Literally years in the making, NorthCountryNow.com has launched a new website aimed at improving delivery of news, advertising and events to viewers and subscribers.

Work on the upgraded site began two years ago and involved thousands of hours of time by the staff of North Country This Week / North Country Now and Creative Circle Media Services of Rhode Island. Creative Circle has helped redesign more than 350 web sites and 650 publications. 

The new NorthCountryNow.com is designed to be more user-friendly, with larger typefaces for stories, more photos and better display. 

"We are pleased to provide St. Lawrence County with a cutting-edge local news website,” said Publisher Bill Shumway. “We hope area residents appreciate the cleaner appearance and new features.”

In addition to a fresher appearance, the new site is capable of offering new features now and in the future and even allows users to post and promote their own events.

Viewers can now click on the North Country This Week logo at the top of all pages to view current and past issues. After selecting an issue, in the upper right, viewers can click the “TV screen” icon to view in full screen and the double arrow icon just to the right to choose a variety of viewing options. Viewers on phones will appreciate being able to now enlarge the page, a feature that was not previously available.

A new day-by-day calendar is featured in the third column of the homepage on desktop and accessed by the “Calendar” button in the blue toolbar on phones. The calendar can be displayed by a specific day or the entire calendar can be viewed at any time. Organizations are now also able to submit information about their upcoming events at any time after setting up an account.

Although the appearance has changed, viewers and subscribers will find the local content they've come to enjoy remains.

“Although there are always some growing pains, I believe the new website will allow us to better display our work and improve the user experience,” News Editor Jimmy Lawton said. “We’re able to display high-quality photos and we’ve added an events calendar that’s displayed on our homepage.”

Five full-time editors and reporters keep NorthCountryNow.com updated with news about St. Lawrence County government, police, fire, community events, obituaries and other issues 365 days a year from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The site relies on both advertising and subscriptions to provide the financial resources necessary to provide comprehensive local news service. 

“We hope area residents appreciate the valuable local news service provided by North Country Now,” said Shumway. “Your support is essential for us to continue providing the important service.”

To ensure full access to all stories, viewers can subscribe for about the cost of a cup of coffee a week. 

To subscribe, go to https://northcountrynow.creativecirclemedia.com/subscribe/? or click the “Subscribe” button in the blue toolbar on desktop and below the blue toolbar on mobile.