Food, Organics Recycling Plant Opens In Western Mass Food, Organics Recycling Plant Opens In Western Mass
Food, Organics Recycling Plant Opens In Western Mass An organic recycling center is coming to Western Massachusetts at a time when Massachusetts is running out of places to put its garbage. On Thursday, Dec. 10, Vanguard Renewables announced the opening of its Organics Recycling Facility in Agawam off Main Street. An organic recycler deals mostly in food and beverage waste. “We are excited to welcome Vanguard Renewables to our business community, and particularly appreciate that it is a green business,” said Agawam Mayor William Sapelli in a statement. “Recapturing food waste that would have been sent to a landfill is such an amazing concept…
Civic Leaders In 2 Cities Have Come Down With COVID-19 Civic Leaders In 2 Cities Have Come Down With COVID-19
Civic Leaders In 2 Cities Have Come Down With Covid-19 Civic leaders in two cities west of Eastern Massachusetts announced that they have contracted COVID-19. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, the cities of Worcester and Agawam announced that their chief leaders had tested positive for COVID-19. In Worcester City, Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr., said he started feeling unwell on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and decided to self-quarantine even before learning he had indeed caught the disease. About 20 people have been identified by the Worcester Division of Public Health as having been exposed to Augustus. The city is doing contact tracing. The exposed contacts are in…
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…
Longtime, Local Judge Dies At Age 104 Longtime, Local Judge Dies At Age 104
Longtime, Local Judge Dies At Age 104 A longtime local judge who had a major impact in and out of the courtroom recently died at age 104 at a health care facility in Agawam. On Friday, Nov. 20, Springfield native Judge Edward Cullen Peck, Jr., died, according to his obituary. Among Peck’s many accomplishments was being the founding chairman of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in 1962. The commission studies regional economic, social, and health issues and proposes solutions while assisting municipalities in better understanding their communities and applying for grants. He was also a member of the West Springfield Town C…
Unregistered Sex-Offender Discovered Living In MA Suburbs Unregistered Sex-Offender Discovered Living In MA Suburbs
Unregistered Sex-Offender Discovered Living In MA Suburbs An un-registered sex-offender has been located in a quiet, suburban neighborhood and arrested by police. On Thursday, Nov. 5, police arrested Level 3 sex-offender Gerry A. Lewis, 63, of West Springfield, on a charge of failure to register as a level 2 or level 3 sex-offender, police said. Lewis had allegedly been living on Sibley Avenue in West Springfield for two months without registering his new address, police said. Lewis allegedly moved from Agawam to West Springfield in March, police said. Lewis was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age in 1995,…
State Goes To Biden, But Here Are The Massachusetts Towns Where Trump Won State Goes To Biden, But Here Are The Massachusetts Towns Where Trump Won
State Goes To Biden, But Here Are The Massachusetts Towns Where Trump Won As many elections, including for president, are still being counted, Massachusetts has finished voting for president. As was anticipated, challenger Democrat Joe Biden won the majority vote for president. Biden won 66% of the vote with more than 2 million ballots cast in his favor.  Incumbent Republican Donald Trump won 34% of the vote with more than 1 million people supporting him at the polls. The following is a list of communities that went against the grain in Massachusetts and the majority of residents there voted for Trump - Central and Western Massachusetts are in bold, v…
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…
Wasn't Me: Men Blame Each Other During Arrests Wasn't Me: Men Blame Each Other During Arrests
Wasn't Me: Men Blame Each Other During Arrests Two men apparently opted not to use their right to remain silent and started blaming each other during a recent arrest. On Friday, Oct. 23, police allegedly witnessed multiple drug deals in the East Elm Street, Riverdale Street area of West Springfield. As a result, Matthew Lecca, of West Springfield, and Shawn Barron, of Agawam, were arrested on individual charges of: - Trafficking in cocaine (100-200 grams), - Possession to distribute cocaine, - Possession to distribute heroin, - and Conspiracy to violate drug laws, police said. In addition to these charges, Lecca was also charged wi…
Junior Firefighter/Youth Football Volunteer Faces Child Porn, Stalking Charges Junior Firefighter/Youth Football Volunteer Faces Child Porn, Stalking Charges
Junior Firefighter/Youth Football Volunteer Faces Child Porn, Stalking Charges A man claiming to be a junior firefighter and youth football volunteer has been summonsed to court on child pornography and stalking charges. Daryl A. Gagne, 18, of West Springfield, was issued a court summons on Thursday, Oct. 8 on the charges of: - Stalking - Criminal harassment - Possession of child pornography - Distributing obscene matter to a minor - 6 counts of making telephone calls/electronic communications, annoying - 2 counts of threat to commit a crime, according to the Agawam Police log. Gagne is a graduate of the Agawam High School Class of 2020. On his LinkedIn pro…
Rural WMass City Has Second Most FID-Carrying Gun-Owners In State - Top 10 List Rural WMass City Has Second Most FID-Carrying Gun-Owners In State - Top 10 List
Rural WMass City Has Second Most Fid-carrying Gun-Owners In State - Top 10 List A rural Western Massachusetts city is second only to Boston in the number of residents authorized to carry rifles and shotguns. As of July, the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services reported that there are 390 people with active Firearms Identification Cards (FID Cards) in Westfield. Boston has 620 registered FID cardholders. To own a rifle or shotgun in Massachusetts, you need an FID card. To carry a handgun, you need a *license to carry (LTC). The FID card allows a person, age 15 or older, to carry non-large capacity rifles, shotguns, and ammunition. The card…
Landfill Fire That Burned For Four Days Is Extinguished Landfill Fire That Burned For Four Days Is Extinguished
Landfill Fire That Burned For Four Days Is Extinguished The landfill fire at Bondi’s Island that burned for four days has been extinguished. West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt announced on Monday, Oct. 19, around noon that the fire that began on Friday had been put out. A three-alarm fire broke out at the landfill at the wastewater treatment facility known a Bondi’s Island around 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15. It was a difficult fire to tame, firefighters noted, due to a lack of water at the top of the landfill, large debris (such as tree limbs and stumps as well as other yard waste), and high winds that kept spreading the flames. Firefighters…
Three-Alarm Fire By Bondi's Island Three-Alarm Fire By Bondi's Island
Three-Alarm Fire By Bondi's Island A three-alarm fire is burning at a landfill near Bondi’s Island. Thick, brown-gray smoke is shooting into the air from brush piles outside of Bondi's. On social media, people are reporting being able to smell fumes from their nearby homes. Smoke is covering parts of downtown Springfield. West Springfield and Agawam fire departments have responded to the brush fire, according to Agawam Police.  The fire was first reported around *1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15. It is located at the landfill and incinerator, according to MassLive. Bondi's Island is a waste-water treatment facility on the We…