Paul Tuthill

Massachusetts interim US Senator William “ Mo” Cowan is meeting with farmers and agriculture industry representatives on Friday to talk about the Farm Bill.

Cowan, who is the first Massachusetts Senator since 1879 to be a member of the Senate  Agriculture Committee is holding listening sessions  in Worcester  and in Middleborough.   Back in February, Cowan toured two farms in western Massachusetts, describing what he saw as dynamic and innovative.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is holding three simultaneous public hearings Friday on proposed medical marijuana regulations.

   The draft regulations do not specify what diseases or conditions may be treated with marijuana. Dr. Karen Munkaci, a physician and breast  cancer survivor said a physician is best able to determine if a patient might be helped by marijuana

Authorities are investigating a fatal construction accident that occurred Thursday morning at a Massachusetts Department of Transportation facility in Northampton.

Massachusetts State Senate President Therese Murray last week raised the possibility of a debate in the legislature this year on raising the state’s minimum wage. Noting that both New York and Maine plan to raise their minimum wages, Murray said there is a growing gap between the $8 per hour minimum wage and a living wage in Massachusetts.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Kitty Callaghan, a member of the Living Wage Western Massachusetts steering committee.

Travelers on buses, trains and planes will find stepped up security in the wake of the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Travelers are being advised  to have all luggage tagged with their names and to not leave bags unattended.  They can also expect random security checks in bus and train stations and airports. Christopher Crean, the vice president for public safety and security for Peter Pan Bus Lines, said company employees have been reminded to follow security procedures.

The city of Boston is receiving help from throughout Massachusetts after the deadly bombings.

   Police officers from outside Boston have taken up posts in the city to relieve weary Boston Police Officers, who have been working 12 hours shifts since Monday’s bombings.  The Holyoke Police Department sent its new canine unit to Boston.    Boston Mayor Tom Menino said offers of help have come from around the world.

Authorities in Boston continue to comb through a mile-square crime scene as they search for clues to the deadly explosions that brought Monday’s running of the Boston Marathon to a horrific stop.

About 200 people from western Massachusetts were officially entered to run in Monday’s Boston Marathon

   Stephen Bouniconti of West Springfield was about two blocks away from the finish line when he heard the explosions.

   Congressman Richard Neal in a statement called the explosions incredibly sad and distressing and said the perpetrators of the heinous crime must be brought to justice.

The Boston Marathon ,being run today in eastern Massachusetts, is an annual event that attracts thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators who spend money in hotels, restaurants and stores.  The hospitality industry in western Massachusetts is taking steps to boost sports tourism in the other half of the commonwealth.

Grants will be awarded to seven Massachusetts communities on Tuesday to fund municipal clean energy projects.

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said 110 cities and towns have now qualified for the Green Communities Designation and Grant Program since it was created in 2008. The state’s energy secretary, Rick Sullivan said the various projects the program has paid for will help the state achieve ambitious goals.

Communities must meet five clean energy benchmarks to qualify for the grant program.