Latest news with #KarenSchmidt
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Target of Springfield eminent domain, ‘Chicken Building' owners cry foul in court
SPRINGFIELD — Owners of 1208-1220 Main St. — the decrepit, vacant 'Chicken Building' — are fighting the Springfield Redevelopment Authority's eminent domain efforts in court, saying the $475,000 that the authority paid for it last year is too low. Owners Maple Investments Inc. sued this week in Hampden Superior Court, asking for compensation for damages. Maple Investments Inc. has owned the building since 1979, according to city records. The company's owners, according to state records, are Myron Katz and Karen Schmidt, both of Worcester. Maple Investments Inc. accepted the payment under protest, reserving the right to file this suit, called a compensation claim. The $475,000 amount was derived from an appraisal. The Chicken Building owes its name to the Crown Chicken restaurant that occupied the corner for many years, its tables and counters still visible through windows clouded with dirt, now an example of downtown blight. The other storefronts most recently had a small convenience store, a pawn shop, jewelry store and nail salon. In the lawsuit, Maple Investments says it was planning to redevelop the property on its own. The Springfield Redevelopment Authority began the eminent domain proceedings in June, filing papers with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, which disclosed the $475,000 in compensation. The Chicken Building at the corner of State and Main streets now sits with its facade deteriorating in the heart of a neighborhood that Springfield wants to redevelop. At other corners of the four-way intersection are key Springfield properties: the MassMutual Center, MGM Springfield and the Clock Tower Building at 113 State St. The Clock Tower Building is a centerpiece of the city's $70 million South Main Street Development Project, where work already has begun. To the north is 31 Elm, a $63 million Court Square redevelopment project. West Springfield gun buyback nets 34 guns Phone workers worried about lead on old lines wonder: Who will answer their call? 'This place is going to come alive': Pride stores founder unveils Hope Center for the Arts Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesotans rally around the state for immigrant and workers' rights on May Day
What Minnesotans rallied for during annual May Day demonstration What Minnesotans rallied for during annual May Day demonstration What Minnesotans rallied for during annual May Day demonstration It was a movement from coast to coast, seen in the Twin Cities as the International Workers' Day rally drew hundreds to the Minnesota State Capitol, rallying for immigrant and workers' rights. "I'm just with the people, fighting for what's right," said Karen Schmidt, who attended the rally from Blaine, Minnesota. Some say new policies from the White House amount to attacks on organized labor and immigrants, making the May Day tradition of widespread demonstrations even more important. "I'm for labor. As a solution, maybe this is a time for a general strike," said Keith Christensen, from Minneapolis. But in a space of strong opinions, a group playing the bongos said keeping the peace was important. "We've had great reaction. People dance," said Micki Rasmussen, who leads the group from Bloomington, Minnesota. Crowds weren't only seen in Minnesota's capital city, but also over at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Attendees at the airport included Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Sara Nelson, the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants/CWA. "I'm just happy to be here," Nelson told WCCO before speaking at the Capitol rally after her day at MSP. "It's exciting to be in a place with such rich labor history. That needs to be repeated right now."
