News

By John Krol

Great Barrington, MA – A group of parents in southern Berkshire County is pushing hard to spare 19 young people, arrested on school-zone drug charges, from spending a two-years in prison -- which is the mandatory sentence in Massachusetts. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol has more.

By Lake Placid, NY

Pat Bradley – Over the past 5 years, the Lake Placid Film Festival earned a reputation as a stellar event for both novice filmmakers and established film professionals. But a lack of money has forced organizers of the Film Festival to cancel this year's event. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more.

By Eesha Williams

Brattleboro, VT – The state of Vermont has approved the $500 million sale of a series of hydroelectric dams on the Conneticut River to a Canadian corporation. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams reports.

By Pat Bradley

Plattsburgh, NY – New York State Senator Betty Little has introduced legislation that would create a single Empire Development Zone encompassing the entire Adirondack Park.
WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more.

By John Krol

Pittsfield, MA – Pittsfield residents will vote next Tuesday on who will fill the void left by the resignation of long-time state representative Peter Larkin.
WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief spoke with the candidates, Democrat Christopher Speranzo, and Republican Terry Kinnas -- and filed this report.

By Allison Dunne

Ravena, NY – Environmental groups have their eyes on the Ravena Cement Plant in Albany County. Plant officials are seeking to burn tires as a source of fuel. Yet one group situated downwind says the plant owner's track record on emissions raises doubts about the plant's ability to handle tire-burning. More from WAMC's Allison Dunne.

By Eesha Williams

Hadley, MA – Senators Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and Patricia Murray of Washington met yesterday with President Bush's nominee to head the FDA. They failed to come to an agreement over the sale of so-called "morning-after" birth control pills. Meanwhile, about 30 people in Hadley, Massachusetts recently protested outside a Wal-Mart store that is refusing to sell the morning-after pill. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams has more.

By Karen DeWitt

Albany. NY – The state legislature's budget, passed March 31, left some gaps. Negotiations are taking place to try to reach agreement on those items before Governor Pataki's veto deadline of next Tuesday. WAMC's Capitol Correspondent Karen DeWitt reports.

By John Krol

Boston, MA – Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Senate President Robert Travaglini both unveiled health care proposals today which aim to cover more residents in the state.
WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol has the story.

By Allison Dunne

Albany, NY – Two private deer herds have been killed in New York's Oneida County, given that one deer from each herd tested positive for chronic wasting disease. The cases are the first in New York. Now the state's Department of Environmental Conservation will kill deer in surrounding wild herds, to see if the disease has spread. More from WAMC's Allison Dunne.