Midday Magazine on WAMC

These days, movie-going can be an expensive proposition-- and I would hate to have to plunk down some hard-earned money in the hope of finding relaxation in a darkened movie theater and end up sitting through a comedy that is crass and unfunny or a thriller that simply is not thrilling, not to mention the very real possibility that the person sitting next to me will be yapping away on his or her cellphone while I am trying to soak in all the on-screen dialogue.

Following last weekend’s massive snowstorm that buried most of eastern Massachusetts from Boston to Worcester in as much as three feet of snow, there was a blizzard of activity this week by Republican hopefuls in the race to replace former Massachusetts U.S. Senator John Kerry.

WAMC’s Patrick Donges checked in with the Boston Globe’s Massachusetts State House bureau chief Frank Phillips for an update on the climatic challenges, both political and meteorological, that Republicans must overcome for a shot at the seat.

News this week that Pope Benedict will resign effective at the end of this month took the world by surprise, with observers quick to note that it had been 600 years since the last papal resignation. Almost as quickly, reporters began compiling lists of possible replacements. WAMC’s Ian Pickus spoke with papal expert and historian Dr. Francis Oakley, President Emeritus of Williams College, about what led to this extraordinary moment in Vatican City and what might come next.

Massachusetts residents living near a recently completed large-scale industrial wind farm in the Northern Berkshires have filed noise complaints to state officials.

This week a group of concerned residents called the Friends of Florida and Monroe met to communicate their experiences of living near the so-called Hoosac Wind Project, a 19-turbine wind farm owned and operated by Iberdrola Renewables in the Berkshire County town of Florida and neighboring Franklin County Town of Monroe.

The asteroid “DA14”, which will hurtle past us sometime after lunch today, was discovered by Spanish observers last year.

Our highest satellites, used for GPS, are just over 22,000 miles up, and DA14 will pass underneath that level – coming about 17,000 miles from us. Fortunately, NASA assures us we are safe.

Washington's concern about setting a new national minimum wage inspired the New York State Assembly to make its minimum wage legislation reflect the $9 an hour goal set by President Obama in his State of the Union proposal.

According to a January 2013 report by the Fiscal Policy Institute, a person working full-time would earn around $3,000 more a year, if New York's minimum wage goes to $8.75, as Governor Andrew Cuomo recommended in his State of the State address.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and California Senator Barbara Boxer have introduced legislation  to address climate change by imposing fees on carbon emissions and funding sustainable energy.

A meteor exploded in the sky over Russia this morning that officials say blasted out countless windows and injured over 1,000 people.

WAMC's Brian Shields spoke today with world renowned astronomer and frequent Vox Pop guest Bob Berman about today’s amazing astrological phenomenon.