- Tonight on WPBS Weekly Inside the stories.

We share our favorite stories of 2025.

A pet cancer diagnosis is more likely than you might think.

Discover how Paws4Potter is bringing awareness to cancer detection in your furry friends.

Then we head to Garnsey's Feral Acres in Chaumont.

A sanctuary where farm animals are cared for and the community is learning to do the same.

Also, Kingston's Town Crier brings history to life, with every call.

Delivering important announcements and proclamations to the community.

Your stories, your region.

Coming up right now on WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories - WPBS weekly, Inside the Stories is brought to you by: - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

The Carthage Walk-in Clinic is here for you, located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the North Country strong, at claxtonhepburn.org today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State legislator administered by the St.

Lawrence County Arts Council.

- Good Tuesday evening everyone, and welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories, I'm Michael Riecke.

As 2025 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on this year by sharing some of our producer's favorite stories.

Earlier this year, we met a lovable canine named Luna, who at seven years old was diagnosed with cancer through the care of her owner, Jen Loonan and support from Paws4Potter, they were able to detect Luna's cancer early and seek treatment.

WPBS producer Luke Smith has the story.

- Come on sweetheart.

She may look old, but she's one tough pup.

Her name is Luna.

And for this canine things haven't always been easy.

- She is about 10 years old.

We adopted her about five years ago from the SPCA.

We did adopt her with her seeing Eye Dog brother as a bonded pair because Luna is blind.

When we adopted Luna and Shadow, we actually lost shadow to a very aggressive form of mast cell tumor cancers.

And then shortly after that, Luna got her diagnosis.

- Luna's cancer was treated by veterinarian and founder of Paws4Potter, Kyle Stevenson.

Her mission is to help detect pet cancer early and treated.

And for Luna, that's just what she did.

- When we found out that Luna also had a mast cell tumor, Jen was absolutely devastated because she had a really bad experience with shadows, mast cell tumor, which was very aggressive and metastatic.

It had spread.

Luckily with Luna, her mast cell tumor was not aggressive, and we found it super, super early because Jen was so diligent about looking Luna over all the time for any new lumps or bumps or any problems that she might have.

- Paws4Potter was a nonprofit organization bringing awareness to early cancer detection in pets, whether canine, feline, or equine.

They've been able to help pets like Luna live longer, healthier lives.

- When I created Paws4Potter back in 2016, my goal was to reach out to the communities locally and eventually more broadly than that, to make them more aware of pet cancer being something that their pet could have.

There are so many people I talk to that don't even realize that pet cancer is even a possibility.

And unfortunately, one out of four dogs are going to develop cancer at some point in their lifetimes.

And there are some studies that say it's even one in three and half of those are going to die because of that cancer.

And oftentimes it's because we don't detect it early enough.

- I think going through cancer the first time you learn that it's not a death sentence that you can treat it.

So we knew that we would do everything we could to to try and treat it.

And thankfully it was a good outcome for Luna.

She's been cancer free for almost three years now.

Her mast cell tumor was curative with surgical removal.

- But some pets aren't as lucky as Luna.

Something Kyle knows all too well after losing her dog potter to cancer in 2015, - I had a horrible experience with pet cancer with my own dog.

Don't get me wrong.

And there are numerous people out there, Jen included, that didn't have good experience with cancer, but she's had two dogs that did have really good lives with cancer, with being able to treat them.

And we caught both of them early.

And if I could provide that hope, that awareness to even just one person every single day, that fills my cup up so much more than anything else does in my life.

Paws4Potter - Is an amazing organization.

They, the education that they do in the local community, the events that they do are fun, are fun and help.

You're supporting a great cause while you're having fun.

And then it's just amazing to get to know people and share experiences, whether it's linked to dot, whether it's linked to canine or feline cancer, or whether you're just hanging out with somebody else's dog having fun.

- Paws4Potter has gone on to raise $80,000 towards the National Canine Cancer Foundation.

Bringing awareness for dozens of pets in the community and for many early cancer detection isn't just important.

It can be lifesaving.

