Eleven different ballot questions appear to have met the requirements ahead of this week’s deadline for the 2026 ballot. We will dig into a divide on the rent control question proposed for the next election cycle along with a range of housing-related issues facing the 413. 

And, Springfield train ridership is down against a nationwide increase. We explore what it might mean for east-west rail.

Plus, why are historians still debating Henry Knox’s march through the Berkshires? 

Today’s panel for The Rundown includes Jane Kaufman, community voices editor of the Berkshire Eagle; Jim Kinney, reporter for the Springfield Republican; and Rich Parr, vice president at MassINC Polling Group.

A tragic fire at an off-campus housing complex serving UMass Amherst students leaves hundreds displaced and a community in shock. We discuss the latest in the story and how the public is responding.

A boom in enrollment at vocational and technical schools nationwide makes an impact at school districts across western Massachusetts.

And, an eagerly-awaited project in Springfield's north end to build a new community center falls apart, leaving questions for many. We unpack the details.

Plus, Mercy Medical Center’s soon suspension of maternity care causes concerns about jobs and the future of the Springfield hospital.

We’re running down all of that and more with this week’s panel, Bridgette Davis, assistant professor at UMass Amherst School of Public Policy; Greg Sukiennik, news editor for The Berkshire Eagle; and Larry Parnass, executive editor for the Springfield Republican. 

Today on The Rundown, we unpack some of Tuesday’s election results. In the contested mayoral races across the 413, voters favored incumbents. What might that continuity yield for western Mass. residents? 

And, we take a closer look at the city council election results in Springfield and Holyoke. Most of the incumbents who sought a return to Springfield’s council won, but several races were nail biters. Is there a message those leaders should take away from the results? 

Plus, municipal races in western Massachusetts are nonpartisan. But did party politics play a role in Holyoke?

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel, Dusty Christensen, investigations editor at The Shoestring; Matt Szafranski, editor of Western Mass Politics and Insight; and Paul Tuthill, reporter emeritus.

With four contested mayoral, city council and school committee elections in cities and towns across western Massachusetts this coming Tuesday, we rundown the ballot options.

The government shutdown hits 31 days today and, barring court intervention, there will not be Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Massachusetts residents in November.  We explore what it means for locals in need.

Plus, the iconic Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires was on the brink of insolvency, but now puts its financial drama to rest.

We’re running down all of that and more with this week’s panel, Berkshire Eagle reporter Clarence Fanto;  Eric Lesser, senior counsel at WilmerHale; Elizabeth Román, NEPM executive news editor and special guest Kaliis Smith, co-host of NEPM’s The Fabulous 413.

Beacon Hill Democrats consider oversight over what some claim is "unsustainable" spending by local sheriff's offices. "No other state agency or department overspends their budget by 22%," said state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

And the latest student needs assessment in Franklin County finds that while substance use is down, suicide attempts have increased. We’ll examine the findings.

Plus, we’ll explore some of the effects that the Trump administration is having on higher education institutions in Massachusetts, including drops in international student enrollment and threats to federal funding.

And with thousands of No Kings protests held throughout the country this past weekend, we’ll discuss the impact here in the 413.

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel: Dave Eisenstadter, state editor for MassLive; Greenfield Recorder reporter Anthony Cammalleri; and NEPM News reporter Adam Frenier. 

Herd immunity is lacking at several schools across western Massachusetts. We’ll discuss what we know about why fewer children are being vaccinated, and the potential impact.

And, a Pittsfield man is back in the Berkshires after a judge ruled he was unlawfully detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And while his lawyer says it’s unlikely, the man fears he may be arrested again. 

Then, a pilot program that will pay for nips, those tiny alcohol containers that seem to multiple like rabbits. Should it be replicated or is there other trash to tackle instead? 

Plus, what’s pawpaw fever? We’ll find out.

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel: Greta Jochem, investigations editor at the Springfield Republican ; G. Michael Dobbs of Focus Springfield; and NEPM reporter Nirvani Williams.

Amid peace plan talks, western Massachusetts and the world marks two years since war broke out between Hamas and Israel.

A controversial immigration resolution in Holyoke fails as members of the city council raise concerns about a possible loss of federal funding. We’ll unpack the details.

And towns that neighbor the MGM Springfield casino have been benefitting from mitigation payments they've received — but now that windfall is coming to an end. What might the impact be? 

Plus, is Massachusetts in a so-called “soft secession?” And what exactly does that term mean? We’ll explain.

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel: John Micek, politics editor at MassLive; Aprell May Munford, Springfield Republican reporter; and political consultant Evan Garber of A.L. Cignoli and Associates.

On The Rundown, we look at government shutdown limbo. There’s a lot of uncertainty locally over the impact of the federal government shutdown. We’ll tick through some of the standing questions.  

Tracing a Legionella bacteria outbreak in Pittsfield. Did healthcare officials wait too long to report what they knew? 

Plus, the latest MCAS testing scores are in, and some of the biggest school districts in western Mass. are lagging behind state expectations. 

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel: Berkshire Eagle Executive Editor Kevin Moran, political consultant Ryan McCollum, and NEPM reporter Karen Brown.

Freedom of speech is in the news, up for debate, and drawing protestors in at least one western Massachusetts city. What does our panel think?

And $2.5 million from the state was spent. But an investigation by the Springfield Republican found not much to show for that at the Paramount Theater. What happened? 

How much could a potential government shutdown impact western Massachusetts? And, how the current drought impacts farmers in the 413.

We’re running down all of that and more this week with our panel: Adam Hinds, CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate; Dusty Christensen, investigations editor at The Shoestring; and NEPM reporter Jill Kaufman. 

On this episode of The Rundown, why the former board chair of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, a Berkshire County resident, is calling for a “paradigm shift.”

A troubling pyrrhotite problem on the ground in parts of New England might be sorted out from the sky. And, some schools in the northern Berkshires are eyeing regionalization. What could the impact be? 

In local politics, Democrats from across the state descended on Springfield this past weekend for their party convention.

We’re running down all of that and more with our panel: Jane Kaufman, community voices editor at the Berkshire Eagle; Jim Kinney, reporter for the Springfield Republican; and Western Mass Politics & Insight Editor-in-Chief Matt Szafranski.