SPRINGFIELD—Taking a break from lawmaking per se, the City Council approved several orders that signal the start of budget season. The body accepted its major federal grants including the meaty Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
For those obsessively following every whimper and groan of the Springfield City Council, the revelation that some councilors were plotting to raise their own pay was not a shock. Five years after the last hike, councilors were again lining up into a spectrum of eager
Many states lay claim to inventing America. Few get as close to that being true as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Not every pivotal event in American history happened in our state, but it is not an overstatement to suggest that revolutions—political, cultural, technological—common start here.
SPRINGFIELD—Scheduling conflicts prompted a rare regular Council meeting only a week after the last one. Consequently, the agenda was spare especially when compared to the last few. Nonetheless, it included potentially significant staffing items on a key Springfield commission and in the Finance Department. The
Courting 36 Court Street is a series of quick interviews with Springfield’s at-large candidates. **All interviews are edited and condensed for length.** Tracye Whitfield says she knows her way around Springfield’s fiscal books, the oversight of which is among the Council’s duties. She’s a first-time
SPRINGFIELD—Without dissent, the City Council approved Mayor Domenic Sarno’s $629 million spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The budget included several topline increases in preparation of several downtown projects, most notably the opening of MGM next year. The mayor also touted the
NEWTON—Along a hilly street, one of many here, a crowd of all ages scarfed down ice cream and waited. It was a warm spring day, but a canopy of tree shaded much of the block party below. Perched on the undulating landscape was a podium
After weeks of speculation, former Springfield City Councilor Timothy Ryan announced in a press release this week he would seek an at-large Council seat this Fall. As the city heads into only its second “midterm” Council election since voters extended the mayor’s term to four
WEST SPRINGFIELD—Although the campaign war chest of Governor Charlie Baker bursts with cash, the Republican is not the first major party candidate to declare his candidate for 2018. That title goes to Jay Gonzalez, a former Deval Patrick cabinet secretary who launched his campaign in
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