- I think the best advice I could give people is just be aware of your dog or your pet.

Have them tested if you think that something is going, if something is odd with them, just see your vet, have lumps tested, have an have routine blood work done.

If you catch cancer early enough, you can have a good outcome.

Not to say that you always will.

Some forms are aggressive, but your best bet is to detect it early and then don't be scared of the treatment.

- I want pet owners to be their own heroes.

I want them to be the hero for their, for their pet and be an advocate for their pets.

So the first thing to do is be diligent about looking at their pet.

Even if it's once a month, pick a day on the calendar and say, this is the day that I'm gonna check them over from nose to tail and look for anything abnormal that might be different from, you know, a week ago.

And if there is something, and if it's not quite right and it's continuing on for a little bit, that's the time to give your bed a call In Watertown for WPBS Weekly, I'm Luke Smith.

For more information, you can find them at paws4potter.com.

We continue our look back at our favorite stories of 2025 with a trip to Garnsey's Feral Acres.

What started with one newborn Piglet has grown into a sanctuary for cows, sheep, ducks, and all types of farm animals.

Since 2013, Jeff and Julie Garnsey have been on a mission to change the way we see and care for animals often overlooked in everyday life.

- Hi Ferdanand.

Hi, baby.

If there was something that I could do for an animal that was physically within my power or reach to do that, I was always gonna do it - For Jeff Garnsey every animal on his farm has a name and a story.

- I love you.

Yes, I do.

- It's part of his mission at Garnsey's Feral Acres, an animal sanctuary helping the community see farm animals in the new light.

- Is that like the softest teddy bear you've ever felt?

Isn't that a wonderful?

Yay!

He is.

Garnsey's Feral acres is is a place that gives sanctuary, sometimes rehabilitation to usually large animals.

Generally animals that don't have other protections under the law that are considered to be personal property rather than animals.

We've got lambs, we've got full-sized goats, we've got Nubian goats, we have birds like the guineas that you hear behind you.

We have a lone rooster that has no idea how to be a rooster.

We've got geese, we have got lots and lots of cats.

- Jeff cares for more than 80 creatures, no matter how big or small.

And with help from the community, that number keeps rising.

- Jeff called me for some help with his pigs that needed some work.

I don't generally do pig work, but I made an exception because he said that he was a rescue and not a production type of situation and not a pet type of situation.

- I grew up on a farm and I'm familiar with farm animals and I grew up with horses and I have a pretty good read on animals, so I wasn't too afraid - Happy right there.

- What I enjoy the most about volunteering here at the farm is I get a chance to help animals.

And more than that, the animals also help me in turn.

It's very therapeutic.

It gives me peace of mind and it makes me feel good about myself.

- You so handsome.

Farm animals are difficult to care for in a rescue type of setting because most of them are herd animals.

So you can't just have one cow, one donkey, one pig.

You generally have to have multiples in order for them to have a good social life.

And that is a big part of any type of animal.

And you need to have good socializations.

- There's an order of things and everybody expects you to be dad every day.

And everyone thinks that they're the favorite.

And everyone thinks that you are the one that he loves or she loves and you love back and you have to deliver on that promise every single day.

And that is, it's a bit of magic.

- It's a promise.

Jeff, Dr.

Becky, and volunteers for animals like Pepa of Pig who came into garden care in 2013.

- Doc Becky was here and she did the initial assessment and she said, this one's probably not going to make it because her fib and tib are destroyed.

She could tell, you could tell by the secondary inflammation that there was some real systemic damage in that left region.

And what I heard was, so you're saying there's a chance.

The surgeon came out and he told me, it's 1000/1 odds at the best that she even survives the surgery.

And it took two and a half hours, and she was supposed to be in physical therapy and aftercare at Cornell for three months.

She came home in five days and she was supposed to be fitted with the prosthesis at about six months, 900 pounds later.

She had absolutely normal growth and she's had a normal life and she was the pig that was never gonna make it.

And because of her, at least a dozen animals that I know of have been rescued, - Jeff is very dedicated to these animals and I just want him to succeed as best as possible.

