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.
Weeks after the Massachusetts Department of Transportation confirmed planning for a Palmer train station had begun, the department took another step to advance rail service west. On Thursday, MassDOT and Governor Maura Healey formally named Andy Koziol “West-East Rail director.”
BOSTON—Nearly ten months into her administration, Governor Maura Healey finally got a major legislative win. Before legislators, advocates and state officials, she signed a tax cut bill, with a value of upwards of $1 billion, to great acclaim.
Four years ago, Baker and Polito’s orbits had telegraphed a preference for mayor. Not so much in 2023. Rather, the commonwealth’s onetime executive duo endorsed their former Western Mass aide and now-Council candidate, Jose Delgado.
A tome’s worth of pages will have turned before Massachusetts and its West in particular, truly moves on from the tragedy of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Lawsuits, bill-signings and administrative reshufflings have marked transitions thus far as openings will in the future. Still, the groundbreaking
It is all but certain that the annual spending plan will be the most significant piece of legislation of the 193rd General Court of Massachusetts. When compared to Democratic trifectas in that took office in some Midwest states, that record is, at best, modest.
Last Monday, a bloodless revolution in the Massachusetts Democratic party saw the incumbent chair replaced with the new governor’s pick to lead the party. A few months before, an acrimonious election on the GOP’s side also saw turnover but the process was anything but peaceful.
In a 5-2 ruling, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated criminal charges arising from the COVID-19 outbreak that killed 76 veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director David Clinton were the only officials to face such charges. Hampden County Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough, Jr. dismissed the indictment in 2021 prompting the appeal.
Another state agency has become embroiled in controversy and ostensibly the cause is an appointment of former Governor Charlie Baker. It is a reminder that the commonwealth must reckon with the true legacy of Baker to exemplify the problem. David D’Arcangelo, the head of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, is at the latest Baker appointee.
State money allocated to Springfield via Chapter 90 is nothing new to the City Council. Every year, the body formally accepts the disbursement. In recent years, city officials have paired it with bonding to maximize road repairs. The annual allocation has also been flat.