BOSTON—On June 18, Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro grabbed headlines with a call to put the Cannabis Control Commission into receivership. The legislature did not advance Shapiro’s proposal, but his office had another significant impact earlier in the year.
LONGMEADOW—In the beginning there was the Athens. Then came New England. New England stuck to tradition. Not even a once-in-a-century pandemic that complicated gathering itself could consign it to history’s wastebin.
Cities up and down the Pioneer Valley swore in their new governments Monday. In two cities new mayors took office while a third formally began his full term.
UPDATED 3/18/21 11:13AM: To confirm Mayor Morse had signed the petition and to note that Northampton’s charter allows councilors to pick an alternate acting mayor from among its membership. After an hour of debate, Holyoke city councilors approved a home rule petition Tuesday night to
HARTFORD—Connecticut was among the first places that took COVID-19 in the gut last spring. The fears of variants haunt everyone here as well. However, the state has become a model for coronavirus response, becoming a leader in testing and vaccination. However, like countless other places
As the threat and infections from the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has swept the country and the commonwealth, cities and towns in the Pioneer Valley have not been immune. The 413 more broadly has already seen some cases and a few scares, including ones
UPDATED 8:40PM: Both Houses of the legislature approved the conference report Sunday evening. The Massachusetts legislature faced a glut of work during two, rare weekend sessions following the political conventions this month. Major bills on energy, ride-hailing services and non-compete clauses in employment have still