- The endless efforts by Jeff and Crew have made the Feral Acres a place where small miracles onboard every day.

- Jeff's personality is probably the thing that I like best about working up here.

He's just so friendly all the time and so positive all the time, and pretty much lets me do whatever I think is medically necessary for the animals.

And so that is a lot of freedom.

We don't have to deal with some of the constraints that I have on production farms, like, you know, value of animal versus input on medications and things along those Right in front of his mouth.

There you go.

He'll take it from you.

He's not, (scream) he's not gonna hurt you - From animals still need help.

And many are still waiting for a warm human touch.

To keep his vision alive, more support is needed.

- Supporting community organizations like Garnsey's Feral Acres means the world to me, because more often than not, people view farm animals specifically as just livestock when they're really worthy of our kindness.

And in the absence of federal funding, these animals wouldn't have this home.

And it, it means the world to me that we have the opportunity to take care of these animals.

If you like animals, - This is going to be something that you've never experienced before because every animal here is just waiting to touch the next heart that it sees.

And every animal is approachable, friendly, and socialized.

And if you feel like there's a little something missing in your free time or in what you do on a day-to-day basis, you should definitely give this a shot because there's a place for almost anyone - In Chaumont, for WPBS weekly, I'm - Gahyun Ku To learn more or to volunteer, visit Garnseysferalacres.com.

We're looking back at our favorite stories of 2025.

The role of the Town Crier dates back centuries serving as the original news broadcaster delivering important announcements and proclamations to the community.

In Kingston, Ontario, this vibrant tradition is kept alive by the city's very own town crier who brings history to life with every call.

- (Town Crier cries) Clad in vibrant regalia and a voice that can carry across centuries.

Kingston's Town Crier has been a cornerstone of this historic city for 40 years.

What started as a one year commitment quickly turned into a lifelong calling.

- In 1984, it was the bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of Ontario.

And across the province, they had created this historical reenactment of town crying.

And each little town in Ontario would, would basically compete, you know, have competitions to see who would be their town crier.

And of course, I was, you know, I'm not shy by any means, but I had no idea what it was all about.

And I I sort of left it to the last minute.

And we got to Henry VIII outfit together, we found some lace that was left over and picked up a straw cowboy hat, and then basically spray painted it, made it look into a tricorn hat, borrowed my sister's long white stockings.

On the Sunday, I went down with a proclamation I had written with my best friend who is, is now fairly well known in Canada as a great actor Randy Houston.

Taped it together with masking tape and went on Sunday and did it and read it and won.

- The Town Crier role extends beyond just announcements.

It's a bridge between Kingston's past and present, fostering community spirit and connecting residents to their shared history.

- Chris Wyman is an institution here in Kingston.

He's probably one of the, the best community ambassadors that I have ever seen.

He is incredibly enthusiastic, he supportive, and just the sheer range of events that he will go to and help and support is, is really, really amazing.

It's honestly, I think it's fair to say, it's hard to imagine Kingston without the Town Crier.

- Four decades of service is a milestone few achieve.

And for Kingston's Town Crier, it's been a journey filled with both personal and civic pride.

From proclaiming local milestones and welcoming international visitors to delivering personal announcements like wedding proposals.

- I've done so many, so many cries for international media that's come to Kingston.

I've done cries in Chinese, Spanish, Russian, German, French.

The hardest ones are, are, are for celebrations of life.

Especially if you know the person or you know the family.

They're hard to do and and keep your emotions stable.

I mean, I've cried for funeral directors.

You know, when they come to Kingston.

I've done NATO.

With the NATO you have to be a real diplomatic for that one.

When I've done two in my career, two proposals of marriage.

The second one was a few years back, which was in Market Square.

And that was a good one.

It was for a old high school friend of mine.

And I had written two endings.

I had written two endings.

One was a yes and one was a if she said no.

So I was so glad I didn't have to do the no one.

'cause she said yes.

And they're still together.

I think it was 10 years ago.

- His proclamations definitely captures attention, but it's his personal interactions that have left an indelible mark on the community.

