David Sommerstein
David Sommerstein, a contributor from North Country Public Radio (NCPR), has covered the St. Lawrence Valley, Thousand Islands, Watertown, Fort Drum and Tug Hill regions since 2000. Sommerstein has reported extensively on agriculture in New York State, Fort Drum’s engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the lives of undocumented Latino immigrants on area dairy farms. He’s won numerous national and regional awards for his reporting from the Associated Press, the Public Radio News Directors Association, and the Radio-Television News Directors Association. He's regularly featured on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Only a Game, and PRI’s The World.
Sommerstein started his career in radio as a sit-in jazz and Latin DJ at Buffalo NPR affiliate WBFO. He’s a huge baseball fan, speaks fluent Spanish, and hosts a bilingual music show featuring funk, hip hop, Latin and world beats, called The Beat Authority.
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The Onondaga Nation, a Native American tribe in New York, is hosting the world indoor lacrosse championship. It's the first time an indigenous sovereign territory has hosted a major sports tournament.
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Such workshops are being closed across the U.S., more than 15 years after the Supreme Court said separate work settings constitute discrimination. But advocates say clients have nowhere else to go. -
Val James became the first American-born black player in the NHL in 1982. He faced vicious racism, including fans throwing bananas on the ice. After 30 years in silence, he is talking about it now.
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Paul Smith's College, in upstate New York, is among a handful of higher ed institutions offering coursework in craft beer. Be forewarned: The classes are heavier on the science than the partying. -
While snowed-in Buffalo, N.Y. digs out, some Buffaloans are trying to figure out how to get home for Thanksgiving. That includes college students preparing for a difficult drive.
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Bear is traditional American grub, and hunting bear for meat can help control overpopulation. But bear meat isn't going to make its way into restaurants or onto the average dinner table anytime soon. -
For an online community of crafty bakers, a cookie is more than just a crumbly delight. They're taking cookie decorating to new heights of intricacy, from carnival carousels to beach-themed treats. -
A dozen universities are collaborating on a sort of extreme winemaking project: How cold a climate can a grape survive and still make good wine? The Northern Grapes Project is inventing wines the world has never seen before, winning wine awards and creating a new crop for struggling rural economies.
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The expiration of the farm bill has left dairy farmers without a milk pricing program — and a safety net. While all farmers are watching closely, milk producers face an environment where cow feed costs more than cow milk. -
Soldiers at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y., say they are not surprised by the news that more of them will be deploying to Afghanistan. Most of them seem resigned to spending more time in combat, but they say it will be hard on their families.
