Worcester, MA
Your Community
COVID-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week COVID-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week COVID-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week
Covid-19: Virus Outbreaks Recorded In 11 School Districts Last Week This past week, 11 Massachusetts public schools experienced COVID-19 outbreaks of 9 or more students and staff coming down with the virus. The largest outbreak was recorded in Leominster. From March 4-10, 21 of the school district’s students (15) and staff (6) reported positive cases. The Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education produces weekly reports on positive COVID-19 cases reported in each school district. The Thursday, March 11 report found about 140 school districts - out of more than 350 - had at least one student or staff member test positive for COVID-19. C…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Breaking News
Suspected Major Heroin Dealer And Crew Busted In Western Mass Suspected Major Heroin Dealer And Crew Busted In Western Mass Suspected Major Heroin Dealer And Crew Busted In Western Mass
Suspected Major Heroin Dealer And Crew Busted In Western Mass An alleged major supplier of heroin to Western Massachusetts was busted up on Tuesday, March 2, with the arrest of 4 local men. The arrests were the result of a year-long investigation into local heroin trafficking from Springfield to New York. The investigation involved surveillance as well as the controlled purchases of “half packs” - a common form of packaging in Western Massachusetts each consisting of 50 dosage units or 1 gram of the drug, Massachusetts State Police said. Police suspect the ring leader or source of the heroin was Enrique Alicea, 29, of West Springfield. Hu…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Breaking News
Owners Of Big Rig That Hit And Killed 7 Motorcyclists Accused Of Cover-Up Effort Owners Of Big Rig That Hit And Killed 7 Motorcyclists Accused Of Cover-Up Effort Owners Of Big Rig That Hit And Killed 7 Motorcyclists Accused Of Cover-Up Effort
Owners Of Big Rig That Hit And Killed 7 Motorcyclists Accused Of Cover-Up Effort The owners of the Westfield trucking company involved in a horrific big rig crash that killed seven people have been indicted on charges related to the 2019 accident. The U.S. Attorney's office said that Dartanayan Gasanov, 36, is charged with one count of falsification of records, while Dunyadar Gasanov, 35, is charged with one count of falsification of records, one count of conspiracy to falsify records, and one count of making a false statement to a federal investigator following a federal grand jury indictment, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Massachusetts, said. According to court document…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
Breaking 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?
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
Amherst, MA
Breaking 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
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 in…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Breaking 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
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 in…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Weather
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update Ice covered much of Central and Western Massachusetts Tuesday, Feb. 16, morning, creating dangerous road conditions, but few power outages. The ice is thickest in the Berkshires where 0.21-0.23 inches of ice has accumulated, according to the National Weather Service. In Springfield and Worcester, 0.5-0.6 inches of ice accumulated overnight. Northward, in Greenfield and Fitchburg, ice accumulation was between 0.17 and 0.21 inches. About 300 of Eversource's hundreds of thousands of customers lost power momentarily and sections of Westfield were also without power for about an hour st…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
Breaking 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
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
Springfield, MA
Breaking 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
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
Worcester, MA
Your Community
Western Mass Man Wins $1 Million On Scratch Ticket Western Mass Man Wins $1 Million On Scratch Ticket Western Mass Man Wins $1 Million On Scratch Ticket
Western Mass Man Wins $1 Million On Scratch Ticket A $1 million lottery prize was recently claimed by a Western Massachusetts man. On Jan. 8, the Massachusetts State Lottery announced that Joseph Siwa of Westfield had won the $1 million prize in “The Fastest Road to $1 Million” instant ticket game. Siwa chose the cash option on the prize and received a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes). He told lottery officials he plans on buying a house and a car with the prize money. Siwa purchased the winning ticket in Westfield at Nouria, 88-90, South Maple Street. Nouria will receive a $10,000 bonus for the sale.

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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
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
Your Community
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
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