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Business
'Hidden Gem' Restaurant Stands Out For Authentic Cuisine, No-Frills Atmosphere 'Hidden Gem' Restaurant Stands Out For Authentic Cuisine, No-Frills Atmosphere
'Hidden Gem' Restaurant Stands Out For Authentic Cuisine, No-Frills Atmosphere In Chicopee, off the beaten path, in between a driving school and an accounting firm is a “hidden gem” restaurant that has local foodies buzzing. Cana Korean Restaurant stands out, just not from the street. In online reviews, diners praise Cana for its authentic cuisine and knowledgeable staff who serve up a varied menu in a no-frills atmosphere. Menu standouts at Cana include Spicy Chicken Bulgogi, Shumai (shrimp dumplings), Kimbap, Sweet and Sour Pork, Donkatsu (“deep-fried pork in a crispy coat served with Korean style coleslaw”), Yakisoba, sweet potato noodles, and Stone pot Bibim-Ba…

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by Kristin Palpini
Lifestyle
Family-Owned Western Mass Eatery Gets High Marks For Authentic Offerings Family-Owned Western Mass Eatery Gets High Marks For Authentic Offerings
Family-Owned Western Mass Eatery Gets High Marks For Authentic Offerings This far from the Mexican border, it’s easier to find Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican cuisine, but at Moctezuma’s Traditional Mexican Restaurant in Springfield, diners can have both. Located on Belmont Street, Moctezuma’s is a family-owned restaurant serving Mexican-ish dishes like nachos as well as old-school Mexican foods like Pollo con Mole. Moctezuma’s first opened in 2014 and has remained popular through the years due to its varied and well-prepared menu, good prices, and friendly service, online reviewers said. Yelp foodie Rob F. of East Longmeadow said he’s been ordering takeout fro…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: New List Released Of Western Mass Zones At High Risk For Spread COVID-19: New List Released Of Western Mass Zones At High Risk For Spread
Covid-19: New List Released Of Western Mass Zones At High Risk For Spread More communities in Western Massachusetts are in the COVID-19 “red zone,” while nearly two dozen more have also seen an uptick in cases and have been placed into “yellow zones.” The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 health report on Thursday, April 8, highlighting the areas of the state that have seen an increase in new cases in relation to the area's population. Under the state’s new criteria, the Department of Public Health is taking population size into account when determining which are deemed “high-risk,” “medium-risk,” or “low-risk.” In the latest…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: 11 Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Virus Spread COVID-19: 11 Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Virus Spread
Covid-19: 11 Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Virus Spread More communities in Western Massachusetts are in the COVID-19 “red zone,” while nearly two dozen more have also seen an uptick in cases and have been placed into “yellow zones.” The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 health report on Thursday, April 1, highlighting the areas of the state that have seen an increase in new cases in relation to the area's population. Under the state’s new criteria, the Department of Public Health is taking population size into account when determining which are deemed “high-risk,” “medium-risk,” or “low-risk.” In the latest…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: These Five Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Spread, DPH Says COVID-19: These Five Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Spread, DPH Says
Covid-19: These Five Western Mass Communities At High Risk For Spread, DPH Says Five communities in western Massachusetts are in the COVID-19 “red zone,” while nearly two dozen more have also seen an uptick in cases and have been placed into “yellow zones.” The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 health report on Thursday, March 25, highlighting the areas of the state that have seen an increase in new cases in relation to the area's population. Under the state’s new criteria, the Department of Public Health is taking population size into account when determining which are deemed “high-risk,” “medium-risk,” or “low-risk.” In the lates…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
These Massachusetts Communities Among Best Places To Live, Brand-New Rankings Reveal These Massachusetts Communities Among Best Places To Live, Brand-New Rankings Reveal
These Massachusetts Communities Among Best Places To Live, Brand-New Rankings Reveal A new poll appears to suggest Massachusetts residents should move East. All the best places to live in the state are in or around Boston, according to Niche’s 2021 Best Places to Live survey. The ranked list features 486 Massachusetts cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Overall, the best places to live in Massachusetts, according to Niche are Brookline, The Port, Cambridgeport, and East Cambridge neighborhoods in Cambridge, and Peabody. If you aren’t in Boston, the best place to live outside of the metro region is Pelham, a little hamlet of 1,280 people over by Amherst. Pelham was ranked the…

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by Kristin Palpini
Schools
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…

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by Kristin Palpini
Lifestyle
Western Mass Eatery Emerges As Go-To Destination For Italian Cuisine After One Year In Business Western Mass Eatery Emerges As Go-To Destination For Italian Cuisine After One Year In Business
Western Mass Eatery Emerges As Go-To Destination For Italian Cuisine After One Year In Business Just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the Valley’s most popular fine-dining restauranteurs opened a little Italian spot in Longmeadow. Posto by The Federal is located in The Longmeadow Shops and serves “old-school new Italian” dishes. While Posto and The Federal share the same executive chef, Michael Presnal, Posto is more casual than the Agawam fine-dining destination. Whereas The Federal does service with elegance on white lenient, Posto does service with elegance on newspaper tissue printed to look like vintage news articles. Since opening in October 2019, online reviews have pra…

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by Kristin Palpini
Obituaries
Community Mourns A 23-Year-Old 'Natural Musician,' HCC Grad After Fatal Crash Community Mourns A 23-Year-Old 'Natural Musician,' HCC Grad After Fatal Crash
Community Mourns A 23-Year-Old 'Natural Musician,' HCC Grad After Fatal Crash The Springfield community is mourning the passing of a 23-year-old “natural musician” who recently died in a car accident. Connor Murphy Sliwa, of Springfield, died in a crash on Feb. 3, according to his obituary. Family and friends are remembering Sliwa as beloved and someone who was always dancing and making music. He was also an avid basketball player. “He went out of his way to bring people together,” Sliwa’s obituary said. “Anywhere he went, he was everyone’s best friend. He joked around and uplifted all of us.” Sliwa earned an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College in A…

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by Kristin Palpini
Weather
Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA
Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA A passing Nor'Easter left about 3-17 inches of snow across the region with snowfall totals varying greatly in communities all over Central or Western Massachusetts. The National Weather Service has put a winter weather advisory into place until Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m. Before the late afternoon, people can expect to see light snow showers and pockets of freezing drizzle. A glaze of ice developing on top of the snow is possible. Wind gusts may reach as fast as 40 mph. Below are snowfall totals from the Monday, Feb. 1 winter storm. The totals are reported as inches are as of 8 a.m. Tuesday,…

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by Kristin Palpini
Schools
COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates
Covid-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates Two local school districts experienced COVID-19 flare-ups over the last week, according to the most recent state data. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released how many COVID-19 incidents were reported by students and staff from Jan. 21-27. Most of the Central and Western Massachusetts, as well as the Berkshires, had school districts where no COVID-19 incidents were reported that week. However, Shrewsbury and Hampden-Wilbraham school districts each reported 12-15 students and faculty that had become il…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
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”…

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by Kristin Palpini