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Man Who Shot Western Mass Cop ID'd; Fundraiser Created For Officer Man Who Shot Western Mass Cop ID'd; Fundraiser Created For Officer
Michael Ortega Shot 29-Year-Old Wilbraham Cop: Police A fundraiser for the 29-year-old Hampden County police officer who was wounded in a shootout over the weekend in Wilbraham has nearly tripled its initial goal in less than a day.  The Greg Hill Foundation created the fundraiser for the Wilbraham officer with the goal of $5,000, but by Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised nearly $14,000.  Update: Wilbraham Police ID Cop Who Was Injured In Shootout  The shootout happened just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, when police were called to 11 Old Carriage Drive in Wilbraham. The suspect barricaded himself in a home and re…

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
29-Year-Old CT Man Killed In Plane Crash Remembered As ‘Bright Shining Light’ 29-Year-Old CT Man Killed In Plane Crash Remembered As ‘Bright Shining Light’
29-Year-Old CT Man Killed In Plane Crash Remembered As ‘Bright Shining Light’ Friends and colleagues are reminiscing on the bright personality of a 29-year-old student pilot from Connecticut who was one of three who died in a small plane crash in northern Massachusetts, after his tragic death.   Chad Davidson, age 29, of the town of Woodstock in Windham County, was killed alongside a pair of Western Massachusetts residents from Hampden County on Sunday, Jan. 14 when the Baron Twin-Piston they were in crashed. Earlier Report - Triple-Fatal Plane Crash: 29-Year-Old Student Pilot From Woodstock ID'd As One Of Victims According to Massachusetts State …

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
Mass-Born Actress Loses Emmy To HBO Castmate Mass-Born Actress Loses Emmy To HBO Castmate
Meghann Fahy Loses Emmy To 'White Lotus' Co-Star A Massachusetts-born actress just missed out on claiming her first Emmy on Monday night, Jan. 15, but many critics believe she'll have many more opportunities to win the winged statuette.   Meghann Fahy, from Longmeadow in Hampden County, was one of five actresses nominated for their roles in season two of "The White Lotus." This was her first nomination.  Fahy lost the award to her co-star Jennifer Coolidge, the only holdover from the first season of the darkly comedic HBO drama.  Related: Meghann Fahy Wins SAG Award For Role In "White Lotus" Aubrey Plaza and&n…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Neighbor Helps Save Couple From Western Mass House Fire; Both Seriously Burned In Blaze Neighbor Helps Save Couple From Western Mass House Fire; Both Seriously Burned In Blaze
Neighbor Helps Save Couple From Western Mass House Fire; Both Seriously Burned In Blaze A couple in Hampden County were seriously injured in a house fire Monday morning, Dec. 18, but it could have been much worse if not for a neighbor who saw the smoke and rushed to help, authorities said.  The fire began just before 8 a.m. at 88 Stafford Holland Road in Wales. Firefighters arrived to find smoke pouring from the front of the home, the State Fire Marshal's Office said.  Authorities did not identify the couple.  They were able to escape the blaze, and a neighbor helped pull one of them to safety.  The couple were taken to UMass Medical Center with seri…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man Guilty Of Killing Rescuer Who Came To Aid Of Woman He Kidnapped In Springfield: DA Man Guilty Of Killing Rescuer Who Came To Aid Of Woman He Kidnapped In Springfield: DA
Man Guilty Of Killing Rescuer Who Came To Aid Of Woman He Kidnapped In Springfield: DA A 44-year-old man was found guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a man who tried to help a woman he was abusing at gunpoint in Springfield, authorities said.  Arthur Waters, of Springfield, was convicted of murder in the first degree, illegal possession of a firearm, kidnapping while armed with a firearm, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault & battery (two counts), and two counts of intimidation of a witness, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.  Waters was accused of beating and threatening to kidnap a woman in May 2021 from her&nb…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Teen Struck In Hit, Run Crash; Western Mass Police Asking For Videos Teen Struck In Hit, Run Crash; Western Mass Police Asking For Videos
West Springfield Cops Say SUV Hit Teen As He Crossed Street Hampden County police are asking for the public's help to find an SUV that crashed into a 15-year-old boy as he crossed the street over the weekend and sped away.  The crash happened just before 5 p.m. on Sunday near the Piper and Amostown Roads area, West Springfield police said. A white SUV hit the teen as he crossed Piper Road and kept driving.  The teen was knocked to the ground and suffered minor injuries, police said. His family took him to the hospital for evaluation after the crash.  Police are asking anyone who lives in that area to check their surveillance camera f…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Gun Found After Fight At Chicopee High School: Police Gun Found After Fight At Chicopee High School: Police
Gun Found After Fight At Chicopee High School: Police Police in Hampden County have arrested two teens after they were involved in a fight outside Chicopee High School that involved a gun, authorities said.  The 15 and 16-year-olds, whose names were not released because of their ages, were involved in the fight around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, Chicopee police said.  Neither of the boys are students at the school, officers added.  The fight began as the school was letting out for the day. As the student resource officer went to break it up, one of the boys ran toward Wheatland Avenue.  Students yelled to the …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
$500K Worth Of Guns, $100K In Drugs Found During Raid Of Longmeadow Home: Police $500K Worth Of Guns, $100K In Drugs Found During Raid Of Longmeadow Home: Police
$500K Worth Of Guns, $100K In Drugs Found During Raid Of Longmeadow Home: Police Two men were arrested after police found an arsenal of guns — some illegally manufactured — and more than $100,000 worth of drugs inside a home in Hampden County, authorities said.  Antonio Fusco and Franco Fusco, both of Longmeadow, were the target of a large-scale sting that featured multiple local and federal police agencies, Longmeadow police said on Monday, Dec. 4.  Officers raided their home on Thursday, Nov. 30, and found 625 grams of fentanyl in pill and powder form; 92 grams of powder cocaine with a combined street value of $101,000; a pill press, digital scales, cut…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Police Informant Robbed, Beaten By Western Mass Man: Feds Police Informant Robbed, Beaten By Western Mass Man: Feds
Police Informant Robbed, Beaten By Western Mass Man: Feds A 38-year-old Hampden County man is accused of robbing an informant working with police at gunpoint, federal authorities said.  Hector Laureano, of Chicopee, was indicted on one count of assaulting with a dangerous weapon a person assisting an officer or employee of the United States in the performance of official duties; one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence; and one count of robbery of money of the United States, the US Attorney General for Massachusetts said on Monday, Dec. 4.  Authorities said Laureano on May 4 attacked the confidential informant, …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man, 55, Killed In Head-On Crash On CT Roadway Man, 55, Killed In Head-On Crash On CT Roadway
Man, 55, Killed In Head-On Crash On CT Roadway An early-morning crash on a Connecticut roadway has left one man dead and another injured. It happened the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 28 in the small Tolland County town of Willington. According to Connecticut State Police, 55-year-old Western Massachusetts resident Clifton Graves of the town of Monson in Hampden County, was driving south on River Road in his 2008 Cadillac CTS at approximately 4:30 a.m. At the same time, an 18-year-old from Stafford Springs was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox north on River Road. Police said that near the intersection of Plains Road, the Chevrolet cros…

