HAMPDEN COUNTY

A pivotal but unheralded scientist is getting a building named after her at Westfield State University on Friday.

More than a hundred years ago, Westfield alum Nettie Stevens was studying beetle chromosomes when she noticed a critical difference between males and females.

"She noticed that one chromosome was smaller than the other, and because of that research, we were able to then apply that to the human genome as well," said Westfield biology professor Jennifer Hanselman.

The first day of May — May Day — is also known as International Workers Day. In honor of it, roughly 20 businesses and organizations in the Pioneer Valley are closing their doors for the day.

It's part of a nationwide effort, and immigrants are a key part of the focus.

At a recent FCC auction, the broadcast frequency for WGBY in Springfield sold for $57 million.

The station will move to a different channel. The license for the current frequency is owned by WGBH in Boston, and the money will go into its endowment, with annual disbursements to WGBY.

"We will probably increase local content, education services -- things that we've been doing for a long time, but things that we haven't been able to enhance and grow because of financial reasons," said Lynn Page, the station's acting general manager.

Springfield-area lawyers are frustrated that the Hampden County Courthouse did not make the state's priority list for renovations or replacement.

The Trial Court of Massachusetts released a master plan summary this week that put several courthouses, including in Northampton, Pittsfield, and Boston, into a first phase of repair, scheduled to take place through 2022.

A fire on New Years' Day in Holyoke left three dead. Some survivors have filed a lawsuit, saying negligence was involved.

State fire safety investigators determined that faulty wiring was the cause of the blaze, which destroyed a four-story apartment building. And they found that the alarm was not connected to a monitoring company, which could have alerted the Holyoke Fire Department.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said he hopes a phone conversation with two Trump administration officials on Wednesday will prompt a reconsideration of a proposed budget cut.

President Trump has proposed eliminating Community Block Development Grants [CDBG] Sarno said he pressed special assistants William Kirkland and Justin Clark on why Trump would cut funds he said are critical for the city's economic development projects.

The Springfield Sting, the local entry in the minor league American Basketball Association, is in the midst of a playoff run.

The Sting won their first-ever playoff game last weekend and will play again Saturday against the New Jersey Express, whom the Sting have defeated three times this season.

A win there would give them the league’s Northeast Division title, and just two more wins would send them to Baltimore and the ABA’s Final Eight.