WBUR Newsroom Election 2008 CommonHealth Blog Radio Boston Blog Boston Weather Climate Connections BBC World News NPR Top Stories NPR's Morning Edition NPR Topics: Books NPR Topics: Movies Fresh Air All Things Considered Marketplace Submit a News Tip RSS Feeds Podcasts Bats Under Threat By Bob Oakes Listen to story (Real Audio) Little brown bats are among the species threatened by a mysterious disease in the North East. (Photo: USFWS) BOSTON, Mass. - March 18, 2008 - Bats in Massachusetts are afflicted with a mysterious illness that's killed off thousands of their fellow flyers in New York and Vermont. Scientists have seen bats flying around outside of Western Massachusetts mines, when normally they would've been hibernating through the winter months. Here to talk with WBUR's Bob Oakes about the affected bat population is Doctor Thomas French. He's the assistant director for Natural Heritage and Endangered Species at MassWildlife. RELATED LINKS Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, on bat deaths    From The WBUR Newsroom State Street May Pay for Risky Investments BOSTON, Mass. (May 09, 2008) Boston-based State Street Corporation may end up paying far more than it's prepared for over its involvement in the sub-prime mortgage crash. State Rejects Home Insurance Hike BOSTON (May 09, 2008) State officials have rejected a plan by the state's home insurer of last resort to hike premiums by about 13 percent. Speculation Over Speaker DiMasi BOSTON, Mass. (May 09, 2008) Amid ethics questions and as some lawmakers jockey for his job, House Speaker Sal DiMasi is keeping a low profile at the State House. We'll report on the speculation over his leadership. Lacrosse v Baseball BOSTON, Mass. (May 08, 2008) In the heart of Red Sox Nation, many high school baseball players are switching to another sport instead. We report on the explosive growth of lacrosse, by almost 60 percent in the last six years.