SPRINGFIELD—As the hoped-for vaccines to guard against COVID-19 appear on the horizon, officials here are preparing for their role in distribution. Supplies will be extremely limited in December if, as expected, the Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use. Hospitals like Mercy and Baystate Health
SPRINGFIELD—Last week, it looked as though coronavirus cases in the City of Homes were cooling after the city into surged into the state’s red designation. Numbers from the weekend crushed those hopes. Mirroring recent case records the state reported, Springfield residents tested positive higher than
SPRINGFIELD—Speaking at the weekly COVID-19 briefing here, Baystate Health Systems President & CEO Dr. Mark Keroack announced that an outbreak of the novel coronavirus hit a non-COVID ward at the health network’s flagship hospital. Keroack told reporters that 13 patients and 23 staff had been
UPDATED 4:32PM: To include reaction from AG Healey’s office. SPRINGFIELD—In an abrupt reversal, Mayor Domenic Sarno apologized for the reinstatement of five cops charged with lying to investigators looking into the 2015 fracas outside Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant. In a late morning press conference
UPDATED 4:50PM: To include comments from Mayor Ludwick of Enfield. ENFIELD—In the retail flats of this Constitution State border town, life has begun to come back. Two months after he closed stores and restaurants to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Connecticut Governor Ned
SPRINGFIELD—A relatively straightforward Council agenda experienced some delays due technical difficulties rather than legislative loquaciousness. For example, the meeting paused briefly as one councilor’s connection to Zoom was severed. Then there were the pauses between recognition of councilors. Overall, though, the meeting proceeded with little
SPRINGFIELD—With flickers of hope that the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak may be passing here and throughout Western Massachusetts, local officials and hospital administrators laid out some changes due in the coming weeks. First among these is implementing Governor Charlie Baker’s mandate for residents to
SPRINGFIELD—As the commonwealth continues to ramp up its COVID-19 testing infrastructure, city officials here appear poised to finally begin testing one of Springfield’s most vulnerable populations. Plans to test the homeless fell through last week and a launch set for Wednesday was delayed. Still, the
UPDATED 4/21/20 3:46PM: A prior version of this post, and others, had misspelled the Police Commissioner’s name. It is Clapprood, not Claprood. SPRINGFIELD—While the final decisions will be left to Governor Charlie Baker, it does appear that Western Massachusetts and its largest city are setting
SPRINGFIELD—As the economic devastation from the COVID-19 outbreak sets in, city councilors here met—remotely—for the first time since public health restrictions made its traditional gatherings impractical. Freed of some open meeting law requirements by Governor Charlie Baker’s executive orders, the body met via the web