UPDATED 3/2/19 2:15PM: To reflect Ramos’ announcement he was delaying a decision on a mayoral run. SPRINGFIELD—It took three tries for Orlando Ramos to join the City Council. But in 2013, he defeated the incumbent, John Lysak, Ward 8 two-term councilor. Rather than shunting him
BY LINDA MATYS O’CONNELL ARTS & CULTURE CORRESPONDENT SPRINGFIELD – What started as an intimate session with friends in a Springfield living room went public in a big way Friday night as energized jazz musicians packed Focus Springfield TV’s lobby for a jumpin’ three-hour jam.
UPDATED 2/26/19 9:00AM: To include a link to Kos’s statement on WWLP and to correct the year Kos first became mayor. It was 1997, not 1995. Not long after pulling papers for reelection, Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos has declared he will not seek reelection in
UPDATED 2/22/2019 10:00AM: To reflect a correction. A prior version of this post incorrectly located Bigda’s infamous interrogation in Wilbraham. It was, in fact, in Palmer. In a dramatic turn of events, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno announced Thursday in a hastily scheduled press conference that
BY LINDA MATYS O’CONNELL ARTS & CULTURE CORRESPONDENT Ruth Carter’s costumes for the 2018 movie blockbuster Black Panther are spectacular. Propelling the Marvel sci-fi superhero’s story, they’re redolent of Afrofuturism, cultural identity, power and pride. They may finally win an Oscar for the Springfield native at
UPDATED 2/21/19 4:08PM: To reflect a clarification that Ramos left Sen. Welch’s employ last month, not the same day Ramos’ mayoral interest became public. At last, a name. By no means is Orlando Ramos the only person who could take on Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno
BY LINDA MATYS O’CONNELL ARTS & CULTURE CORRESPONDENT SPRINGFIELD—Eager and open, Karen Finn is a new face on the cultural scene in Springfield. The executive director of the Springfield Cultural Partnership has been on the job in her modest office space in the Community Music
Before there was Jesse Lederman, Marcus Williams and Michael Fenton. Before there was Eric Lesser and Paul Caron. Even before there was Richie Neal. There was Dave Vigneault, a forerunner to Springfield’s undercurrent of electorally ambitious twentysomethings. First elected at the dawn of the Kennedy
SPRINGFIELD—The reconstruction of a key, but ancient intersection in the city dominated the February 4 meeting of the City Council. In comparative terms, the issue did not drag out. However, the project did glean a crash course in eminent domain law. This is to say
SPRINGFIELD—Western Mass Politics & Insight Editor-in-chief Matt Szafranski announced today that local activist and veteran journalist Linda Matys O’Connell has joined the longstanding political blog to helm its new coverage of arts in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley. O’Connell will cover the region’s arts &