WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

The state aims to phase out the use of motel rooms as emergency shelters for homeless families over the next 18 months and halt the program completely by June 30, 2014.  Aaron Gornstein, the Undersecretary of  The Department of  Housing and Community Development  said eliminating the motel system is in the best interest of taxpayers and homeless families.

Your afternoon regional weather summary with meteorologist Garett Argianas.

It seems the topic of the hour is government spending.  So I’ll continue that dialogue, at least as it pertains to the state of Pennsylvania.  The current governor of that state Tom Corbett is angry about $60 million of state funds that are scheduled to be spent largely out of state.  It’s a result of the penalty levied by the NCAA on Penn State for its part in the recent child abuse scandal in its athletics department.

A draft of The Capital Region Sustainability Plan is now available for review and comment - more from Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas

A coalition of Capital Region municipalities and organizations has received funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to create a regional sustainability plan as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Cleaner, Greener Communities Program.

Public workshops held throughout the 8 counties and on-line yielded hundreds of strategies.

Your afternoon regional weather summary with meteorologist Garett Argianas.

The dawn of a new year is the time to reflect and to plan a new course.  When it comes to fighting cancer, in 2012 New York took one significant step forward by restricting the use of indoor tanning booths.  As 2013 dawns, more steps are needed.

First some background:  In July, Governor Cuomo signed into law a new restriction on the use of tanning beds by children.  The law, which went into effect in August, bans the use of indoor tanning beds for those aged 16 years old and younger. 

Kwanzaa, the seven day African American cultural celebration is underway. The city of Springfield Massachusetts Friday held its third annual official observance at city hall.    WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

The New York Army National Guard will send one of its two new UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters-and an accompanying three-member aircrew from its Latham operations center to the Texas/Mexico border next week. Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
 

This month Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his veto of the Environmental Protection Fund Enhancement Act, which would have added $56 million of existing Bottle Bill revenues to the Environmental Protection Fund  over six years. The veto caused some to question whether or not the Governor was an environmentalist.
 Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
 

In the weeks following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn, politicians and pundits across the country have been searching for a solution to help prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future – and in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, lawmakers and advocates are hoping that a discussion on mental health issues can be made a priority in the next legislative session. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard has more...