SPRINGFIELD—When Dean Fay found out the building Central City Boxing & Barbell used was up for sale, he sprang into action. He had already invested his and others’ money into sprucing up the old auto repair shop at the foot of Belmont Avenue. He had
SPRINGFIELD—After weeks and months of fits and starts, the City Council passed its ban on the free distribution of plastic bags. However, passage came at the expense of the fee on non-plastic bags provided at retail, intended to discourage consumer use of single-use bags regardless
Springfield will have a second open ward seat this November. Ward 4 Councilor E. Henry Twiggs, a local civil rights icon and one of the four original ward councilors elected in 2009, has announced of his departure. Among the reasons he cited not seeking reelection
SPRINGFIELD—Facing a rising tide of scandal flowing from the Springfield Police Department, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee reviewed legislation on Thursday that aims to contain the latest runoff. The ordinance, would essentially reverse efforts to revive the Police Commission and codify the mayor’s police
WORCESTER—On a seasonably brisk spring day, College Democrats had assembled in the basement of Clark University’s student center for their annual convention. There was drama, but that did not concern their guests, including one who was a few years out of college himself, Holyoke Mayor
…Everybody else is getting one, so why not? But seriously…The Springfield City Council thus far is the only organ of city government containing the conflagration spreading throughout city government without getting singed. The fires have raged at Pearl Street as l’affaire de Bigda and the
This post is part of a series on the new Democratic House and Western Massachusetts. WASHINGTON—On the television across US Representative James McGovern’s Rules Committee office was Georgia Congressman John Lewis. McGovern watched respectfully as his colleague, a civil rights icon who marched with Martin
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors continued their legislative blitz on April Fool’s night, passing a new array of laws to reign in pawn shops and tax incentives. But it was no laughing matter. In fact, the bills were extensions of existing rules. Yet they were notably for the
Exactly three months after he became chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, US Representative Richard Neal formally made his long-awaited request for Donald Trump’s taxes. In a letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig Neal sent Wednesday, he asked for returns and
Transitions continue in the Lower Pioneer Valley media scene as The Republican’s national political correspondent prepares to move on. This is Shannon Young’s last week at the newspaper. She has taken a job with Politico’s New York operation, covering the state house in Albany. Young’s