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Pioneer Valley

Lifestyle
Here's Where You Can Get The Best Donut In Massachusetts, Food & Wine Says Here's Where You Can Get The Best Donut In Massachusetts, Food & Wine Says
Here's Where You Can Get The Best Donut In Massachusetts, Food & Wine Says Fluffy and delicious, sweet and fried just right, doughnuts are a morning blessing for the belly - and, it turns out, some of us are more blessed than others. Food & Wine recently came out with a list of the best doughnuts in each state - can you guess who took home the prize for Massachusetts? Hint: It’s not Dunkin’. To get the best doughnuts in Massachusetts, you have to go to Donut Dip, says Food & Wine. Located in West Springfield (the East Longmeadow location closed in 2019), the retro Donut Dip has been serving freshly-made doughnuts, crullers, muffins, fritters, brownies, …

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Rintala: EMT Seeks To Appeal Murder Conviction 11 Years After Wife's Death Rintala: EMT Seeks To Appeal Murder Conviction 11 Years After Wife's Death
Rintala: EMT Seeks To Appeal Murder Conviction 11 Years After Wife's Death The case of whether Cara Rintala killed her wife that twice ended in a hung jury, may get another airing. Rintala, 53, is seeking to appeal her 2016 murder conviction over the 2010 death of her wife Annamarie Cochrane Rintala. Her lawyer sought to have Rintala released from prison while she waits for an appeal hearing, but on Tuesday, Jan. 26, a Hampshire Superior Court judge denied the release request, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. Rintala is seeking to appeal on the belief that the state should not have been able to call an expert paint witness to explain the scene o…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
Pioneer Valley Radio Station Hits 94.3 Changes Format Pioneer Valley Radio Station Hits 94.3 Changes Format
Pioneer Valley Radio Station Hits 94.3 Changes Format One of the biggest local radio stations in the Pioneer Valley has changed formats. On New Year’s Day at midnight, SAGA Communication’s Top 40 Hits 94.3 Amherst-Northampton flipped to “classic hits,” according to an announcement by station owners. The rebranded station is 94.3 Rewind, with the tag line “You Lived It, We Play It.” The new format will be led by Lenny Diana, brand manager at SAGA Communications’ rock n’ roll stations Lazer 99.3 and Class Rock 102 since 2014. “We swiped left on 2020 and swiped right on 2021,” Diana said in a statement. “ Diana said Rewind will play top songs …

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Over 2,500 New Case Reported Christmas Week In Pioneer Valley COVID-19: Over 2,500 New Case Reported Christmas Week In Pioneer Valley
Covid-19: Over 2,500 New Case Reported Christmas Week In Pioneer Valley Over the last week, more than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Pioneer Valley. The week of Christmas - Monday, Dec. 21 - Sunday, Dec. 27 - also saw 43 new deaths across the three counties. Hampden County, the most populous county, experienced the bulk of the new cases and deaths with 2,090 new cases reported since Monday and 30 new deaths. Statewide, the number of new cases went up by 27,615 since last week (Dec. 21) and 383 new deaths have been reported, according to the most recent update to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Datadashboard, Dec. 27. Below are new and cumula…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: 300-Plus New Cases Reported In Pioneer Valley COVID-19: 300-Plus New Cases Reported In Pioneer Valley
Covid-19: 300-Plus New Cases Reported In Pioneer Valley Another 333 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Pioneer Valley on Monday, Dec. 21. According to the most recent state data, most of the new infections happened in Hampden County - which reported 290 new cases on Monday. There were 4 COVID-19 related deaths on Monday in the Pioneer Valley. Below are the latest COVID-19 numbers per county as well as a recounting of new cases reported over the last three days per county. NEW CASES, DEATHS Berkshire 37 new cases of COVID-19 infection reported - for a total of 4,581 reported COVID-19 incidents since the start of the pandemic - 3 new dea…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Family IDs 25-Year-Old 'Kind-Natured' Victim In Fatal Crash Family IDs 25-Year-Old 'Kind-Natured' Victim In Fatal Crash
Family IDs 25-Year-Old 'Kind-Natured' Victim In Fatal Crash The victim in a fatal, one-car crash has been identified by the family - He was a hard-working Pioneer Valley bartender and star athlete.  The crash happened on Wednesday, Dec. 16, on Southampton Road in Holyoke.  The victim was Samuel “Sammy” Garcia, Jr., 25, of Easthampton, according to his obituary. Garcia was a star athlete in high school and worked at popular bars and restaurants in the Pioneer Valley. The accident happened on Wednesday during the height of a snowstorm that left parts of Western Massachusetts covered in more than a foot of snow. Garcia’s car apparently slid…

