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Whately, MA

Police & Fire
90 Percent Of Western Mass Motel Destroyed In Late-Night Fire 90 Percent Of Western Mass Motel Destroyed In Late-Night Fire
90 Percent Of Western Mass Motel Destroyed In Late-Night Fire Seventeen people were displaced when a two-alarm fire tore through a well-known, family-owned Franklin County motel over the weekend, authorities said.  The fire began at The Rainbow Motel at 64 State Road in Whately just after midnight on Saturday, May 18, the Whately Fire Department said in a Facebook post. The fire burned so hot and fast that 10 agencies from surrounding communities sent firefighters, equipment, and mutual aid to battle the blaze.  The department said 10 of the 16 motel rooms were heavily burned in the fire.  Luckily, no one was injured, but a Whatel…

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by Josh Lanier
Business
Puff, Puff, Pass On The Shirts: Western Mass Strip Club Wants To Convert To Topless Dispensary Puff, Puff, Pass On The Shirts: Western Mass Strip Club Wants To Convert To Topless Dispensary
Puff, Puff, Pass On The Shirts: Western Mass Strip Club Wants To Convert To Topless Dispensary The owners of a Franklin County strip club say they have big plans for the site once they reopen. Instead of nude dancers and beer, they want to have topless saleswomen and marijuana.  Nicholas Spagnola, a co-owner of Club Castaway in Whately, spoke with the town's selectboard earlier this month to unveil his revolutionary plan to carve out a "niche" in the fast-growing cannabis retail space.  “Our goal would be to operate a topless dispensary and to remove nude dancing and alcohol from the license,” Spagnola said.  Spagnola and his business partner Julius Sokol bought …

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by Josh Lanier
News
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…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus COVID-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus
Covid-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus The COVID-19 incident rate shot up dramatically in Amherst where UMass is attempting to tamp down on the virus’s spread. The daily average COVID-19 rate in Amherst per 100,000 people was 26.6 last week, Feb. 4. As of Thursday, Feb. 11, Amherst’s COVID-19 rate is 78.8. The uptick in infections comes on the heels of the University of Massachusetts Amherst shutting down its campus to stop the virus’ spread. The roughly 13,000-member student body has been asked to self-quarantine. A spike in COVID-19 cases in Amherst has been linked to one or more “massive” frat parties thrown over the Feb. 6 w…

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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