Paul Tuthill

A Northampton Massachusetts man whose confession was tossed out by the state’s highest court was arraigned Thursday on new charges including arson and murder.  WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

Nearly two dozen preliminary applications have been filled for new charter schools in Massachusetts.  WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

The Massachusetts Attorney General is proposing what would be a record fine against National Grid for the power company’s response to last year’s severe storms.   WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

   In proposing a $16 million dollar fine against National Grid for the company’s response to the lengthy power outages caused by Hurricane Irene and the late October snowstorm, attorney General Martha Coakley said the penalty should send a message..that the public deserves better.

A new state law will require publicly-run summer camps in Massachusetts to have life jackets availabe for children. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports. 

Gov. Deval Patrick  signed the bill named for Christian Frechette, a 4-year-old boy who drowned at a town-operated camp in Sturbridge in 2007.

The boy's father, Derek Frechette, pushed for passage of the bill. Frechette has said he brought life jackets for Christian and his then 5-year-old brother to use while swimming in Cedar Lake, but was told by staff that flotation devices were not allowed at the camp.

The Massachusetts State Lottery this week reported record sales and net profit. It means more money should be available for future distribution to cash strapped cities and towns across the state.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Murphy’s Pop Shop in Springfield’s East Forest Park neighborhood is one of the top lottery sales agents in Massachusetts.  Owner Patrick Murphy said his business was off  due to the natural disasters that befell Springfield, but he’s not surprised lottery sales statewide during the last  12 months hit a record.

Advocates for expanding the bottle deposit law in Massachusetts are lobbying hard  get it through the state legislature after nearly two decades of frustration.  WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports.

   The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill  to require a nickel deposit on bottles of water, juices and sports drinks, just as the law has required for soda and beer for 30 years.  It passed on a voice vote as an amendment to a housed passed  jobs bill . Its fate is in the hands of a conference committee, according to State Rep. Stephen Kulik of Worthington.

A Nevada based gaming company says it is ready to build a casino on a former industrial site in Springfield Massachusetts.  The company says it has come up with a plan to address traffic concerns about the project, but it faces competition for a casino license.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Figures released in Massachusetts Tuesday show the city of Springfield had the 5th highest unemployment rate last month of any city or town in the state.  WAMC”s Paul Tuthill reports.

The Massachusetts economy,  which had been growing at a much faster rate than the nation’s as a whole is showing signs of slowing.  Experts believe the Baystate is being buffeted by forces beyond its borders.   WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

   A new report from the Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Tuesday, said seasonally unadjusted  unemployment rates  rose in a majority of the state’s 22  local labor markets in June, reflecting a statewide slow down in permanent hiring.

It was a record breaking year for the state lottery in Massachusetts, as we hear from WAMC’s Paul Tuthill

State Treasurer Steven Grossman said Tuesday that the lottery pulled in an estimated $981 million in net profit during the state fiscal year that ended June 30. That was the highest profit in the lottery's 40-year history, eclipsing by $30 million the previous record set in fiscal year 2006.