HOLYOKE—With each New England touchdown, Patriots fans gathered at Brennan’s Place erupted in shouts and cheers. Sunday football occupied most patrons’ attention at the downtown watering hole, including those gathered in back for a Patriots watch party organized by State Representative Aaron Vega. Many a
Guess who’s back in town? Gov. Charlie Baker, no longer a stranger to Springfield and Western Massachusetts, is in the area again this evening. However, as with his last visit last month, the reason is not entirely about checking in with the common folk of
SPRINGFIELD—With barely two weeks left until Election Day, the City Council’s regular meeting—a hearing meeting is scheduled for next Monday—featured little controversy. It was neither in councilors’ interest or frankly the mayor’s to stir up anything that might move to electorate. Indeed the agenda’s most
…And the World: We begin today in Canada, where polls opened and our neighbor to the north is prepared to vote in an historic election that could see the incumbent Conservative Party and its leader, Stephen Harper, turfed from office. The three month election, the
One major trouble in Holyoke these days is the water and sewer departments’ effect upon the budget. In comparison to Springfield, where the unitary Water & Sewer Commission essentially operates off-budget, the costs and revenues of Holyoke’s systems for delivering potable water and removing water directly
This post is the second in a two-part series on Stanley Rosenberg, the first leader of a Massachusetts legislative chamber from the 413 in four decades. BOSTON—By the time the roll call vote for senate president reached him this past January, Rosenberg’s election had long been
…And the World: We begin today in the Netherlands where the Dutch Safety Board has released its findings about the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash in Ukraine that killed all 298 aboard. The report says that based on wreckage patterns and sound analysis of the
SPRINGFIELD—There may not be much debating in the mayoral contest with the incumbent resisting public accountability, but the City Council races are far different. At least three at-large debates/forums are planned and the first, last week’s debate at American International College, offered a window into
EAST LONGMEADOW—The whir and hum of machines sorting, folding and packing markers, die and tokens hovered over every station. Different board games boxed for shipment, were packed together in bricks of Sorry, Monopoly, Connect Four and more, to be sent off to retailers or intermediary distributors
This post is the first in a two-part series on Stanley Rosenberg, the first leader of a Massachusetts legislative chamber from the 413 in four decades. BOSTON—With its Fall session underway the Massachusetts legislature is shifting into a higher gear after a spring focused on the budget.