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Business
Support Surges For Central Mass Firefighter Injured In Firework Accident Support Surges For Central Mass Firefighter Injured In Firework Accident
Support Surges For Central Mass Firefighter Injured In Firework Accident Walter "Wally" Shaw is known as many things to his local community in central Massachusetts.  When he is not serving with the Groton Fire Department, Wally can be found at the Harvard Fire Department, his parents' tractor shop or working as a certified pyrotechnician.   Unfortunately, Wally was involved in a serious accident while setting up a firework display in North Andover on July 3, according to a GoFundMe organized in his honor.  While putting up the display, the rack Wally was loading unexpectedly ignited. Wally was flown to a Boston hospital where he underwent several surgeries for…

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by David Cifarelli
Weather
Storm Bringing Wintry Mix Will Drop Up To A Foot Of Snow In Parts Of Northeast Storm Bringing Wintry Mix Will Drop Up To A Foot Of Snow In Parts Of Northeast
Storm Bringing Wintry Mix Will Drop Up To A Foot Of Snow In Parts Of Northeast Most of the region will see rain and sleet from a wintry storm that will sweep through the region over the weekend, but parts of the Northeast could see up to a half-foot to a foot of snow. Saturday, Dec. 18 will be dreary with cold rain at times in areas farther south during the day and mixed precipitation and snow farther north during the day and into the evening. In those areas, the temperature will hover right around and just below the freezing mark. The areas shown in the first image above will see a mix of rain and sleet, and areas farthest north (north of I-84) will get varying amou…

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
Severe Thunderstorm Watch In Effect, With 60 MPH-Plus Wind Gusts Expected, Tornadoes Possible Severe Thunderstorm Watch In Effect, With 60 MPH-Plus Wind Gusts Expected, Tornadoes Possible
Severe Thunderstorm Watch In Effect, With 60 Mph-plus Wind Gusts Expected, Tornadoes Possible A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for a large portion of the Northeast. It's in effect until 11 p.m. Saturday, July 17. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour are the main threat with any thunderstorm that becomes severe, the National Weather Service said in issuing the watch. Torrential downpours, frequent lightning, and flash flooding are all possible, along with quarter-size hail. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect until Sunday morning, July 18. Earlier report: Severe Storms Expected With 70 MPH Wind Gusts, Drenching Downpours, Possible Tornadoes Fo…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Storms Knock Out Power To Hundreds In Massachusetts Storms Knock Out Power To Hundreds In Massachusetts
Storms Knock Out Power To Hundreds In Massachusetts Eversource had all hands on deck after a lightning strike damaged a power line during a round of storms that swept through Massachusetts, knocking out power to hundreds in the commonwealth, the company said. Crews went to work at approximately 11 a.m. on Monday, June 14, when lightning burned a power line on Amherst Road in Amherst, leaving dozens without power as the company made repairs. Late Monday morning, about 500 were without power in Massachusetts, including 400 in Western Massachusetts. By 1 p.m. the number of outages was down to around 300, with the majority in Central and E…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Three Dead After I-84 Wrong-Way Crash Three Dead After I-84 Wrong-Way Crash
Three Dead After I-84 Wrong-Way Crash Click here for an updated story: IDs Released For Three People Killed In Fatal, Wrong-Way I-84 Crash Three people were killed when a vehicle traveling the wrong way on a busy stretch of Interstate 84 crashed into another vehicle, according to authorities. It happened Saturday, April 17 at around 6 p.m. in Central Massachusetts when one of the vehicles involved was traveling west in the eastbound lanes in Worcester County, near Exit 6B in Sturbridge, Massachusetts State Police said. Lifesaving efforts were immediately attempted by responding cruisers, however, the crash resulted in…

