UPDATED: 1:29PM: For grammar and clarity. As a rule, Massachusetts city councils are weak bodies. Whether a city (or city masquerading as a town) has a mayor or a manager, councils’ powers are considerably weaker than those of their communities’ executive branch. There is a spectrum
UPDATED 12/16/15 4:41PM: To include reaction from the Massachusetts gaming commission and for grammar & clarity. In an agreement with federal authorities in New York, the general contractor for MGM Resorts International’s planned casino in Springfield admitted to overcharging clients millions of dollars in overtime
UPDATE 7:07PM: To include more details on the special senate election described under The State of Things. …And the World: We begin today in France, where some brighter news emerged over the weekend as climate negotiators inked a pact to start an earnest march toward controling and
SPRINGFIELD—Spend enough time with US Representative Richard Neal, the dean of the Massachusetts US House delegation and it becomes clear he takes the idea of “What’s past is prologue” seriously. Whether at Union Station or a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony, the former history teacher considers
UPDATED 12/11/15 4:39PM: A prior version of this post stated services for Pepe were to be held on Friday and Sunday. They will in fact be held on Friday and Saturday. A week before the Springfield mayoral preliminary in 2011, at-large School Committeewoman Antonette Pepe had
UPDATED 12/10/15 10:25AM: To correct a portion of “The Feds.” President Obama said Daesh’s “will not be” defeated militarily alone. A prior version omitted the “not.” The Feds: We begin today in California, where federal authorities have announced that the couple that shot up a
SPRINGFIELD—MGM Resorts International’s charm offensive has entered its next phase as its whittled down casino project faces scrutiny from city and Massachusetts gaming officials. Some local officials, like Mayor Domenic Sarno, mouth both robust scrutiny and sticky-sweet support for the project. Yet, MGM could encounter a
WMassP&I has taken this Manic Monday off to focus on other matters today. Stay tuned for more stories this week.
WESTFIELD—Election Day across the Pioneer Valley had its share of surprises and disappointment. Yet, despite some cursory similarities among six Hampden County cities that held elections, very little wisdom can be confidently drawn from this local cycle with one exception. While the Whip City featured spirited
SPRINGFIELD—Determining the tax rate for commercial and residential properties is within the ambit of the City Council, but this year it became a rare display of municipal harmony. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Council adopted rates recommended by the mayor, a special Council