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by Sophie Grieser
Business
Donovan's Irish Pub Now Open In Holyoke, Boasts Updated Menu Donovan's Irish Pub Now Open In Holyoke, Boasts Updated Menu
Donovan's Irish Pub Now Open In Holyoke, Boasts Updated Menu A "unique oasis of Irish culture" that once resided in Springfield's Eastfield Mall has opened to new digs in Holyoke.  Donovan's Irish Pub opened its doors at 80 Jarvis Road last week. It features authentic Irish cuisine, drinks, and live entertainment.  The restaurant released its new and updated menu to go along with the new location on its Facebook page. Mike and Diane Donovan opened the restaurant in 2000 at Eastfield Mall. Ownership changed hands in 2015, but the mission has remained the same — bringing a slice of Irish culture and life to Hampden County.  Donovan's Irish Pub is ope…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Cannabis Dust Contributed To Woman's Death In Holyoke Facility: Mass Health Dept. Cannabis Dust Contributed To Woman's Death In Holyoke Facility: Mass Health Dept.
Cannabis Dust Contributed To Woman's Death In Holyoke Facility: Mass Health Dept. A new report from the Massachusetts Department of Health said a woman who died at a Hampden County cannabis facility is the state's first workplace asthma-related death.  Lorna McMurrey, 27, of West Springfield, was filling pre-rolled joints at the Trulieve facility in Holyoke on Jan. 4, 2022, when she told her coworkers that she couldn't breathe and fell unconscious, the report said. Paramedics rushed her to an area hospital, where she remained on life support until her death three days later.  The medical examiner ruled that McMurrey died of “brain death, due to cardia…

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by Josh Lanier