Centers are open Monday - Friday. Deliveries are between the hours of 10:00 am - 12:30 pm (Depending on the route & length). Nutrition Centers are located in Brasher, Canton, Gouverneur, Morristown and Potsdam.
Home delivered meals are critically important to help our older adults remain in their homes for as long as possible! If you are looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community, please give us a call at 315-386-4730.

02/12/2025

On the meal route, a window into rural aging
In Harry Laughlin’s six years ferrying hot and frozen meals to older adults across Columbia County, he’s encountered plenty of surprises. There was the time he approached a home to find its door ajar, the occupant inside suffering from a seizure. There are days he has to trigger wellness checks when residents don’t answer the door.
The program — open to county residents over 60 regardless of income — is a lifeline for many in the rural county, said administrator Nina Benvenuto. Demand has never been higher, she said, noting that the county’s Office for the Aging has reported a steady rise in the number of requests for the free delivery service in recent years.
That is perhaps not surprising in a region where public transportation is limited and at a time when more adults are choosing to age in place. But Benvenuto, a social worker, sees another reason for the uptick in applicants. “It’s not just a meal,” she said. “It’s socialization. It’s the safety factor.”
Data support that. The vast majority of baby boomers want to remain in their homes as long as possible, but that independence comes at a cost. Surveys show that nearly half of Americans over 60 are lonely, and their social isolation puts them at risk of developing health problems like dementia and heart failure. Benvenuto said that getting a hand-delivered meal is sometimes the only human interaction that the program’s recipients experience in a day.
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli warned earlier this year of a looming crisis of care, even as state funding for senior services has increased by more than $100 million since 2018. Thousands remain on waitlists for in-home assistance, meals and other support, yet the state’s limited data collection “makes it difficult to know who is being left behind or where,” he noted in an August report.

Record demand, rising isolation and looming federal cuts are reshaping Columbia County’s meal program, where drivers deliver food and human interaction.

02/12/2025

Long-awaited $3.6B in heating assistance released to states and tribes
Approximately $3.6 billion in delayed funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, was released Friday to states and tribes, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
The federal funding for LIHEAP, which helps millions of low-income households pay to heat and cool their homes, has been held up during the beginning of the cold-weather season because of the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.
“This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA, said in a statement. “Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.”
States typically receive their allocations at the beginning of November.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the assistance program, has not yet issued a formal public announcement about resumption of the funding. After the federal shutdown ended, HHS said one of its agencies would “work swiftly to administer annual awards,” blaming the delay on congressional Democrats.
Roughly 68% of LIHEAP households also receive SNAP food benefits. Wolfe said delays in both programs during the shutdown “put many households in an even more precarious situation than usual.” While Friday’s funding release is welcome news, he said the need for assistance “remains enormous,” especially given rising energy prices. He noted that arrearages remain near record highs.
https://apnews.com/article/liheap-heating-assistance-shutdown-0edc6a7a1647c5d54e2c0fbf4aa27313