Campaign underway to bring John Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst another honor
University of Massachusetts architecture professor Max Page is leading the charge to bring The John Olver Design Building at UMass even more attention. In a Facebook post, Page is reporting that the building, named one of the best new buildings last year by the Wall Street Journal, has the chance for another honor. The building…
Solar cap puts drag on Massachusetts projects; alternative program in the works
A cap on reimbursements is again stalling some solar energy projects in central and Western Massachusetts. It remains an open question whether a new incentive program for solar projects, which is expected to start this summer, will solve the problem. Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration says it will, although solar industry representatives are skeptical. “We are…
Eversource cuts planned Western Massachusetts electric rate increase, citing new federal tax law
In Western Massachusetts, the former Western Massachusetts Electric Co. territory, Eversource said the tax cut works out to a savings of $8.3 million a year. State regulators in November authorized Eversource to increase the total amount it intends to raise from customers by 24.8 million a year. Eversource now plans an increase of only $16.5 million a year.…
MGM Springfield jobs: Casino Career Training Institute announces information, registration sessions
Job seekers looking to get trained for table-game jobs at the new MGM Springfield casino are invited to attend a series of information sessions and Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute registration dates over then next few months. The first session is set for Friday at the Quaboag Region Workforce Training and Community College Center, 79 Main St., Ware.…
STCC Offers EMT Program for Spring Semester
Springfield Technical Community College will offer an Emergency Medical Training (EMT) program during the upcoming semester, beginning Monday, Jan. 22. The course consists of 177 hours of lectures and workshops in trauma, medical, behavioral, and environmental emergencies, including 28 hours of online instruction and an auto-extrication field trip that prepares the student to take the…
Berkshire Bank Launches $52,500 Scholarship Program
Berkshire Bank announced it will honor 35 high-school seniors across Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania for their volunteer service with Berkshire Bank scholarships. The scholarships recognize students who excel academically, have a financial need, and share the bank’s commitment to community service. Additionally, students must attend a high school that is…
Springfield Central Cultural District Receives $25,000 Grant
Morgan Drewniany, executive director of the Springfield Central Cultural District (SCCD), announced the receipt of a $25,000 Beveridge Family Foundation grant to help the organization create an artist database, as well as increase internal capacity. Part of the grant from the Beveridge Foundation will be utilized to hire the UMass Arts Extension Service, a nationally…
Hampshire College goes green thanks to yellow sun: 100 percent of school’s electricity now comes from solar power | masslive.com
Hampshire College is now powered by the sun. One hundred percent of the campus electricity will now come from a 19-acre solar-energy system approved by Eversource late last month. Half the system at Hampshire had been operating since June. At Hampshire, the 15,000 photovoltaic-panel arrays on two fields have a capacity of 4.7 DC megawatts…
Frank Mantero of Baystate Health
Frank Mantero, an accomplished communicator with over 20 years of experience as a strategic leader in marketing operations in global agency and corporate environments has been named vice president of Marketing & Communications for Baystate Health. In his new role, Mantero will oversee the marketing, public affairs, digital strategy, internal communications, creative services, and loyalty…
Having placed more than 1,300 people with jobs, Snapchef expands to offer free culinary job training in Worcester
The culinary industry staffing company Snapchef is expanding its operations in Worcester, with plans to open a full-scale commercial kitchen to support its training operations. The new space, adjacent to Snapchef’s current offices on Southbridge Street, will give local residents access to a free 10-week training program with potential job placements across the region, Snapchef…
Springfield Schools to Launch Culinary and Nutrition Center
Pat Roach likes to share an anecdote that speaks to the occasional absurdity of school lunch. It involves the community gardens that dozens of Springfield schools have planted and maintain. “Take Kennedy Middle School, which has a beautiful garden, where kids grow their own vegetables,” said Roach, chief financial officer of Springfield Public Schools. “If…
Springfield Plaza owner sees new tenants in Kmart spot in ’18
An owner of Springfield Plaza expects to have one or more new tenants in the shopping center’s former Kmart space sometime in 2018. But don’t expect one big major retailer to take the entire 70,000-square-foot space occupied by the discount retailer until this fall. Charles Irving, a principal of Springfield Plaza co-owner Davenport Companies, said this…