North Country Public Radio (NCPR) has recently expanded its news team with two new staff members. In September, Catherine Wheeler took on the position of NCPR’s Arts and Culture reporter, while Richard Haller joined as the St. Lawrence Valley reporter.

Both positions demonstrate the public radio station’s commitment to better serving the North Country through coverage of the region’s vast artistic offerings and providing news to underserved communities.

Wheeler became co-host of NCPR’s flagship morning news program, Northern Light, with Monica Sandreczki in 2024. The program airs each weekday morning at 8 a.m. and features regional news and profiles of artists, musicians and community events.

“For me, arts and culture is a dream beat,” said Wheeler. “Artists make our North Country communities so vibrant. I'm excited to dig into their lives and work, explore the challenges the industry is facing, and examine how our community evolves.”

Wheeler and Sandreczki are now both covering arts and culture in the North Country.

Wheeler has been with NCPR since August 2023, when she joined the staff as the St. Lawrence Valley reporter. She previously was a host for All Things Considered at Iowa Public Radio and earned her master’s degree at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

“Arts are just as integral to a region as politics,” said News Director David Sommerstein. “Supporting arts and cultural institutions is a core pillar of public radio’s mission. That’s what we’re here for. We’re putting our resources to work for something that is mission critical.”

New St. Lawrence Valley reporter Richard Haller came to the station as an intern from SUNY Canton’s communication department in January 2025. While working with the news team, Haller earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award, which recognizes “consistently superior professional achievement” among the student body across the SUNY system.

Haller contributed to dozens of stories during his internship with NCPR, from “No Kings” rallies to SNAP cuts and people facing hunger across the region. Haller is a North Country native, having grown up on a small dairy farm in De Kalb Junction in St. Lawrence County.

“I think the North Country has a lot of really cool opportunities that aren’t in other places,” said Haller. “There’s a lot of community here, but right now we’re seeing a lot of issues with inflation and affordability, so I’m eager to dig deeper into those problems affecting the region.”

Sommerstein noted that the St. Lawrence Valley is NCPR’s original audience and is a region that has lost many journalists over the last 20 years.

“We’re excited that we have a local like Richard, someone who knows a lot about this region,” said Sommerstein. “He has genuine curiosity to learn about the people who make this region what it is, and he has a natural talent for journalism and telling stories.”

The NCPR news team recently won a number of awards, including the 2025 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Public Service in Radio Journalism from the Society for Professional Journalists and two National Edward R. Murrow Awards.

The station produces two daily news programs for broadcast and podcast listening: Northern Light and Story of the Day. News is available anytime through the station’s website and app.

Despite the recent federal funding loss of $670,000, North Country Public Radio continues to expand its news services and music programs. This is possible thanks to the generosity of supporters across the community who helped NCPR fill its initial two-year budget gap and who understand the ongoing impact of the station's federal funding loss.

At a time when other media outlets are consolidating or reducing staff, NCPR continues to adapt to the challenges it still faces by building on new opportunities to further serve the North Country.