From children in awe of his booming voice, to residents who find comfort in his familiar presence, the town criers impact is deeply felt in Kingston's daily life.

- I've lost count of the number of events that we would both show up at, but I can tell you he is very much a local celebrity.

And so I can tell you if there's an event, and it's myself and the town crier, it's, it's the town crier that that gets the requests for, for selfies and for photos.

And the kids are so attracted to him and adults want to meet him as well.

And so I think that that just speaks to, right, just the notoriety that he has and just the impact that he's had on the community.

- The role of the town crier dates back centuries to a time when literacy was limited and newspapers were a rarity.

Town criers were the original news broadcasters delivering royal decrees on market days and community news to the public square.

- See, people think it's a colonial thing or a British thing.

It's not really it, it can be anything.

Town crier started back in Greece.

So town crier would work for the mayor or for the king or for royalty.

And he would be told to go out on the streets and say good things.

But sometimes bad things like, we need more bushels of hay, we need more of this from for taxes, you know.

And of course when the town crier went out and started saying that for the king, they would throw rocks at the town crier.

And, you know, basically he became a target.

And then the, the king decreed that anyone that harmed the town crier was a would be treasonous to the king, to the crown.

So that's where don't shoot the messenger came from - Over the time the role has evolved from bearers of authority to beloved community figures today, Kingston's Town Crier is deeply honored to serve as a symbol of tradition and unity.

Sharing moments of joy, celebration and reflection with the community he holds dear.

- The amount of time and effort that he puts into that role, the number of evenings and weekends that he's going out in the community, performing, doing events, supporting all sorts of different causes and events throughout the community.

I think it takes a special individual that has that level of commitment to support, to support the city.

And so I think it's, you know, it's a combination of a, of a really special individual, a very unique gift that's really made the Town Crier what he is here - To be part of different things that have happened in Kingston over 40 years.

I mean, I officially opened the big center.

They're now called the Slush Puppy Place.

I opened that originally.

I opened a new Providence Care Hospital.

I've opened a Wob and Crossing.

Usually I open the events with the mayor and over the course of probably 10 mayors.

We've, we've been together a few times at various different events.

It's a lot of fun - For WPBS Weekly.

I'm Gail Paquette.

Here ends this proclamation!

- Wrapping up our look back at our favorite stories of 2025.

You may remember the campy spectacle driven antics of the seventies and eighties, but today's roller derby is a genuinely competitive sport where players rely on athleticism strategy and teamwork on the track.

Take a look.

- I gotta go get my ref uniform on.

Yes.

And I was practicing my whistles.

- Kingston Roller Derby is a women's flat track derby association, affiliated roller derby league.

They focus on athleticism, self-confidence, and having fun.

We made our way to the Kingston Memorial Center to catch their triple header season opener.

- At our very first game, we had 2000 people in attendance.

So we, we haven't met that again, but I feel our community does definitely support us.

The first game here was in 2011.

And so at that time we actually had the Stateful Dead, the Rogue Warriors and the DisloyaLists.

So those were our three starting teams.

They all started with some of the founding members.

In the pandemic We reneged on like that.

The third team, we just didn't have the bodies, but we were able to keep our WFTDA a charter team and then the, the stateful dead our home team.

- So we have been training since January as a team.

We have multiple teams.

We have the Rogue Warriors, which is the charter team, and then the Stateful Dead, which is the B team.

And we've skated as a whole league together.

We've also had individual robes practices to be able to figure out who works best together, who, you know, there's all sorts of dynamics on the track.

There's different positions.

So trying to figure out who fits best, where and who works best with other people.

- Yeah, so as a team, the Stateful Dead and the Rogue Warriors, we all practice as one big team.

But the big difference is that the Rogue Warriors are our charter team.

So that means that we are sanctioned.

So whenever we play bouts like we are today, our scores are sent off to WFTDA, which is kind of like the big roller derby motherboard.

And the Skateful Dead on the other hand is our home team.

Yeah, - Roller Derby has a long history of being a welcoming and affirming space for LGBTQ+ plus athletes.