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by Kristin Palpini
Lifestyle
Adieu! 12-Year-Old French Restaurant Closes Adieu! 12-Year-Old French Restaurant Closes
Adieu! 12-Year-Old French Restaurant Closes A popular French restaurant in Western Massachusetts has announced it will be closing. The decision to close leaves just a handful of authentic French cuisine restaurants in the area. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, around noon, the owners of Bistro Les Gras in Northampton said they will not be renewing the restaurant’s lease.  Owned by Daniel and Elizabeth Martinez, Bistro Les Gras on West Street served “farm-to-fork” French dishes to the Pioneer Valley for 12 years. Owners said the decision to close was not an easy one but noted that they could no longer hold on during the COVID-19 pandemic…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Boston Globe Trolls Western Mass - ‘What’s West of Worcester, Anyway?’ Boston Globe Trolls Western Mass - ‘What’s West of Worcester, Anyway?’
Boston Globe Trolls Western Mass - ‘What’s West of Worcester, Anyway?’ A reporter who got chewed out for mistaking Western Massachusetts for the Berkshires has written an article about how forgettable our area is. “Apparently, there’s an entire region of Massachusetts between Worcester and the Berkshires,” Globe staff writer Billy Baker wrote Thursday, Oct. 29. “If I knew this I forgot it, probably because Pioneer Valley sounds like a made-up marketing name to avoid saying Connecticut. Watch as I forget it again. Boom. Forgotten.” Baker wrote his article after referring to Cummington, in another story, as being in the foothills of the Berkshires. The town is…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
COVID-19: Biggest Brunch In Pioneer Valley Returns Sunday COVID-19: Biggest Brunch In Pioneer Valley Returns Sunday
Covid-19: Biggest Brunch In Pioneer Valley Returns Sunday After taking a break for COVID-19, brunch is coming back to Western Mass in a big way. Possibly the largest brunch buffet in the Pioneer Valley pre-COVID-19, the Sunday brunch at The Delaney House on Route 5 in Holyoke is set to resume service on Sunday, Nov. 1. The fine-dining Delaney brunch will be a little different than it used to be. Due to social-distancing requirements, instead of people going to the buffet whenever they like, customers will order off a menu from servers. The Delaney House Sunday brunch is huge - literally and culturally; the restaurant can accommodate 500 brunchers…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
Makers Of Mango-Milkshake IPA Opening Brewery In Western Mass Makers Of Mango-Milkshake IPA Opening Brewery In Western Mass
Makers Of Mango-Milkshake IPA Opening Brewery In Western Mass A new craft brewery is opening a taproom in Western Massachusetts. 1 Way Brewing’s building plans for a brewery and taproom at 807 Maple Rd. in Longmeadow have been approved by the town's Zoning Board. 1 Way has been around the Pioneer Valley for a while - popping up at events like Brew At the Zoo, Whip City CT River Brewfest, and The Worthy. But now, owners Jason Tsitso and Zach Schwartz have a brick and mortar place to brew and serve customers. Among 1 Way’s signature beers are a mango milkshake IPA, a New England IPA, and a breakfast coffee milk stout. In addition to brewing, Schwart…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Benefit Planned For Popular BBQ Chef Battling COVID-19 For 100-Plus Days Benefit Planned For Popular BBQ Chef Battling COVID-19 For 100-Plus Days
Benefit Planned For Popular BBQ Chef Battling Covid-19 For 100-Plus Days Friends are planning a fundraiser for a barbecue chef who has been on a long road to recovering from COVID-19. Chef at Damn Yankees BBQ, Richard Daviau, 49, has been attempting to recover from COVID-19 for more than 100 days, according to benefit organizers Jackie Elfman-Constantine and Wayne Constantine. Daviau first spent more than 80 days in the Bay State Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and then another month at a rehabilitation facility. “Richard is now home with his family, but has a long road ahead of him,” organizers said. “Richard has ongoing medical concerns that he will be dealin…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
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…

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by Kristin Palpini