Springfield seeks to boost economic sustainability for Mason Square families
SPRINGFIELD – The city will join a national effort to help residents of Mason Square become financially stronger.
Springfield was selected to participate in the CityStart initiative through August 2026. The program, designed by Cities for Financial Empowerment, will provide a $100,000 grant and technical assistance, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced in writing.
Sarno said the grant will provide access to 'opportunities for economic growth, with a specific focus on improving wealth equity for the Black community,' the statement said.
The grant includes help with research, planning and engagement. Participants will shape plans to serve families over generations, the statement said.
'Financial empowerment is a critical component of building a strong and resilient community,' said Tim Sheehan, Chief Development Officer. 'With the support of the CityStart grant, Springfield will be able to develop targeted strategies that directly address the financial challenges faced by our residents.'
Read the original article on MassLive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Tampa cemetery is on sale again, reigniting debate over lost graves
Three years after the Tampa City Council unanimously rejected a land-use change for Showmen's Rest, a Tampa Heights cemetery, that would have allowed developers to build out the land, the parcel is up for sale again. This time, the cemetery isn't looking to change its zoning. But the City Council and nearby residents are still torn over a central question: Are there unknown bodies buried beneath the land? Owners of Showmen's Rest have said the portion of land up for sale has not been used for burials. But the Tampa City Council passed a motion Thursday to have city staff contact the property owner and ask if they could use ground-penetrating radar to address concerns about lost graves. 'Should there be graves there, individuals there, then we can look at steps forward,' said council member Guido Maniscalco, who made the motion. Maniscalco also requested a written report from city staff to update the council, which is due June 26. Although he did not mention the name of the property during the motion, Maniscalco confirmed with the Tampa Bay Times after the meeting that the report is about Showmen's Rest. Listed on Zillow for $750,000, the parcel of land at 3541 N. Blvd. is adjacent to the city-owned Woodlawn Cemetery. Showmen's Rest Cemetery hired a firm during the initial controversy more than three years ago that conducted two seismic studies that didn't find any lost graves. The Zillow listing states the seller will do another survey. 'The people that are going up against us keep insisting that there are bodies buried on this vacant parcel of land that we've never developed,' Showmen's Rest President John Perzia said. The cemetery has presented its seismic studies to the City Council, 'but nobody wanted to pay attention to it.' Perzia said the cemetery wants to sell this parcel, which was purchased from the city in 1971, to put it in a trust to keep up maintenance. They don't care who buys it, Perzia said, but they want to ensure their cemetery is preserved. 'I'm almost 70,' he said. 'When I pass away, who's going to take care of this place?' He said the city is welcome to buy the property, but city spokesperson Adam Smith said the administration is not looking to purchase. Perzia said neither he or his real estate broker had heard from the city on Monday afternoon. Maniscalco's motion on Thursday came after a previous council discussion of the cemetery on May 22. At that meeting, council member Bill Carlson also introduced the idea of setting aside city funds for ground-penetrating radar and addressing lost graves. 'What role can the city play? Because not everyone can pay for ground-penetrating radar and not everyone can afford just to give up their land,' Carlson said last month. The Tampa Bay Times reported in 2021 that there were 1,200 missing graves in the city, mostly those of influential Black residents, and the city is attempting to acknowledge and correct its role in erasing Black history. This year, the city erected a historical marker at Zion Cemetery, which was a Black burial ground before it was developed over. The city can't go onto privately owned land without the owner's permission to look for graves. If it does, the surveys are expensive. 'I was happy to hear the City Council is considering creating a fund for ground-penetrating radar,' said Rachael Kangas, director of the west central and central regions of the Florida Public Archaeology Network. 'That's usually the biggest issue we run into.' Kangas reviewed documents sent to her by Aileen Henderson, founder of The Cemetery Society, regarding the cemetery and its history, as well as research files her organization has on Woodlawn Cemetery and Showmen's Rest. 'According to the records I see, that entire block, including this parcel, were part of the original footprint of Woodlawn Cemetery and there is documentation from the newspaper that burials when the cemetery was first established were haphazard,' Kangas wrote in an email to Henderson that was shared with the Times. Additionally, Kangas wrote, the northwest corner of Woodlawn Cemetery was originally set aside for African American graves. She said documentation she read doesn't have details on the size of that area or where exactly the burials were. 'There is no reason to think this parcel of land is not part of a cemetery or that it doesn't contain unmarked burials,' Kangas wrote. Henderson said she also thinks Showmen's Rest could have lost graves and said she was excited to see the City Council take steps toward addressing the citywide issue. 'I don't blame the owner for doing what he has the right to do,' Henderson said. 'The reality is we have the supporting documentation that that is a cemetery.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Buying a new car? Why picking yellow, orange and green will help your car retain its value
