SPRINGFIELD—On Monday, the City Council received a briefing on plans for Springfield’s share of the opioid settlement. Health & Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris explained how her department will build out a response to opiate addiction within the city. Her presentation came with a startling
BOSTON—Days before Eric Lesser gave his last speech as a state senator from Western Massachusetts, the commonwealth, jointly with Amtrak, applied for a $108 million federal grant. In the twilight of his Senate tenure, the project took one of its greatest leaps toward reality.
SPRINGFIELD—It was not their first confrontation, but the first where they could really mix it up—and they did. In a debate Wednesday night, James Welch, the incumbent senator for the Hampden Senate District, and his opponent, former Springfield City Councilor Amaad Rivera jousted on healthcare,
UPDATED 2:26PM: For a correction. A prior version of this post called the 2016 primary a five-way race. In fact, six candidates competed for the Democratic nomination that year. UPDATED 8/4/18 6:51PM: Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose has dropped out of the race. The Democratic primary is
CHICOPEE—The event was a fundraiser and thus its purpose was principally to raise funds for the candidate. Less than five weeks before Election Day, it was also an introduction and an opportunity for locals to hobnob with Republican Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. But there was something
SPRINGFIELD—This is not like previous elections. As Senator Eric Lesser launches his reelection bid Thursday night, it will be a unique experience. Historically, when officials he helped elect sought reelection, he had moved on to other things. In 2014 during his first bid for office,
CHICOPEE—The image, especially in the social media era, is familiar: a politician reading to a classroom of children. Indeed, Senator Eric Lesser had actually read to students at Fairview Elementary School before. Taken in isolation such visits may seem somewhat unremarkable. Yet visits like this
UPDATED 11/23/15 5:23PM: Gov. Baker has signed Velis’ bill into law. WESTFIELD—The dreary, rainy fall night enveloping a former auto dealership along Route 20 belied the party inside. Bright arc lights flooded the service bays, now filled with the Shortstop Bar & Grille’s batting cages.
SPRINGFIELD—In a quiet meeting Monday the City Council mostly handled bookkeeping issues, a welcome respite from the more tempestuous gatherings of September. However, there was a vigorous debate about a retail project at a major intersection for traffic—and the divisions within the city. Aside from