Springfield, MA
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
Worcester, MA
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
Worcester, MA
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
Worcester, MA
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
Springfield, MA
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
Springfield, MA
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
Springfield, MA
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
Worcester, MA
Weather
How Much Snow Did You Get? Regional Snowfall Totals, Monday, Jan. 4 How Much Snow Did You Get? Regional Snowfall Totals, Monday, Jan. 4
How Much Snow Did You Get? Regional Snowfall Totals, Monday, Jan. 4 We're starting off the first workweek of 2021 waking up to a light blanket of snow. In the Central and Western areas of Massachusetts as well as the Berkshires, the place that received the most snow appears to be North Granby with 2.2 inches and Noth Adams with 2.4 inches. Chicopee also reached 2 inches of snow accumulation. After that, Holden came the closest to joining the 2-inch club with an accumulation of 1.7 inches of snow. Meanwhile, Worcester, Holyoke, Amherst, and Westfield got 1 inch of snow each. Some of the area's largest communities received less than an inch of snow: Springfi…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp Are you seeking out the best pizza slices and pies in Hampden County? COVID-19 has made great take-out and delivery more important than ever. With more than 30 percent of all delivery orders being placed at pizzerias, it seems like a good time to present the top 5 pizza shops in Hampden County, according to Yelp reviews. Did Yelp get it right? Put the name of your favorite pizza shop in the comments. Peppo's Pizza, 421 Springfield St., Agawam With a five-star review from 65 Yelpers, it seems diners can't go wrong with Agawam's Peppo's Pizza. With more than just pizza on the menu, re…

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by Christina Coulter
Springfield, MA
News
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp
Who Has The Best Pizza In Hampden County? Top Slices, According To Yelp Are you seeking out the best pizza slices and pies in Hampden County? COVID-19 has made great take-out and delivery more important than ever. With more than 30 percent of all delivery orders being placed at pizzerias, it seems like a good time to present the top 5 pizza shops in Hampden County, according to Yelp reviews. Did Yelp get it right? Put the name of your favorite pizza shop in the comments. Peppo's Pizza, 421 Springfield St., Agawam With a five-star review from 65 Yelpers, it seems diners can't go wrong with Agawam's Peppo's Pizza. With more than just pizza on the menu, re…

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by Christina Coulter
Springfield, MA
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
Springfield, MA
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