The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC since joining the station nearly 17 years ago. Now, Paul is in the final few days of a radio news career that goes back decades in the Bay State as he gets ready to retire at the end of the month.

Chris Mazdzer was the first U.S men’s singles luge athlete to win an Olympic medal. In 2018 he captured a silver medal at the Olympics. He has won 24 World Cup medals. He also competed in men’s luge doubles, winning bronze at the 2020 World Championship. And he is among a select group to have medaled in both singles and doubles in World Cup competition. This month, Mazdzer’s extraordinary competitive career came to a close in Lake Placid.

The trustees of the Vermont State Colleges system have selected Dr. Elizabeth Mauch to serve as chancellor. The system is beginning the second phase of a five-year transformation plan creating the Vermont State University.

Outgoing Mayor Patrick Madden says he believes Troy is in better shape than when he came into office eight years ago.  The Democrat made righting the fiscal ship and paying off long-standing debt a priority during his time leading the Collar City. Madden says finances are stable, but Mayor-elect Carmella Mantello will need to keep a close eye on spending during a time of inflation and higher interest rates.

It has been almost 40 years since former New York Governor Mario Cuomo’s keynote address at the Democratic National Convention — a landmark moment for a generation of liberalism and one that many thought would lead to the White House. Today, Cuomo’s shadow still looms over New York state politics, even after his son left office without serving the fourth term that eluded his father. A new special three-part podcast series, “Mario Cuomo: The Last Liberal,” looks at Cuomo’s rise and legacy. It’s hosted by NY1 anchor and "New York" columnist Errol Louis.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer has held a variety of positions during his long career in government. Now, he wants to go to Washington. The former state Senator and Assemblyman has just kicked off a bid for Congress, filing to run in New York’s 16th House district — a seat currently held by fellow Democrat Jamaal Bowman. Latimer is unable to seek a third term in Westchester in 2025.

Former Florida Congresswoman Val Demings, a Democrat, and former Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican who was the longtime GOP House Whip, are taking part in Hamilton College’s Common Ground program Monday. The talk is called “Taming the Chaos in D.C.: How Can We Bridge the Divides in Washington?”

Barry Meier is a former "New York Times journalist," and author of the book “Pain Killer: A Wonder Drug's Trail of Addiction and Death.” It’s the grim story of OxyContin, the opioid epidemic, the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, and its owners, the Sackler Family. His groundbreaking reporting helped bring the corporate malfeasance that fueled a massive wave of substance misuse to light for the first time.

In July 1973, one of the largest manhunts in New York history occurred after Robert Garrow killed four people in the Adirondacks. He was apprehended after a 12-day manhunt. His trial, which became known as “The Missing Bodies Case,” is studied internationally because his lawyers knew but did not reveal the location of two missing bodies due to attorney-client confidentiality. In the book “Sworn to Silence: The Truth Behind Robert Garrow and the Missing Bodies Case” author Jim Tracy writes about Garrow, the murders, the lawyers who defended him and their ethical decisions that are still studied. We speak with Tracy for the 50th anniversary of the manhunt.

We speak with Mike Fenton, the Springfield City Councilor from Ward 2, who says he has the votes to return to the council presidency next year.