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Author Noah Charney, legal advocate crisis

We’re heading out into the wilds to a not so clearly marked location in Hampshire County to witness epochs of evolution and change in the hills and dales.

Professor and author Noah Charney takes us deep into the woods to explore one of the locations described in his book, “These Trees Tell a Story: The Art of Reading Landscapes,” where, along with some budding naturalists, we see how continental shifts are still having ecological impact millions of years later in the Connecticut River Valley.

We also discover how the Bay State is having a bit of a problem with its legal system. Massachusetts is in the midst of an advocate crisis, which means that many folx awaiting their due process may be tossed around in the legal system with no support for their cases. We speak with attorneys Jack Godleski and Isaac Maas about what the bar advocates duties are, how the shortage came about and what the commonwealth needs to do to address it.

Christopher “Monte'' Belmonte is host and executive producer of NEPM's The Fabulous 413. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and has been a radio host in western Massachusetts for the last 20 years — the last 17 of them as host of Mornings with Monte on The River 93.9/WRSI.
Kaliis Smith is a radio host and producer for NEPM's The Fabulous 413. She was most recently host and producer at The River 93.9/WRSI where she appeared on Mornings with Monte for the Nerdwatch segment and hosted weekday evenings.