The teams from Southwick Regional and East Longmeadow High will enter the As Schools Match Wits arena. Who will emerge victorious? Find out at tonight 7 p.m. #onNEPM TV. #ASMW nepm.org/asmw

John Gennari’s book explores how race and place intersect — and how that connection shapes the music that emerges. https://bit.ly/4cNjqUl

In just one day, there were more than a dozen brush fires across Massachusetts. https://bit.ly/48QaLhv

The Berkshire County District Attorney has cleared Officer Jeffrey Spratt of any crime for the Jan. 7 killing of Biaggio Kauvil, who was having a mental health crisis. https://bit.ly/3QpUs4J

Hampshire College, a small, liberal arts college in Amherst, MA has been facing financial pressures in recent years. Today they announced the closure of the school. Visit nepm.org for more on this story. 🎥 Video: NEPM News reporter Phil Bishop 📝 Editing: Erin O'Neill, Ismary Santiago-Lugo

The small, liberal arts college in Amherst was founded in 1965 and has been facing financial pressures in recent years. https://bit.ly/4257sPJ

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll traveled around WMass to experience a mix of rural amenities - from fly fishing on the Deerfield River to Pelham’s historic town hall, which local leaders say is the oldest working town hall in the country. https://bit.ly/4elsVLI

It's finally 413 Day! Tell us what you love most about living in the 413.

ICYMI: For more stories from the NEPM newsroom click on the link in bio📰 📝Editing: Liam Reilly, NEPM Media Lab intern

Tonight on As Schools Match Wits, it's Greenfield High vs. Minnechaug Regional! Don't miss the high school quiz show action at 7 p.m. #onNEPM TV. #ASMW nepm.org/asmw

The annual "Festival of Flowers" is back, featuring arrangements inspired by art pieces in each of the four museums located at the Quadrangle. A total of 52 arraignments are on display, created by more than 60 florists. The festival runs through Sunday, April 12. Visit the link in bio for more.

Northampton is among the Massachusetts cities ready to give out grants from the state’s opioid settlement fund. The state is set to get $1 billion dollars from the national settlement with drug makers over the two decades. https://bit.ly/47PFsTN

ICYMI: For more stories from the NEPM newsroom visit nepm.org📰 📝Editing: Liam Reilly, NEPM Media Lab intern

Mass. Senate advances a $1.8B supplemental budget splitting surtax funds differently than the House, with less for the MBTA and more for regional aid. Lawmakers brace for clashes ahead of negotiations. https://bit.ly/4mb7rTD

With NEPM Passport, get extended access to your favorite PBS shows — anytime, anywhere! Stream, catch up, and rewatch your favorites. Learn more: nepm.org/passport 📺📱💻

The Massachusetts Senate passed a wide-ranging farm bill Wednesday. One aspect of the bill codifies the health incentives program for the first time. https://bit.ly/4thkSUl

The plan is called 'Compass Rail', and residents will see the earliest project materialize around 2030, with the so-called Inland Route — or what officials are calling the first phase of West-East Rail — connecting Springfield to Worcester and Boston. https://bit.ly/4sslkyB

The shells, shipped from China, are used at CRRC's Springfield manufacturing facility to create subway cars for the MBTA. They had been impounded by the Department of Homeland Security this past summer, over concerns they had been made with forced labor. https://bit.ly/417zxWs

For the second time in less than a decade the New England Commission of Higher Education is requiring Hampshire College to show cause why its accreditation should not be withdrawn. Can officials make the case to the commission, as it did in 2019? https://bit.ly/3NXu6pO

SCOTUS will hear oral arguments today in a case challenging President Trump's executive order denying citizenship to children born to people without permanent legal immigration status in the United States. Special coverage from NPR begins at 10 a.m. on 88.5 NEPM and streaming at nepm.org.

A @umassamherst.bsky.social poll, released on Monday, found respondents did not approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the war in Iran, immigration, inflation and tariffs. https://bit.ly/4s3cirq

ICYMI: Recent stories from the NEPM newsroom📰 📝Editing: Liam Reilly, NEPM Media Lab intern

We're making 413 Day an annual tradition and we want you to be there to celebrate with us! Don't miss the party — complete with 413 trivia, local music, drinks and more — on Monday, April 13 at Progression Brewing Co. in Northampton. RSVP at nepm.org/413day

Protesters in Western Massachusetts joined many across the nation in gathering in town squares and outside city halls for the third "No Kings" rally held since President Donald Trump took office in 2025. https://bit.ly/3PyVife

"No Kings" protests were held across the nation on Saturday, March 28, 2026. In Western Massachusetts thousands made signs and headed to protests in their cities and towns. 🎥 Video: Jill Kaufman, Elizabeth Román, NEPM, Umar Vorona, NEPM News Intern 📝 Editing, captioning: Ismary Santiago-Lugo, NEPM

Tonight on As Schools Match Wits, it's the Academy at Charlemont vs. Deerfield Academy! Don't miss the high school quiz show action at 7 p.m. #onNEPM TV. #ASMW nepm.org/asmw

