New England News

Governor Phil Scott has announced a series of steps to curb a significant rise in COVID cases in Vermont.

     Details have been announced for how the largest holiday lighting display in New England will go on this year with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. 

The Burlington City Council reviewed a number of items during their regular session and committee meetings this week.

   Outgoing Massachusetts Democratic State Representative Aaron Vega is going to be the city of Holyoke’s chief economic development officer.

The Burlington City Council discussed the legal implications of creating Overdose Prevention Sites in the city during a work session of their regular meeting this week.

Coronavirus cases are increasing in Vermont. Tuesday evening, Burlington’s mayor held a virtual town hall with medical experts to discuss concerns and what people should know about new guidance to stem the spread of COVID-19.

   Massachusetts honored its military veterans today with virtual events and much smaller than usual Veterans Day observances.

    On this Veterans Day, we hear from a spokeswoman for The Disabled American Veterans (DAV), an organization founded a century ago to help disabled members of the armed forces and their families.

Vermont officials announced today that they are temporarily suspending the state’s safe travel policy that allows some people to enter the state without quarantining from areas determined to have low numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott said Monday he appreciates President-elect Joe Biden’s immediate attention to look for ways to control the coronavirus pandemic.  Scott’s comments came after Biden unveiled a coronavirus advisory board made up by scientists and public health officials.

The city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts is alerting residents to a major spike in COVID-19 cases related to house parties and dining inside restaurants. 

A man from Lanesborough, Massachusetts has been convicted on multiple counts related to child pornography.

     Education officials in Massachusetts today said school districts should make in-person learning a priority even in places where risk levels are high for community spread of COVID-19.

The Ecosocialist Working Group of the Massachusetts Democratic Socialists of America has put forward a Green Stimulus Plan that it says prioritizes equity, working people and the environment. It comes as the state slowly rebuilds from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. WAMC spoke to John Prusinski of the Berkshire Chapter of the DSA. He says the plan corresponds with legislation working its way through the Massachusetts legislature.

As new COVID-19 related public health orders from Governor Charlie Baker go into effect today across Massachusetts, Berkshire County communities are getting ready to implement them.

It’s estimated that about 56,000 people in Massachusetts have lost their health insurance since last spring when unemployment soared as a result of the pandemic-induced business shutdowns.

Voters in Winooski, which has one of the highest concentrations of new Americans and immigrants in Vermont, have decided to allow noncitizens the right to vote in local elections.

There will be a number of changes in the leadership of the Vermont Legislature if election results stand.

Dennis Powell was re-elected to a fourth two-year term as president of the Berkshire County Branch of the NAACP in Wednesday’s virtual election. 

On Tuesday night, Vermont voters elected Molly Gray as the state’s next Lieutenant Governor.  The current assistant attorney general had never run for office but garnered a number of high-profile endorsements including from Senator Patrick Leahy, Congressman Peter Welch, former Governor and Ambassador Madeline Kunin and former Governor Peter Shumlin.  She defeated Republican businessman Scott Milne, who had twice run for office, and the outcome between the two was the closest among the state’s top races. On Wednesday morning Molly Gray told WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley following the election results was a rollercoaster but a very special night.

        Two former administrators of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home were arraigned Thursday on criminal neglect charges for their roles in the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the state-owned long-term care facility. 

With COVID-19 rates rising in Massachusetts, a new round of public health mandates from Governor Charlie Baker take effect Friday. WAMC spoke with Berkshire County Boards of Health Association and Berkshire Public Health Alliance Director Laura Kittross of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission about the state of the pandemic in the region right now.

There were few surprises in Berkshire County on Election Day, with the region’s all-Democratic legislative delegation running unchallenged.

Vermonters continued a long tradition of electing a governor and lieutenant governor from opposite parties on Election Day. Bidding for a third term, Republican Governor Phil Scott soundly defeated his challenger, while a newcomer to politics will hold the second-highest state office.

On Election Day, Massachusetts voters embraced a ballot measure that would standardize vehicle data access while rejecting one that would instate a ranked choice voting system in 2022.

After a candidate for president of the Berkshire County chapter of the NAACP levelled accusations of sexism at the incumbent, some women in the branch are pushing back.