News
by James Heflin | Apr 16, 2014 | News
High Sky (independent) Phil DaRosa used to play with Valley band Bathtub Mary. These days, he’s back where he grew up, on Martha’s Vineyard, making music with his band Dukes County Love Affair. The latest EP from that group reveals some highly...
by Maureen Turner | Apr 30, 2014 | News
Are Massachusetts residents turning against the prospect of casino gambling in the commonwealth? That depends on whom you ask. Polling numbers present a complicated picture: In a February Suffolk University poll of likely voters, respondents said they approved of...
by Pete Redington | Apr 16, 2014 | News
Derrick Gordon sat behind a table in the corner of a room in the basement of the Mullins Center, fielding (to mix a sports metaphor) questions. At a table 10 feet from Gordon, his former roommate Tyler Bergantino chatted with reporters. Across the room, UMass athletic...
by Stephanie Kraft | Apr 30, 2014 | News
Cut those low-hanging branches. Find the path your electrical service takes to reach your house. That’s what the Leverett broadband committee is telling its residents now that construction is about to begin on the town’s broadband network. “We expect...
by Tom Vannah | Apr 16, 2014 | News
It must have been a grand morning for most of the runners. Save some pre-race jitters and whatever last-minute scrambling it took to get to the starting line in Hopkinton, the hardest part—the months of training—was over. Waking to clear skies and cool...
by Deb Markowitz | Apr 30, 2014 | News
There was more good news this month for Vermont, with unemployment numbers reaching a low of 4 percent and Vermonters ranking first in the nation for eating vegetables and getting exercise. It’s no surprise to us. At the Agency of Natural Resources, we are...
by Advocate readers | Apr 16, 2014 | News
Rules to Grow By I’m a farmer. I care about the environment and depend on it to produce healthy, nutritious crops. Sales of my crops can be easily damaged by food safety scares resulting from someone cutting corners—I understand the need for regulation....
by James Heflin | Apr 30, 2014 | News
Brass Tacks (Clang!) In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the entry for planet Earth reads “Mostly harmless.” In some respects, that’s the operative phrase for the latest from NRBQ, if perhaps without so much dismissiveness. The...
by Steve Hussey | Apr 16, 2014 | News
Dwight Eisenhower warned the country in 1959 that reckless defense spending would create a “military-industrial complex” in which the tail of industry wags the dog of policy. He has been proven devastatingly correct. Now, starting with No Child Left Behind...
by Maureen Turner | May 7, 2014 | News
How badly do the candidates running to be Massachusetts’ next governor want the job? For some, badly enough to sink serious amounts of their own money into their campaigns—in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Massachusetts campaign finance law...
by Advocate staff | Apr 16, 2014 | News
Displaced Students Envision a New, Green School By Maureen Turner Students at Springfield’s St. Michael’s Academy know more about construction than any middle-schoolers ought to: after all, it’s been a topic of great concern to the school...
by Tom Vannah | May 7, 2014 | News
Deval Patrick’s public statements about the troubled state Department of Children and Families on balance strike me as not only defensive, but defiant. When he said last week, for example, that the agency’s failures stem from a lack of computer...
by Advocate readers | Apr 23, 2014 | News
Gannon’s House of Cards On the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing and lockdown, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the FBI demanding the release of documents and facts surrounding the FBI’s involvement before and after the tragedy....
by Advocate readers | May 7, 2014 | News
Berwick’s Progressive, Not “Dangerous” I object to the headline of your recent profile of gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick (The “Dangerous” Democrat, April 24). What an irresponsible title for this article! Don Berwick is a progressive...
by Maureen Turner | Apr 23, 2014 | News
Last month, when state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield) announced that she was leaving her seat for a job in the Hampden Superior Court Clerk’s office, Sal Circosta decided to jump into the race to succeed her. A month later, Circosta has changed his...
