EAST LONGMEADOW — “The end of one legacy and the beginning of another.” That is how firefighter Ed McCandlish described the Change of Command ceremony hosted by the East Longmeadow Fire Department on March 7, during which retiring Fire Chief Paul Morrisette handed the reins to incoming Chief Christopher Beecher.

Ahead of this year’s St. Patrick’s festiviites in Holyoke, Reminder Publishing sat down with Holyoke Grand Colleen Moira Catherine Reardon and Chicopee Colleen Daiana Torres to discuss their reaction to being named the colleens in their cities, and the journeys that made them into this year’s colleens.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield-based nonprofit Common Capital has provided over 900 loans totaling over $35 million to small businesses in Western Massachusetts since its inception in 1990, leading to the creation or retainment of 2,200 jobs.

AGAWAM — With essentially no free money coming from the federal government anymore, West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt said a significant increase to the town’s fiscal year 2026 budget is unlikely to happen.

HOLYOKE — With the calendar turning to March, excitement is growing in Holyoke and across the region as the city’s biggest weekend, the 72nd St. Patrick’s Parade weekend is rapidly approaching.

SPRINGFIELD — A new memorandum of understanding that lets police patch into school cameras during emergencies is officially at the finish line.

SPRINGFIELD — With budget season officially in full force, the Springfield School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee met on March 5 to conduct preliminary discussions on what the School Department’s budget may look like.

WESTFIELD — The colleen who will represent Westfield in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 23 and in activities throughout the year is Jillian Battles, 17, a senior at Westfield High School. Members of her court are Jaiden Caban, McKenna Clark, Madison LeClair and Isabella Proietti. The colleen and her court were selected in a two-day interview process, culminating at the Sons of Erin Colleen Ball on Feb. 7.

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Athenaeum is hosting an exhibit of the paintings of local artist Kim Carlino. The exhibit opened on March 10 and will run through May 3 inside the building’s gallery space.

EASTHAMPTON — At its March 5 meeting, after many comments from Easthampton residents and discussion by the councilors, the Easthampton City Council voted to send the proposed traffic direction switch of Daley Field Road back to the Public Safety Committee.