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Lifestyle
Acclaimed Pioneer Valley Steakhouse Draws Diners From Near, Far Acclaimed Pioneer Valley Steakhouse Draws Diners From Near, Far
Acclaimed Pioneer Valley Steakhouse Draws Diners From Near, Far The Federal in Agawam has a reputation for being a go-to restaurant for special dinners and celebrations - even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The venerable fine-dining establishment has been able to package that celebratory spirit into its new curbside pickup service. Take-out from The Federal can be ordered Tuesday-Saturday, 4-8 p.m. The menu includes house favorites like “a bucket of balls” (risotto balls with black truffle butter and snipped chives), chef’s hand-cut steak tartare, roasted rosemary duck breast, wild forest mushroom tagliatelle, fig and prosciutto pizza, and warm Nutella c…

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by Kristin Palpini
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
No Data Caps For Now: Comcast To Delay Heavily-Criticized Plan To Limit Internet No Data Caps For Now: Comcast To Delay Heavily-Criticized Plan To Limit Internet
No Data Caps For Now: Comcast To Delay Heavily-Criticized Plan To Limit Internet Comcast’s highly-criticized move to implement internet data caps is being delayed. On Friday, Feb. 18, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a statement welcoming Comcast’s announcement that they will postpone, what he called an “ill-timed” data cap until 2022. Comcast’s planned data caps went into effect on Jan. 1, in 12 states - including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania - plus Washington, D.C. The data caps were envisioned long before the pandemic hit. “Delaying this ill-timed data cap until at least 2022 is the right call. I have heard from…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
City Spends $8,000 Per Mile On Snow/Ice Removal - How Does Your Town's Spending Compare? City Spends $8,000 Per Mile On Snow/Ice Removal - How Does Your Town's Spending Compare?
City Spends $8,000 Per Mile On Snow/Ice Removal - How Does Your Town's Spending Compare? 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 i…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates COVID-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates
Covid-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates 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. Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 new incident rates also went up in two more of the Pioneer Valley’s largest communities - Easthampton and Northampton. On Thursday, Feb. 11, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released the weekly town-by-town COVID-19 rate report. The numbers showed declining cases in nearly all of the Pio…

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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
News
Town So Irked By Comcast Internet Cap, It May Just Build Its Own Broadband Network Town So Irked By Comcast Internet Cap, It May Just Build Its Own Broadband Network
Town So Irked By Comcast Internet Cap, It May Just Build Its Own Broadband Network At least one town is so irked by Comcast’s new internet service cap that it’s looking into starting a municipal internet option. On Thursday, Feb. 11, the creation of a Municipal Fiber Task Force to study implementing an internet network throughout Agawam was announced by Mayor William P. Sapelli. Sapelli said that a town-owned and managed network is just one option Agawam will explore as an alternative to Comcast. The town could also partner with a third party to provide service, make another arrangement, or not change anything at all.  Among the factors that will be studied by the …

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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
New England's First - And Only - Selfie Bar Opens Here Friday New England's First - And Only - Selfie Bar Opens Here Friday
New England's First - And Only - Selfie Bar Opens Here Friday A new bar is promising to make each of its patrons feel like an “Instagram celebrity.” Opening Friday, Jan. 29, Pour Bar and Social Lounge claims to be New England’s first - and only - selfie bar. Located on Springfield Street in Agawam, Pour offers 15 interactive, professionally lit, photo-worthy experiences, according to its website, as well as a bar and snacks. Pour is owned by Anneliese Townsend, who launched it as a standard bar in January 2020. Amid the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, Townsend decided to get creative with her business. Thus the selfie bar was born.  …

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Cause Of 2nd Fatal Fire In Agawam Revealed Cause Of 2nd Fatal Fire In Agawam Revealed
Cause Of 2nd Fatal Fire In Agawam Revealed State and local fire officials have determined the cause of a fatal motorhome fire on Monday, Jan. 18. The fire broke out at 74 Springfield St. in Agawam, said the State Fire Marshal’s office, and it was caused by accidental. Apparently, the fire occurred while the victim was smoking in bed. The woman who died was using medical oxygen at the time, which created an oxygen-enriched environment. This is the second fatal fire caused by smoking in the last 8 months in Agawam, the town’s fire chief said. There were no working smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors in the home, the fire mars…

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by Kristin Palpini
Lifestyle
Who Has The Best Chinese Food In Hampden County? Top Restaurants By Yelp Who Has The Best Chinese Food In Hampden County? Top Restaurants By Yelp
Who Has The Best Chinese Food In Hampden County? Top Restaurants By Yelp There's never been a better time than now to enjoy some tasty takeout.  With COVID-19 restrictions keeping many of us home, knowing where to get the best, delivered meals is important.  Here are some of the top-reviewed Chinese restaurants in Hampden County according to local Yelp critics. Tao’s Asian Cuisine, 31 Harkness Ave., East Longmeadow, (413) 525-1820 Reviewers described Tao’s as “authentic” and “classic” with consistently excellent food, cleanliness, and adherence to COVID-19 social-distancing. The food comes out fast, crips and “not too salty, not too greasy” just righ…

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by Kristin Palpini