by Amaad Rivera | May 7, 2014 | News
The Pioneer Valley is still trying to come out of the closet. In the past Western Mass. has led in many aspects of LGBTQ progress—from the champions in Springfield who stood for ENDA in its earliest days, to the activists in Northampton whose passions became a...
by Maureen Turner | Apr 23, 2014 | News
Like a number of political figures in the state, Maura Healey acknowledges that she wouldn’t want to see a casino built in her neighborhood in Charlestown. But unlike most of her fellow candidates for state office, she opposes a casino’s being built...
by Maureen Turner | May 7, 2014 | News
For months, the activist group Progressive Democrats of America has been planning a big bash on May 10 in Northampton to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. The party will go on—but, sadly, with a somewhat shifted focus: now it will also serve as a memorial for...
by Maureen Turner | Apr 23, 2014 | News
Tim Allen, a candidate for the 1st Hampden and Hampshire state Senate seat, has proposed a cap on campaign contributions from out-of-state donors in the race. Allen, who now serves as a Springfield city councilor, is calling on his fellow candidates to pledge to...
by Advocate staff | May 7, 2014 | News
Parent Dies, Lender Comes Knocking By Stephanie Kraft The more you learn about the student loan crisis, the dirtier it gets. The Obama administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has an ombudsman just for issues related to student loans, and the agency...
by Maureen Turner | Apr 23, 2014 | News
It’s the kind of free publicity a left-leaning political candidate dreams about: to be deemed the “second most dangerous man in America” by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. The rogue in question? Don Berwick, who in July of 2010—when...
by Advocate staff | May 14, 2014 | News
Garlic and Arts Festival Keeps Giving By Pete Redington The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival may be an annual event occurring only one weekend in autumn, but its support of the region and those who live and work there continues throughout the calendar year, with...
by Daniel Ward | Apr 23, 2014 | News
The Ukrainian conflict has highlighted the instability of nations in which languages and cultures compete for dominance. Despite fundamental differences, parallels have been drawn with the situation in the U.S., where Spanish is now being seen as a challenge to...
by Rob Weir | May 14, 2014 | News
Horror Vacui (Home Records) To say that Belgian chanteuse/violinist Aurélie Dorzée is somewhat unorthodox is akin to saying that Cirque du Soleil is a tad daring, and the circus analogy doesn’t end there. Her latest, Horror Vacui, takes its title...
by Advocate staff | Apr 23, 2014 | News
Break That Lock, Save That Dog By Stephanie Kraft The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that police can go into private property without a warrant to save endangered animals. The case hinged on what’s known as the “emergency aid...
by Mark S. Mellman | May 14, 2014 | News
It’s a refrain that troubles me: “Nobody likes paying taxes.” Especially for people like me who never served in the military, taxes are the contribution we make to our country, the dues we pay for membership in the enterprise we call America. Despite...
by Advocate readers | May 14, 2014 | News
State Senate Candidate Goofed! In regard to Chip Harrington’s recent guest column about Common Core (“The Standardized Test Trap,” May 8): from my reading, this is not a federal government program. The federal government does provide funds for the...
by Chip Harrington | May 14, 2014 | News
Once again, we find ourselves at a crossroads with Public Education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The last big shift was the Education Reform Act of 1993, when several changes were implemented, including the high stakes test known as MCAS. Since that time,...
by Maureen Turner | May 14, 2014 | News
A couple of years ago, Dan Rosenberg and his wife, Addie Rose Holland, began to think about the future they envisioned for their Greenfield-based company, Real Pickles, which makes pickled organic vegetables, using regionally grown produce and a traditional...
by Maureen Turner | May 14, 2014 | News
The Springfield Preservation Trust has released its 2014 list of the city’s most endangered historic properties, a group that includes homes, one-time manufacturing sites and two buildings that could be affected by the casino proposed in the city’s South...
