Midday Magazine on WAMC

As New York authorities begin a series of visits across upstate to explain the new gun control law, a New York City police officer argued on National television  that handguns pose a more serious threat than assault weapons.
 

New York's tough new gun law rolled out after the Newtown school massacre and West Webster firefighter ambush continues to be the subject of debate.

Sometimes, individual scenes in movies are well-worth singling out for their sheer artistry. 

The IRS has delayed the opening of the 2013 federal tax filing season until this Wednesday, January 30.  The Massachusetts Department of Revenue is already accepting state returns. The D-O-R kicked off the tax return season with a new one stop web page.   WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with the Massachusetts Revenue Commissioner, Amy Pitter.

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with Boston Globe reporter Bryan Bender about Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's confirmation hearings.

According to new data, 4-year high school graduation rates in Massachusetts are on the increase, while the dropout rate is on the decline.

State officials recently announced that the 4-year graduation rate has improved in the Bay State for the sixth year in a row. JC Considine, a spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said that the statewide dropout rate also decreased to 2.5% in the last school year.

An economic development plan based on sustainability, smart growth and environmental stewardship for the Adirondacks and seven-county northern tier of New York was presented to stakeholders this week.

The draft North Country Regional Sustainability Plan’s major goals include generating and exporting renewable energy from the northern tier, energy efficiency improvements, development of alternative heating fuels from within the region, sustainable use of natural resources to enhance jobs and business development and environmental stewardship.

The National Center For Victims of Crime has named January 2013 as National Stalking Awareness Month.

Stalking is a crime in New York, and both sexes are victims. “Know it. Name it. Stop it” is the theme for January's Stalking Awareness Month.

Barbara Palmateer is Program Director of Family, Community and Victim Services for Community Action Agency of Greene County’s Columbia-Greene Domestic Violence Program. She notes that victims suffer anxiety, social dysfunction, and severe depression at much higher rates than the general population, and many lose time from work or have to move as a result of their victimization.

The New York Archdiocese will close 24 Roman Catholic schools in a cost-saving move. Ten of these schools are in the Hudson Valley, and school administrators say they are figuring out what to do.

The Archdiocese will close 22 elementary schools and two high schools by the end of the school year, with more than 4,000 students affected. Rosalie Fegan is the principal of St. Joseph School in Millbrook, in Dutchess County – one of the schools on the closing list.

Joseph Zwilling is a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York.

Opinions are mixed on Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s $34.8 billion budget released yesterday – some advocacy groups are saying the investments will pay off, while others are warning that a hike in taxes will damage a recovering economy.

In a speech detailing his  FY 2014 budget proposal, Governor Patrick focused on his plan to raise nearly $2 billion to increase funding for two key areas: education and transportation.

A heroism medal that is rarely handed out by the Boy Scouts of America has been presented to three men in the Adirondacks. 

A formal Court of Honor was held at Paul Smiths’ College to recognize the efforts of three scouts who rescued one man, and attempted to rescue a second, following a whitewater kayaking accident in the Adirondacks in October 2011.  Dave Tallman presented the trio the highest medal of heroism from the Boy Scouts of America.