‘This is big’: Gov. Charlie Baker gets update on Whip City Fiber’s rural broadband plans
Governor Charlie Baker and his entourage gathered Thursday at Westfield Gas & Electric headquarters to hear an update on rural broadband deployment in Western Massachusetts. “This is big,” said Baker to employees of the municipal utility, which is planning and building fiber optic networks in 20 small towns. “You should all be incredibly proud of…
‘We are just so excited about Springfield’: Mark Wahlberg details Wahlburgers planned at MGM
Actor-restaurateur and Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg was in Springfield back in June to scope out the then-under construction MGM Springfield site. He returned Thursday to announce that he and his family will open a Wahlburgers restaurant on the MGM campus in late 2019. The man who rose to fame with his Funky Bunch hip-hop group and continues…
WD Cowls, land trust, state near deal to preserve 2,000 acres in Amherst area
After seven years of planning and fundraising, another large tract of Western Massachusetts land owned by W.D. Cowls Inc. is about to be protected from commercial development via permanent conservation restriction. The estimated payment to the company for the restriction would be $3 million. Negotiations are expected to be concluded by January, according to Cowls…
Southwick among communities to receive rail trail grants from state
The Appalachian Mountain Club received a $31,577 award from the state to develop a portion of the New England National Scenic Trail at the Rising Corner Road Trailhead in Southwick as an accessible trail. The club will provide a $12,071 match for the project. The grant was one of several announced Tuesday. The Baker-Polito administration…
It’s official: MGM Springfield can open, Massachusetts Gaming Commission says following final inspection
After observing a series of soft-opening test nights at MGM Springfield this week and conducting a last-minute review, Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Bruce Stebbins gave permission Wednesday for the casino to open. Stebbins, a former Springfield resident and city councilor, was the Gaming Commission’s delegated authority in Springfield this week. The document he signed Wednesday afternoon…
Job centers, workforce boards get new names in statewide rebranding
Massachusetts job centers and the regional employment boards that help develop pools of potential employees are all getting new names — each prefaced with the word “MassHire” — as part of a statewide rebranding. The idea, said Kevin Lynn, executive director of FutureWorks in Springfield, is to make all the agencies more recognizable. In September,…
American Women’s College at Bay Path Launches Food Industry Management Degree
The American Women’s College at Bay Path University announced the launch of its bachelor of science degree in business: food industry management, now enrolling. The university’s fully online food industry management major prepares students for a wide array of positions within the industry. The program covers core business fundamentals and combines them with a solid…
Barnes, Westover, Bradley airports look for MGM Springfield casino boost
MGM Springfield’s executives have been out to visit and at least one corporate jet from Las Vegas is scheduled to arrive this weekend and stay over at least one night. But it remains to bee seen how much business MGM Springfield, the $960 million resort casino that opens Friday, will bring to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport,…
Springfield promotes $1.5 million, free tree-planting program in McKnight, Old Hill, Upper…
The city was recently awarded a $1.5 million Greening the Gateway Cities Program grant for the planting of 2,400 trees in the McKnight, Old Hill, and Upper Hill neighborhoods, city officials said. The grant was awarded by the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs through funding from the Department of Energy Resources. Read…
Nearly $2 million grant to UMass will provide computer science aid to Springfield…
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have received a nearly $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation that is aimed at helping to teach computer science to elementary grade students in the Springfield public schools. The four-year grant totaling $1.998,000 will allow UMass researchers led by computer science professor Rick Adrion, to carry…
Springfield names Union Station bus entrance Peter Pan Way in honor of local company
A short public way that serves as a bus entrance for Union Station was officially named “Peter Pan Way” on Monday night in honor of Peter Pan Bus Lines. The name was approved by the City Council by unanimous vote for the roadway that connects Liberty Street to Union Station on Frank B. Murray Street.…
Union Station, CTrail ready for surge of passengers for MGM Springfield opening
Amtrak and the folks who run the CTrail branded trains on the Hartford Line are ready to expand service into Springfield for MGM Springfield’s opening weekend if they notice a surge in ridership reminiscent of CTrail’s own grand opening in June. It’s hard to tell ahead of time how many people will take the trains…