COVID-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week COVID-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week
Covid-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week This past week, 11 Massachusetts public schools experienced COVID-19 outbreaks of 9 or more students and staff coming down with the virus. The largest outbreak was recorded in Leominster. From March 4-10, 21 of the school district’s students (15) and staff (6) reported positive cases. The Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education produces weekly reports on positive COVID-19 cases reported in each school district. The Thursday, March 11 report found about 140 school districts - out of more than 350 - had at least one student or staff member test positive for COVID-19. C…
COVID-19: Four 'Red' Western Mass Cities At High Risk, Town-By-Town Trends, Rates COVID-19: Four 'Red' Western Mass Cities At High Risk, Town-By-Town Trends, Rates
Covid-19: Four 'Red' Western Mass Cities At High Risk, Town-By-Town Trends, Rates Keeping with the trend of declining COVID-19 infections, the Pioneer Valley has only 4 “red” communities - cities and towns with the highest risk of virus transmission. On Thursday, March 4, Massachusetts unveiled its latest weekly update on COVID-19 incidents by the municipality.  Red communities in Western Massachusetts for the week of March 4 are: Chicopee with a rate of 33.4, Hadley, 32 Ludlow, 33.4, and Springfield, 40.3. Springfield was the only city out of the four that was in the red but experienced a decline in COVID-19 incidents, according to state data. Statewide, the…
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile in…
Barn-Burner Rages Overnight Monday Barn-Burner Rages Overnight Monday
Barn-Burner Rages Overnight Monday A fire destroyed a full barn on Monday, Jan. 18. The fire began around 9:30 p.m. when police and fire officials responded to a report of a fully-involved barn fire on Shattuck Road in Hadley. Members of the Amherst Fire Department also responded. No injuries were reported in the fire, WesternMass News reported. Amherst firefighters said that the blaze could have been much worse. “While this barn was a loss, a strong effort by Hadley Fire prevented extension to an adjacent home,” said Amherst firefighters in a Facebook post. 
Foam Cups And Research - See Which Local Products And Services Are Fighting COVID-19 Foam Cups And Research - See Which Local Products And Services Are Fighting COVID-19
Foam Cups And Research - See Which Local Products And Services Are Fighting Covid-19 More than 20 Central and Western Massachusetts businesses have won hundreds of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 contracts since the start of the pandemic, according to a government spending tracker. Items purchased locally include everything from foam cups to deep-sea transportation logistics. The local business that has received the most COVID-19 work from the U.S. is VentureWell, formerly the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance Inc., in Hadley. The firm was awarded $20 million to provide program management/support services in “rapid acceleration of diagnostics”…
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampshire County? Top Slices According To Yelp Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampshire County? Top Slices According To Yelp
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampshire County? Top Slices According To Yelp Are you seeking out the best pizza slices and pies in Hampshire County? COVID-19 has made great take-out and delivery more important than ever. With more than 30 percent of all delivery orders being placed at pizzerias, it seems like a good time to present the top 3 pizza shops in Hampshire County, according to Yelp reviews. Did Yelp get it right? Put the name of your favorite pizza shop in the comments. Hillside Pizza, 173 Russell St., Hadley With vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options, Hillside Pizza is a perfect choice for a group with diverse dietary needs. Boasting all loca…
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal?
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile in…
Regional Pizza Dynasty Patriarch, Sierros, Has Died Regional Pizza Dynasty Patriarch, Sierros, Has Died
Regional Pizza Dynasty Patriarch, Sierros, Has Died The patriarch of a local pizza-making dynasty has died, his family announced Wednesday, Dec. 16. Nickolaos “Nick” Sierros died at age 81, according to an obituary written by his family and published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Sierros owned A-1 Pizza in Florence (Northampton), Massachusetts, for nearly 40 years. The popular neighborhood pizzeria became Sierros’ in 1983. Sierros, a Greek native, comes from a family of pizza-makers and A-1 wasn’t his first shop. Along with his brother Christos and sister Panagiota, Sierros opened ABC Pizza in Cromwell, Connecticut. Family members went …
Local Overnight Snowfall Totals, Current Conditions For Thursday, Dec. 17 Local Overnight Snowfall Totals, Current Conditions For Thursday, Dec. 17
Local Overnight Snowfall Totals, Current Conditions For Thursday, Dec. 17 Overnight the winter storm dropped between 7 and 12 inches of snow on Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. As snow continues to fall, the National Weather Service provided overnight snowfall totals. At 7 a.m. here is how much snow had fallen in your area - Hartford, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties: Hartford County Simsbury - 11 inches Bradley Airport - 10.9 inches Canton - 10.5 inches Manchester - 10 inches Hampden County Longmeadow - 12 inches Southwick - 10.3 inches Westfield - 9.3 inches East Longmeadow - 8.5 inches Monson - 8 inches Chicopee -7.5 inches Hampshi…
UMass Amherst Shortcut Avoiding Route 9 Traffic Could Be Closed To Commuters UMass Amherst Shortcut Avoiding Route 9 Traffic Could Be Closed To Commuters
UMass Amherst Shortcut Avoiding Route 9 Traffic Could Be Closed To Commuters The backroads to UMass Amherst may soon be shut off to many commuters as Hadley looks to address speeding on the residential roads. Knowing how to avoid traffic on Route 9 in Hadley is a sign of a true local, but the popular West Street, North Lane, and Cemetary Road route to and from UMass could be made slower or closed off to commuters. A recent traffic study found that most motorists do not obey the 30 mph speed limit in the area of the shortcut, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The shortcut, from the Coolidge Bridge to UMass, passes through residential and farmland and. The r…
Two Local Movie Theaters Reopening Friday Two Local Movie Theaters Reopening Friday
Two Local Movie Theaters Reopening Friday Two movie theaters in Western Massachusetts will reopen on Friday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Cinemark is reopening movie theaters in Massachusetts and Michigan on Friday, Oct. 9. Locally, Cinemark will reopen in West Springfield and Hadley, according to Deadline. Among the new movies to be screened there soon: Robert DeNiro’s family comedy “War With Grandpa,” “Honest Thief,” and “2 Hearts.” The news of the movie theaters reopening comes on the heels of Cineworld's decision to temporarily close more than 500 of its movie theaters due to fallout from COVID-19. T…
Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley
Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley A program meant to keep adults who have done wrong out of the court system and jail is expanding in the Pioneer Valley. Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ) is partnering with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office to provide an alternative to the court system. It's called restorative justice and it's kind of like doing community service to atone for causing harm - but without the perpetrator being charged with a crime. “Restorative justice provides an alternative to the criminal justice process,” said Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan. It enables “the community to ta…