Latest news with #JonSantiago
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day ceremonies take place throughout western Massachusetts
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) -Many will be remembering the meaning of Memorial Day on Monday and the honor we reserve for those who have given their lives for the country. What's open and closed on Memorial Day in Massachusetts? Ceremonies and parades will be held across the region on Monday. Here's a list of events happening this year: A Memorial Day Observance Ceremony will take place at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam on Monday at 1:00 p.m. Governor Maura Healey will be there to give the Memorial Day address alongside Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. Mayor Domenic Sarno of Springfield will also be speaking at the event. The annual Memorial Day Procession and Ceremony will be held on Monday at 9:30 a.m., beginning at the intersection of Spring Street and Boltwood Avenue. It will finish at the War Memorial Pool in front of Amherst Regional High School with a ceremony. On Monday, between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. at the South Cemetery, a salute to the veterans interred at Belchertown's South Cemetery. A parade will step off at 10:00 am from the town hall and conclude at the town common, followed by a ceremony. On Monday, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial Plaza located at 650 Front Street at 11:00 a.m. The Memorial Day Ceremony will be held on Monday at the East Longmeadow High School. The outside ceremony will feature the East Longmeadow American Legion Post #293 members forming up at 10:30 AM and beginning a short march at 10:50 AM to the flag pole of East Longmeadow High School. The Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans' Services District will recognize Memorial Day on Monday at 10 a.m. with a parade and ceremony. The route starts at Greenfield Middle School and concludes at Veterans' Mall. Parade line-up begins at 9:30 a.m.. The route is as follows: Travels Down Federal Street. The route stops at the Federal Street Cemetery for the presentation of a remembrance wreath. Left onto Maple Street Right onto Franklin Street Right onto Main Street. The route stops at the Leavitt-Hovey House Mexican-American War statue and then left to the Greenfield Common for remembrance wreath presentations. Concludes at Veterans Mall for a short ceremony. Annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. The parade will step off at 10:00 a.m. from St. Mary's Catholic Church at 27 Somers Road, Hampden, and proceed down Main Street to the Veterans Memorial at the Hampden Town Center, where the town's Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. In the event of rain or inclement weather, the parade will be canceled, and the Memorial Day Ceremony will move indoors to Hampden Town Hall. A Memorial Day ceremony will be held on Monday at the War Memorial Building located at 310 Appleton Street. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Post 325 will host a lunch beginning at noon until 2 p.m. Post 351 will be hosting a breakfast from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 2 p.m. The City of Pittsfield's annual Memorial Day procession (rain or shine) will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday. A ceremony will follow at the cemetery. A Memorial Day Parade is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. from Norris School to Center Cemetery for flag and flower placement and prayer. The parade will then continue to Town Hall for a Memorial wreath laying and a speech. On Monday, Mayor Domenic Sarno will join with Bishop William Byrne and our Veterans and families for the annual special Memorial Day Mass at St. Michael's Cemetery on Monday at 10:00 a.m. The Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday with a new route. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. from City Hall and proceed down Court Street toward the center, turning right onto Broad Street, and right onto West Silver Street to Parker Memorial Park. It will be followed by a ceremony. On Monday, a gathering will take place at 6:45 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Bridge, which connects West Springfield and Agawam off Front Street. The ceremony will start promptly at 7:00 a.m. and will include brief remarks in honor of those who served and sacrificed. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) will then begin their dawn patrol, visiting all local cemeteries where fallen service members are interred, as well as the Town's war memorials. The patrol is scheduled to begin around 8:00 a.m. at Ashleyville Cemetery on Riverdale Street. From there, it will go to Paucatuck Cemetery on Sibley Avenue, then to St. Thomas Cemetery on Pine Street, followed by White Church Cemetery on Elm Street. Additional stops will include the North End Bridge at the end of Park Avenue, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial at the intersection of Park Street and Elm Street, and will conclude at the War Veterans' Memorial at the southeast end of the Town Common, near the North End rotary. West Springfield's official Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. outside Town Hall, located at 26 Central Street in West Springfield. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
More work needs to be done to support Massachusetts veterans, state secretary says
Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans' Services Jon Santiago said on this Memorial Day, more needs to be done for veterans in the state, especially with ensuring there's enough staff to support and care for them. Memorial Day is much more than a day off and the start of the summer season. For 155 years, it has been a day reserved for honoring the sacrifices made by military personnel who die while serving our country. Santiago, who is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, was asked if he thinks the public has forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day. "I think the values that Memorial Day represents [are] still very much alive in people all across the Commonwealth, all across this country. Now whether there is a diminished patriotism when it comes to certain events, perhaps, but for Memorial Day, what this is about, to me and to so many other folks that I interact with on a daily basis, it's about reflection and gratitude and really acknowledging the sacrifice borne by generations of Americans for 250-plus years that have allowed us to be who we are, to share these values and to have the freedoms that govern how we live in society today. For me, it's a moment of gratitude. It's really a sacred American day," said Santiago. Fixing veterans homes after COVID deaths That said, Santiago turned to the challenges facing many of the state's 200,000-plus veterans. "Whether it's PTSD, substance use, a whole host of issues, but there are also generations of veterans who have been here for decades who are still looking for care. Think about our Vietnam veterans, our Korean War veterans who are getting up there in age that need that support," he said. During the height of the COVID pandemic, dozens of veterans died in the state's two Soldiers Homes due to