Paul Tuthill

The non-profit organization Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture is observing it’s 20th anniversary.  Based in South Deerfield, Massachusetts the organization works to strengthen local agriculture by building connections between farmers and the community.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with executive director Philip Korman

City officials in Springfield, Massachusetts have begun a voter education campaign in advance of the July 16th referendum on the casino project proposed by MGM Resorts.  Supporters of a  rival casino project in western Massachusetts are also gearing up for a referendum campaign, although no date has been set for the vote in Palmer.

Parades and cemetery ceremonies are taking place in western Massachusetts on Memorial Day.

New York and Connecticut have already enacted new gun laws in the wake of  December’s Newtown school shooting.  The Massachusetts legislature is expected to take up a bill before the end of the 2013 legislative session. 

The point person for gun issues in the Massachusetts House says he hopes to recommend a comprehensive bill by September.  Democratic State Representative Harold Naughton of Clinton , who co-chairs the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security said the goal is to update the state’s already strict gun ownership laws.

Protest marches are scheduled to take place on Saturday in close to 50 countries and more than 200 locations here in the United States.  Called “ March Against Monsanto”, the events will highlight what organizers see as a threat to the world’s food chain. Monsanto is a leading producer of genetically modified plant organisms, or GMOs.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with a local organizer of tomorrow’s march, Michaelann Bewsee, director of Arise For Social Justice in Springfield Massachusetts.

The still somewhat sluggish economy is expected to hold down holiday travel this holiday weekend.

When Timothy Murray steps down next month as Massachusetts lieutenant governor it will mean the state’s top elected officials will all reside in the greater Boston area.

MGM Resorts staged a casino referendum campaign kickoff rally in Springfield Massachusetts last night.  It drew a large crowd that heard casino supporters vow to work tirelessly  over the next two months to secure an overwhelmingly affirmative vote.

It had everything one would expect at a political rally -- buttons, banners, signs, and rousing speeches that drew cheers and chants.

The  25th annual memorial service for western Massachusetts law enforcement officers was held on Wednesday in Springfield.

   The solemn service honored 47 people who lost their lives in the last hundred  plus years  while protecting the public safety in western Massachusetts. Four names were  added  to the end of watch roll call this year. Westfield Police Officer Jose Torres died last July after he was struck by a truck while directing traffic. His widow and son Jay were at the ceremony

There’s been a political shakeup on Beacon Hill. Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray will leave the office shortly to take a job in the private sector in his home city of Worcester.

   Murray announced at an afternoon news conference that he intends to resign the office of Lt. Governor effective June 2 to take the job as President and CEO of the  Chamber of Commerce of Greater Worcester.   He described the decision as bittersweet.