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Blandford, MA

Police & Fire
(Update) Amber ALERT: Girl, 4, Abducted In Western Mass Found Safe (Update) Amber ALERT: Girl, 4, Abducted In Western Mass Found Safe
(Update) Amber ALERT: Girl, 4, Abducted In Western Mass Found Safe New update: Police say they located 4-year-old Cortana Goncalves in a trailer park in Cheshire, Massachusetts, in Berkshire County. She is safe.  Brandee Arnold, the girl's mother, was arrested and is being returned to Springfield.  Original report: State police have issued an Amber Alert after a young girl was kidnapped from Springfield by her non-custodial, biological mother.  Brandee Arnold, age 32, is accused of taking her 4-year-old daughter, Cortana Concalves, on Thursday, June 22, Massachusetts State Police said. Arnold is believed to be driving a gray 2010 Honda Ac…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed In Shooting On College Campus In Region After Multi-State Search Suspect Nabbed In Shooting On College Campus In Region After Multi-State Search
Suspect Nabbed In Shooting On College Campus In Region After Multi-State Search A 22-year-old man wanted in connection with a shooting at a university in Connecticut that sparked a multi-state search has been captured by police. Darnell Barnes was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, and charged in connection with a shooting and car crash on Friday, Nov. 4 at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. The incident began when West Hartford Police responded to the west side of the campus on a report of a rollover crash around 2:30 p.m., on Friday. Once on the scene, officers found a victim who had been shot multiple times.  Police said Barnes…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Armed, Dangerous Man Wanted For CT Shooting Apprehended: UPDATE Armed, Dangerous Man Wanted For CT Shooting Apprehended: UPDATE
Armed, Dangerous Man Wanted For CT Shooting Apprehended: Update UPDATE (11/7/2022): The Russell-Montgomery Police Department said Darnell Barnes was arrested in West Hartford on Monday, Nov. 7.  Shooting suspect Darnell Barnes has been taken into custody in West Hartford CT yesterday at approximately 11:30pm. Posted by Russell - Montgomery Police Department on Monday, November 7, 2022 Authorities are searching Western Massachusetts for an armed and dangerous man wanted in connection with a Connecticut shooting. Darnell Barnes, age 22, allegedly shot someone multiple times in West Hartford Thursday night, Nov. 3, Massachusetts State Police said. Bar…

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by David Cifarelli
Police & Fire
40-Year-Old Vermont Woman Killed In Blandford Car Crash: Police 40-Year-Old Vermont Woman Killed In Blandford Car Crash: Police
40-Year-Old Vermont Woman Killed In Blandford Car Crash: Police A 40-year-old Vermont woman has died in a car crash in Western Massachusetts, authorities said. Police responded to the Hampden County crash involving a 2000 GMC Yukon on Beech Hill Road in Blandford around 7:47 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, Massachusetts State Police report. Initial investigation suggests that the woman, from Woodford, VT, lost control of her car and crashed off the right side of the road. The Yukon struck a tree before barreling down a 30-foot ditch, police continued. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.  No other vehicles were involved, police said. The cras…

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by David Cifarelli
News
Strong Gusty Winds Down Tree Limbs, Cause Scattered Power Outages In Western Mass Strong Gusty Winds Down Tree Limbs, Cause Scattered Power Outages In Western Mass
Strong Gusty Winds Down Tree Limbs, Cause Scattered Power Outages In Western Mass Hundreds of Massachusetts residents are now without power as wind gusts topping 50 mph whip through the region. A High Wind Warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Monday, March 29. As of around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, utility crews from Eversource were still working to repair dozens of outages that were impacting 2,766 of the company’s 220,386 customers in Western Massachusetts. An additional 71 customers were impacted in Central and Eastern Massachusetts, according to the company. The hardest-hit area was Becket, which reported 1,473 outages, impacting more than 75 percent of the company’…