mismanagement, and Santiago says fixing those facilities in Chelsea and Holyoke has been a top priority. The institutions were "using paper medical charts, paper scheduling, not licensed to be nursing homes, ran by people not licensed to run nursing homes with dilapidated infrastructure. Over the course of two years, we've completely turned that around, and I can show you that with outcomes, [people] telling us that care is better, quality is better, and folks are excited about being there." Concerns about VA staffing It's been a couple of months since we learned that the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs planned to cut 17% of the workforce at the VA, 83,000 jobs nationally. How is what has happened since affecting services here in our state? "This is increasingly concerning," says Sec. Santiago. "We're talking about a 15% decrease in staff supporting veterans, whether that's at the VA or some of the other centers that the VA utilizes. We need that support of staff to do the work that we need to do, and so we're already seeing cuts to services across not just the Commonwealth, but across the country.... It raises significant concerns on whether veterans will be able to access their care." Santiago also discussed the potential impact of Medicaid cuts included in the House tax bill passed last week, and steps he's been taking to improve services for female veterans. You can watch the entire interview here, and please join us every Sunday morning at 8:30am for more interviews with newsmakers in public policy on the weekend edition of "Keller At Large."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State House Spotlight: Veterans and senate budget
BOSTON (WWLP) – This week, the Massachusetts Senate held its annual budget debate, working through over 1,000 amendments on the $61.4 billion spending plan. This budget pushes forward on spending increases, despite mounting concerns about losing federal funding. Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, the governor awarded fallen veterans with Medals of Liberty and Fidelity that were accepted by surviving family members. 'We owe their families the respect, support, and assurance that their loved ones will never be forgotten,' said Governor Healey. The Healey Administration also held the first-ever Military Appreciation Week, and veterans and military spouses from across the state received the governor's citations for their sacrifices. 'We felt that it was important to honor the fallen with a reminder that their legacy continues with the work of the living,' said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jon Santiago. Shifting focus to the migrant crisis, Governor Healey announced that hotel shelters will close 6 months early, and this is due in part to tightening federal border regulations. 'I think that some of what Donald Trump has done on the border makes a lot of sense…the general move and recognition that there needed to be more control brought to the border is correct,' explained the governor. The state auditor released a report on how the Healey Administration has handled the crisis, and it found that unlawful no-bid contracts have cost taxpayers far more than necessary. The governor publicly disagreed with the audit's findings and said it is unlikely her team will make changes based on its recommendations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
First-ever Military Appreciation Day at the State House
BOSTON (WWLP) – The governor held a second veterans event Thursday, honoring the military ahead of Memorial Day. Hundreds of veterans came to Beacon Hill on Thursday to commemorate the first-ever Military Appreciation Day at the State House. The state's highest lawmakers and military members, and their families, gathered in the House Chambers to be recognized. To show the state's appreciation, 135 veterans received governor's citations after being nominated by local legislators, including veterans and military spouses from Springfield, Northampton, and elsewhere. The governor spoke about what her team is doing to improve veteran welfare in the Bay State. 'You think about the resurgence of the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers' home, you think about our commitment to end veteran homelessness in the state, that is work that we all do together,' said Gov. Healey. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs spoke about the significance of this event, the first in the state, in ensuring veterans are given the honor and respect they earned with their service. While Massachusetts' veteran suicide rates are lower than the national average, state lawmakers are working on increasing mental health resources and awareness to lower rates further. 'We felt that it was important to honor the fallen with a reminder that their legacy continues with the work of the living,' said Jon Santiago. Other state initiatives include housing and transportation assistance, community building, and transition assistance. Military celebrations and ceremonies will continue across the state through the weekend, and on Monday's Memorial Day. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New tool offers assistance to Massachusetts veterans seeking financial benefits
BOSTON (WWLP)– The state has created a new online option for veterans and their families to find out if they're eligible for monthly cash benefits. The MassVets Benefit Estimator is overseen by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) and offers a way for veterans to obtain financial relief through the Chapter 115 Safety Net Program. Operation Veteran Vacation hosts fundraiser dinner for families Veterans may be eligible for benefits, which include: Daily living expenses Medical costs Rent assistance Support of dependents Prevention of Veteran homelessness Outpatient behavioral health services, including psychiatric care, substance use disorder treatment, and prescription assistance 'Our administration was proud to expand benefits for veterans and their families under the HERO Act, but we need to make sure that they know about and can access them,' said Governor Maura Healey. 'This new tool makes it easier for veterans to determine what they are eligible for, how much and how to get it. We encourage everyone to use the Benefit Estimator to make sure they receive the benefits and resources they deserve.' 'This new tool reaffirms our commitment to making Massachusetts the best state for veterans and their families,' said Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. 'With a more accessible and user-friendly benefit estimator, we are ensuring that no veteran in need is left without access to critical financial assistance.' Veterans unsure of their eligibility or needing further assistance can locate their local Veterans Service Officer through the Find Your Local VSO feature on the EOVS website or contact the office directly at (617) 210-5480. Under the 2024 HERO Act, Chapter 115 benefits have expanded, ensuring veterans do not lose eligibility due to annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in state or federal benefits. Additionally, cities and towns can provide direct deposit options for faster and more convenient benefit distribution. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
