Midday Magazine on WAMC

The seasons, and the foliage, is changing.  Tourism officials are optimistic that the fall color will help make up for losses last year.

Last autumn, Vermont and northern New York were recovering from Tropical Storm Irene. Publicity kept some leaf-peepers away, and many businesses are hoping for a rebound this year.  Vermont Department of Tourism And Marketing Commissioner Megan Smith says fall foliage is a crucial season for the state’s economy.

A special committee has been selected to review Pittsfield’s city charter, and the process of updating the document will begin later this week. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

Pittsfield’s city charter has remained nearly unchanged since 1932, and now, 80 years later,  city officials say that the antiquated governing document requires some modern updates. Pittsfield mayor Dan Bianchi proposed an update in April of this year, 3 months after he took office.

School districts across New York are striving to meet the requirements of the state’s new teacher evaluation system, that requires all teachers to get a score and rating come next summer. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.

 

In all the years I’ve been attending the just-concluded Toronto Film Festival, I have never received so many emails from publicists alerting me to screenings or inviting me to attend media events or parties associated with specific films. There is a special sense of urgency to many of these emails, which feature phrases like “Film Alert,” “The Best Suspense Thriller at the Festival,” “Must-See Documentary,” Invite Reminder,” “Rising Norwegian Film Talent,” and “Exclusive Website premiere” in their subject lines.

When it comes to endorsements in last week's primaries, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is five for five.

All three of the Senate Democrats endorsed by the governor - via press release - in the week before the elections and both Assembly Democrats were successful at weathering challenges from fellow party members.

The three senators, Adriano Espaillat, Toby Ann Stavisky and Neil Breslin, won by wide margins.

Ditto for Assemblymen David Gantt and Sean Ryan.

Arguably, Cuomo didn't really have all that much on the line in these races.

Teachers, jaguars and Car Talk were all topics of opinion on this week's WAMC Listener Comment line. 

       Casino operators are promising thousands of jobs will be created when a resort casino project comes to western Massachusetts.  Labor leaders are working to guarantee construction jobs go only to union workers. A civil rights leader is seeking assurances that jobs will be plentiful for people of color. WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Four new colonies of invasive Asian clams have been found in Lake George.

Just after Labor Day a volunteer group organized by the Lake George Park Commission began surveying areas of high risk for further spread of Asian Clams in Lake George, including boat launch areas and sandy, shallow areas.  Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky says they are surveying between 140 and 150 areas of the lake.

Thursday was primary day across New York State - Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas has a wrap-up of election results.

For one of the most-watched upstate races, Thursday’s primary voting marked the conclusion of a bitter campaign for the Democratic nomination for Albany County District Attorney. The battle raged on in mainstream media and thru blogs and social networks, where there was intense debate ... and quite a bit of old-fashioned mudslinging... in the end DA David Soares thanked his staff for standing by him during the campaign.

The Vermont Veterans Home located in Bennington is facing millions of dollars in federal funding cuts if changes are not made to remedy certain deficiencies. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…