News

In an article March 6th in the left-leaning magazine The Nation, Vermont Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders told interviewer John Nichols that he is “prepared to run for president of the United States.” What does his home state think about that? 

Black market tobacco is big business in Massachusetts. Stricter enforcement and tougher penalties are needed to discourage illegal cigarette smuggling.  Those are the key findings of the nine-member Illegal Tobacco Commission, which was created last year by the state Legislature to look at the problem and recently issued a final report.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Massachusetts revenue commissioner Amy Pitter, who chaired the Illegal Tobacco Commission.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has begun removing trees around a reservoir in Ulster County to limit the impact of an invasive beetle.

The New York City DEP Friday announced it has started the removal of some 2,000 ash trees to limit the impact of the emerald ash borer.

A recent Oscar winner has roots in the Berkshires. Pittsfield, Mass. native Caitrin Rogers co-produced 20 Feet From Stardom which received the Oscar for best documentary. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Jim Levulis spoke with Rogers about her experiences and the film which chronicles the lives of backup singers for some of music’s headliners.

A gay rights group banned from Boston’s St Patrick’s Parade may march in Holyoke.

   Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse extended an invitation to MassEquality to join Holyoke’s St Patrick’s Parade and a spokesman for the group said it is under consideration.   The Holyoke High School Gay Straight Alliance, which was founded by Morse, has lined up a sponsor to get a spot in the parade.

A woman who received a letter about the potential use of eminent domain to make way for a natural gas pipeline says she and others met with state officials to express concerns about the plan by Vermont Gas.

Officials are looking to raise $20 million to restore a century old landmark in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. 

   The Springfield Campanile – a 300 foot tower that stands between City Hall and Symphony Hall-- requires extensive structural repairs due to age and exposure to the elements, according to the city’s director of buildings Patrick Sullivan.

  " The interior structural steel is rusting and it is pushing out on the limestone blocks. So we need to take the blocks off and treat the steel."

A ruling by the National Energy Board of Canada that will allow a pipeline to carry tar sands oil from Ontario to Montreal is raising concerns from New England environmental groups.

Massachusetts continues to address problems with its health insurance website after a sluggish October launch.

U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts is calling for a three pronged approach to the current drug abuse crisis that has produced an alarming spike in deaths blamed on heroin overdoses.

Senator Markey wants an expanded effort to prevent overdose deaths, increased availability of treatment for drug addiction, and to speed the rollout of new and improved treatments.