SPRINGFIELD—At-large city councilor Thomas Ashe had been positioned to do well here in the Hampden Sheriff’s race. A sitting councilor who has appeared on residents’ ballots no fewer than eight times in the past fifteen years—including topping the at-large council vote once or twice—a decent
The Feds: We begin today in Florida, which has become the site of the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States. Shortly after 2 a.m., Omar Mateen, an American citizen born in New York, began firing on patrons of Pulse, a gay
SPRINGFIELD—Amid the City Council’s adoption of Mayor Domenic Sarno’s $616.6 million budget was a short, typical, but potentially significant regular meeting earlier Monday night. Financial measures awaiting approval for weeks passed as did legal changes that could impact direct democracy in the city. The Council
UPDATED 6/9/16 9:23AM: To correct a typo in a quote from Warren. Editor’s Note: Due to technical difficulties, WMassP&I has not been performing optimally. We have updated this post to reflect events since Monday. LOWELL—The Democratic presidential primary is in its twilight. Whether Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
Dear Readers: Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to publish as we normally do. These problems have inhibited our ability to publish as we normally do. Consequently, the manic Monday markup has been cancelled for June 6 and posts will feature less multimedia for
UPDATED 6/2/16 9:32AM: For grammar and clarity. Two emotions have generally defined the five year anniversary of the tornado that touched down in Western Massachusetts. There is somber reflection, whether for the dead or in the form of thanks for surviving. In the alternative there
City Slickers: We begin today in Springfield, which will mark five years tomorrow since a tornado touched down in the city and adjacent communities. Monson and West Springfield suffered incredible damage, too, but the blow to Springfield was both blessing and curse. The destruction of
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Longmeadow Senator Eric Lesser Thursday that would order the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to study regular rail service between Boston and Springfield. While the Senate’s approval was unsurprising, it inches the commonwealth toward better connecting its
This post is the first in a series on the state of media in the 413. The economic crisis throttling media has hardly bypassed the Pioneer Valley. Big papers like The Republican have thinned considerably. Television news continues its drift to sensationalism. Alternative papers struggle,
Less than twelve hours before it was scheduled to take up Mayor Domenic Sarno fiscal year 2017, the Springfield City Council cancelled its budget meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The cancellation, while last-minute, was not unexpected. Several councilors had expressed concerns about where resources had