WAMC Northeast Report on WAMC

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is proposing an early warning system that would rank New York's local governments based on fiscal stability.

Civil rights leaders in Springfield Massachusetts, where a black church was burned four years ago, are urging local churches to be on guard as election day approaches.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

   The Springfield branch of the NAACP has sent a 19 page security guide to more than 100 churches in western Massachusetts. The Springfield NAACP president, Rev. Talbert Swan said the organization is concerned that African American churches  could be the targets of hate crimes should President Obama be re-elected.

The 15 community colleges in Massachusetts have received $4 million in grant money to increase skill training and support job creation in the Commonwealth. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard has more…

The grants were announced yesterday by Governor Deval Patrick are through the state’s Performance Incentive Fund, which is part of the administration’s pledge to strengthen the state’s public education system via the Vision Project. Education Secretary Paul Reville.

Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is joining his colleagues from Maine, New York and Minnesota in calling for a review of federal dairy price supports.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission Tuesday set the end of February 2014 as the outside date for awarding the first casino license in the state.    WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief  Paul Tuthill reports..

   The state’s gaming industry regulators discussed a master schedule which commission chairman Stephen Crosby described as prudent.

The background checks on the casino license applicants is the most time consuming part of the schedule, pegged to take a minimum of six months. The draft master schedule calls for the investigations to begin in January.

As you think about whom you’ll vote for, let me tell you about two decisions of the Roberts Court where the Court sprang to the defense of prosecutors whose denials of constitutional protections had put innocent men in prison for decades.

In Van de Kamp v. Goldstein,[i] prosecutors complained to the Supreme Court that they were being held liable in damages for denying a man due process and putting him in prison. Here is how counsel for Goldstein described what happened:

Business and Community Leaders gathered today in Poughkeepsie to hear proposed plans for expanding economic Power of the Walkway Over the Hudson... Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas was there and files this report.

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.