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by Zak Failla
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
Where Are The Hotspots? COVID-19 Town-By-Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County Where Are The Hotspots? COVID-19 Town-By-Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County
Where Are The Hotspots? Covid-19 Town-By-Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County Good news! The COVID-19 rate in most Hampden County cities and towns has gone down, according to the most recent information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Hampden County now has a “green” community as well - a term for communities with a low risk for the spread of the virus - it’s Holland. Other Hampden County communities where the risk is low include Montgomery, Wales, Blanford, Granville, Tolland, and Russell. While the daily COVID-19 infection rate went down in most Hampden County communities, there are four that saw their rates rise: Agawam, Longmeadow, Montgomery…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares 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: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends, Hampden County - Dec. 18 COVID-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends, Hampden County - Dec. 18
Covid-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends, Hampden County - Dec. 18 Two communities in Hampden County lowered their COVID-19 incident rate and nearly a dozen are below the highest risk category - red, according to the most recent state data. On Thursday, Dec. 17, Massachusetts Public Health Department released weekly town-by-town datasets that include how many COVID-19 incidents there are per 100,000 residents - the incident rate. The communities where the rate went down are Southwick and Belchertown. HIGHEST Meanwhile, Springfield, Ludlow, Holyoke, Wilbraham, Chicopee, and West Springfield had the highest COVID-19 rates per 100,000 residents. The rates…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Two Hampden County Towns Come Off 'Red' List - Town-By-Town Rates And Trends COVID-19: Two Hampden County Towns Come Off 'Red' List - Town-By-Town Rates And Trends
Covid-19: Two Hampden County Towns Come Off 'Red' List - Town-By-Town Rates And Trends Only one new Hampden County town has been added to the state’s COVID-19 red list and two have come off of it, according to data released Thursday, Dec. 3. The communities that lowered their COVID-19 infection rate to the point that they were removed from a list of the state’s riskiest places are Belchertown and East Longmeadow. The town that was added to the red list is Palmer. There are now 36 Western and Central Massachusetts communities on the red list, including 9 cities and towns in Hampden County. Massachusetts's color-coded risk system has four levels. They are, from most to le…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Town Rates And Trends For Hampden County COVID-19: Town Rates And Trends For Hampden County
Covid-19: Town Rates And Trends For Hampden County A little more than one-third of Massachusetts cities and towns are “red” and considered high-risk for the transmission of COVID-19. As of Thursday, Oct. 29, there are now 122 red municipalities reporting high numbers of new COVID-19 cases every day for the past 28 days. The “red” refers to the color-coded system Massachusetts is using to communicate where COVID-19 hotspots are in the state. Red signifies the highest case rate and highest risk of spreading the virus. Of the 122 red Massachusetts communities, 10 are in Hampden County: Agawam, Blanford, Brimfield, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Ho…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County (Aug.) COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County (Aug.)
Covid-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Trends, Rates - Hampden County (Aug.) Hampden County’s largest cities continue to steadily reduce the number of positive COVID-19 tests among its residents, according to the most recent information from the Baker Administration. Springfield’s 14-day positive COVID-19 test rate was 2.3 percent - down from a high of 3.4 percent on July 17. West Springfield’s positive test rate dropped to 0.9 percent - it was at 1.7 percent just last week. Westfield also saw a decrease with the positive test rate ow at 0.9 percent. Meanwhile, Holyoke is holding steady at 2.4 percent positive. Palmer has increased to a 2.3 percent positive test…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampden County, Aug. COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampden County, Aug.
Covid-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampden County, Aug. Chicopee’s positive COVID-19 test rate continued to climb this week as most Hampden County communities see declines or are holding steady, according to the most recent information from the Baker Administration. In Springfield, the 14-day COVID-19 positive test rate is down significantly from a high of 3.4 percent in the city in mid-June. The most recent test rate was 2.7 percent. In Massachusetts, the goal is that by December the state will have less than 5 percent of COVID-19 tests come back positive. On Friday, Aug. 5, Gov. Charlie Baker reported the state’s 7-day positive test rate was a…

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by Kristin Palpini
Weather
New Update: Tornado Touchdowns Confirmed In MA, CT New Update: Tornado Touchdowns Confirmed In MA, CT
New Update: Tornado Touchdowns Confirmed In MA, CT Tornado touchdowns were confirmed in both Connecticut and western Massachusetts during severe storm activity in the region on Sunday night, Aug. 2. A tornado touchdown was confirmed by the National Weather Service in Litchfield County Sunday night between Sharon and Lime Rock Park, where residents in the northwest corner of Connecticut saw substantial storm damage. A Tornado Watch was in effect for most of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts with those watches upgraded to warnings in some areas, including Litchfield County, where a touchdown was confirmed in the northwest corner of Conn…

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
Tornado Spotted in Western Massachusetts; People Warned To Get Inside Tornado Spotted in Western Massachusetts; People Warned To Get Inside
Tornado Spotted in Western Massachusetts; People Warned To Get Inside A tornado was spotted over Blandford, a rural part of Western Massachusetts at 7:26 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 2. The National Weather Service is reporting that radar data confirms eye witness accounts of the twister. It’s being called a “damaging” tornado. Law enforcement in Sandisfield, in the southern Berkshires, is reporting that a tornado produced damage to South Main Street in town, The National Weather Service said. The tornado has produced flying debris and could be dangerous to people caught without shelter. It can destroy mobile homes and damaged roofs windows and vehicles. Tree damage i…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Reward Offered For Info Leading To Cause of Raging Russell Paper Mill Fire Reward Offered For Info Leading To Cause of Raging Russell Paper Mill Fire
Reward Offered For Info Leading To Cause of Raging Russell Paper Mill Fire A $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information that helps lead to who set the Strathmore Paper Mill fire in June. State and local police and fire officials have been investigating the cause of the blaze since it erupted like a volcano, Friday, June 19, at 34 Valley View Ave. The fire tore through the empty, sprawling mill complex, requiring the work of 120 emergency personnel to extinguish. A month later, the mill still smells like smoke. The Arson Watch Reward Program is offering $5,000 to anyone who can provide information that will lead to the cause of the myster…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County
Covid-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County Positive tests for COVID-19 continue to stay under 2 percent in Massachusetts. Massachusetts' seven-day positive test rate for COVID-19 has been below 2 percent since the beginning of July. On Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the positive rate for the past seven days is 1.7 percent. Meanwhile, in Hampden County Russell has the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests countywide over the past 14 days, followed by Agawam, Monson, and West Springfield. The state economy is now in Phase 3 of a four-phase reopening plan. The fourth phase - which would see the reopening of business such as …

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by Kristin Palpini