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update Ice covered much of Central and Western Massachusetts Tuesday, Feb. 16, morning, creating dangerous road conditions, but few power outages. The ice is thickest in the Berkshires where 0.21-0.23 inches of ice has accumulated, according to the National Weather Service. In Springfield and Worcester, 0.5-0.6 inches of ice accumulated overnight. Northward, in Greenfield and Fitchburg, ice accumulation was between 0.17 and 0.21 inches. About 300 of Eversource's hundreds of thousands of customers lost power momentarily and sections of Westfield were also without power for about an hour st…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Staff Death At Massachusetts Elementary School Is Under Investigation Staff Death At Massachusetts Elementary School Is Under Investigation
Staff Death At Massachusetts Elementary School Is Under Investigation Police are investigating a death discovered at a small Central Massachusetts elementary school. On Thursday, Feb. 11, a member of the Templeton Elementary School’s psychology team was found dead at the school, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. News of the death was first circulated by Narragansett Regional School District Superintendent Chris Casavant in a letter home to the school community. No students were present or otherwise involved in the situation, the superintendent said. Friday, Feb. 12, was a remote learning day for all students. NRSD has five mental health sp…

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by Kristin Palpini
Weather
Forecast: Multiple Snow Events Expected This Week Forecast: Multiple Snow Events Expected This Week
Forecast: Multiple Snow Events Expected This Week On the heels of a snowy weekend, the National Weather Service is predicting more snow later this week. Anywhere between 2 inches and 5 inches of snowfall is anticipated for parts of Central and Western Massachusetts on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and possibly into Wednesday, Feb. 10, according to the National Weather Service. Expect the snow to start falling early on Tuesday, between 6 and 7 a.m. in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley and more towards 9 a.m. for Worcester and Fitchburg. For the most part, the Pioneer Valley, Southern, and Central Berkshires can expect about 4 inches of snow.  Tow…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
DEP Fines These Local Businesses Over Alleged Environmental Violations DEP Fines These Local Businesses Over Alleged Environmental Violations
DEP Fines These Local Businesses Over Alleged Environmental Violations In January, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fined 8 local businesses for failure to comply with previous enforcement orders. The DEP issued 79 enforcement orders statewide in January, according to the department’s database. Only 8 of those orders resulted in fines for Western Mass companies. There were no fines assessed in January for Central Massachusetts or Berkshire's businesses.  All of the Western Mass businesses that were fined were disciplined for the same alleged violation and were issued the enforcement orders on the same day (Jan. 22). The violation w…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
COVID-19: Beloved Performance Space For Sale - Local Orgs Lost $55 Million To Pandemic COVID-19: Beloved Performance Space For Sale - Local Orgs Lost $55 Million To Pandemic
Covid-19: Beloved Performance Space For Sale - Local Orgs Lost $55 Million To Pandemic On the heels of news that cultural organizations and artists west of I-495 have lost $80 million since the start of the pandemic, an art space for well-known local acts is closing. On Sunday, Jan. 31, Director Brain F. Hale said that The Bing Arts Center’s building in Springfield has been put up for sale. The asking price on the more than 10,000-square-foot property on Sumner Avenue is $175,000, according to LoopNet. “Unfortunately the cessation of income was not matched by a corresponding end of facility costs,” Hale said. “Our capacity to continue paying the bills is rapidly diminishing…

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by Kristin Palpini
Weather
Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA
Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA When this Nor’easter is over, some communities in Central and Western Massachusetts are expected to be covered in more than 1 foot of snow. A Winter Storm Warning by the National Weather Service is in effect until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Heavy snow is expected with total snow accumulations of 7 to 15 inches and winds gusting as high as 45 mph. The communities that are expected to see the most snow are across the Worcester Hills and the east slopes of the Berkshires. The following are forecast snowfall totals including the smallest amount predicted, the most likely amount to fall…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts
Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts It doesn’t matter how many signs some cities and towns put up, people keep feeding Massachusetts’ truck-eating bridges. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the most recent example of a too-tall 18-wheel truck being shredded by a low bridge happened in Westborough. The city’s East Main Street railroad bridge is notorious for tearing the roofs off of semis trying to squeak by. “I drove close to that bridge every day for 3 years,” said Vanessa Saez on a photo posted by the Westborough Police to Facebook of a TT truck stuck under the bridge. “There are signs up and down that road warning drivers. They are …

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by Kristin Palpini