As soon as news broke of a proposed merger between Baystate Health and Mercy Medical Center, Springfield state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez began seeking answers. Now, with a meeting with Baystate leadership on the horizon, Gonzalez joins Reminder Publishing co-hosts Dennis Hackett and Tyler Garnet to discuss the uncertainties surrounding health care access, the Western Massachusetts economy, and whether the two organizations can successfully unite.

Dennis and Tyler are also joined by Chris Maza to break down some of the region’s biggest stories, including a heated fiber debate in Longmeadow, the ongoing budget crisis in South Hadley, and the anticipated arrival of new F-35 Lightning fighter jets in Westfield this June.

• Welcome: 0:29
• What’s News in Western Mass.: 1:09
• Carlos Gonzalez on the Baystate-Mercy Merger: 14:33