MGM Springfield culinary team preps for mass hiring
Chris Smigel, assistant executive chef at MGM Springfield, moved up the career ladder at the soon-to-open casino before he was even hired. A Westfield native who got his culinary training at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Smigel applied to MGM hoping for a job as a chef running one of its restaurants. Instead,…
Western Massachusetts hospitality workers named finalists for 2018 Howdy Awards
The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau has revealed the 55 finalists for the 2018 Howdy Awards. The Visitor’s Bureau will host its Howdy gala May 21 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. Tickets are on sale now and are $75 per person. Those interested are asked to call Michele Goldberg at 413-755-1344. The Visitors Bureau…
Amherst, Hampshire, Smith join college solar energy collaborative
Five New England liberal arts colleges have joined together to create a solar power facility that will offset 46,000 megawatt-hours of their collective electrical use. The partnership represents the first collaborative purchase of New England-generated solar electricity by higher-education institutions, according to a press release. The facility will be built in Farmington, Maine, and is…
‘Opportunity Zones’ designation could spur Westfield Urban Renewal
The city’s downtown corridor was designated an Opportunity Zone this week by Gov. Charlie Baker. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said this will help attract investors to Westfield. “The Opportunity Zone designation has potential to be very beneficial to the revitalization of the city’s downtown,” said Sullivan. “It is another tool in the toolbox for developers and people…
Panel Discussion to Focus on HCC’s Role in Valley’s Future
Holyoke Community College is bringing together an all-star lineup of regional leaders for a panel discussion on April 25, focusing on the future of the Pioneer Valley and HCC’s role in it. That discussion, “Shaping the Future: HCC and the Pioneer Valley,” will be conducted over breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. in the PeoplesBank…
Valley Opportunity Council wants to hire low-income and at-risk youth for summer
The Valley Opportunity Council is taking applications for summer jobs for low-income and at-risk youth between the ages of 14 and 21. The program, which is done in collaboration with the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, offers a structured, well-supervised work experience where employees will learn a variety of job skills while earning a…
Afghan girls education advocate Shabana Basij-Rasikh to speak at Springfield Public Forum April 25 | masslive.com
Afghan women’s rights advocate Shabana Basij-Rasikh will speak before at the Springfield Public Forum on Wednesday, delivering a talk on her efforts to educate girls in her home country. Basij-Rasikh was born in Kabul and lived there under the Taliban, which had banned girls from attending school. To receive an education, she dressed as a…
Westfield State University partners with UMass on law program
Westfield State University and the University of Massachusetts School of Law in Dartmouth are partnering on a new law program. Under the new initiative, called 3 Plus 3, students who complete the six-year program will obtain both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree. The idea for the program was to include diverse majors, such…
From Lenox to Nantucket, 36 Massachusetts communities get state energy efficiency grants;…
Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration awarded $4 million in energy efficiency grants to 36 Massachusetts cities and town during a ceremony at the Ware High School auditorium on Thursday. The money will be used by the municipalities’ water and wastewater treatment facilities to reduce energy use, improve energy efficiency and in some cases generate renewable energy.…
Gov. Charlie Baker looks to spur investments in Springfield, other ‘Opportunity Zone’…
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has recommended that Springfield and several other communities across the state be deemed “opportunity zones” — a designation created under the GOP tax law to open municipalities to private, tax-free investments. Baker, in paperwork submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday, suggested that a total of 138 communities — the maximum amount allowed for Massachusetts — be considered…
Mayor Reichelt: West Springfield zoning changes could make city ‘more exciting’ for developers, beer-brewing companies
With news that West Springfield is working to bring Two Weeks Notice Brewing Co. to the city, the mayor has proposed changing zoning regulations to include recreational facilities, breweries, distilleries and wineries in the city’s industrial zones. “We’re in talks with a couple (of breweries) now, namely Two Weeks Notice, to relocate in town,” said Mayor William…
VVM and Western MA help with Kauffman Foundation Springfield Survey
We have been working for two years to get VVM and Western MA on Kauffman Foundation’s radar. We now have the potential to be part of nationwide investigation regarding startup community growth with Startup Genome and seeking a select group of metropolitan areas to join this effort and participate in data collection and analysis. Most cities pay…