SPRINGFIELD—Echoing demands from North End community leaders, the City Council made a dramatic call for upgrades to the German Gerena tunnel that many consider a public health risk to the vulnerable population that attends the school. The Council implored Gov. Charlie Baker to issue $3 million
…And the World: We begin today in Turkey, which withstood a coup attempt over the weekend, preserving its democracy, however bruised by its autocratic President, Recip Tayyip Erdogan. Though Turks of all stripes felt a bad democracy was preferable to the best coup and all
The High Sheriff in America This post is the first in a series about the end of Michael Ashe’s 42-year tenure as Hampden Sheriff. PHILADELPHIA—Imposing, 30-foot walls separate the Gothic Eastern State Penitentiary from the charming, adjacent residential neighborhood. When built nearly two hundred years ago,
Nearly a week after Gov. Charlie Baker signed the budget, the Massachusetts House of Representatives has begun undoing some of the millions of dollars in cuts Bakers made last Friday. The Senate shall follow. The governor vetoed some $412 million in spending and proposed alternative
Five years ago, cheers broke out in the Springfield City Council chamber after councilors unanimously approved the city’s foreclosure ordinance. Ravaged by the foreclosure crisis and subsequent recession, Springfield had taken a notably bold step toward curbing the deterioration of neighborhoods littered with vacant, bank-owned
…And the World: We begin today in Britain, which as of this week will have a new Prime Minister. Andrea Leadsom, the only other last woman standing in the Conservative Party’s leadership election dropped out this morning, effectively ceding the race to Theresa May, the
In only a few days’ time, across the country, the streets of the United States run with blood. In Baton Rouge and near the Twin Cities, two young black men were killed by law enforcement. In Dallas, five police officers, who only moments before were
…And the World: We begin today in Australia, where it appears the governing Liberal-National/Coalition party (LNP) will likely win the most seats after Saturday’s election. However, that represents a substantial drop from the 89-some odd seats it had in 150-member House of Representatives. Neither party
Events rocked the Hampden Sheriff’s race once again Friday as Jack Griffin, a retired substance abuse specialist with Connecticut’s prison system, abruptly withdrew from the Democratic primary race and endorsed Springfield City Councilor Thomas Ashe. Councilor Ashe’s entry alone shook the race up creating a
On June 20, the Springfield City Council unanimously authorized a $1 million transfer into a reserve account for the city’s beleaguered pension system. The Council’s approval was hardly a surprise. Yet, the mere fact that it happened at all was a welcome development as the