EAST LONGMEADOW — Olivia Upton graduated from East Longmeadow High School in 2018 and did not hesitate. She knew that she wanted to make films and moved to California to attend the Academy of Art University San Francisco. A year later, when the coronavirus pandemic upended her plan, she decided it was as good a time as any and moved to Los Angeles. Since then, Upton has become impressively prolific as a short film producer.
HAMPDEN — Erik Vanderleeden won the Selectboard seat left vacant by the April resignation of former member Craig Rivest. With 405 votes, Vanderleeden bested his opponent, Kathy Pessolano, who saw 105 ballots cast in the June 23 special election.
LONGMEADOW — In cities and towns across Massachusetts, electricity customers have seen the cost of energy rise in recent years, and Longmeadow is no exception. Eversource owns most of the utility poles and wires that transport electricity to homes and businesses in Longmeadow. Customers pay a distribution charge for the use of this infrastructure. Eversource sets the fee for distribution and users are obliged to pay it.
LONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow Select Board voted to adopt a 150% increase to the fiscal year 2026 for water and sewer users’ fixed meter rate, bringing it the average amount residents will pay to $72.52 for water and $85.70 for sewer.
EAST LONGMEADOW — St. Michael’s Knights of Columbus in East Longmeadow presented checks of $2,000 each to the Veterans’ Memorial Committee and the town’s Council on Aging. They are two of the five organizations the Knights gifted with funding recently.