LONGMEADOW—In the shadow of the 2002 recession, each community felt cuts to local aide—inevitable as acting Governor Jane Swift ruled out new revenue—in their own way. During an assembly in January that year, students, faculty and staff at the high school gathered and learned what
UPDATED 7/14/14 4:02PM: For grammar, clarity, and additional quotes & links. Welcome to the Sunday Feature: An effort to bring you lengthier, more in-depth stories on some Sundays. SPRINGFIELD—“More than sufficient, the budget passes.” Those six words from City Council President Michael Fenton on Jun
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
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a version of the May 19 story published immediately after the budget press conference, updated with subsequent reporting. The original post has been archived and is accessible here. SPRINGFIELD—Less gloomy than usual, the annual release of the municipal budget by Mayor
EDITORS NOTE: This story, originally published May 19, 2014, has been republished on May 22, 2014 to reflect additional reporting and details. The below is an archive of the original post, collapsed for visual tidiness. You may access it by clicking the “continue reading” text
Longmeadow Daze is an occasional series reporting on and analyzing Longmeadow government and politics. LONGMEADOW—By a huge majority, voters at the annual town meeting decided to restore hundred of thousands of dollars in school funding. The town meeting, functioning as the town’s legislature approved the
Fresh from the tension and consternation brewing up from the less than stellar appointments Council President Jimmy Ferrera gave to Ward 2 Councilor Mike Fenton and Ward 7 Councilor Tim Allen, the City Council met to face its first agenda of 2012. Consequently, with a