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Medal streak ends for Andrew Weibrecht in super-G

Andrew Weibrecht, the alpine skier from Lake Placid, skied off course yesterday in Pyeonchang and didn't finish his run in the Super G downhill competition. It was the only Olympic event for Weibrecht this year, so he's officially done for these Winter Games. 

There's still a lot of Olympic action to come through the weekend for North Country athletes, including more biathlon races for Tim Burke and Lowell Bailey, and possibly another race for Maddie Phaneuf from Old Forge. Her health remains in question after she came down with strep throat.   

 There are also more hockey matches -- we’re watching USA forward Jordan Greeway of Canton -- and bobsled races with a sledder from Whitehall in Washington County.

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Tough break for Old Forge’s Maddie Phaneuf. She woke up with strep throat this morning and was taken out of the 15k individual biathlon. She still could compete in the team relay.

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"The first time I got evicted and I didn’t have a place to go and I had a bag of clothes. I hid them in the bushes where I slept. And that’s when the bathrooms used to be open all the time. And that’s how you’d take your shower… you’d get cleaned up – you didn’t take shower, you got cleaned up or you washed your shirt with – if you had a bar of soap. That’s how I lived." What is it like to be you? "I try to be… I’m happy. I don’t get mad. I can’t get mad. I can’t. And that’s me. If you see me sitting down there by Mr. Subs and I’m out there sitting, I’ll wave, if you wave, I’ll wave. I’ll smile I don’t care. I’m not going to come up to somebody and say, oh, I’ll give you whole list of what’s wrong today. No. Who’s going to want to hear it? Nobody. Nobody will." You use the word homeless, do you feel at home anywhere? "You know, for me, I’ll speak for myself, I have a place now – I can’t be in it. I’m not used to, for once, to have something where I could say ‘Oh man, this is mine.' I see the sun come up – I’m gone. I’ll go, ‘Why in the hell are you doing this here when you could to at home?' No. Because I know, in a couple minutes it could be gone – and then where am I anyway?" Howie Moritz, 57, was born in Watertown and returned here after serving in the military. During his life he's been homeless off and on for eight years. He shared this experience of being homeless and how he navigates his life. He found a home this year on January 29. His story coming soon on North Country Public Radio. ‪#‎homefrontfortdrum‬ ‪#‎findingamerica‬ #veteran #veterans #militaryportraits #homelessness #homelessveterans #humansofthearmy #watertown #northcountry (at Veterans Memorial Riverwalk)

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54 times the North Country went national this year

We talk a lot about ‘punching above our weight’ around here. And then, we go do it. All around the North Country.

This year our team of reporters took North Country reporting to the national stage 54 times (Morning Edition, Here & Now, All Things Considered, The World and National Native News).

We gave local context to nationally debated issues and events like solitary confinement, minimum wage and the Dannemora prison break. We highlighted the beauty and quirkiness of the place we call home by bringing listeners from all over the country to our favorite donut shop, swimming holes and sporting events.

We asked hard questions. We highlighted innovation. We had fun.

And how? With your support. You, our audience, are punching above your weight too. If you’re wondering where your money went last year — it went right here. It made these stories possible.

Help us do again this year. Give right now at www.ncpr.org/give.

And, while you're over at www.ncpr.org take a look at the 54 stories ... No! Make that 63 (we missed a few originally and another NCPR story went national just as this post published)!

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"I mean, when I came off heroin last time, it made my flashbacks ten times worse. But, like I said, being addicted to the heroin is what numbed my senses, my feelings, my awareness to that pain. We lost one guy in country. We’ve lost triple that here state side from suicide, drug addictions and BS here state side." When did you know you were addicted? Is it a moment? "You never know that you’re addicted. Because if you did, you would never become addicted. I don’t mean to say this to you or belittle you in any way, because I understand that you’re trying to find out information and get different points of view with the situation – but if we all knew that we were addicted, who would be addicted to cigarettes? Who would be addicted to alcohol? Pot? Coke? Crack? It doesn’t matter because once you realize that you need it every day, you’re already screwed because you’re to that point where you need that to survive, to complete your day, to make you feel complete. Thirty years old, I was twenty nine when I did it. The first time I ever did it, guess what? I’m a grown ass man – raised my right hand, signed myself up for the army. I got children. So guess what? At the end of the day, I let somebody put that needle in my arm." I met Jonathan Dugin in Watertown, NY. He was in the Army until 2007 and saw some of the heaviest combat in the military while deployed. He was six days sober from heroin when we talked. He shared with me about his experience of dealing with the daily struggle of staying clean and what keeps him going. Listen to North Country Public Radio to hear Jonathan's story. Coming soon. #findingamerica #homefrontfortdrum #ftdrum #fortdrum #ftdrumny #veterans #veteran #heroin #addiction #ptsd #militarystories #militaryportraits #army #humansoffortdrum #humansofthearmy (at Watertown, New York)

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"We met in Germany in a laundromat. That’s a classical situation. I never went to the laundromat, but my colleague’s washing machine had broken down. So we decided to go and here he was. At first I thought, I don’t care, I don’t want an American. But then he invited us both for dinner that same evening. Very classy.” What was it about her? “I don’t know. I just liked her. I just liked everything about her.” Will and Christa Harris met 26 years ago in Germany while Will was stationed there in the military. They live together in Watertown, NY where Will came to work at Fort Drum. Will suffered from injuries and PTSD as a result of his combat deployment during the Gulf War. He earned a Purple Heart for his time there. Returning home, Will and Christa spent years working through what wasn’t even known as PTSD. “The military didn’t recognize it at the time. We had to figure it out on our own.” #findingamerica #humansofthearmy #homefrontfortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #militarystories #militaryportraits #ptsd #gulfwar #veteran #veterans #humansofthearmy #humansoffortdrum (at Watertown, New York)

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It’s such an honor to be on your dial, phones, laptops, etc, etc, etc. Also, #ducksforNCPR!

