Podcasts
Podcasts
Wednesday, September 2, 202609/02/2026
Primaries, Nature, & the Apocalypse
9/2/26, Co-Host Brian Adams
We Fishwrap yesterday’s votes: Markey v Moulton; Neal v Whalen; Jacobs v Fenton; the South Hadley override; and down to the wire and still counting —a handful of votes separate Wondolowski & Coryat in the race to follow Natalie Blais.
Owen Wormser from Abound Design on lawns into meadows, your home, your planet, your choices.
Sarah LaValley and Tom Annese from the Northampton Planning and Sustainability Dept on the $2.8million state grant for rewilding the Pine Grove Golf Course, now the Pine Grove Conservation Area. Congratulations! What a story!
Cool Films with Florence-based filmmaker Larry Hott and Smith College Professor of Shakespeare and the Apocalypse (really!) Gillian Kendall: the world is coming to an end—too much fun!
Tuesday, September 1, 202609/01/2026
Elections We Make
9/1/26, Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz
Sen Paul Mark: election day issues, union solidarity, GOTV, your vote matters, gerontocracy, local races.
Sen Ed Markey: his age, his issues, accomplishments, fears & hopes.
Mass Fair Housing Ex Dir Vineeth Hemavathi: from this non-profit in Holyoke, their nationwide lawsuit against the U.S. Dept of Housing & Urban Development to prevent Trump from gutting fair housing – and the injunction they achieved last week.
Eric Ross, UMass grad student & Co-Founder of Massachusetts Cuban Solidarity: conditions on the island; protesting and organizing against Trump’s policies.
Monday, August 31, 202608/31/2026
The Real Story
8/31/26, Co-Host–Megan Zinn
Michel and Leyla Moushabeck, founders, writers, editors and publishers of Northampton-based Interlink Publishing: Read and Resist; the Interlink Foundation; cookbooks; the world at War; Gaza.
Nationally known local author Suzanne Strempek Shea: “Composition: A Memoir in 42 Essays by 1 Kid on Her 8 Years in Catholic School, Handed in 60 Years Late.”
Raymond LaRaja, UMass Prof of Political Science and Co-Director of the UMass Poll: the poll released today: how under water is Trump? Is the MAGA base shrinking ? How accurate are the polls? What are the implications for the midterms? How about polls for local races?
Michael Klare: Prof of Peace & World Security Studies and Visiting Fellow at the Arms Control Council: the Wars in Iraq and Ukraine, NATO, the U.S running low on missiles, a possibility of nuclear weapons?
Saturday, August 29, 202608/29/2026
Western Mass Business Show on 8.29.26- Ruth Griggs Northampton Jazz Festival
In The Western Mass. Business Show
Ruth Griggs is a local phenom. Growing up in Western MA leaving for NYC and returning as an adult gave her a unique perspective of how amazing this place is. Having founded RC Communications and BWC Group a marketing, branding, communications, PR, and strategy agency enabled her to connect with others and realize that partnerships are the way to success. In 2011, she began to search for her people, and she found them at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and the Northampton Jazz Festival. Now as President, she oversees the festival and yearlong programming to schools and the region. Join us at the Festival on September 25-26th in downtown Northammpton. To learn more go to www.northammptonjazzfest.org. Listen in as we talk about all things community, collaboration, and how music is a common pulse for so many of us. Thanks for listening.
Friday, August 28, 202608/28/2026
The Hustler Files Ep. 175
ESTHER & EVE – AN UNWAVERING BELIEF IN HER INNOCENCE
Twenty years, that’s the sentence she received for refusing to take a plea deal. Now Elizabeth Mercedes Hernandez, a former nurse practitioner, a mother of five and a healthcare professional with no prior criminal record, is serving in a Florida federal prison after being convicted of committing healthcare and wire fraud. In this episode, her mother, Esther Pino, and sister, Eve Hernandez, say the government got her story wrong. Elizabeth’s journey from working in the rapidly expanding world of telemedicine to discovering what the prosecutors, at her trial, say was the misuse of her medical credentials and NPI number. Despite cooperating with investigators, refusing a plea agreement and ultimately taking her case to trial, Elizabeth lost her freedom. Esther and Eve share their continuing fight for Elizabeth’s freedom and their larger effort to bring attention to healthcare practitioners they believe have been unjustly prosecuted. This is a story about one family’s unwavering belief in Elizabeth’s innocence, and the questions her case has left them asking about truth, justice and the power of the federal criminal justice system.
