New England News

    It is an historic day in Massachusetts, as it became the first state on the East Coast where recreational marijuana is being legally sold.   There were big crowds as the first two pot stores opened.

New Hampshire's Republican governor has joined the state’s Democratic congressional members in expressing concern over Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' proposed overhaul to the way colleges and universities handle sexual misconduct complaints.

Many of Vermont's residential electric customers will have a 3 percent drop next year in a fee that goes to energy efficiency services statewide.

     More than two years after voters in Massachusetts legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults, the first retail pot stores will open Tuesday morning.

       In a bid to address a talent gap that is leaving jobs unfilled in a number of industries in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker last year created the Workforce Skills Cabinet.

City Councilors in Springfield are scheduled to vote Monday to approve funding for several projects under the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act.

The landmark former bus terminal on Main Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts is scheduled to be torn down beginning Monday. 

Continuing a series of conversations with top law enforcement officials in Berkshire County, WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes sat down with Sheriff Thomas Bowler for an extended interview this week.

The 2019 Tanglewood schedule is out. 

The worker killed on the Mass Pike Thursday was a Berkshire County resident.

   A new report says progress is being made on reducing homelessness in the four counties of western Massachusetts.

      The largest city in western Massachusetts is again considering a ban on single use plastic bags by retailers.   This as a growing number of cities and towns in Massachusetts have enacted plastic bag regulations, but movement toward a statewide ban stalled.

As she prepares to take office on January 2nd, Berkshire District Attorney-elect Andrea Harrington is appointing staff and her transition team.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Police Chief Michael Wynn leads the largest department in Berkshire County. He sat down this week with WAMC to talk about issues ranging from officer misconduct and mass shootings to staffing levels and immigration enforcement.

An immigrant rights organization based in Vermont filed a lawsuit today against the federal government and the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Migrant Justice alleges leaders and members of the group were targeted for harassment and arrest.

The North Adams, Massachusetts city council met last night with an eye on the coming year. WAMC spoke today with city council president Keith Bona. Bona, an 18-year veteran of the council, has held its top post for the past year. He was asked about the tax levy to be set for fiscal year 2019.

      The personal toll of the opioid epidemic is well chronicled.  Now, a Beacon Hill think tank has produced a report on the economic impact.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council approved a tax cut proposed by the mayor Tuesday night.

       The popularity of winter farmers’ markets has been growing for several years.

Democrats and Progressives in the Vermont Legislature made gains in last Tuesday's elections, and now have a veto-proof majority if both left-leaning parties work together.

      A long-standing holiday event will take place again this year in western Massachusetts after some doubt about its future.   Plans were confirmed Tuesday for the Parade of Big Balloons in Springfield.

A Vermont town plans to appeal to the state's congressional delegation to try to get a bridge between the state and New Hampshire repaired and reopened.

A man is in custody following a drug-related shooting in Burlington, Vermont.

With another election behind them, two Berkshire County legislators are eyeing the upcoming session on Beacon Hill. WAMC checked in with state representatives Tricia Farley-Bouvier and John Barrett as they look to 2019.

   The open enrollment period has started for people looking to sign up for coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector – the state’s online health insurance marketplace.

The contentious battle for Berkshire district attorney exposed some political fault lines leading up to last week’s election. The first local leader to make a stand in the Democratic primary was Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer. Tyer endorsed Andrea Harrington over DA Paul Caccaviello in late August. On Tuesday, Harrington defeated Caccaviello, who mounted a write-in campaign in the general election. WAMC spoke with Tyer about her decision to endorse, and what comes next in Berkshires politics after the bruising election.

   A veteran-owned and staffed business operates and maintains a regional bicycle-sharing program in western Massachusetts.  

Less than six months after a new high-speed rail line launched between Springfield, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut service is being increased.

Voters have elected the first active duty Vermont State Police trooper to the state Legislature.