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Man's Months-Long Neglect Led To Western Mass Mother's Agonizing Death, DA Says
A Hampden County man has been charged with a "galling" crime after he left his ill mother in a bed for months without moving her, causing severe infections and illness that led to her death, authorities said.
David Reed, 59, of Southwick, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, a caretaker permitting serious bodily injury to an elderly or disabled person, abuse/neglect/mistreatment to an elderly or disabled person, the Hampden County District Attorney said. He was arraigned last week and was being held on a $25,000 bail.
David Reed is accused of causing the death of his 79-yea…
New Details Emerge In Triple-Fatal Plane Crash Whose Victims Included CT 29-Year-Old
New details have emerged after a triple-fatal plane crash in northwestern Massachusetts in which one of the victims was a student pilot from Connecticut.
The three victims are:
Chad Davidson, age 29, of Woodstock, in Windham County, Connecticut
Fredrika Ballard, age 53, of Southwick, Massachusetts (in Hampden County)
William Hampton, age 68, of Indian Orchard, Massachusetts (also in Hampden County)
Ballard owned Fly Lugu Flight School and Hampton was an instructor. Davidson was taking flying lessons, Massachusetts State Police said.
According to flight tracker data, the twin-engine …
Western Mass Plane Crash Victims ID'd; Student Pilot, Flight Instructor Among Dead
Investigators have identified the three people killed in a Sunday, Jan. 14, plane crash in Franklin County as a student pilot, his instructor, and the owner of a flight school.
They are:
William Hampton, age 68, of Indian Orchard
Chad Davidson, age 29, of Woodstock, Connecticut
Fredrika Ballard, age 53, of Southwick
Ballard owned Fly Lugu Flight School and Hampton was an instructor. Davidson was taking flying lessons, Massachusetts State Police said.
Related: No Survivors: Plane Crash In Western Mass
According to flight tracker data, the twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 5…
Support Pours In For Family Of 4-Month-Old Killed In Southwick Crash
The GoFundMe to benefit the family of a 4-month-old girl who died when a tree fell on the car she was riding in on Friday, Feb. 3, has surpassed its goal in just a few days, authorities said.
On Tuesday, Feb. 7 the campaign had raised more than $26,000 and counting.
Alana Rae Bourbeau died after noon on Friday when high winds pushed over a tree in Hampden County along Route 57 (Feeding Hills Road) in Southwick and onto the car Bourbeau was riding in, Massachusetts State Police said.
Her 23-year-old aunt, from Litchfield County, Jannel Towle, of Winsted, was…
Man Charged With Manslaughter In CT Crash That Killed 60-Year-Old Man, Police Say
A Western Massachusetts man was charged with manslaughter in a crash that killed a 60-year-old man in Connecticut last year.
Hampden County resident Dominic Grassetti, age 25, of Southwick, turned himself in to police on Monday, Oct. 3, Connecticut State Police reported.
He was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the two-vehicle crash that killed Fernando Lebron, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, on I-91 in Enfield on Nov. 12, 2021, police said.
Police said the crash happened at about 12:40 a.m. near the Exit 48 off-ramp.
A Scion xA, driven by Lebron, was northbound on t…
Covid-19: Local Vaccine Appointments At Major Pharmacies, Grocers All Booked By 9 a.m.
CVS has expanded locations where people can get a COVID-19 vaccine, but as of 8:50 a.m. on Monday, March 8, appointments for the first doses were all taken.
The expansion means that COVID-19 vaccines are available at more than 100 CVS pharmacies in Massachusetts including those in Worcester, West Springfield, Southwick, Sturbridge, Northampton, Leominster, Lanesborough, Holyoke, Greenfield, and Great Barrington.
CVS was able to expand vaccination services due to the recent U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s emergency approval of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, which incre…
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…
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.
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Meanwhile, Springfield, Ludlow, Holyoke, Wilbraham, Chicopee, and West Springfield had the highest COVID-19 rates per 100,000 residents. The rates…
Covid-19: 'Red' Communities More Than Double In Central, Western Mass - Local Rates And Trends
The number of COVID-19 “red” communities has more than doubled in Central and Western Massachusetts since last week, according to the most recent state data, Thursday, Nov. 19.
Last week there were 9 Central and Western Massachusetts communities in the red.
Now there are 21: Blackstone, Chicopee, Clinton, Douglas, Fitchburg Hampden, Holyoke, Lancaster, Leominster, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Milford, Northbridge, Southbridge, Southwick, Springfield, Sterling, Templeton, Uxbridge, West Springfield, Winchendon.
To see local rates and trends, scroll to the end of the article.
Among the red communitie…
Is The Drought Over Yet? Southern Part Of State Drier Than The Rest
The downpour that soaked the region on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 29-30, deposited 1.5-2 inches of rain, but still, much of southern Massachusetts is experiencing extreme drought.
According to state data released Thursday, Oct.1, nearly 30 percent of the state is experiencing “extreme” drought - the second highest degree of drought tracked by the state. The worst degree of drought is “exceptional.”
The ranking goes, from least to most drought-like conditions, are None, Abnormallly Dry, Moderate Drought, Severe Drought, Extreme Drought, and Exceptional Drought.
In…