by Maureen Turner | May 14, 2014 | News
Tennessee Gas’ proposed natural gas pipeline, which would run from upstate New York to Dracut, Mass., would not pass through Northampton. But Ward 3 City Councilor Ryan O’Donnell makes the case that the project—and, specifically, its potential...
by Advocate staff | May 21, 2014 | News
Early Voting and Other Election Reforms Advance at Statehouse By Maureen Turner An election reform bill that would make significant changes to voting practices in Massachusetts is moving closer to reality. Last week, the Mass. House of Representatives approved a...
by Maureen Turner | May 21, 2014 | News
Covering more than 1,600 acres of hills and forest, West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Plainfield belongs to one of the largest stretches of conservation land in the state. According to Mass Audubon, which owns the sanctuary, moose, black bears, otters, fishers and...
by Cathy Young | May 21, 2014 | News
Passions have been running high on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses, with women telling wrenching stories, universities being accused of failing victims, and the federal government seeking ways to force schools to do better. It seems like an...
by William J. Devlin | May 21, 2014 | News
But “will you respect me in the morning?” In its plans for a casino in Springfield’s historic South End, MGM Resorts seems to have little regard for the site’s urban context, despite its initial, effusive praise for our city’s history and...
by Advocate readers | May 21, 2014 | News
Calling Out Gannon Voila! Clarity comes unencumbered by the facts in Joe Gannon’s dazzling yet muddle-headed defense of ignorance (“Enemies Of Clarity,” May 8) Gannon’s Law states that facts are not facts if you actually list them in support of...
by Maureen Turner | May 28, 2014 | News
In September, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced her intention to run for governor, putting an end to months of speculation about her political plans. And just a couple of weeks later, Maura Healey was in Coakley’s office, to let her...
by Advocate readers | May 28, 2014 | News
No Fracking Way! Regarding Maureen Turner’s piece last week on developers interested in putting a gas pipeline through sanctuary land (“An Ironic Proposal,” May 22): This proposal for a new infrastructure for a non-renewable fuel transport is simply...
by Ted Rall | May 28, 2014 | News
The recent EU court ruling ordering Google and other search engines (there are other search engines?) to process requests from European citizens to erase links to material about them is being criticized by techno-libertarians. Allowing people to clean...
by Amie Parnes | May 28, 2014 | News
With the midterm elections just six months away, President Obama and the Democrats are pining for the days of Mitt Romney. Obama wants the 2014 campaign to be about the economy and is doing everything he can to portray the GOP as out of step with middle-class concerns...
by Pete Redington | May 28, 2014 | News
According to (Springfield’s) Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to hack is to “cut or sever with repeated or unskillful blows,” or “write computer programs for enjoyment” and “gain access to a computer illegally.” None of...
by Eloise Michael | May 28, 2014 | News
In my classroom, we begin each morning with a poem. These days, when teachers write lesson plans, they must say which standards they address, including strings of numbers and letters that look like this: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4. It looks best if the lesson...
by Pete Redington | May 28, 2014 | News
A sports fan falling asleep Rip Van Winkle-style in 2004 and waking up in 2014 would have a hard time believing she wasn’t still dreaming. In the past year, Jason Collins became the first openly gay NBA player. Michael Sam declared his homosexuality, and was...
by Tom Vannah | Jun 4, 2014 | News
I’ve spent the last week or so on an assignment that should have left me feeling refreshed and satisfied as only a good meal—or, in my case, many good meals—can. Yet, though I’ve enjoyed some really wonderful cuisine, I’ve come come away...
by Pete Redington | Jun 4, 2014 | News
The White Rose bookstore was empty save for the group of eight meeting together at the circular table at the front of the store. “Oh, sorry,” I stammered, surprised. “I don’t mean to interrupt. I didn’t know you were having a...
by Maureen Turner | Jun 4, 2014 | News
Eric Lesser had collected his drink at the counter of the Springfield Starbucks and was heading to a table where a reporter was waiting to talk to him about his campaign for state Senate when he was intercepted by a man who greeted him warmly. The two chatted for a...
