Hampden Select Board Bars Counsel From Wilbraham Regional School Talks
Hampden Select Board unanimously voted to keep its town counsel out of a Wilbraham-initiated legal meeting over the Hampden-Wilbraham regional school agreement.
Dave Watkins
Holyoke Public Safety Committee Closes Dozen-Plus DPW Orders in Single Session
HOLYOKE -- March 9, 2026, Holyoke's Public Safety Committee cleared more than a dozen standing DPW and engineering orders Monday, some dating to 2022. Chair Anne Halhimer convened the March 9 session with Vice Chair Patty Divine, committee member Jenny Rivera, and Assistant City Engineer Victoria Hoo, who guided
East Longmeadow School Committee Approves 3% Budget Hike, Leaving $1.2 Million Gap
EAST LONGMEADOW -- March 9, 2026, East Longmeadow School Committee approves a 3 percent FY2027 budget increase that leaves the district $1.2 million short of level services. The committee voted 5-0 Monday to submit the budget at the town's requested ceiling of 3 percent, well below the
Palmer Council Puts Fire District Merger Question on June Ballot
PALMER -- March 9, 2026, Palmer Town Council votes to ask voters whether four fire districts should merge. The council unanimously approved a non-binding ballot question for the June 9 annual election asking whether the Bondsville, Palmer, Thorndike, and Three Rivers fire districts should consolidate into a single district, after
Blandford Select Board Greenlights Chapter 61A Property Appraisal, Ambulance Contract
BLANDFORD -- March 9, 2026, Blandford Select Board approves $35,000 chapter 61A property appraisal and $65,850 ambulance contract at March 9 meeting. The board voted unanimously to commission an independent appraisal of a 34.29-acre agricultural parcel coming out of chapter 61A status, drawing up to $35,000
Blandford Finance Committee Denies Planning Board Three New Budget Lines Totaling $41,000
BLANDFORD -- March 5, 2026, Blandford Finance Committee rejects three Planning Board budget line items and caps police and fire chief raises at 2.5 percent. At the March 5 budget review session, the committee voted unanimously to deny a $30,000 town planner salary line and an $11,000 administrative
Holyoke Ordinance Committee Advances Fee Update, Tables Parking Board Overhaul
HOLYOKE -- March 4, 2026, Holyoke's Ordinance Committee tabled two ordinance revisions and continued a cannabis hours public hearing at its March 4 meeting. Marcus Gabrieli, the city's sealer of weights and measures, presented a regional fee comparison and asked the committee to raise inspection fees for
Blandford Solar Map Would Bar Development on 93 Percent of Town Land
BLANDFORD -- March 4, 2026, Blandford energy committee hears that 93 percent of town land could fall in a solar-prohibited zone under a proposed overlay bylaw. A GIS consultant identified as Jacob presented two mapping scenarios at the March 4 meeting: the first, including residential tax parcels in the protected
Holyoke Council Approves $50,000 Police Grant Ahead of St. Patrick's Day Parade
HOLYOKE -- March 3, 2026, Holyoke City Council unanimously approves $50,000 state police grant to beat parade deadline. The 13-0 vote at Tuesday's regular meeting accepted a no-match fiscal year 2026 earmark from Gov. Maura Healey, advocated by state Sen. John Velis, splitting $30,000 for
Hampden Select Board hears school budget request nearly $1 million above town's projection
Hampden Select Board hears school, police, and fire budgets amid nearly $1 million school assessment gap.