The Rundown with Carrie Saldo

As Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi returns to work after his arrest for driving while intoxicated , panelists discuss what’s to come as this news develops. A recently declassified memo clears Ethel Rosenberg for being a Soviet spy, and her family here in western Massachusetts wants the government to exonerate her. What is behind dipping scores Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System ( MCA...

Town clerks are in the midst of election 2024. Some are trying to streamline the work of counting ballots , so what might that mean in one small town? Get inside a new cybersecurity center in Springfield that is meant to monitor threats and train students for jobs in cybersecurity. What does the state climate chief do, and what brought her to western Mass. this week? Plus an update on the cleanup...

After taking a few days to simmer, panelists reflect on this week’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.  Shortages in affordable housing are impacting western Massachusetts residents from Springfield to the Berkshires. What is possible under the state’s new Affordable Homes Act , and what obstacles remain? We dig in and find out.  And, with p...

The Rundown with Carrie Saldo is back from summer vacation, and ready to dig into the headlines of the week. Turnout was low for Monday’s state primary elections . What impact did that have on some of the local races throughout western Mass.? And looking statewide: The race for Massachusetts U.S. Senate is now decided. Republican John Deaton will be challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Elizabeth...

After a tumultuous few weeks in American politics, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to take the Democratic presidential nominee. Western Massachusetts Democrats will get a chance to join the excitement as Pittsfield prepares to host a fundraiser for the Harris campaign.   As retiring Massachusetts judges continue to mount court vacancies, Gov. Maura Healey has collected a handful of nomine...

This week, following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, thousands of delegates from all over the United States and Territories traveled to Milwuake to attend the 2024 Republican National Convention . We discuss the latest on the presidential race and hear from two Massachusetts delegates, Elizabeth Hinds-Ferrick and Michael Valanzola , about their support for Republican pre...

Despite calls for him to drop out of the presidential race, President Joe Biden is finding support from some Massachusetts democrats. Among that group is Democratic Delegate and Eastampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle ; she weighs on her decision.    What’s up with legal weed? Local state Rep. Aaron Saunders says “it’s a trainwreck .” We discuss how the Cannabis Control Commission is impacting the regi...

Today on the Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the need for flood mitigation in the region. What can legislators do to address this problem?  And, despite expectations of regional broadband internet service by 2011, parts of western Massachusetts still lack reliable internet. Will a funding package from Gov. Maura Healey’s office combat this issue?   Plus, disabled nature enthusiasts sa...

On The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the shortage of primary care physicians in Massachusetts, and how one Greenfield medical practice is approaching the issue. Can it be remedied by state lawmakers? State lawmakers consider re-establishing a panel to support the struggling journalism industry in Massachusetts. What could this mean for the survival of news organizations in the state...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the big news week for education in the region. Springfield and Holyoke schools are falling under scrutiny after The Racial Imbalance Advisory Council released a new report revealing segregation in at least 60% of Massachusetts public schools . We’ll unpack the details.  -  We discuss the impacts of students' right to choose which public sch...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists weigh in on payments from the Massachusetts Opioid Recovery Remediation Fund , bringing millions to cities and towns across the state to address the state’s opioid problem. As data reveal overdose-related deaths declined in 2023, what’s the best way to use that money? Some cities are looking for public insight .  University of Massachusetts Amherst...

Tensions spike again in the Springfield School District as the outgoing superintendent, Daniel Warwick, refers to a school committee member’s family as “ freaking scumbags .” We’ll talk about how these comments landed on social media and what happens next for the stirred-up school district.  Berkshires native and former FTX executive, Ryan Salame, is awaiting his 90-month prison sentence for opera...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists weigh in on a legal challenge to the Controlled Substances Act rolled out by legal cannabis purveyors in western Massachusetts. Will this light a spark that changes the weed industry?  After months of divisions and delays among the committee members, the Springfield School District has elected a new superintendent , Sonia Dinnall. Have tensions in...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty vote of no confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes . Earlier this month, Reyes sent police to dismantle an on-campus pro-Palestine encampment resulting in more than 130 arrests . What does this mean for the chancellor? And, heading into the high season for home sales, western Massachusetts conti...

Today on The Rundown, Carrie Saldo and panelists discuss a new study that calls for an increase in state funding for public transportation in Massachusetts, pointing to a need to expand accessible transportation services into rural areas. What could this mean for the western part of the state? We’ll dig in and find out. As pro-Palestinian protestors at University of Massachusetts Amherst were arra...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss two different administrative responses to Palestinian solidarity demonstrations at UMass Amherst and Williams College . We dig into the aftermath of a police crackdown that led to reports of brutality and more than 130 arrests of community members, UMass students and faculty members. And, we return to the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regiona...

Today on the Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss pro-Palestine campus demonstrations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Consistent with a nationwide student movement, protesters demand UMass to cut financial ties with Israel. These demonstrations come as the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigates alleged discrimination against Palestinian and Arab students a...

NEPM reporter and guest host Adam Frenier and panelists discuss comments by Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt on potential plans for state border tolls. This idea received backlash from governors of bordering states and was quickly shut down by Gov. Maura Healey ; we dig into the potential impacts of border tolls on local communities. Western Massachusetts representatives...

One of the largest unfiltered water supplies in the United States is located right here in the 413. The Quabbin Reservoir provides 3.1 million people in central and eastern Massachusetts with drinking water, but could more western Massachusetts communities gain access to that resource? The Pittsfield schools superintendent double checked some state numbers and unlocked $2.4 million in additional s...

Today on The Rundown, panelists discuss alleged civil rights violations at Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools , which have garnered attention from conservative and progressive media. We dig into the defamation and discrimination lawsuit that sparked this hotbed issue. Magic mushrooms might be on the ballot when you cast your vote this November. What are the policy details and the potential impacts of...

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the impact of a new hospital in North Adams. Ten years after the closure of the only regional hospital in northern Berkshire County, the North Adams Regional Hospital has admitted its first patient . And manufacturers of PFAS, an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are under legal fire from the city of Westfield,...

On The Rundown, our panel confronts a continuance without a finding. Key figures facing criminal neglect charges in the Holyoke Soldiers' Home COVID outbreak of 2020 had their latest day in court and we discuss how these cases were resolved. The state’s new commissioner of elementary and secondary education promises to return local control of Holyoke’s school district. What does this mean for the...

This week’s panel discusses alleged racist incidents at Southwick Regional School and Pittsfield High School as these western Massachusetts communities grapple with the consequences of student bullying and harassment. A state commission is exploring how the commonwealth can best develop clean energy infrastructure for the future. What part does western Massachusetts have to play in this?  Plus, wh...

Earlier this week, a gun was fired at Springfield Sci-Tech High School . As the investigation continues, The Rundown's panel discusses what we know about the incident and what it means for school safety in its wake. Gov. Maura Healey visited western Massachusetts this week to promote an economic development bill . She has also announced an executive action to pardon people convicted of misdemeanor...

In the wake of Super Tuesday , we’ll take a look at what’s on the mind of voters in the 413. Host Carrie Saldo and this week’s panelists discuss the various voter perspectives, the “ No Preference Campaign ,” and what the turnouts could mean for the next presidential election.  Union members at a major arts and culture destination in North Adams, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art , are...