by Terry Franklin | Jun 4, 2014 | News
There is something incredibly sleazy and sordid about “retired” politicians getting rich selling marijuana. Delahunt, Finneran, Buoniconti, Nuciforo, Lees are just a few of the names linked to a medical marijuana regulatory scheme administered by their...
by Advocate readers | Jun 4, 2014 | News
Dr. Rounds, Meet Dr. Lilly I have been slightly irritated by a lot of the dirt talk coming from Caleb Rounds’ “gardening” column. I haven’t responded when he has pushed my buttons before, and for some reason, I feel compelled to read what he...
by Maureen Turner | Jun 11, 2014 | News
Pity the candidate running to be Massachusetts’ lieutenant governor. In addition to the challenges that come with running for any high-level political office—the fundraising demands; the exhausting schedule of parades and coffee hours and diner...
by Advocate readers | Jun 11, 2014 | News
Please, Bernie, Please! Regarding Bernie Sanders’ presidential aspirations: I would campaign for, contribute to, and enthusiatically support a “Sanders for President” Democratic Primary campaign in a “Vermont Minute!” Steve Justino...
by Tom Vannah | Jun 11, 2014 | News
Last Sunday morning, I took a walk around a neighborhood the Valley Advocate has written about a lot in recent years: the part of Forest Park that lies to the northeast of what is known locally as “the X”—the intersection of Dickinson Street with...
by Juan Williams | Jun 11, 2014 | News
In May, 60 years after the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional with its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision, a group called Journey for Justice Alliance sent civil rights complaints to the Justice and Education departments....
by Stephanie Kraft | Jun 18, 2014 | News
Not many places in the Valley are more beautiful than the rolling stretch of Rte. 47 that runs from Bay Road under the shadow of the Holyoke Range and down the Connecticut River to South Hadley. Heading south and passing Mitch’s Marina, you see the open...
by Tom Vannah | Jun 18, 2014 | News
Rolling by the State Police barracks in Northampton, I ride north on Rtes. 5 & 10. For a moment, I consider my options: stay on 5 & 10, or take the next right into Hatfield, down Elm Street to the left-hand bend where it becomes Main Street, through the...
by by Advocate readers | Jun 18, 2014 | News
Musicians Out in the Cold James Heflin missed one part of the local music economy in his cover story last week (“Can Music Pay?”, June 12, 2014): the many open stage nights where musicians sign up to play a few tunes for no pay. The venue gets a night of...
by Pete Redington | Jun 18, 2014 | News
Jonathan Edwards puts his beer down and heads across the street to the Whately Town Hall. Edwards has been sitting here at the Whately Inn since the polls closed, waiting for election officials to tally the vote. One bar stool over, Paul Fleuriel—decked out in...
by Stephanie Kraft | Jun 18, 2014 | News
The 54-year life of the Mt. Tom power station, a coal-fired power plant that was once a major source of energy in the Valley and long a major source of pollution, will reach its end in October, just two months before the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant near...
by Tom Vannah | Jun 25, 2014 | News
Steve Abdow regards the push to build casinos in Massachusetts as a giant step in the wrong direction, a retrograde movement that swears at the state’s proud history. “This is Massachusetts!” Abdow said, the tone of his voice three parts incredulity,...
by Pete Redington | Jun 25, 2014 | News
The grandstand at Mackenzie Stadium slopes down the hillside from the parking lot at Holyoke High School to the foul line on the first base side. There the field’s green grass stretches serenely to the outfield fence along Beech Street. From the stands, the line...
by Tom Pappalardo | Jun 25, 2014 | News
6:59 p.m. By the time I make it to the bleachers, it’s the end of the second inning. The Valley Blue Sox versus the North Adams Guys Wearing Black Shirts. I’ve decided to catch a college summer league baseball game as an excuse to get out of the house on a...
