UPDATED: 10:30AM: To include details about Baker’s Western Mass office. SPRINGFIELD—The doors to the former courtroom on the state office building’s third floor flung open. Charlie Baker stepped out into the corridor, an expression of mild bemusement on his face, and excitedly, if awkwardly, gesticulated
…And the World: We begin today in Iraq, where government forces say they have liberated most of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province from Daesh. The extremist group, also known as ISIS/ISIL, had captured the city in May, but lost it to Iraqi military forces
Afterglow 2015 is a series analyzing the results of the 2015 municipal elections in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. SPRINGFIELD—For one of the last times as a city councilor, Zaida Luna rose and implored her colleagues to support a resolve urging Congress to allow Puerto
SPRINGFIELD—During the final meeting for two city councilors defeated for reelection November, the City Council closed out the year with new ordinances and approval of grants for parks in the city. Several weighty issues will be delayed until next year when the new council is
…And the World: We begin today in Spain, where a fractured election result leaves the leaders of that country scrambling to form a government. The incumbent center-right Popular Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy won the most seats, but lost its majority in Madrid. Rajoy’s party
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