WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority took a serious financial hit as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Officials assure riders the cost will NOT be passed on them, but transit advocates say higher fares may be impossible to avoid . Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports 

The natural gas explosion in downtown Springfield Massachusetts last week dealt a blow to the homeless.  There is a shortage of beds at a time of year when demand for accommodations typically increases.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports

An 18 room single occupancy apartment building for low income tenants and  a 60 bed nighttime shelter for the homeless were damaged by the blast and ordered by building inspectors to close pending repairs.

As the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is developing its plan to replace a bridge over a vital freight rail corridor in Pittsfield, members of the public are being asked for their opinions.  WAMC’s Berkshire bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

Property tax bills for a majority of  homeowners and business owners in Springfield Massachusetts are expected to be lower in 2013.  But the reason won’t make most homeowners happy. WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief  Paul Tuthill reports.

Iran’s position looks a bit stronger once the war in Gaza shifted everyone’s gaze.  But let’s use the breather to understand the bombast about Iran which will surely return.

Public bombast is not an effective or accurate way to get so-called messages to the other side. What goes on in private is vastly different. Diplomacy is private until public deals are reached and announced.

A school district in Ulster County is reaching out to citizens online - asking for suggestions about what to do with school buildings that have outlived their original purposes - Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.

The “Community Brain Trust” is an online tool - available on the Kingston City School District website -

that gives citizens a chance to weigh-in on the fate of closed and soon-to-close buildings. 

Superintendent Paul Padalino explains the idea originated from facilities committee discussions about

re-purposing the schools.

As tax revenue collections in Massachusetts are falling below benchmarks, lawmakers in the Berkshires are warning against potential budget cuts that would put a burden on Western Massachusetts residents. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

For too many Americans, the end of the Thanksgiving meal was followed by a “food coma.”  During the holidays, many of us know that we eat too much.

It turns out that, on average, Americans eat too much during the rest of the year too.

Unfortunately, eating too much can have devastating consequences.  Three quarters of all healthcare costs are attributed to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. The major drivers of those costly chronic conditions are tobacco use and obesity which are both preventable and treatable.

A  Springfield Massachusetts couple is having a heartwarming, yet bittersweet, homecoming this Thanksgiving.  They are finally moving back to the home that was nearly destroyed in the June 1, 2011 tornado.   WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports

The  tornado caused major  damage to the ranch style home of  Terry Humphries and  his wife MaryAnn Carroll. More than a dozen trees came crashing down, leaving holes in the roof.  Then things got worse.