New England News

Great Barrington was the hometown of the late author and civil rights leader and founder of the NAACP. He died nearly 50 years ago.

A parcel of land and home located along route 23 in Great Barrington that was given to WEB Dubois as a gift was bulldozed in the mid-50’s. In the 1960’s, the acreage where the homestead sat changed hands. Currently, UMass Amherst owns the homesite.

The Friends of the Du Bois Home site are planning to include the 5-acre plot Great Barrington and three other locations a national historic site.

The Massachusetts Senate is planning to renew work on a wide-ranging bill aimed at controlling energy costs in the state while also promoting the growth of renewable power sources.  WAMC's Tristan O'Neill reports...

Senators considered about 30 amendments to the bill last week before putting off further debate until Thursday.

Highlighted by the national controversy surrounding February’s shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, Gov. Patrick announced on his monthly radio show this week that he would not allow any law to be signed similar to Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

A bill presented by Democratic Senator Stephen Brewer of Barre and supported by over two dozen Massachusetts legislators is now reaching the state’s Joint Committee on Judiciary. The bill has failed to pass the committee before.

Nearly 10 months after a tornado caused widespread damage businesses have returned in surprisingly strong numbers to the commercial district just south of downtown Springfield Massachusetts. In the immediate wake of the June 1st disaster there were fears the tornado would be the last straw for recession slammed business owners, but that has proved not to be the case. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Senior citizens staged a protest at the Massachusetts Statehouse Thursday over a proposed budget cut for the elder nutrition program.  WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports…

The elderly activists rallied to urge legislators to reject Governor Deval Patrick’s proposed $1.5 million cut to the senior meals program.  The governor’s proposal would mean the number of meals served to seniors next year would be slashed by 25%, or 240,000 meals.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors, which tracks monthly home sales data in the Commonwealth, recently announced that home sales are up over 26% from the same time last year, marking the eighth month in a  row of year-over year increases.

President of the MAR Trisha McCarthy says there are a number of factors that point to why home sales in the past year are up in Massachusetts…

David Frazier is walking through the Robbins Garden, part  of the Westside Community Garden Initiative in Pittsfield. The garden which hasn’t been planted for the season yet, is sprouting a few perennials like onions and carrots.

Frazier is chairman of the Westside Garden Community subcommittee. This garden, which was opened in 2007 on a city-owned lot, provides underserved Pittsfield residents with fresh produce in the summer months.