The Fabulous 413 is honored to be named best podcast in the 2026 Advocate Best of the Valley Readers Poll! Thanks to all our listeners and everyone who voted — we couldn't share our love of western Mass. without you. https://bit.ly/fab413best26

The average price of home heating oil in Massachusetts has spiked since the start of the year by nearly $2 to $5.38 a gallon as of last week. https://bit.ly/4bH3Ucp

At a recent Massachusetts Department of Transportation board meeting, there were several updates to the proposed expansion of passenger rail service in the state including more trains between Springfield and NYC. https://bit.ly/3NEF0AS

Former Holyoke, Mass., City Councilor David Bartley is facing charges he was in violation of the state's conflict of interest law between 2023 and 2025, according to the Massachusetts Ethics Commission. https://bit.ly/3PVw8r3

House Speaker Ron Mariano expects voters to pass an income tax cut this year. He warns that if it passes, the state may have to hike other taxes or slash spending. https://bit.ly/4rOEQVm

The top purveyor of urban cool is coming to Northampton. Don't miss cultural satirist Fran Lebowitz at the Academy of Music Theatre on Saturday, April 18. Get tickets at nepm.org/smartandfunny

Get a sneak peek of the Back Porch Festival and a live broadcast of The Fabulous 413! Monte will welcome a host of special musical guests, including Sal from Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars. Be one first 20 people to RSVP at [email protected] and you and a guest can see it all live!

Tonight on As Schools Match Wits, it's Pioneer Valley Regional vs. West Springfield High School. Don't miss the high school quiz show action at 7 p.m. #onNEPM TV. #ASMW nepm.org/asmw

This week, The Rundown takes on furloughs at a Springfield rail car maker, contracts ICE for a Pittsfield company, and a multimillion dollar windfall. Listen: https://www.nepm.org/therundown/2026-03-20/springfield-furloughs-pittsfield-ice-contracts-windfall-from-a-drug-dealer

Drivers in Springfield and across western Massachusetts are feeling the effects of a cold and icy winter on city and town roads. https://bit.ly/4bqD1aY

The rail car shells coming from China and bound for Springfield had been held by federal authorities amid a dispute. This led to the company, CRRC, furloughing more than 140 workers this week. Now the parts have been released. https://bit.ly/4sQz9qR

In part 3 of NEPM's series on local candidates eager to enter politics, Nicole Coakley relies on her instincts as a mother, community leader, and woman of color. https://bit.ly/4srVQSK

In part 2 of NEPM's series on newcomers entering politics, Easthampton, Mass., poultry farmer Karl Prahl reflects on how losing a campaign pushed him into community service. https://bit.ly/4uAYBCp

In part one of NEPM's series "Stepping into the Ring," on local candidates giving politics a try, Yakov Kronrod leans on his family's refugee history and his own past activism. https://bit.ly/4lSvAyt

Chinese-owned CRRC manufactures rail cars in Springfield for the Boston-area transit agency, the MBTA, and for a system in Los Angeles. Necessary parts and materials coming from China have been held up by the government, leading to the furloughs. https://bit.ly/3NGPoba

Access these stories and more of our recent news by clicking the link in our bio.📰 📝 Editing: Liam Rielly, Media Lab Intern

Population growth is important for a thriving community. A recent UMass Donahue Wayfinders report projected population declines in all four WMass counties between 2020 and 2035. https://bit.ly/4rypFzs

Readers, this is big. Ocean Vuong himself will be joining us at the next NEPM Book Club meeting to tell us all about his powerful and poetic novel, "The Emperor of Gladness." You're not going to miss it — mark your calendars for Thursday, April 30 and sign up now at nepm.org/bookclub!

Tonight, two teams enter the As Schools Match Wits arena. Will Lenox Memorial or Northampton High come out on top? Find out at 7 p.m. #onNEPM TV. #ASMW nepm.org/asmw

We love pie here at NEPM, especially for our annual #PiDay contest! Check out our winners and their pies. 🥧 Photos: Elizabeth Román & Erin O'Neill / NEPM

This week, The Rundown with Carrie Saldo unpacks local effects of the Iran War, explore a state budget hearing and plans to address health care needs in western Mass. Listen now: https://www.nepm.org/therundown/2026-03-13/iran-war-state-budget-hearing-western-mass-heath-care

In this weekly check-in with U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, NEPM's Kari Njiiri asks him about the local effects of the U.S. and Israeli War on Iran and the state of health care for rural communities in WMass. https://bit.ly/4s0i0eq

Make the NEPM hoodie a go-to piece of your wardrobe. "It is exceptionally comfortable, it's very warm, it's very hardy," says NEPM's Phillip Bishop. Get yours today by giving to NEPM at nepm.org/radiopledge!

A group of rural educators and elected officials from around Massachusetts are sending a week-long SOS to Beacon Hill lawmakers, letting them know, not for the first time, the destructive consequences of underfunding the state's rural schools. https://bit.ly/4rtvaQ5