Easthampton
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Court documents reveal South Hadley nursing home is under receivership
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A South Hadley nursing home is officially under a state receivership along with two other facilities owned by the same company Blupoint Healthcare. All of this after employees at these facilities went weeks without getting paid. Court documents reveal Suffolk County Superior Court has appointed...
Chester County Native Taylor Haas New Executive Director of a Massachusetts Agricultural Society
Taylor Haas at the fairgrounds of the Three County Fair. Taylor Haas, a Chester County native, recently took the reins at the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agricultural Society in Massachusetts as its new executive director, writes Alexander Macdougall for the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The nonprofit organization manages Northampton’s Three County...
Department of Public Health calls on Medical Reserve Corps to South Hadley nursing home
The Department of Public Health has called on the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and rapid response teams, including nurses and certified nurses aides to assist South Hadley’s Pioneer Valley Health and Rehabilitation. Some local lawmakers have called for an investigation into the facility after reports of inadequate patient care,...
More Than Meets the Eye
Amherst has a rich array of interesting sights, stories, and architecture dating from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Recently, the Amherst Historical Commission was asked to weigh in on two demolition permit applications for quite modest buildings that got me thinking more about Amherst’s west side and perhaps generally, about a past era in town when the penetration of residential with commercial, service-industry buildings, barns, and outbuildings was easier to see and was seen as acceptable.
Springfield schools implement new attendance policy
SPRINGFIELD — Chronic absenteeism has been a struggle for school departments nationwide over the past few years. The Springfield School Committee met on June 20 to approve policy changes designed to remove barriers to attending school. “Chronically absent” is defined by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education...
Chester water supply discoloration suspected to be manganese
CHESTER — A Chester water commissioner has confirmed that the town’s drinking water supply is discolored and said that naturally occurring manganese is suspected to be the cause. Commissioner Robert Daley said in an email to The Republican Saturday that the town tested the water supply in June...
Springfield takes legal action to address former Vibra site
SPRINGFIELD — Overgrown weeds and graffiti on the inside of windowpanes are obvious signs of dereliction at the former Vibra Hospital at 1400 State St. The building was abandoned by Vibra Healthcare in fall 2023. While the city entered into a purchase and sale agreement for the property at the time, Mayor Domenic Sarno said the company has not held up its end of the bargain.
Annual League of Women Voters Book Sale Begins Friday, July 26
The Annual League of Women Voters Books sale opens on Friday July 26 in the gym at the Fort River Elementary School, 70 Southeast Street. Opening day hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The sale will continue on Saturday July 27 and Sunday July 28 and Saturday August 3 and Sunday August 4 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Westfield planners OK self-storage on Lockhouse Rd., delay vote on Norton St.
WESTFIELD — The Westfield Planning Board voted July 16 to approve the site plan and stormwater permit required for JML Storage to expand its Lockhouse Road self-storage facility. Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates, representing applicant Matt Rokosz, presented a site plan that addressed the concerns from the board’s...
State funding programs to renovate housing in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD — The Healey-Driscoll administration has been tackling the state’s housing crisis with construction and renovation grants for apartment complexes, including at least two in the South End neighborhood of Springfield. Northern Heights, a group of 148 affordable and deeply affordable apartments at 769 Main St. is the...
Southwick seeks 3 volunteers to serve on Master Plan Implementation Committee
SOUTHWICK — It’s been more than three months since the Planning Board approved the town’s master plan, Southwick Vision 2040, but it was only last week that the Select Board invited applications for the three seats it will appoint to the implementation committee. “We’d love to have...
Jones Library Consultant Amps Up the Vitriol
Few would attempt to assail the integrity and commitment to justice of former federal prosecutor and onetime President of the Jones Library Board of Trustees, Sarah McKee. McKee, an occasional contributor to the Amherst Indy, has served as general counsel to INTERPOL and has sat on the board of the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending. A 2009 Washington Post story recounts how she discovered a long-forgotten book which she returned to the Arlington (VA) Central Library along with a check for $25 and a note of apology for the book being 30 years overdue. McKee is also a vocal opponent of the Jones Library demolition-renovation-expansion project.
Finance Director to Serve on Building Committees, 25 Reappointed to Boards, Commissions, and Committees
In memos to the Town Clerk dated July 9, 2024, Town Manager Paul Bockelman nominated Town Finance Director Melissa Zawadski to fill openings on the Jones Library and Elementary School Building Committees, and 25 people as reappointments to town boards, commissions, and committees. The nominations were unanimously approved on the consent agenda of the Town Council at their meeting on July 15.
Town Announces Launch of Valley Green Energy
Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Sustainability Director Stephanie Ciccarello announced on July 19 a new program that will be offered to Amherst residents and businesses this fall that will lower energy costs in an environmentally sustainable way. Amherst, along with Northampton and Pelham, have signed electricity supply contracts with First...
Springfield School Committee expresses support as Dinnall takes the helm
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School Committee officially welcomed incoming Superintendent Sonia Dinnall at the July 11 committee meeting. Dinnall received words of support from all members of the School Committee. School Committee member Christopher Collins pointed out that Dinnall is the first “female” school superintendent in the city’s history and said it had been “a long time coming.” He congratulated Dinnall on “breaking that glass ceiling.”
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