News

The silent film era involved a pianist or organist playing along live to the action on the screen.  Today, film enthusiasts seeking a taste of the past can see stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Lillian Gish on digitized reels accompanied by live music. Movie historian Ben Model is the resident accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  He plays at venues around the world and will be appearing in the Adirondacks on Sunday.   He says the technique engages viewers.

NewsChannel 13 Meteorologist Paul Caiano delivers the midday weather summary for July 22, 2017.

Former North Adams Mayor John Barrett is re-entering politics. Having already led the western Massachusetts city for more than two decades, Barrett is running to fill the 1st Berkshire District House seat left vacant by the June death of Gailanne Cariddi. In an exclusive interview, WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief JD Allen spoke with Barrett about his decision to run for the State House. 

The top transportation official in Massachusetts plans to review the service cuts planned by the largest regional transit authority in western Massachusetts.

Cheshire, Massachusetts has formed a committee to find a new use of the town’s shuttered elementary school. 

The future of the Affordable Care Act is uncertain in Washington, and there are several scenarios under consideration. The latest possible changes could impact New York’s relatively healthy health care system.

An exhibit on the Famous Artists School, the popular art correspondence course of the 1950s, is now on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

A lawyer for former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says the U.S. Supreme Court should look at his case after a federal appeals court tossed out his conviction and ordered a retrial.

Meteorologist Garett Argianas delivers the evening weather forecast for Friday, July 21, 2017.

This weekend, an internationally renowned environmentalist and human rights activist will embark on a 170-mile "Water Walk For Life," protesting proposed pipelines that would run from Albany to New Jersey.

   A bill to overhaul the voter-approved marijuana law in Massachusetts is on Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.  With his expected signature, the clock will start ticking toward legal retail marijuana sales in Massachusetts beginning in less than one year.

The director of the Norman Rockwell Museum has come out against the Berkshire Museum’s plans to sell two of the iconic American painter’s works from its collection. 

Today we welcome Michael Lapi, Josh Coletto and John Sconzo to discuss open firing cooking. Michael and Josh are among the chefs taking part in the Fire Feast on the Farm event at Pitney Meadows in Saratoga Springs, New York on August 1. John is the event’s main organizer.  WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

In Orange County, the Goshen Planning Board Thursday night approved the final environmental impact statement for a proposed Legoland New York theme park. Opponents say they will fight the project to the end.

It's been a busy week on the WAMC Listener Comnent Line!  Here are this week's highlights. 

On this week’s 51%, we take a look at women and water, and hear from the young man who walks, sometimes runs, miles and miles to raise awareness about women and water. Plus, we meet one of just two female police chiefs in Vermont, and a playwright confronts the fear of aging. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.

Meteorologist Jordan Sherman delivers the Midday Weather Summary for Friday, July 21, 2017.

Another North Adams City Councilor is stepping into the race for mayor – the first contest without an incumbent in the western Massachusetts city in three decades. Mayor Richard Alcombright is not seeking a fifth term. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief JD Allen spoke with Ronald Boucher about his decision to run.

Saratoga Race Course is now open. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard was at the Spa Friday morning to see what’s new for the 2017 meet.

Two-time Tony Award nominee Jayne Atkinson and Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht stars in Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House, a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist. In the whimsical play, a physician (played by Jayne Atkinson) discovers that her sister (Jessica Hecht) and not her Brazilian cleaning woman has been cleaning her home.

The Williamstown Theatre Festival Main Stage Production is directed by Rebecca Taichman – who just won a Tony for directing the play, Indecent. The Clean House runs through July 29th.

Jayne Atkinson is best known on television for her long-running roles in 24, Criminal Minds, and the current Netlix original series House of Cards. She made her Broadway debut in a revival production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Broadway credits also include The Rainmaker, Our Town, Enchanted April and Blithe Spirit. 

Jessica Hecht has been on television in such shows as Friends, Seinfeld, Breaking Bad and The Good Wife. Hecht was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress for her role in A View From The Bridge on Broadway. Other recent productions include Harvey, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, and she just finished a run in Arthur Miller’s The Price with Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito. 

Last Month at the Tony’s, for the seventh time in the history of the Tony Awards, a woman’s name was announced as the winner of Best Director of a Play and that woman was Rebecca Taichman, who directed and co-created, along with playwright Paula Vogel, Indecent. 

Indecent also marked Rebecca’s Broadway debut, after years of directing at major Off-Broadway and regional theatres including her frequent collaborations with playwrights like Sarah Ruhl.

Even though Taichman won the Tony, the show was set to close June 25th. But in a rare turnaround, the producer, citing an outpouring of public support for the show, decided to keep “Indecent” open through August 6th at the Cort Theatre.

Now, she is in Williamstown, MA to direct Jayne Atkinson and Jessica Hecht in The Clean House by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. The show opens July 19th and runs through July 29th on the Main Stage. 

The Dorset Theatre Festival in Dorset, VT continues its 40th Anniversary Season with the Regional Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery under the direction of Jen Wineman runs through July 29.

In Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its latest heir.

The ensemble cast is led by Liz Wisan whose portrayal of Sherlock Holmes will lend a fresh twist to the much-beloved sleuth. She is joined by Dave Quay as Dr. John Watson, the detective’s trusted confidant. 

This summer SculptureNow and The Mount are proud to present NEXUS a new, juried exhibition featuring 30 large-scale, outdoor sculptures placed throughout the grounds of The Mount.

The exhibition is on display now through Halloween.

The show includes regionally, nationally and internationally recognized artists. To tell us more we welcome Ann Jon, Executive Director of SculptureNow and for all things at Edith Wharton, we welcome Susan Wissler, Executive Director at Edith Wharton’s The Mount. 

New York has 27 members of Congress. Vermont has one.

In today’s Congressional Corner, Vermont Representative Peter Welch speaks with WAMC’s Alan Chartock.

The Center For Law and Justice recently issued a letter of support for community policing on the University at Albany campus, whose police chief J. Frank Wiley has come under fire for adhering to the policy. The city of Albany has gained national recognition for its community policing philosophy. As Albany police begin outfitting officers with body cameras, WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas spoke with the Center's executive director Alice Green about how the devices might alter the police-community dynamic.

     The longest-serving current mayor in western Massachusetts is not seeking re-election this year to a ninth term.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, Siena College Professor of Economics Aaron Pacitti, former Regional Administrator of Region 2 of the EPA Judith Enck, and Counter-Terrorism Expert and MSNBC Commentator Malcolm Nance.

WAMC's Dr. Alan Chartock discusses President Trump's inquisition into special counsel Robert Mueller, his questions about possible pardoning, and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

NYRA:

Today marks the 149th opening day at Saratoga race course. During the 40 days of racing, there will be approximately 400 total races and 69 of them will be stakes races worth a record $18,775 million. The centerpiece of the meet, as always, will be the $1.25 million Travers Stakes for 3-year-olds. Gates open today at 11 am and the first race is expected to start at 1 pm.

Meteorologist Jordan Sherman's weather forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny with highs ranging form the 80s to low 90s. Wind will be generally light out of the northwest.

Tonight: Mostly clear and cool. Lows ranging from the low to mid 60s with light wind

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny skies becoming partly to mostly cloudy. Increasing showers and thunderstorms late afternoon into the evening. Highs range from the mid 70s to upper 80s.