UPDATED 8/17/14 11:00AM: For grammar & clarity. As a general matter, since the return of Springfield City Council has avoided the banality and pettiness that sometimes typify other Valley municipal legislatures. Without a doubt both happen at 36 Court Street, but it does not tend to
SPRINGFIELD—Only two major similarities exist between Melvin Edwards’s run for Senate in 2012 and his bid for the House this year. In both races, the primary will effectively decide the election and in both races Edwards is a candidate. Then things diverge considerably. While primary
UPDATED 6/22/14 7:22 PM: For clarity & grammar. SPRINGFIELD—By January of this year, it was clear that the area delegation to Boston was in store was some major revisions. Amid retirements, resignations, and a few part-term incumbencies, several high-profile races are due for the districts
SPRINGFIELD—Weeks after the release of a budget with far less pain and sacrifice than years past, Mayor Domenic’s Sarno’s spending plan passed the City Council without so much as a hiccup. With up to four hearings scheduled to debate and pass the budget, only the
UPDATED 6/4/14 6:15PM: The Springfield City Council gave final approval to the Putnam Bonds after brief debate. The vote was 11-2. More details here. SPRINGFIELD—Facing an agenda laden with some heavy issues, for the first time in a while, the Council stayed in session late
SPRINGFIELD—Despite the best efforts of the its finest inertia, the City Council finally agreed to dip its toe into social media while tackling a budget that was more complex than it appeared. A slew of financial measures ahead of the new fiscal year and a
UPDATED 11:23PM: To reflect confirmation of details via other news reports and to correctly state a women is running for Gale Candaras’ seat. A previous version of this story said one was not. SPRINGFIELD—State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera of the 10th Hampden district, Springfield’s only Hispanic
UPDATED 3/17/14 5:52PM: To include details of press release from community groups on McFarlin and his response to the release on Masslive. This post is the third in a series on the debate over Management of the Springfield Police Department. Since announcing how he would
SPRINGFIELD—In a victory for organized labor, the City Council unanimously approved an arbitration award, securing a contract between the city and it’s the International Brother Hood of Police Officers, Local 364 through July 2016. Despite fears that the mayor’s office was maneuvering to kill the
This post is the first in a series on the debate over Management of the Police Department in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD—At a rescheduled committee meeting residents pled their case for a return of the Police Commission while a few representatives from Mayor Domenic Sarno’s administration vehemently