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association implemented a formal gender policy in 2015, allowing transgender and non-binary athletes to participate - With inclusivity in sports.

I think this sport is posed to be, continue to be that place for people who might not have a spot somewhere else.

So we are so stoked to continue to be that spot for people.

So if you identify as a female, you can play with us.

Transgender we do not ask questions, it's none of my business.

If you wanna be here and if you want to challenge yourself and be part of our team in League, you are very welcome here.

- So one of the big reasons I'm so excited to have my daughter join me as part of the roller derby community is because we as a roller derby community are really inclusive and really welcoming.

Being able to share that with her and have her be part of that is something that's really important to me.

- One thing that I love about roller derby is that we're always trying to learn.

For example, roller derby in the past has been for cis women only.

So one thing that WFTDA has done is kind of included trans folks.

We can see that inclusivity rolling out through their policies and how they welcome people into the sport.

- Roller derby is a sport that values friendship and teamwork.

Having one junior's team, one home team, and one charter team.

In addition to positions for non-skating officials, referees, and general volunteers.

Kingston Roller Derby is an organization that will find a place for every individual interested in the sport.

- Yeah, being part of the Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association, we have to play a minimum number of competitive games a year.

We need to, obviously there's a financial commitment as well to that, but it gives us access, you know, to all of their resources as well.

So while Kingston isn't ranked very high in those rankings, we still are in it to have fun.

And it's not necessarily our main goal to move up in rankings, it's more we're still a funner league.

we're committed to fun.

- If you're interested in trying roller derby, do it.

It's amazing, roller skating.

I had never skated in my life before I went to my very first practice.

And roller derby teams are so welcoming as, as you're gonna see today in the bout, there's people of all, all shapes and sizes and there's a place for you on a roller derby team if you're a fast little sneaky jammer and can dodge through and be a little gazelle.

That's not my deal.

I'm more of a barreling, you know, like grizzly bear type of person.

Any, any niche you can find in this community, we are, we welcome you with open Arms.

- I started playing roller derby in my first year of university when I was in Guelph, Ontario.

And the sport really gave me community when I didn't have it.

I was new in Guelph and I didn't know anyone, so it was a really safe haven for meeting people.

It was a lot of like, like-minded folks.

So it was like instantly connections all over the place.

I was also not out before I joined Roller Derby and Roller Derby was the first place that I saw kind of like mundane queer friendships, like queer love.

And it's also where I met my wife.

So I met my wife playing roller derby.

So I cannot say enough about all of the reasons why I love Derby.

It's a great source of community.

Yeah, try roller derby.

It's fun.

- From the Kingston Memorial Center in Kingston, Ontario for WPBS Weekly, I'm Guy Carlo.

- And to learn more, you can just visit kingstonrollerderby.com.

Well that does it for this episode of WPBS Weekly.

If you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we'd love to learn more.

All you need to do is send us an email at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for tonight.

Everyone have a safe evening, happy New Year.

We'll see you next time.

Take care.

- WPBS weekly.

Inside the Stories is brought to you by - When you're unable to see your primary care provider.

The Carthage Walk-in Clinic is here for you, located off Route 26 across from Carthage Middle School.

Comfort and Healing Close to home when you need it most - North Country Orthopedic Group is there for your urgent ortho or sports related injuries.

With our onsite surgical center and same or next day appointments, we're ready to provide care for patients of all ages.

Your health matters to us.

North Country Orthopedic Group, keeping healthcare local.

- We are the north country.

We're protecting one another like family is who we are and where our tomorrow will always be worth defending.

Find out how we keep the north Country strong, claxtonhepburn.org today.

- Select musical performances are made possible with funds from the statewide Community Regrant program, a REGRANT program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State legislator administered by the St.

Lawrence County Arts Council.

- We don't have to deal with some of the constraints that I have on production farms, like, you know, value of animal versus input on medications and things along those lines.

- Nope, right in front of his mouth.

There you go.

He'll take it from you.

He's not gonna, he's not gonna hurt you.

(Laughter)