EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a version of the May 19 story published immediately after the budget press conference, updated with subsequent reporting. The original post has been archived and is accessible here. SPRINGFIELD—Less gloomy than usual, the annual release of the municipal budget by Mayor
EDITORS NOTE: This story, originally published May 19, 2014, has been republished on May 22, 2014 to reflect additional reporting and details. The below is an archive of the original post, collapsed for visual tidiness. You may access it by clicking the “continue reading” text
SPRINGFIELD—Despite the best efforts of the its finest inertia, the City Council finally agreed to dip its toe into social media while tackling a budget that was more complex than it appeared. A slew of financial measures ahead of the new fiscal year and a
SPRINGFIELD—The filing period has yet to close in Massachusetts, but the race for the 1st Hampden & Hampshire Senate district has essentially gelled. Indeed, it is already moving onto the next phase, especially for Eric Lesser, the former White House aide, whose campaign has churned
UPDATED 9:19PM: For response from Arise and news of McFarlin’s retirement and to reflect a correction. Barbieri is the third, not the second Police Commissioner of Springfield. SPRINGFIELD—Backing off from the conventional wisdom, Mayor Domenic Sarno announced the appointment of Deputy Police Chief John Barbieri
UPDATED 10:10PM: For clarity and to reflect a correction of Lesser’s age. He is 28, not 29 as previously given. His birthday is later this year CHICOPEE—The race to replace Senator Gale Candaras was already looking crowded before Friday. Two Ludlow town officials and a
SPRINGFIELD—Earlier this month, City Council President Mike Fenton had urged residents to apply for four ad hoc committees he was forming, prompting a flood of applications into the Council office. The response exceeded expectations, leading Fenton to regret Monday night that he had “turn down” many people who had
If your ear was to the ground, you probably suspected the announcement by Sheriff Michael Ashe that he would not seek another term in 2016 was coming. The earliness of Ashe’s declaration of his intentions may have caught a few off guard, but his reasons
SPRINGFIELD—The new City Council President moved quickly only a day after his election to appoint committees for the Council’s 2014 term. Ward 2 Councilor Michael Fenton shuffled the seats on the Council’s committee Tuesday and announced the formation of two policy-centric proactive committees, which will
SPRINGFIELD—For the first time in over a decade, Domenic Sarno was not taking an oath in an even year January. In the middle of the city’s first four-year mayoral term, he along with a packed Council chamber of family, friends, elected officials and city department