Vehicles that experience high rates of depreciation after a few years aren't great for new car buyers, but they can be great for used car buyers. In fact, researching vehicles with high depreciation rates can be a good way to find a deal on a used car. On the other hand, some drivers may avoid vehicles that rapidly depreciate to retain some trade-in value or sell their cars later on. Some car colors have worse depreciation rates than others, according to a study conducted by an automotive search engine and research website. Gold: 34.4% three-year depreciation White: 32.1% three-year depreciation Black: 31.9% three-year depreciation Most vehicles tend to depreciate the second they roll off of dealer lots, but the rates of depreciation listed above are beyond average rates. So, if you're in the market for a new vehicle, you may not want to buy it in gold. Paying extra money for a gold color model could prove to be even more costly. Thankfully, there are plenty of car colors with below-average rates of depreciation. Yellow: 24.0% three-year depreciation Orange: 24.4% three-year depreciation Green: 26.3% three-year depreciation "Yellow cars hold their value the best" according to the study results. So if you're looking for a new vehicle, this may be a color to consider for value retention. If you're hunting for a used vehicle deal, avoiding this color could save you some money because of the lower depreciation rate. The overall average three-year depreciation rate of the colors included in the study was 31%. Finding a good deal on a used car can be difficult, but refining your search by including vehicles with high depreciation rates can save drivers thousands of dollars. Vehicles with high rates of depreciation after just a few years can have low mileage and much lower prices than their original MSRP. One example of a vehicle with a high depreciation rate is the 2023 Dodge Hornet. The 2023 model year is the first of its production history. Just a few years after its initial release, the Hornet has depreciated by over 31%. The 2023 Hornet has an original MSRP of $31,590. It now has a fair purchase price of $20,154 according to Kelley Blue Book. That's a value decrease of a whopping $11,436, making it a steal for interested parties as a used model. Another great example of vehicle depreciation is the 2022 Nissan Leaf. The 2022 Leaf has an original MSRP of $27,400 and a Kelley Blue Book fair purchase price of just $14,258. That's a depreciation rate of around 47%. Car buyers can save big bucks on a Nissan Leaf by purchasing a used model that has depreciated severely over the last few years. There's no surefire way to avoid car depreciation entirely, but proper maintenance and upkeep can help drivers retain as much of their vehicle's value as possible. Regular maintenance Interior cleaning Exterior protection According to State Farm, there are several ways car owners can minimize depreciation. Ultimately, proper car care can equate to less depreciation in the long run and a higher resale value, so take those oil changes seriously. The more presentable your car is, the easier it is to get a fair purchase price or trade-in value later on. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What car colors are best to buy? These will retain your car's value
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Burger chain Checkers expanding to Massachusetts with Worcester location
A burger chain has chosen Worcester as the site for its first restaurant in New England. Checkers, a Tampa-based chain with more than 700 locations throughout the United States, will open a new location at 99 Gold Star Blvd., according to a press release from the real estate firm Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates. The Worcester restaurant will replace Honey Dew Donuts, which closed in March. The Worcester Checkers will be run by Mouhamad Saleem and Kelly Moughal, who own and operate other Checkers locations in New York and Subway and Little Caesars locations in Worcester, according to the press release. Brokers Mark Johns and Thomas Bodden completed the transaction for the new lease on behalf of the building's landlord, according to the firm's press release. The brokers do not know when the restaurant will open, a spokesperson for the firm told MassLive on Monday. Checkers and Rally's did not immediately respond to MassLive's request for comment on Monday. Checkers, along with its sister restaurant Rally's, has no locations in Massachusetts or New England, according to the company's website. The closest state with a Checkers or Rally's is New York, with 32 restaurants. There are a total of 751 Checkers and Rally's restaurants in the country, per its website. Menu items served at both restaurants include burgers, french fries, hot dogs, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, fried fish sandwiches, slushies and milkshakes. 'He's going to be set free' — supporters of Milford teen arrested by ICE cheer release Judge orders Milford teen arrested by ICE to be released on bond A hidden waterfall in Worcester is flowing for the first time in four years . Read the original article on MassLive.