Help us keep going by giving right now at www.ncpr.org.

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We love sitting around the table w/ you every day!

Help keep us going by giving right now at www.ncpr.org/give.

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We're kicking off our Spring Fundraiser today! Help us get this thing done quickly by giving right now at www.ncpr.org/give.

PS - We can't imagine life in the #NorthCountry without all of you either. You're why we do what we do.

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'Don't let the bed bugs bite,' easier said than done in Watertown

Watertown, NY is  dealing with bed bugs and all the stigma that comes with them. But, fear not, James Williams, Jr. — #superhero, defender against bedbugs — is on the job inspecting donations at the Impossible Dream Thrift Store.

Full story here: http://goo.gl/i3CeEG

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“I saw the towers fall from my office building. That’s what made me want to join the United States Army. I couldn’t believe it was happening in our back yard, actually our front yard. I was outraged. I wanted to do something." Alexander Marmer signed up for the United States National Reserves on October 10, 2001, less than a month after witnessed the September 11th attacks in New York City. Marmer was born in eastern Ukraine in Donetsk. He served in the compulsory Soviet military just before Ukrainian independence in 1991. Months after independence he left to Israel and eventually the United States. “We also had a lot of death in the family. My cousin died in Israel in one of the suicide bombings in ’96. He was 16 and on a bus to visit his sister and a suicide bomber blew up the bus.” Marmer spent the last three years in the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Drum waiting for the appropriate medical designation to exit the Army. Here he is on the second to last day of his stay at Fort Drum. More coming at ncpr.org/homefront and #homefrontfortdrum #findingamerica #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #10thmountain #veterans #foreignveterans #army #humansofthearmy #veteran #ukraine #sovietunion #donetsk (at Fort Drum Warrior Transition Unit)

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“I hold close the memories and stories my grandmother, who was full-blooded Indian, told me. She always told us, ‘Be proud of who you are. Never let anyone change it.’ She came from the Mohawk reservation in Hogansburg, New York. I would die today to let people know I’m Native American Indian. When I went in the military back in 1978 as a young kid I let everybody know I was a Native American Indian. But I also let them know I came from the United States and I was proud to be an American. Now, I don’t feel proud to be an American like I used to. It started when I left the military. I had the VA tell me the medicine I need to stop my blackouts cost too much. So I can give my life for them, but they can’t give me a medicine that will save mine. And so, I’m disappointed in our nation.” Ricky Gates served in the US military from 1978 - 1989. He has lived in upstate NY all his life, and is now retired. #homefrontfortdrum #findingamerica #militarystories #army #humansofthearmy #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #nativeamerican #nativeamericanveterans #nny #veteran #americanpride (at Watertown, New York)

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Yesterday was photography-training-day for all of our reporters! It's so much fun to get to be all together every one and a while.

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Despite the weather, Lauren & Brit spent the early afternoon talking journalism and narrative storytelling with this semester's @natureupnorth interns!

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‎Ottawa‬ and ‪#Gatineau‬’s Winterlude runs through February 15, but things are starting to melt. All was still frozen as thousands turned out for opening weekend last Saturday.

Check out our photo slideshow featuring a 15 foot snow walrus — and lots of cute kids in oversized winter coats.

FULL STORY: http://goo.gl/LP3yi4

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"We work well together, especially because she's more organized than me." I met Meredith and Spencer on my first weekend in town to work for NCPR on Homefront: Fort Drum, telling stories of Fort Drum soldiers and their families. Spencer is stationed at Fort Drum, and Meredith moved here this summer to be with him. Meredith invited me to their wedding reception in Sackets Harbor this November, and I was able to capture this sweet exchange. I'm so honored to be invited into intimate moments to observe and capture the lives of people in this area. Do you have any stories about Fort Drum you want to share? Know anyone who might? Get in touch here, tag them below, or send a message to [email protected]. --Meredith (Homefront producer) #FindingAmerica #HomefrontFortDrum #fortdrum #ftdrum #fortdrumny #northcountry #military #army #armylife #armywedding #sacketsharbor #portraits #militaryportraits #humansofFortDrum (at Sacket Harbor)

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@andrewbouvia at @fiveanddimetattoos in Carthage, #NY does custom tattoos for soldiers at Fort Drum. He specializes in American traditional style. He says soldiers are asking for happier tattoos than a few years ago. Follow more at @homefront_fortdrum #findingamerica #fortdrum #carthage #fortdrumny #ftdrum #tattoos #armytattoo #fortdrumlife #military #Army #armylife #portraits #humansoffortdrum #soldiers #militarytattoo (at Five and Dime Tattoo)