Archive for April 2020
Amid coronavirus, Springfield extends deadline for bids for small downtown lot along Interstate 91
Citing the impact the coronavirus is having on small businesses, the city has postponed the deadline for bids for a small grass lot downtown along Interstate 91. Bids were initially due Friday for the lot on lower Hampden Street at the corner of East Columbus Avenue. The deadline has been extended 12 days and bids…
Read MoreCoronavirus and unemployment: Speaker Robert DeLeo calls for Massachusetts to offer online application in multiple languages
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo is the latest lawmaker to ask state officials to make the online unemployment application available in multiple languages, as attorneys, advocates and unions complain about an English-only form that isn’t mobile friendly. DeLeo asked Gov. Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders about expanding the online portal…
Read MoreCoronavirus response: CRRC rail company donates 10,000 protective masks to Springfield police and firefighters
The CRRC rail car company has donated 10,000 protective masks for use by city police, firefighters and hospital workers during the coronavirus pandemic after hearing an appeal from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. Read the source article at masslive.com
Read MoreUMass Amherst Engineer Sarah Perry Gets Nsf Career Grant To Stabilize Proteins to Increase Access to Vaccines
Sarah Perry, a chemical engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is studying a new approach to protein stabilization based on how cells work at body temperature. The research is aimed at boosting the accessibility of vaccines and other therapeutics, especially in developing countries, and extending the reach of temperature-stable proteins to sensing and catalysis…
Read MoreSpringfield prepares new round of ‘Prime the Pump’ small business grants totaling $500,000
The city has made another $500,000 available in small business grants aimed at fighting the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The second round of the “Prime the Pump” program, which relies on federal Community Development Block Grant money, is over twice the amount of the first, which sent $222,000 to 30 restaurants in the city.…
Read MoreCoronavirus fears prompt Wright Builders to temporarily halt construction of new River Valley Co-op location in Easthampton
Construction of the River Valley Co-op’s second Western Massachusetts grocery store has been temporarily halted due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The business, which already has a location on North King Street in Northampton, announced in February it had purchased a roughly ten-acre property on 228 Northampton Street in Easthampton, where a new store…
Read MoreCountry Bank Makes $50,000 Donation to First Responder Recovery Home
To help the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department successfully operate the First Responder Recovery Home for COVID-19-diagnosed first responders, Country Bank announced it will contribute $50,000 to the efforts. The contribution from the Ware-based financial institution comes with the aim of inspiring other similar organizations to do what they can to assist the department’s effort to…
Read MoreUMass Medical students make 130 gallons of hand sanitizer to help fight COVID-19 – masslive.com
The coronavirus pandemic has created shortages throughout the community of first responders. The need for masks and personal protective equipment shortages have dominated the headlines, but there are still voids that need to be filled. Students at UMass Medical School’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences have stepped up to help fill one of those, by…
Read MoreDress for Success Announces Common Threads Event to Go Virtual
Common Threads, the signature event of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, will be held Thursday, April 16 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. as an online event. The annual event celebrates women with an evening of sharing their stories of success as they have stepped up in the world. Dress for Success serves low- to moderate-income…
Read MoreHolyoke Medical Center Shares Personal Protective Equipment with First Responders
Holyoke Medical Center has shared personal protective equipment (PPE) with local first responders, including Action Ambulance, the South Hadley Fire Department, and the city of Springfield. “Holyoke Medical Center is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and donations received through this COVID-19 pandemic by many community businesses, Novanta, and the efforts made by the…
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