Public transportation funding, UMass chancellor criticism, environmental regulation

Today on The Rundown, Carrie Saldo and panelists discuss a new study that calls for an increase in state funding for public transportation in Massachusetts, pointing to a need to expand accessible transportation services into rural areas. What could this mean for the western part of the state? We’ll dig in and find out.As pro-Palestinian protestors at University of Massachusetts Amherst were arraigned this week, a contentious Faculty Senate meeting was held with the newly-installed chancellor, Javier Reyes. We discuss concerns voiced by the UMass community and the chancellor’s response.Plus, as litigation around PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in the Berkshires continues, some small towns in western Massachusetts are ahead of the state in regulating large-scale green energy projects.This week’s panel includes Greg Sukiennik, news editor for The Berkshire Eagle; Sarah Robertson, freelance journalist for The Montague Reporter; and Sam Hudzik, news director for NEPM.