SPRINGFIELD—The City Council approved a multimillion settlement to conclude ongoing litigation that stemmed from a wrongful imprisonment dating back decades. Mark Schand had claimed that four city officers, in effect, framed him for a crime 30 years ago, resulting in a prison sentence. Upon his
SPRINGFIELD—As the hoped-for vaccines to guard against COVID-19 appear on the horizon, officials here are preparing for their role in distribution. Supplies will be extremely limited in December if, as expected, the Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use. Hospitals like Mercy and Baystate Health
The last outstanding race in Western Massachusetts is over. James “Chip” Harrington, the Republican nominee for the 7th Hampden House district, ended his campaign Thursday evening following the recount in Belchertown earlier in the day. He had sought the fresh count after the town reported
WESTFIELD—The special senate election here did not have much drama. For much of the official campaign and nearly a year before that unofficially, the political soothsayers felt it was then-Rep John Velis’ to lose. They were right. There were prophecies about his former House seat,
by Michael Lachenmeyer Correspondent-Intern Late last February, the 7th Hampden District’s State Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati announced that he would not be seeking reelection for the seat which he has held since 1986. Democrats have dominated the 7th Hampden District for fifty years. Yet, with
Six Flags New England may be closed, but former(ish) Holyoke Soldiers Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh has had a roller coaster of a week. On Monday, a Hampden County Superior Court judge reversed Governor Charlie Baker’s termination of Walsh. His Excellency and his health secretary had
UPDATED 11:30AM: To include a statement from Walsh’s attorney. A Hampden County Superior Court Judge has sided with the former(ish?) Hoyloke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent, ruling that Governor Charlie Baker’s termination of Bennett Walsh was not valid. The ruling, if upheld, could entitle Walsh to backpay
The saga of the employment status of once-upon-a-time Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh has reached a critical stage. Both the commonwealth—technically the Home’s Board of Trustees and the state Health & Human Services office—and Walsh filed papers for declaratory judgment on the pleadings. The
HOLYOKE—Whether intentionally or not, political power and attention here follows the city’s geology. Rising from the Flats—a term unrelated to terrain—to the foot of Mount Tom is Cherry Hill, where the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home stands. Despite its perch overlooking everything but the mountains, the wave
UPDATED 7/31/20 8:14PM: To note an updated counterclaim from the commonwealth which no longer say the Board did not specifically recommend Walsh. The employment status of Bennett Walsh, the Superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home (HSH) at the dawn of the facility’s COVID-19 outbreak, remains