By John Krol

North Adams, MA – The Massachusetts Department of Education has ruled in favor of two parents who filed a complaint alleging several violations by the North Adams Public Schools in its special education program. Now, the schools are being ordered to take corrective action. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol spoke with one of the complaintants.

By Pat Bradley

Albany, NY – The New York State Health Department has issued its annual fish consumption advisory. The warning, to women of childbearing age and youth to avoid eating most species of fish caught anywhere in the Adirondacks and Catskills, is the first time the state has issued such a broad-based mercury advisory. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more.

By Eesha Williams

Amherst, MA – The University of Massachusetts in Amherst has a higher percentage of white professors than the state's overall population. The university recently released a plan to hire more non-white professors to more accurately reflect the racial make-up of the state. Now a conservative group from Virginia says it will sue U-Mass if it implements the plan. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams reports.

By Joe Donahue

Albany, NY – We finish up with Gene Wilder this morning. We have been talking about his new memoir - Kiss me Like a Stranger.

In this book, he talks about everything from his experiences in psychoanalysis to why he got into acting and later comedy (his first goal was to be a Shakespearean actor), and how a Midwestern childhood with a sick mother changed him.

By Joe Donahue

Albany, NY – From The Producers to Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Gene Wilder has had a pretty amazing career.

But, lately he has been hard at work on his just-released memoir titled Kiss Me Like a StrangerThe book is not an autobiography in the usual sense of the word, and it's not a celebrity "tell-all." Instead, Wilder has chosen to write about resonant moments in his life, events that led him to an understanding of the art of acting, and - more important - about love.

By Joe Donahue

Albany, NY – Not surprisingly, Gene Wilder was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Leo Bloom. (He was also nominated for an Oscar for co-writing Young Frankenstein with Mel Brooks.)

By Allison Dunne

Kingston, NY – A New York Senator and Massachusetts Congressman are introducing a bill that aims to protect consumers' personal information. They say the measure will close a loophole in U.S. privacy laws that leaves consumers vulnerable when U.S. businesses send personal customer information overseas for processing. The lawmakers cite an increase in identity theft cases as a major reason for the bill's necessity. More from WAMC's Allison Dunne.

By Eesha Williams

Brattleboro, VT – More than 600 people attended a legislative hearing in Brattleboro, Vermont last night. The subject of the hearing was storage of nuclear waste at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Eesha Williams has more.

By John Krol

Pittsfield, MA – The contract dispute between teacher and administrators in Pittsfield, Massachusetts continues to make waves as the teachers took to the streets yesterday in protest. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief John Krol has the story.

Albany, NY – Lee Boroson's current show at the Tang is entitled "Outer Limit" and is the eighth in the series of Opener exhibitions at Skidmore that began in 2000. Boroson's installation features seven, new, large-scale works that use a wide variety of materials including blown glass, inflated nylon, and digital photography.You can find clouds, castles, stars, leaves, symbols of luck and even a cross-section of skin in Boroson's sculptures at the Tang. www.skidmore.edu/tang