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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
News
COVID-19: Two Western Mass Communities Placed In Red Zone; New Rundown Of 20 High-Risk Areas COVID-19: Two Western Mass Communities Placed In Red Zone; New Rundown Of 20 High-Risk Areas
Covid-19: Two Western Mass Communities Placed In Red Zone; New Rundown Of 20 High-Risk Areas Two 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 18, 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 late…

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by Zak Failla
News
MA Lottery: He Just Wanted Pizza, What He Got Was $1 Million MA Lottery: He Just Wanted Pizza, What He Got Was $1 Million
MA Lottery: He Just Wanted Pizza, What He Got Was $1 Million He thought he was just picking up a pizza, But Thomas Napiorwski, of South Hadley, got a whole lot more on Feb. 10 when he went to grab his to-go order from Uno Pizzeria & Grill at the Holyoke Mall, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery. Before leaving the restaurant, Napiorkowski purchased a “Diamond Millions” instant ticket from the Massachusetts Lottery vending machine. The ticket was a $1 million winner. Napirokowski said he plans on using some of the winnings to buy his wife a car. Uno will receive a $10,000 bonus for its sale of the ticket.

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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
Police & Fire
Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges
Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges A local firearms dealer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison on a variety of charges relating to the illegal sale, possession, and manufacturing of weapons. On Friday, Feb. 5, U.S. District Court Judge Mark D. Mastroianni sentenced Max T. Gaj, 30, of Belchertown, to one-and-a-half years in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2020, Gaj, the co-owner of Dark Horse Gunsmithing in South Hadley, pled guilty to: receipt and possession of unregistered firearms, receipt and possession of National Firearm Act (NFA) firearms not identified by serial number, making a …

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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
Lifestyle
$1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland $1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland
$1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland A Central Massachusetts man has won a $1 million prize through the Massachusetts State Lottery. On Monday, Jan. 25, the state lottery announced that a winning $1 million “Diamond Millions” ticket had been sold and the prize claimed by Lawrence Josti III, of Rutland. Josti won the $30 ticket’s grand prize. The ticket was purchased at Rutland Marketplace, 26 Pommogusset Road, in Rutland. The store will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. In recent months there has been a handful of $1 million-or-more prize winners west of I-495: a $1 million winning ticket was sold in Aubu…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
$2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley $2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley
$2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley A South Hadley man recently won a $2 million prize playing the lottery. James Peetz, of South Hadley, won $2 million in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$2,000,000 50x Cashword” instant game, according to the Massachusetts Lottery. Peetz bought the winning ticket at Stop and Go, 4 Bardwell St., in South Hadley. The store will receive a $20,000 bonus for selling the lucky ticket. Peetz chose to take a cash lump-sum and received a one-time payment of $1.3 million (before taxes), the Lottery announced on Nov. 13. He plans to use his winnings to renovate his kitchen and buy a new truck.

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by Kristin Palpini
News
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker More than 30 years after it happened, charges have been filed against a former Lybian Intelligence Officer and bomb-maker in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. More than a dozen of the passengers who perished were from Massachusetts - including people who lived in South Hadley and Shrewsbury. On Monday, Dec. 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced new charges against Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, aka Hassa Abu Ojalya Ibrahim, or Masud, for his role in building the bomb that killed 270 people in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland 32 years ago. The U.S…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation
Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation Police are investigating an apparent shooting in a Western Massachusetts college town. On Tuesday, a little before 8 p.m., police received numerous reports of gunshots in the area of Camden and Lyman streets in South Hadley. Soon thereafter, police learned of a single victim transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment to a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said. South Hadley Police are investigating the incident. It appears to be an isolated incident without a threat to the community, police said.  South Hadley doesn't have many reported shootings. The town has ap…

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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