News

Results of a background investigation into the developers of a proposed casino in Springfield will be released Monday by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

   MGM Resorts International CEO James Murren has said he’s confident the gaming commission will approve his company to file a final application for a casino license.  Murren has had to repeatedly defend MGM’s business partner in its Macau casino—Pansy Ho, whose father is a reputed Chinese mobster.

A new study projects continued slow population growth for Massachusetts for the next 20 years. Some parts of western Massachusetts could see population declines according to this forecast.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Susan Strate, manager of the Population Estimates Program at the UMass Donahue Institute.

In New York, Orange County officials want to know what the public thinks about a new agriculture plan.

Four congressional representatives are calling for a House committee and subcommittee to hold a hearing on rail safety. Their urging comes following the fatal Metro-North commuter train derailment in the Bronx December 1.

The mayor of Northampton is planning to petition the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for economic relief if a casino is built in Springfield

   Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz fears his city’s vibrant entertainment scene will suffer if a resort casino opens for business just 16 miles away.

    "I'm concerned about what the impacts are of this casino business model,which is obviously trying to get people to come to it, provide entertainment, restaurants ,retail etc with the blessing of the state creating a monopoly in western Massachusetts."

Berkshire County law enforcement officers are getting a bird’s-eye view of the holiday spirit.

With the sun hidden behind the clouds Friday morning, a torch was lit to signify the start of a unique fundraising event.

On Saturday, the Hudson Opera House plays host to the 17th annual Winter Walk, a signature event of the holiday season in the Catskills. It’s a night known for its quirky take on the holidays and for the diversity of entertainment provided.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s commission to study tax cuts appears likely to miss the Friday deadline to report its findings by December 6, after controversy over former Governor George Pataki’s desire to cut income taxes for all wage earners, including the wealthy. 

A Catholic church in Springfield, Massachusetts will hold a memorial mass for Nelson Mandela this weekend.

   The special service will be held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart church on Boston Road in Springfield Sunday evening at 5:30.   Father Bill Pomerleau, who oversees Catholic outreach to the African community in western Massachusetts, will celebrate the mass. He said Mandela is honored as a symbol of freedom and reconciliation.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A Buffalo-built American fighter that's one of the few remaining still-airworthy planes to survive the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is being donated to a Massachusetts-based organization that flies World War II aircraft at living history events across the nation.