Massachusetts

Views from the summit of Mt. Holyoke at Skinner State Park in Hadley, Massachusetts.
Nancy Eve Cohen / NEPM

Mass. Auditor Says State-Owned Land Compensation 'Exacerbates East-West Divide'

The Massachusetts state auditor's office has issued a report on the program that compensates cities and towns with state-owned land that is not subject to property tax.

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Pittsfield

31 Dead, Three-Quarters Of Residents Infected In Western Mass. Nursing Home Coronavirus Outbreak

Well into November, Hillcrest Commons had a perfect record: not a single confirmed coronavirus infection. Its parent company, nonprofit Berkshire Healthcare Systems, puts out daily numbers for each of its 18 facilities. Hillcrest Commons Nursing & Rehabilitation Center was at zero, zero, zero — until November 18th. By looking at the data, the history of the data, it appears as if the first positive cases were staff members, says Patricia Farley-Bouvier, who represents Pittsfield in the state...

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Regional News

A photograph of the exterior of City Hall, Worcester.
Claudia Snell / Creative Commons / flickr.com/photos/claudiasnell/

After Accepting Buyout, Worcester Reporter Reflects On 39-Year City Hall Beat

A longtime newspaper reporter and columnist who covered the city of Worcester and its politics has said goodbye to his readers.

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Connecting Point Digital Exclusive

Springfield’s Lake Massasoit Drained for Repairs and Clean-Up

Rollback: Baker Shrinks Capacity At Nearly All Businesses; Releases New Dining Rules

Dec 8, 2020

Gov. Charlie Baker declared Tuesday that Massachusetts will soon roll back a single step within the current phase of its economic reopening plans, as cases continue to spike across the state.

Springfield, Massachusetts, Schools Superintendent Daniel Warwick
File Photo / Masslive / masslive.com

The Springfield, Massachusetts, public schools are pushing back against a request from the Massachusetts department of education to bring some students back for in-person learning soon.

The coronavirus pandemic has isolated a lot of us, but it’s also brought community institutions together in a new way. In New Hampshire’s North Country, a daily Zoom call has become essential for leaders managing the fallout of the pandemic.

When the coronavirus shut down just about everything in March, including schools, Gorham Superintendent David Backler got on a call with his counterpart in Berlin, and staff from the hospital and local health centers.

A text message invitation to bet on the location of next year’s first homicide in Hartford has resulted in a major shakeup within the city’s police department.

A health care worker places a cotton swab into a vile after taking a sample from someone being tested for COVID-19 last month at a drive-through testing area at Somerville Hospital.
Jesse Costa / WBUR

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced on Monday an expansion of free COVID-19 testing in the western part of the state.

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CORONAVIRUS

More Mass. Residents Than Ever Have The Coronavirus. Where They Caught It Is The Mystery

Like many people who get COVID-19, Maddy Alvarez, a 35-year-old Revere resident, cant be certain how the coronavirus got into her home. But once it did, it was uncontainable. First, her husband Marco came down with it. He had muscle aches and a fever, but he had also experienced those symptoms just a few weeks prior. He tested negative then, so they didn’t worry too much or take any special precautions. “It was funny because he thought he had it. He had all the symptoms, but he tested...

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A new podcast for readers, writers, and anyone who ever loved their English class.

Colectivo De Medios Latinos

An all-Spanish resource on COVID-19 and more.

by Latino journalists in western Massachusetts.

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Christopher Stetson, an infant and toddler teacher in Northampton, Mass., retired earlier than planned, after the school where he taught for 20 years shut down in mid-March.
Nancy Eve Cohen / NEPM

'Something's Got To Give': Health Risks, Lack Of Child Care Force Many To Leave Jobs

During the pandemic, a lot of people have lost work. In Massachusetts, more than 1.6 million residents have applied for unemployment since mid-March.

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