WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

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.

As more communities in the Commonwealth are placing bans on things like plastic bags and Styrofoam containers, some are calling for more action, while others say it’s creating more headaches. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

Environmental Advocates warn New York can’t afford to wait for the next hurricane or tropical storm to hit:  They're urging the state to take the lead in pushing for stricter carbon emission reduction goals as part of the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas has more...
 

I have often thought back to a conversation I had many years ago with one of my students. She had come from a rural background with a strong, and in many ways admirable, streak of self-reliance. She was dumbfounded when I quoted the saying “There but for the grace of God go I,” often attributed to a sixteenth century evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford. How could I, her professor, imagine myself in the position of people who were down and out, people without jobs who needed help?

Pro-environmental groups watching the PCB clean-up of the Hudson River are suggesting a modest change
in 2013 cleanup plans. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.

The nation just celebrated its 37th annual “Great American Smokeout.”  The Great American Smokeout has been offered as an opportunity for smokers to think about quitting and as an opportunity to reflect on society’s gains against the tobacco menace.

And big changes have occurred over the decades.  Nationally, the smoking rate peaked at 42 percent when the U.S. Surgeon General’s report was issued and proved the link between smoking and cancer.  Today the nation’s smoking rate is 19 percent, and here in New York that rate is even lower.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick headed a list of hundreds of government, academic and business leaders who gathered in Holyoke Friday to mark the completion of an energy efficient high performance computing center.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

 Governor Patrick said the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center holds great scientific and economic promise, and he praised the partnership of government, academia and business that built the $165 million dollar center.

As the holiday season approaches and cold weather sets in, food pantries in the region will be seeing more visitors. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports that in Western Massachusetts, demand for services is up, while  food supply is low.

Education and business officials came together today in Saratoga County with the high tech future in mind.  GlobalFoundries and the Center for Economic Growth organized the meeting at the Saratoga Technology and Energy Park to develop a regional 13 county laboratory to promote the future of an educational system that must meet the needs of a growing technology sector. Michael Tucker is the CEO and executive director of the Center for Economic Growth. He spoke with WAMC’s Brian Shields.