New England Public Radio

The Short List: The Irony Of Tragic Fires, Privacy On The Pike, High Schoolers Love Sleep

NEPR'S WEEK IN REVIEW

What made The Short List this week?

  • A fire in Warwick, Mass., last weekend killed a mother and four of her children. We discuss the complications of rural firefighting and the irony that it often takes a tragedy to get attention on fire safety.
  • A couple state lawmakers introduced legislation to restrict the release of information collected at the toll gantries on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Is this based on valid privacy concerns, paranoia or politics?
  • A new study found that high schools pushing their start times back an hour benefit from better attendance and graduation rates. But there are obstacles.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Matt Szafranski from Western Mass Politics & Insight and Chris Collins, a columnist for the Greenfield Recorder.

The Short List: Congressional Grades, Casino Crystal-Balling, Play-Doh Pivots

What made The Short List this week?

  • All 11 members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation are saying “no” to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. More specifically, they’re all calling for his resignation. This followed the Washington Post story that Sessions, despite his testimony to congress during his confirmation hearings, did speak with Russia’s ambassador.
  • The plot has thickened in the casino story. A new player, so to speak, could be coming to East Windsor. The Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegan tribes hope to run it, but that decision’s still pending. It wouldn’t be a full casino, as is planned for Springfield, but it would be more than a slots parlor.
  • Guess who’s coming back to town? Hasbro announced it’s going to start manufacturing some made-in-America Play-Doh again, in East Longmeadow.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Natalia Munoz from WHMP’s Vaya Con                     Munoz and Mike Dobbs of the Reminder newspapers.

The Short List: Warren’s Competition, ‘Pioneer Valley’ v. ‘West Mass,’ No More High-Fives In Noho

NEPR'S WEEK IN REVIEW

What made The Short List this week?

  • Ardent Trump supporter Massachusetts State Representative Geoff Diehl is considering running against Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2018.
  • Should the long standing moniker Pioneer Valley be changed to West Mass?
  • Educators and police in Northampton, Massachusetts, are trying to come up with new ways to engage students after a program called “High Five Friday” was stopped due to concerns about some children’s reactions to law enforcement.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Ron Chimelis of the Springfield Republican and Matt Szafranski of Western Mass Politics & Insight.

The Short List: Sarno Again Scolds Refugee Agency, Warren Gets Silenced — Kinda, Blumenthal Earns Trump Tweet

NEPR'S WEEK IN REVIEW

What made The Short List this week?

  • Jewish Family Service is defending itself from Mayor Domenic Sarno’s accusation that his office was kept in the dark about the expected arrival of refugees in Springfield or nearby communities. (NEPR)
  • Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted to silence Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren for “impugning the motives” of attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, a GOP senator from Alabama. (NPR)
  • U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal found himself on the receiving end of tweets from President Donald Trump, after the Connecticut Democrat publicly shared part of his conversation with Trump’s Supreme Court pick. (NPR)

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Carrie Healy explore these issues with Matt Szafranski of Western Mass Politics & Insight  and the Reminder newspapers’ Mike Dobbs. 

The Short List: Springfield Police Take The 5th, Immigration Repercussions, Super Bowl 51

What made The Short List this week?

  • Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni will not pursue charges against police officers accused of beating four men outside a bar in Springfield. Gulluni said there was clear evidence of the April 2015 assault, but he could not prove the officers committed it. (MassLive)
  • President Trump’s executive order last Friday temporarily banned travel for many immigrants from seven countries, and all refugees. This led to a whole lot of public outcry and legal action. Some students from Massachusetts were affected. We reported on one graduate student who was held up because he went back to Iran to get married. (NEPR)
  • And Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend. We get predictions from our panel, and talk about the few die-hard Patriot’s fans are chagrined that Brady, Belichick and Kraft are friendly with President Trump.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Ron Chimelis of the Springfield Republican and Greenfield Recorder columnist Chris Collins.

The Short List: Baker Vetoes Pay Hike, Sanctuary Mayors Take A Stand, Warren Supports Trump Housing Nominee

What made The Short List this week?

  • The Massachusetts legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill giving themselves, judges and other state workers, including the governor, a big hike in pay. Governor Baker opposes the measure, but lawmakers are likely to override his veto.
  • President Trump, as he said he would, has signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to cut grants for so-called “sanctuary cities.”Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Northampton, Holyoke and Amherst are among those included.
  • A rally this week outside of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey’s Springfield offices was held to encourage them to resist approving Trump’s nominees. And then the next day, Warren voted for Ben Carson to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan explore these issues with Ron Chimelis of the Springfield Republican and Natalia Munoz of  WHMP’s Vaya Con Munoz.