Midday Magazine on WAMC

Susan Kayne, a Hudson Valley equestrian who created the TV series Unbridled andhosts Ireland Unbridled, was featured in a recent New York Times investigative report that uncovered rampant drugging in horse racing and the bureaucratic red tape that stands in the way of reform. The horse owner spoke with WAMC’s Alan Chartock about her case.

The Big Tupper Ski area in the Adirondacks will not open this winter, and the people operating it say it’s due to lawsuits that are trying to stop a large development that includes the mountain.

A new poll released today by Public Policy Partners (PPP) shows than an overwhelming percentage of New York voters favor clean, renewable energy sources over fossil fuels to power the state. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.


The poll comes out just as the Long Island Power Authority is deciding on new energy contracts that could include offshore wind, and just after NYISO released their “Reliability Needs Assessment” report showing New York could safely retire its remaining coal plants and reliably meet energy needs with clean energy and efficiency.

For over 50 years folksinger & songwriter Tom Rush has captivated and delighted audiences with his music. Considered the original troubadour, Rush helped put Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Brown in the limelight after doing covers of their early work.

Tom Rush will be performing at The Bennington Center for the Arts this Saturday Sept 29th at 8PM.  He spoke with WAMC’s Katie Britton about his career, and how he bridges the gap between his folk roots, and the younger generations.

Today in Pittsfield, a detailed analysis of the Berkshire County labor market was presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to highlight the changes, strengths, and challenges facing workers and employers in region. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

The leaders of several Berkshire communities are united in their stance to support to remove harmful PCBs from the Housatonic River, while no plan has yet been proposed by General Electric or the EPA on the cleanup of the so-called Rest of River. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports….

The close Republican primary and subsequent recount have dominated talk of the race for state Senate in New York’s 43rd district, as incumbent Roy McDonald and the apparent winner in their race, Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione, both head toward November’s ballot.

But Democrat Robin Andrews, the Town Supervisor of Claverack, may have new life in what was once considered a safe Republican seat. Andrews spoke with WAMC’s Alan Chartock.

“Sequestration” is a government word that for those in the military has a synonym: castration. When a bipartisan committee was established by the administration to motivate Democrats and Republicans to compromise on limits for federal spending, it was assumed some understanding could be accomplished. One provision of mutual disagreement and a stalemate is sequestration or automatic budget cuts should stasis be the result of congressional deliberation.

The City of Plattsburgh Redistricting Committee held its public hearing on the plan to change the city’s wards last night.

Restricting Committee Chair Peter Ensel called the meeting to order, read the rules and called for comments.

And they waited.

But no resident came to City Hall to comment on the new ward structure that the committee spent months re-mapping. Chair Peter Ensel was surprised that no one showed up.

The closely watched race for the US Senate in Massachusetts has taken a negative turn. With three recent polls showing Democrat Elizabeth Warren  with a small lead among likely voters, Republican incumbent Scott Brown is targeting Warren’s character.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.