Paul Tuthill

Officials in Springfield Massachusetts  have unveiled the design for a permanent September 11th memorial that will include a steel girder from one of the fallen towers of the World Trade Center.  WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports

Lawyers for former Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill are planning to ask a court Tuesday to dismiss public corruption charges against him. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports

  A hearing on motions to dismiss the charges is scheduled in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.

   Cahill is accused of airing taxpayer-funded ads for the state lottery as a means of promoting his unsuccessful independent campaign for governor in 2010. The treasurer oversees the lottery.

       He's charged with violating state ethics laws and procurement fraud.

The USDA is helping fund an effort to get products from local farms into the kitchens of large institutions in the region, such as colleges and hospitals.  Officials say the demand for food from closer to home continues to grow, but the infrastructure to supply it has not kept up.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports

       The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is meeting in Springfield Tuesday to question city officials about plans for evaluating  competing casino development proposals.   WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

   Springfield officials put a casino selection competition on hold after questions arose about the integrity of the process.  A consultant hired by the city is a registered lobbyist for two casino operators expected to be in the competition in Springfield. State Rep. Joseph Wagnor of Chicopee, an author of the state’s casino law said he’s not concerned.

Ameristar Casinos has signed an agreement to use union construction workers on the resort casino it hopes to build in Springfield Massachusetts.  WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports.

Union officials who gathered in western Massachusetts Friday for a Labor Day observance said they were energized by President Obama’s  Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention.  The task for the labor leaders now is to convince union households not to desert the  Democratic party as the economy continues to struggle.  WAMC”S Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Scholars at Amherst College believe a local collector may have obtained what would be just the second known photo of reclusive poet Emily Dickinson. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports.

The college says a collector who wishes to remain anonymous bought the photo in 1995 in Springfield and brought it to the college in 2007. They say they've been researching it since. It was shown publicly last month.

The photo from 1859 appears to show Dickinson sitting next a friend.

Massachusetts health officials have raised the threat level for West Nile Virus in the greater  Springfield area after another case of the mosquito born disease was confirmed.   WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports

  The Massachusetts Senate race got a national spotlight at the Democratic Convention, where Elizabeth Warren was given a prime time speaking slot.  The Republican incumbent was not impressed, we hear from WAMC’s Paul Tuthill

   Senator Scott Brown said he found Warren’s speech partisan and depressing.. He predicted her rhetoric would not sell with independent voters in Massachusetts.

The city of Springfield Massachusetts put its casino competition on hold Wednesday. The move came one day after the state’s top gambling industry regulators raised questions about the city’s casino selection process.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.