New England News

A  Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Vermont governor in 2014 is running for lieutenant governor.

The mayor of Vermont’s largest city says the coronavirus pandemic has changed this year’s Green Up Day. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has the latest about COVID-19 in Burlington.

Democrat Tricia Farley-Bouvier represents the 3rd Berkshire District in the Massachusetts Statehouse. She has signed on to a new bill that would provide federal stimulus money to immigrants working in the commonwealth who were excluded from the CARES Act, which provided $1,200 checks to most Americans. Farley-Bouvier spoke with WAMC about getting COVID-19 relief funding to immigrant taxpayers.

Kripalu, the Stockbridge, Massachusetts health and yoga center, is laying off around 450 employees and closing for the rest of 2020. Citing revenue losses during the coronavirus pandemic, Kripalu also instituted salary cuts for remaining staff. Kripalu, which has been a WAMC underwriter, has long been a magnet for tourists to Berkshire County, and will launch a takeout program from its kitchen to weather the unnaturally quiet season. CEO Barbara Vacarr spoke to WAMC.

Vermont Republican Governor Phil Scott has made it official: he is seeking a third two-year term.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott held a regular COVID-19 briefing Wednesday morning.  He teased potential new openings of the state’s business sectors as his administration continues tracking data to determine when it’s appropriate to resume certain activities.

    A task force has been announced to look at the response to sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. 

Pittsfield Community Television is presenting the Berkshire COVID-19 Fund Help-A-Thon Thursday. 

Civic leaders in North Adams, Massachusetts are preparing for their budget process to begin before fiscal year 2021 starts on July 1st. The planning comes at a time when revenues are sharply down during the coronavirus pandemic. WAMC spoke with City Council Vice President Jason LaForest after Tuesday night’s meeting to get a sense of what Berkshire County’s second city can expect.

For state and local governments, the coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges in crafting spending plans. Tuesday night, the mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts submitted her proposed 2021 budget to the city council before hearings on municipal spending begin next week.

    Public school buildings in Massachusetts will remain closed at least until fall. But what then? School officials are looking at a number of daunting challenges to reopening amid the pandemic. 

The city of Burlington is considering construction of a new street to help carry traffic to the Lake Champlain waterfront.

The state of Vermont is preparing to close some surge sites that were set up across the state in case COVID-19 infections overwhelmed the state’s hospitals.

After a month of online finals and Zoom graduation ceremonies, discussion continues about how Vermont’s largest college plans to bring students back to campus this summer and fall.

       The largest city in western Massachusetts is planning to personalize the grim statistics from the coronavirus pandemic. 

Vermont Governor Phil Scott says despite the state showing positive progress, he intends to continue a cautious reopening strategy from COVID-19-related shutdowns.

Berkshire County’s largest community says it won’t hold a 4th of July parade this year.

While still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, police in the largest city in western Massachusetts have started training to use body-worn cameras. 

Plans for reopening businesses and public buildings in the largest city in western Massachusetts are taking shape. 

As Massachusetts slowly begins to reopen, Berkshire County faith leaders are preparing for a new approach to congregational worship.

Three Pittsfield, Massachusetts city councilors are endorsing Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in his bid to unseat Congressman Richard Neal.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts health and yoga retreat Kripalu has announced that it will lay off 450 employees and close for the remainder of the year.

Keith Bona is a long-serving member of the North Adams, Massachusetts city council – as well as the owner of Berkshire Emporium & Antiques in the Northern Berkshire city’s downtown He tells WAMC that efforts to govern the community of around 13,000 have been hamstrung by the COVID-19 pandemic and the budgetary concerns it raises. Bona says he disagrees with State Representative and former Mayor John Barrett about how the region needs to reshape its economy moving forward.

As Massachusetts begins to follow Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan, marijuana dispensaries in Berkshire County are returning to recreational sales for the first time in two months.

Burlington, Vermont City Councilors received an update this week on a stalled downtown development project and also considered a resolution to move the community away from natural gas.

Community leaders around Massachusetts are responding to Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan after months of COVID-19 related closures. Democratic 1st Berkshire District State Representative John Barrett represents Northern Berkshire County, which he says is in for an downturn that will exceed the Great Recession. The former mayor of North Adams tells WAMC that he has some issues with the Republican’s plan.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott outlined a $400 million pandemic economic recovery program for businesses across the state during his COVID-19 briefing Wednesday.

The Burlington City Council had a number of items to consider this week during its virtual session.