Midday Magazine on WAMC

The Essex County New York Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution asking the state Liquor Authority to roll back bar closing hours in that county from 4 to 3 am. 

A group of New York state Senators held a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed campaign finance reform bill. They say with the most recent lawmaker names that have emerged in connection with a federal corruption investigation, the need for such reform is all the more urgent.

Abolitionist John Brown, remembered for his 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry, a preview of the bruising Civil War to come, is buried just outside Lake Placid on the John Brown Farm State Historic Site. Each year the group “John Brown Lives!” holds an annual commemoration of Brown’s life and anti-slavery efforts at the farm. This year’s keynote speaker is  comedian, social and civil rights activist, author and former presidential candidate Dick Gregory.

Newschannel 13 meteorologist Paul Caiano has the Midday Weather Summary for Thursday, May 9, 2013.

A Columbia County city plans to become the first community in New York state to purchase its electricity as locally-produced wind power.

Researchers say that with a little effort, New York could get the power it needs from wind, water and sunlight by 2030. The city of Hudson is leading the pack for now with the announcement it will purchase electricity through retailer Viridian Energy. Hudson Mayor William Hallenbeck hails the move as a "win-win for the environment and for taxpayers."

The Tonight Show is coming home to New York - the late night program left for California in 1972, but the lure of state tax credits has proven irresistible to the NBC television network. The show is expected to generate more than 100 million dollars in economic benefits for the Empire State. But not everyone supports the film tax credit.

It is unlikely the world will ever encounter a Margaret Thatcher again.  Her courage, confidence in her views, power of persuasion are simply sui generis.

Newschannel 13 meteorologist Paul Caiano joins us for the Midday Weather Summary for Wednesday, May 8, 2013.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wants hikers to stay off trails in the high peaks of the Adirondacks.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has released its updated Solid Waste Master Plan, which aims to increase recycling and reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills. But some aspects of the plan remain controversial among environmentalists.

The new master plan released this week has a goal of reducing waste in Massachusetts 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. The plan will focus on controlling food waste, increasing recycling, and looking to new technologies to eliminate waste and reducing the toll on the state’s landfills.