Nearly four years after the shroud of the coronavirus fell upon Holyoke and the then-Soldiers’ Home, its final legal drama has apparently concluded. The only two people to face criminal charges from the outbreak changed their pleas, essentially throwing themselves upon the mercy of the court. A judge obliged.
SPRINGFIELD—A relatively tame agenda before the City Council Monday quickly unraveled into much longer discourses. The body spent a considerable amount of time mediating on technical changes to legal documents. However, the body also had a pair of resolutions backing legislation in the legislature.
Former city councilor and now-Senator Adam Gomez appeared with Westfield Senator John Velis to discuss the firearm legislation.
Slowly but surely, Mayor Domenic Sarno is backfilling the parade of retirements and reassignments that have emptied leadership in Springfield city government. Since his reelection—or before if you count former finance czar Timothy Plante—multiple high-ranking and long-serving department heads have exited.
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SPRINGFIELD—There are still no legislative retirements among state lawmakers here, but the number of contests has only grown. Johnnie Ray McKnight, a former municipal candidate, has pulled papers for the 11th Hampden District. That puts him on track to challenge four-term state rep Bud Williams.
SPRINGFIELD—A quiet agenda reached the City Council after a rollicking couple of weeks in February. If anything, what defined the March 11 meeting was what did not happen. The Council did not take action on a new version of a tree ordinance, opioid funding or two street discontinuances.
BOSTON—Governor Maura Healey announced Wednesday she would submit one of the furthest-reaching pardons of marijuana convictions in state history to the Governor’s Council. Barring Council opposition, the move could wipe out potentially hundreds of thousands of convictions for simple possession dating back to the dawn of the War on Drugs.
A touch under 300 employees at MGM Springfield have voted to join a union in an election the National Labor Relations Board held last week. The results from 247 poker and table game employees out of 282 eligible employees in the bargaining unit considerably expands the number of MGM employees with union representation.
UPDATED: The final vote was 130-117 in favor of a union.
Table game and poker dealers at MGM Springfield are about to play a very different hand this weekend. About 277 workers at the Springfield casino can vote over the weekend on whether to organize under the New England Joint Board of UNITE-HERE.
None among the legislative delegation in the Greater Springfield area have announced retirement, but the region could still see a big race. Springfield Senator Adam Gomez won his seat in a primary challenge. Now Springfield City Councilor Malo Brown could be on the verge of
A day after announcing his chief of staff would take over the Park, Buildings & Recreation Management Department, Mayor Domenic Sarno has named his communications director William Baker as his new top aide in what could be a defining year in the new mayoral term.