WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

The announcement of the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan plan to immigration reform was welcomed among advocacy groups in Massachusetts. A central pillar of the plan introduced by the so-called “Gang of Eight” is the Path to Citizenship, which would in part make undocumented immigrants to register with the Federal government, undergo background checks, and pay back taxes among other requirements.

Your afternoon regional weather summary with meteorologist Garett Argianas.

Governor Cuomo last week unveiled his proposed $140-plus billion budget for New York State.  The goals of the governor’s budget were to close a $1 to $2 billion deficit without raising taxes, as well as to offer his blueprint for spending federal dollars expected to flow to New York to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy.

On the health front, there was some good news: the governor proposed full implementation of the federal health care reform law – aka Obamacare – and to expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands of uninsured New Yorkers.

The mayor of Springfield Massachusetts has announced a delay in negotiations over building a resort casino downtown. The city will take more time to review written proposals from two casino operators competing for the city’s support. 

Electric technology has come full circle in two different ways affecting two upstate communities.

A power generation station in Columbia County that dates back to the 19th century has been restored to service. The Stuyvesant Hydro Electric Station came back online in December providing power to National Grid, albeit on a temporary basis. The facility is nearly completely rehabilitated.

Your afternoon regional weather summary with meteorologist Garett Argianas.

Orange County officials Thursday announced a school-safety initiative they say could serve as a model for other counties in New York, and perhaps even elsewhere in the country. The safety plan comes one month after the mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. 

Orange County Executive Edward Diana made the following announcement.

One week later than originally planned, Vermont’s Governor outlined the state’s 2014 spending plan Thursday in his annual budget address

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin focused his fiscal plan on five areas that he said need bold transformation and targeted  investment.

Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal met with brewers from across the Bay State today to discuss the upcoming brewing industry and a bill that seeks to make microbreweries more competitive.

As New Yorkers continue to wait for word from Albany as to whether hydraulic fracturing will be allowed in any part of the state, a separate debate has sprung up regarding the use of wastewater from the fracking process as a de-icer on highways.