WESTFIELD — With five generations of Hartleys living in Wyben since 1831, their name is synonymous with Wyben and one of the many reasons Brian and Kathy Hartley will be honored as the marshals for the community’s 74th Annual Fourth of July parade.
HOLYOKE — After 10 years, Holyoke Public Schools exited state receivership on July 1, following an announcement made by Massachusetts Education Secretary and interim Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Dr. Patrick Tutwiler during the June 23 School Committee meeting and June 24 state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting.
SPRINGFIELD — Thousands of people will once again grace the banks of the Connecticut River on the Fourth of July for one of the grandest fireworks celebrations in Western Massachusetts.
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.