New England News

The state's gambling commission has voted to allow failed applicants for casino licenses in eastern or western Massachusetts the opportunity to compete for the sole license in southeastern Massachusetts.

The motion was approved on Thursday by the panel, which had earlier voted to open the southeast region to commercial casino bids. The Mashpee Wampanaog tribe previously enjoyed exclusivity in the region while it pursued regulatory approvals for a proposed resort casino in Taunton.

At the age of 34, Andris Nelsons will lead one of the most respected orchestras in the world. Nelsons, a native of Latvia, who has earned a distinguished reputation in European classical music and opera, has been named the new music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, filling the vacancy left by the departure of James Levine, who stepped down for health reasons two years ago. Mark Volpe, the managing director of the BSO, spoke with WAMC's Brian Shields.

Representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Electric, and the state governments of Connecticut and Massachusetts, recently met with stakeholders to provide updates on the cleanup plan for removing PCB’s from the Housatonic River and Silver Lake in Pittsfield.

At an EPA Housatonic River Citizens Coordinating Council meeting at the Lenox Library Wednesday evening, community stakeholders raised concerns over information presented on a status update of the cleanup project at Silver Lake in Pittsfield.

The owner of a crude oil pipeline that runs between Maine and Montreal is asking Vermont environmental regulators to reconsider a ruling that would require a new review under the state's land use law if the company seeks to move Canadian tar sands oil in the pipeline.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin says new efforts are being made to encourage state workers in Montpelier not to drive into the city but to use other commuting methods.

A new report from the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group highlighting the decline in the average number of miles driven by the average American is supporting the call for investments in public education in the commonwealth.

The report released by the MASSPIRG Education Fund titled “A New Direction: Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future” says that on average, the amount of miles driven by Americans has been on the decline for the past eight years.