Four years after the United States Department of Justice opened its investigation into the Springfield Police Department—the only such probe Donald Trump’s administration opened—the city and the federal government have come to an agreement on how to move forward.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court effectively settled a lingering question. Who really controls the government of the city of Springfield? The justices of the commonwealth’s highest court clearly, decisively and unanimously found in favor of the separation of powers. The City Council shares that power.
SPRINGFIELD—Despite roughly two hours of often passionate debate, the City Council here unanimously approved Mayor Domenico Sarno’s budget for fiscal year 2022 without cuts. With some help from the American Rescue Plan, the $756 million spending plan largely peels city government off the floor after going into a defensive fiscal crouch during the coronavirus pandemic.
SPRINGFIELD—In what may have become a pattern, the City Council here held a second regular meeting in sequential weeks. This occurred in March, too. Its May 10 meeting consisted of financial orders and leftovers from the prior week. Thus, the meeting sped along an unusual
A Mayor Called Sue(d) is an occasional series on litigation over the Springfield Police Commission and executive power in the city. UPDATED 4/17/21 11:50AM: To note Sarno told other media he intends to appeal. A Hampden Superior Court judge dealt a massive blow to Springfield
A Mayor Called Sue(d) is an occasional series on litigation over the Springfield Police Commission The Police Commission litigation between the Springfield City Council and Mayor Domenic Sarno gingerly advanced this week as both parties filed post-argument briefs. Neither side raised any groundbreaking new theories
In the death throes of his administration and the insurrection he incited, Donald Trump, his Twitter feed reduced to an echo on the Internet Archive, has become a mere shade of himself. More than five years after his fateful escalator ride, however, the impact he
A Mayor Called Sue(d) is an occasional series on litigation over the Springfield Police Commission Lawyers for the Springfield City Council and Mayor Domenic Sarno jousted in a brief virtual hearing Tuesday over the so-far dormant Police Commission. The arguments echoed briefs each side had
The complete dominance of the coronavirus in Springfield, as with the world, almost compressed 2020 as much as it stretched it out. There were other happening afoot in the City of Homes and its state and nation. Many, however, the virus took over, like the
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