New York News

By Allison Dunne

Hudson, NY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has found that a contractor working on a St. Lawrence Cement road in Columbia County's Hudson, violated the Clean Water Act. The breach stems from a trucking company placing fill in wetlands, and the Army Corps has directed the cement company to restore those wetlands. The enforcement case began because of a complaint letter from environmental activist group Friends of Hudson. WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne reports.

By Allison Dunne

Hudson Falls, NY – EPA and GE officials are at butting heads over the size of the dredging area for the Hudson River PCB cleanup project. Meetings between the two continue, though environmentalists says they are highly concerned about the cleanup being compromised. Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey has weighed in, and conveyed his concerns to the EPA's regional administrator. WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne reports.

By Kelly Wilkinson

Williamstown, MA – Perchlorate is a chemical usually found in rocket fuel. But the chemical is showing up with increasing frequency in food and water supplies. While most scientists agree that it's not appearing at levels that could be dangerous, Massachusetts is taking the lead on establishing the country's first requirements for a safe level of the chemical in all drinking water. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief Kelly Wilkinson has more.

By Pat Bradley

Albany, NY – Tuition could rise in the fall for out-of-state students and for all graduate students in the professions at State University of New York campuses under a plan released Tuesday. More from North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley.

By Kelly Wilkinson

Great Barrington, MA – Berkshire County will be the location for a political festival this summer that will feature former Vermont Governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean. The event will take place days before the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Event organizers say they hope to bring momentum to the national race - but some local officials hope the event doesn't bring too much traffic. More from WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief Kelly Wilkinson.

By Pat Bradley

Montpelier, VT – A challenge has been filed with the Credentials Committee of the Democratic National Committee arguing that the way Vermont's delegates were chosen for the 2004 convention violates the rules, and favors party insiders over grass-roots activists. North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports.

By Allison Dunne

Hudson, NY – Members of a defense committee from Columbia County are at the Buffalo Detention Facility today to visit Pakistani immigrant Ansar Mahmood. Their trip comes as a letter from Congressional members is due to be sent to immigration officials. And, a recent court action has paved the way for a decision on Mahmood's fate. More from WAMC's Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne.

By Allison Dunne

Boston, MA – A study of more than seventy-thousand women at Massachusetts General Hospital shows that a small number receive annual mammograms after age forty. The study's author says the results are startling, and the fault lies with the health care system. WAMC's Allison Dunne spoke with the study's author.

By Pat Bradley

Albany, NY – The New York Public Interest Group has released a study that finds broad price differentials for commonly prescribed drugs in pharmacies across the state. North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports.

By Pat Bradley

Burlington, VT – Episcopal dioceses across the nation are debating same-sex unions, whether by civil unions or gay marriage. Some sanction such relationships, while others are still debating the issue. Vermont's Episcopal Diocese is the first in the country to develop a religious service for same sex unions, and it's the first to create a service in a jurisdiction that legally recognizes same-sex unions. North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports.