SPRINGFIELD—For only the third time since the city adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA), the City Council here thumbed through and approved the recommendations. Councilors love the program as it lets them approve projects beyond the ambit of mayor. Meanwhile anybody—including some city organs—can suggest
UPDATED 7:26PM: To reflect a correction. A prior version of this post incorrectly identified the lockup involving Bigda as being in Wilbraham. It was in Palmer. Earlier this month, the Justice Department report on the Springfield Police Department landed with a loud thud. Not only
A fog hangs over Springfield this election cycle. Contrary to the sunny assessment of and accolades for the incumbent, Domenic Sarno’s mayoralty has not been wine and roses for all. Yolanda Cancel is running a spirited bid, but Sarno has refused to engage with the
SPRINGFIELD—For well over a decade, city councilors have grappled with how to structure the Police Department leadership. The Control Board’s abolition of the Police Commission in 2005 was among its most controversial moves. But it took several reform attempts and the Gregg Bigda imbroglio to
UPDATED 2/22/2019 10:00AM: To reflect a correction. A prior version of this post incorrectly located Bigda’s infamous interrogation in Wilbraham. It was, in fact, in Palmer. In a dramatic turn of events, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno announced Thursday in a hastily scheduled press conference that
SPRINGFIELD—In a comparatively—and mercifully—short meeting Monday night, the City Council’s responsibilities were largely financial. Although many of the meeting’s fiscal items veered toward the banal, a wistful to frustrated air fell over the body around two of them. Councilors had to approve over a million
UPDATED 8:35PM: The Republican reports that Sarno has vetoed the ordinance. Tells paper on his flip-flop from 2007, “Quite frankly you learn that campaigning is much different than governing.” SPRINGFIELD—Edging closer to its second major rebuke of Mayor Domenic Sarno this year, the City Council
UPDATED 10/30/16 1:17PM: For Grammar and clarity. The case of Detective Gregg Bigda has rocked Springfield in a way few other police events have in some time and the contagion has spread throughout the Springfield Police Department. Concerns about civil rights and doubts about Police
Amid the current national climate of community-police relations, Springfield has been relatively lucky. Tensions are often high, but since Melvin Jones, there have been no Charlottes or Tulsas caught on cell phone cameras. Nevertheless, the actions of Gregg Bigda, a Springfield narcotics detective, threaten the