Rising like a monolith above the plains of urban renewal in north downtown Springfield, The Republican stands watch. At one time, David Starr sat atop it all, the representative of the Newhouse publishing empire here in the Valley. But from his office at 1860 Main
SPRINGFIELD—A short agenda sailed through the City Council’s Tuesday meeting here without any banality or vainglorious interrogatories. In addition to the usual financial housekeeping and grant acceptances, the meeting’s focused on a new library and new labor pacts set to last into 2020. The early
SPRINGFIELD—The Community Preservation Act (CPA) came another step closer to realization with passage of first step on an ordinance formally establishing its organizational structure in Springfield. Last November, residents approved a referendum adopting the CPA and with it access to moneys to fund historic preservation,
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors called Mayor Domenic Sarno’s bluff and overrode his veto of an ordinance reviving a commission to oversee operations of the city’s police department. The veto had come within hours of the Council’s initial approval of the changes two weeks ago, but Sarno has signaled
SPRINGFIELD—For whatever reason, Hampden County has a number of missing people—at the polls. Data from 2012 indicates that the county, which contains the commonwealth’s third largest city, falls well below the state’s turnout level. The problem is particularly pronounced here—though not unique countywide—but efforts are
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
UPDATED 2:28PM SPRINGFIELD—Only another four weeks separate candidates for local and statewide office from the primary that will decide many of their fates and, in many cases, the election, too. That leaves precious little time before voting begins and it may be even less as
SPRINGFIELD—Another light agenda greeted the City Council Monday night shortly after it city finance officials presented the budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins on July 1st. Few if any items engendered much discussion most had virtually no opposition ahead of the beginning of the Council’s
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 has been edited for accuracy. ** When the Springfield City Council voted 7-4 to approve a higher than requested trash fee in exchange for reopening neighborhood library branches, it was clear the side the crowd was on. A sustained applause greeted Councilors who took