February 4, 2026: Affixed

Today is all about reparations, because repair can build things better. Aaron Vega is only a month into his tenure as the newly minted President and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, but his ideas to restore the area as a sought after commodity for industries of all types are already taking shape and we’ll speak with him about his vision for the organization’s future. We’ll also head to UMass where a new exhibit seeking the restoration of the future from the lessons of the past will soon open. Land of the Free is a multi-media series of 4 works by Canadian artist Camille Turner that look at the transatlantic slave trade through document, video, and ritual. The artist herself takes us on a tour through the museum to explore those connections before you can meet her and the pieces on display at their opening event tomorrow night. And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam Webster, is also looking at the ways we fix things, namely our bodies as we delve into the etymology of doctor, and the myriad uses it’s developed in its time