New England News

Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy was at the Burlington offices of the state Health Department Tuesday morning to announce a federal grant to help the state respond to opioid overdoses and strengthen prevention efforts.

     The City Council in Springfield, Massachusetts is scheduled to vote tonight on creating two new historic districts downtown.  

    A public memorial is being organized for Frances Crowe, the trailblazing anti-war activist who died last week at the age of 100 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts police department says one of its cruisers was involved in a collision.

The head of a major national real estate company based in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has given a rare interview to WAMC to talk about his life and work.

In the wake of the June 21st deaths of seven motorcyclists in Randolph, New Hampshire caused by a Massachusetts driver with a suspended license, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu this week announced that the Granite State is reforming its DMV processes.

As the marijuana industry continues to take hold in Massachusetts, Berkshire Community College is developing a unique cannabis certificate course with a local dispensary.

This summer, Sheffield, Massachusetts-based Brece Honeycutt is the artist in residence at Naumkeag, the historic mansion in Stockbridge. Since mid-June, she’s been hard at work translating the natural beauty of the Berkshire hills around the residence into an art project housed in a barn on the grounds. Honeycutt spoke to WAMC about her work before today’s open studio event, from 3 to 7 p.m.

This week, Burlington city councilors reviewed an application for a new liquor license. They discussed whether alcohol would appropriately mix with the entertainment the business owner plans at the venue: axe throwing.

As locals raise questions about the potential return of horse racing to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the company eyeing the town is trying to answer them.

A federal judge says a civil lawsuit filed by Vermont residents seeking damages from PFOA contamination in their Bennington neighborhood can proceed as a class-action lawsuit.

Burlington City Councilors heard an update on a stalled downtown redevelopment project at their meeting Monday evening. They were displeased with the lack of information provided by developers as to when construction will restart on what has become an eyesore in the center of the downtown.

The four candidates competing in this fall’s Pittsfield, Massachusetts mayoral election debated for the first time Monday night.

A Petersburgh, New York bird sanctuary is recovering from a deadly fire last week.

A helicopter will be flying over farm fields in western Massachusetts this week and next dropping what’s called a cover crop in hopes of protecting the soil. The effort is a partnership between area farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

A new passenger rail service is scheduled to begin in western Massachusetts on August 30th.

The owners of a Burlington, Vermont, skateboard shop are facing federal charges of conspiracy to sell marijuana from their business.

  Health officials in Massachusetts Friday confirmed a third human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and said two western Massachusetts towns are at critical risk for the mosquito-transmitted virus.

Officials in Massachusetts are trying to spread the word about a program that can help women break away from an abusive relationship before it escalates to deadly violence.

A member of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s cabinet visited Pittsfield Friday to examine an infrastructure project the state is funding.

The largest urban commercial greenhouse in Massachusetts is marking its first year of production.

The candidates for mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts will debate Monday.

Opera singer J’Nai Bridges takes to the Tanglewood stage on Sunday in the midst of a whirlwind year. After starring as the titular role in the San Francisco Opera’s production of “Carmen” earlier this summer, she’s been nominated for the company’s 2019 Emerging Star of the Year. With her Metropolitan Opera debut set for November and international dates for “Carmen” coming in 2020, the 32-year-old Bridges spoke with WAMC about how she first entered the opera world.

For the first time in 20 years, a Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based ballet company is presenting a new, full-length production this Friday.

This week, the city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts announced that for the first time, it received over $353,500 in state funding for its Complete Streets initiative – an effort to make city roadways accessible for all users. WAMC spoke with city engineer Ricardo Morales to learn more about Complete Streets and how Pittsfield plans to use the grant.

The Vermont Agency of Administration says the state's general and transportation funds were ahead of revenue forecasts for July, while the education fund was slightly below expectations.