WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

The Mayors of Pittsfield and North Adams are encouraging employers in Berkshire County to recognize National Employ Older Workers Week. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports from North Adams, where a proclamation was signed today.

Roger Suters, Director of Community Services at Berkshire Elder Services says that for Berkshire County, the loss of manufacturing jobs has pushed much of the younger work force out. Now, he says, the percentage of workers over the age of 55 in the area is 21%.

The state law that legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts requires voters in a host community to approve the casino development in a referendum.  The law permits cities , such as Springfield, to hold either an at-large  vote or limit it to just the ward where the casino would be built.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

       Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is adamant the voter referendum on whether there should be a casino built in Springfield will be held city-wide.

New York State’s efforts to reduce smoking have had a tremendous impact.  Between 2003 and 2010, the adult smoking rate in New York fell by 28 percent.  During that time, the nation’s smoking rate slipped only 11 percent.  New York high school students’ smoking rate dropped an incredible 38 percent, more than twice the nation’s decline.

An Obama administration official was in upstate New York to join the mayors of three Albany-area cities at a roundtable discussion on helping distressed homeowners. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas was there and files this report.

Statistics show home sales gingerly improving nationwide - but government leaders believe too many families in upstate New York and across the country are unable to take advantage of interest rates that are at their lowest levels since the 30-year mortgage was created. They want change.

A conference is being held Saturday focusing on the role doctors can play in improving health care quality and affordability

Physicians from across Vermont will gather Saturday for the “Making Vermont a High Performance Health System” conference. The meeting will look at physicians’ roles in reducing costs and streamlining health care systems.  Vermont Medical Society Education and Research Foundation Director Dr. Cy Jordan says health care has become much more complex.

The city of Springfield Massachusetts, Friday, launched a formal casino selection process and set  an early October deadline for casino operators to make their intentions known.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

       Casino operators that want to build in Springfield have until October 10 to file an initial proposal with the city. After a preliminary review, city officials will determine by November 1st  which projects will advance to a more rigorous evaluation that will eventually culminate in a voter referendum on casino gambling in Springfield.

You had a lot to say on the WAMC listener comment line this week on everything from Joe Donohue's interview with Jesse Ventura, Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's '47 %' remarks, and several of our WAMC commentators. Segments of these comments ran Friday Sept. 21 on Midday Magazine and Northeast Report.

Franklin County legislators are considering a resolution to support state legislation that sets the percentage of distribution of the 911 surcharge to counties and the state.

A housing symposium was held yesterday to address the challenges faced by communities in Eastern New York, Northwest Connecticut, and the Berkshires. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

The symposium hosted by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington laid out a series of housing options for the Berkshire Taconic Region. Jennifer Dowley, President of the Foundation put the familiar problem facing those looking for housing in the area into just a few words:

Suny officials were at the Capitol in Albany today to lay out their 5-year 2020 plan to build and develop a $165 million Emerging Technologies and Entrepreneurship Complex:  a 225-thousand square foot "emerging technology" Research and Development center - to be built on the west side of the UAlbany campus. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.