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Massachusetts’ ‘Best’ School Districts For 2024
The summer season is over and school is back in session. Students, parents and school district employees from Pittsfield to Boston are transitioning away from lazy days at the beach to a more structured schedule back in the classroom. It's time to get serious about learning. The year 2024 could...
Comparing Labor Day Cannabis Deals: Connecticut and Massachusetts
Are you an adult over the age of 21? Are you planning on enjoying a fat bone Labor Day Weekend? Cannabis retailers in Connecticut, and way more in nearby Massachusetts, are offering special discounted prices to lure us in. Let's compare. Before I get started, in my opinion, the cannabis...
Health care company not paying workers taken over by new firm
BOSTON - For the last several weeks, WBZ-TV's I-Team has been looking into a company that owns three nursing homes in Massachusetts and wasn't paying its workers. Now, an outside company has taken over the facilities.Blupoint Healthcare investigationThe investigation into the crisis at Blupoint Healthcare's nursing homes last month led to protesting workers finally getting paid. Lauren Foster is a certified nursing assistant at Blupoint's Blackstone Valley Heath and Rehabilitation facility in Northbridge."Thank you so much for everything that you have done to help us get to where we are now. From where we started, because I don't think it would...
Hitting the road for Labor Day weekend? These are the best and worst times to drive.
Travelers returning on Sunday and on Labor Day "should leave as early as possible to avoid heavy traffic in the afternoon." Road trippers beware: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is expecting busy roadways this weekend and advises driving during off-peak hours. More than 57 percent of Americans intend to...
Massachusetts 3 Day Work Week Could Be Amazing
Massachusetts lawmakers have been kicking around the idea of creating a 4-day work week. The bill is called the Massachusetts Smart Work Week Pilot, and it says that four-day work week employees would receive a meaningful reduction in actual work hours without any reduction in overall pay. It is designed...
Ex-Massachusetts special ed director accused of embezzling $37 million loses his pension appeal
The disgraced former special ed director who was accused of misusing more than $37 million in taxpayer dollars has lost his pension appeal in front of a state appeals court. John Barranco — who was the executive director of both the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative and Merrimack Education Center — brought this appeal after he was forced to give back more than $800,000 in excess pension payments to the state.
A Rude Awakening For Mass. Jurors
I recently wrapped up watching "Presumed Innocent" starring Jake Gyllenhaal on Apple TV. The show spends a lot of time in the courtroom and it got me thinking about jury duty. I've only been called for civic duty twice in my life. The first time, my letter went to the wrong address somehow and the other I never got chosen for.
Colegrove Park Recognized as Top 10 School Statewide in Attendance
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Boston Celtics gave gold to Colegrove Park Elementary School on Friday for scoring in the top 10 schools for attendance statewide. The school saw its chronic absenteeism numbers drop by 11 percent last year. Tim Connor, assistant director for the Department of Elementary and...
ZBA Denies Permit for Nonowner-Occupied Duplex on Chestnut Street
Report on the Meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, August 22, 2024 , Part 2. This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded. Lixiang Yao applied for a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to convert the house she purchased in April at 161 Chestnut Street into a nonowner occupied duplex. The house is at the corner of Chestnut Street and Mattoon, near the middle school and high school and has an in-ground swimming pool in the rear. The previous owner occupied a one-bedroom accessory unit, while renting the two-story, three-bedroom main house. Both units are currently unoccupied, and the pool has not been opened this year. The property has had no rental registration permit since 2019.
ZBA Opens Public Hearing for Affordable Rentals
Report on the Meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, August 29, 2024. This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded. Steve Judge (Chair), Everald Henry, Craig Meadows, David Sloviter, and Philip White. Staff: Jacinta Williams, Nate Malloy, Chris Brestrup (Planners) Attorney Carolyn Murray (KPLaw) representing the Zoning Board...
Ware man accused of raping child held on $1 million bail
WARE — Police on Thursday arrested Angel L. Ramos, 51, charging him with five counts of rape of a child under 14 years of age. Ramos, a resident of Ware, had his bail set at $1 million, the Ware Police Department said in a statement. Ramos was also charged...
What’s Law Got to Do With It? How Amherst’s Disregard of Historic Preservation Law Has Already Forfeited $1,800,000 and Jeopardizes Millions More in Federal Grants
When I retired back to Massachusetts in 1999, one of my first conversations with an Amherst resident started like this: “Have you seen our Jones Library?” The woman’s voice said that the Jones Library was something special. My answer was nonetheless “No.” But over my 22 years in Amherst, I came to appreciate how special the historic Jones Library is, and how it weaves through Amherst’s stories.
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