Friday, August 28, 202608/28/2026
Headliners
8/28/26, Co-Host Josh Silver
Congressman Seth Moulton, candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, on the biggest issues, the polls, and what distinguishes him from Sen Markey.
Tatishe Nteta, Dir of the UMass Poll: the Markey-Moulton matchup, the midterms and can we believe the numbers—what they really say.
Rep Mindy Domb on What the Flock!! Massachusetts responds to nationwide ALPR surveillance. Also, the Protect Act—safe places for all
Andrew Munson from the Florence Civic and Business Ass’n: Florence is a happening place! — upcoming events and free concerts.
Art Beat with Trevor Powers and Hannah Brookman on the upcoming Northampton Print and Book Fair.
Thursday, August 27, 202608/27/2026
Powerful
8/27/26: Co-Host Andy Bukowski
“A Nation Wrestles with God”—Ilan Stavans, Amherst College Professor,of Humanities, Latin American and Latino culture & Co-founder and Publisher of Restless Books, shares insights and questions from his new book, including what the Founders really thought about the place of religion in their new country.
Dan Crowley, Ex Editor, Daily Hampshire Gazette & Greenfield Recorder, on Tuesday’s elections: Jeromie Whalen v Richard Neal, Seth Moulton v Ed Markey, Lora Wondolowski v Corrine Coryat, & the South Hadley override: how editorial, news and Opinion Page decisions are made and space allocated in an election cycle; how editorial cartoons are chosen; and when the coverage stops.
Rev. Carole Bull on our spirit and values and the power of prayer and meditation in troubled times and as impetus for social action and fighting for justice.
All that Jazz: John Anz with truly extraordinary musician and composer Champian Fulton—live from the North Sea, coming to the Northampton Jazz Festival.
Wednesday, August 26, 202608/26/2026
Community Issues
8/26/26, Co-Host Andy Bukowski
Eric Nakajima, Holyoke Dir of Planning and Development, pulls back the tofu curtain and shares a vision for regional planning and cooperation.
Dr. Sunny Shukla, Cooley Dickinson Assoc Chief Medical Officer & Emerg Dept physician, and Meredith O’Leary, Nhmptn Commissioner of Health and Human Services: the scourge of opioids here and how our community is responding.
Atty Michael Fenton, candidate for Governor’s Council, on considering and confirming the Governor’s nominees for the all the courts in the Commonwealth & the parole board, promoting diversity, and advocating for western Massachusetts.
Lisa Wong, South Hadley Town Administrator, on the Override –what’s at stake; what happens if it passes; what happens if it is defeated.
Tuesday, August 25, 202608/25/2026
Fighting for Change
8/25/25 Co-Host Amilcar Shabazz
Jeromie Whalen, candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives First Mass District, addresses the personal attacks and explains his vision for change.
Eric Reeves, Northampton-based expert on Sudan and Darfur, on how to change the narrative about the world’s response to the starvation and genocide in Sudan.
Lora Wondolowski, candidate for the Democratic nomination for the First Franklin District: Flock out of Greenfield, schools, housing, families & her experience as an environmental and political activist and organizer.
Duke Goldman, Northampton-based Negro League expert, on Monte Irvin, the New York Baseball Giants first Black player, and challenging racism.
Monday, August 24, 202608/24/2026
What Are the Odds?
8/24/26. Co-Host Megan Zinn
Mass Head Start Ex Dir Michelle Haimowitz: Trump’s threats to Head Start and what you can do to help—which is a lot.
Writers Block: Megan Zinn interviews Juliet Faithfull, author of “Liar’s Dice” — family secrets, class struggle, and overcoming enormous odds — illiteracy and disability –her debut novel with a major publishing house.
Ehmptn Mayor Salem Derby: a bike path for all –where is this going? Also, new housing and the budget after the override.
Amherst Town Mgr Paul Bockelman and Comms Dir Samantha Giffen: openings – the new Amethyst Brook Elementary School (and public art in that school) –and yes, move-in day at UMass & Amherst College; also, the town’s Block Party and the All About Amherst Civil Academy.
