News

By Eesha Williams

Northampton, MA – The Massachusetts-based Polaroid Corporation is being sold for half a billion dollars. If the deal goes through, the companies two top executives will get a combined $21 million. Meanwhile, Polaroid's 6,000 retired workers will get $47 each. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams reports.

By Pat Bradley

Rutland, VT – The U-S Forest Service has been holding a series of open houses around Vermont to discuss draft revisions to the Green Mountain National Forest's management plan. It is the first revision for the 400-thousand-acre national forest in about 18 years. Although it's early in the public comment period, the staff of the Green Mountain National Forest has been flooded with e-mails about the U-S Forest Service's proposed forest management plan.

By John Krol

North Adams, MA – A city councilor in North Adams, Massachusetts wants to ban the display of nude artwork in public venues. But, others say it would be step backward for a community hoping to use art as a cornerstone for economic revitalization.
WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol has the story.

By Allison Dunne

Poughkeepsie, NY – A college in the Hudson Valley is the first university to become a partner in a worldwide computer system known as the World Community Grid. The grid's mission is to create the world's largest public computing grid solely for humanitarian projects. More from WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne.

By Eesha Williams

Brattleboro, VT – The Bush Administration is creating so-called Foreign Trade Zones in cities around the country. Companies in the zones can import products from other countries without paying tariffs. There are now foreign trade zones in Albany and Plattsburg, New York; Holyoke, Massachusetts; and near Hartford, Connecticut. One of the biggest zones in the nation is now being proposed for Brattleboro, Vermont. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams reports.

By Pat Bradley

Plattsburgh, NY – The city of Plattsburgh Community Development Office sponsored a forum on economic development Monday evening. It was an opportunity for the public to hear from an expert about retail and development trends, and whether Plattsburgh's development efforts are on track for success. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more.

By Allison Dunne

Hudson, NY – The Board of Directors of St. Lawrence Cement has officially withdrawn its proposal for a cement plant in Columbia County's Town of Greenport. The move comes after last week's decision from New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels to deny necessary permits for the plant's construction. WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne reports.

By Eesha Williams

Northampton, MA – There were 2.1 million people in American prisons last year, up from the year before. In western Massachusetts, activists are protesting the construction of two new jails that will cost more than $50 million. And in Vermont, the state legislature is debating a plan to lower that state's prison population. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams reports.

By John Krol

Adams, MA – Financial challenges for rural regional school district in Massachusetts have two towns in Berkshire County considering the possibility of opting out to run their own schools. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol has the story.

By Pat Bradley

Washington DC – A half-dozen members of Congress have formed the "Future of American Media Caucus". Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders and New York Democrat Maurice Hinchey are co-chairing the group, which plans to discuss policy issues and concerns over the state of the American media. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more.