Midday Magazine on WAMC

Community Corner: David Hastings, Next Superintendent of Southern Berkshire Regional School District

Lucas Willard — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:45:08 +0000

The Southern Berkshire Regional School District, which operates in the Berkshire County towns of Sheffield, Alford, Egremont, Monterey, and New Marlborough, recently chose its next superintendent. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard spoke with David Hastings, who is currently employed as the district’s Curriculum and Professional Development Coordinator, about his transition into his new role as superintendent that will happen this summer.

New York State Senator Hoylman Concerned About LGBT Violence In District, JCOPE

Ian Pickus — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:08 +0000

This weekend, an openly gay man was shot to death after a confrontation in Greenwich Village Friday in what police commissioner Ray Kelly is calling a hate crime. According to New York state Senator Brad Hoylman of Manhattan, whose district includes Greenwich Village, the incident was at least the fifth instance of anti-gay violence in Manhattan this month.

Rob Edelman: Great Novels, Not-So-Great Movies

Rob Edelman — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:27:49 +0000

Sometimes, novels that are American classics have been transformed into motion pictures that are American classics. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, and FIELD OF DREAMS (based on Ray Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe) are a few that come to mind. Some-- ALL THE KING’S MEN, for example-- have been the source for films that deserve all the acclaim they earn and remakes that are, in a word, execrable.

Meteorologist Paul Caiano's Midday Forecast

Paul Caiano — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:18:59 +0000

Newschannel 13 meteorologist Paul Caiano delivers the Midday Weather Summary for Monday, May 20, 2013.

Siena Poll: Half of Voters Agree with Gov: ‘NYS Govt. is Working Again’

Dave Lucas — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:10:18 +0000

Weeks of negative headlines involving state legislators are having sway with public opinion. A new Siena College Research Institute poll measures New York voter attitude on political corruption, the state Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

There's good news and bad news about how New Yorkers feel about state government and the governor's refrain that it is "working again."

David Brooks: Times Columnist, NPR Pundit, Skidmore College Honoree

Ian Pickus — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:50:00 +0000

New York Times columnist David Brooks visited our region this weekend to receive an honorary degree at Skidmore College’s commencement ceremony in Saratoga Springs. Brooks is familiar to WAMC listeners as a political analyst for National Public Radio whose Friday segments with E.J. Dionne are required week-in-review listening. He spoke with WAMC's Ian Pickus about his advice to young people and the political week that was.

The Hall Of Fame Classic

Bob Barrett — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:03:59 +0000

The baseball season has been under way for about 6 weeks now, but one of the most popular games in the country is on tap for next weekend in Cooperstown. New York. The annual hall of fame classic attracts a large number of fans and former players alike. Here to talk about that game and a whole lot of other activities is Jeff Idelson, president of the national baseball hall of fame and museum.

Part Two With CH Energy, Fortis Executives On Proposed Merger

Allison Dunne — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:55:00 +0000

There has been a brighter public spotlight lately on the proposed merger between Canadian energy company Fortis and Poughkeepsie-based CH Energy Group, parent of Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation. In response, top executives from both companies have been making the rounds, trying to allay concerns and separate fiction from fact. Here is part two of their interview with WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne.

International Visitors Study Volunteer Efforts In Berkshires To Protect Wildlife

Lucas Willard — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:43:32 +0000

A group of visitors from Sweden, students from Maine, and state workers from Massachusetts traveled to the Berkshires to get a first-hand look at some of the cooperative efforts underway to study and restore stream crossings in Western Massachusetts.

At a stream crossing in a wooded area on the outskirts of Pittsfield, Jane Winn, of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team shows a small crowd of students from the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and a group of Swedish visitors, a culvert running underneath a rural road…

Audrey Kupferberg: Russian Emigres In Paris and Wagner & Me

Audrey Kupferberg — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Two new DVD releases make for worthwhile viewing. The first is a packaged set of five incredible silent films from Flicker Alley. It’s called FRENCH MASTERWORKS: RUSSIAN EMIGRES IN PARIS 1923-1929, and features 5 films on 5 discs. THE BURNING CRUCIBLE and THE LATE MATHIAS PASCAL are genuine masterpieces featuring one of the cinema’s most talented but forgotten stars, Ivan Mosjoukine.