Latest news with #WesternMassachusetts
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Turning a blind eye to genocide': Mass. Rep. Neal's visit to Ireland protested
Wielding signs that read "Richard Neal, you can't hide. You're supporting genocide," protesters made their voices heard this week as a Western Massachusetts lawmaker visited Ireland. Around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters greeted U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District, as he was hosted by the Killarney County Council, according to reports by The Journal, an Irish news organization. Neal, the top Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is among the ranks of U.S. House lawmakers who have backed Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza. Protesters took Neal to task for that support, along with his vote in favor of a controversial antisemitism awareness bill that critics say is a pretext for cracking down on support for the Palestinian cause, the Irish news outlet reported. Neal, of Springfield, was one of six of the Bay State's nine House lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill. The protesters, who gathered outside Muckross House, a historic Victorian mansion in an Irish national park, accused Neal of hypocrisy because he played a key role in facilitating the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the longest period of conflict in Irish history, the newspaper reported. The 1998 peace pact also ensured there would not be a return to a 'hard border' between British-controlled Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Neal, 76, is the top Democrat on Congress's Friends of Ireland Caucus, according to his official biography. One of those protesters, whom The Journal identified only as Maria, told the news outlet that 'obviously the peace process is really important to Northern Ireland, which is still under occupation.' 'We're put in a really horrible position by having him here, having him hosted, and having people stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel because of his position,' Maria, who helped organize the protest, continued. Neal was among the scores of high-profile pols and business leaders who traveled to Ireland for the Global Economic Summit, which ran through Wednesday. The Springfield lawmaker also has ancestral ties to the area, according to the Irish news outlet. RFK Jr. slammed raw milk shots with podcast host in the White House Major Trump foe says Republicans keep approaching her with shocking message 'Incredibly ironic': Trump antisemitism effort may force out Harvard's Israeli Jews 'We're not sanctuary cities': WMass mayors push back at feds over DHS target list New poll shows who Dems want in 2028 — and it's not Kamala Harris Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Susan Sarandon's lawsuit against WMass contractor dismissed
SPRINGFIELD — Six months before Oscar winner Susan Sarandon was set to go to trial after suing a Western Massachusetts contractor, the case was dismissed in federal court on May 15. Sarandon, under her corporate businesses, went after Western Massachusetts contractor Chad DeGrenier and his wife over a retirement home and compound in a tiny country setting in Vermont where just over 800 people are listed as residents. In court records, Sarandon has said she regarded the $2 million project as the spot where she will live out some of her last years of life in New England. Sarandon, 78, is best known for her Oscar-winning role as a nun in 'Dead Man Walking,' and other roles in 'Bull Durham,' 'Witches of Eastwick' and more. The federal court record only reflected a stipulation of dismissal among the parties, without providing more detail. A trial was scheduled for U.S. District Court in Springfield beginning Oct. 27 before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni but that has been canceled given the recent development, according to the court docket. The most recent and significant development in the case came through a denied motion for Sarandon's camp to seize a $125,000 piece of equipment. 'Plaintiffs argue they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims of breach of the agreement because it is undisputed that defendants bought the Kubota on behalf of plaintiffs for use at the property, and the agreement provides that, at its termination, defendants will return to plaintiffs any items of property owned by plaintiffs that is in defendants' possession,' U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson wrote in a decision last year. Sarandon's original complaint alleged the home had man faults, including buckled walls, an unfinished bedroom and other flaws. Mass. weather: Severe weather, chance of tornado, hail this afternoon Girl Scouts of Central and Western MA is hosting a recruitment event at the East Forest Park Branch Library 2nd Bands For Brittney Fundraiser to rock in Hadley on Saturday 'This place is going to come alive': Pride stores founder unveils Hope Center for the Arts Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
By the numbers: Massachusetts sees drop in families needing emergency housing
BOSTON (WWLP) – The number of families who are in emergency housing in Massachusetts continues to decline, the state's biweekly report indicates. As of May 1, there is a total of 4,800 families assigned to shelters, on one of two tracks, the bridge or rapid. Both have the goal of making shelter stays rare, brief, and non-recurring, and aim to give families the resources they need to acquire stable housing and employment. Springfield Works launches pilot program to help those who exceed public assistance benefits Bridge Shelter families are considered to have higher or more complex needs and are permitted to stay in traditional shelters for up to six months. There are 4,608 families currently in this system. Rapid Shelter families are determined to have lower support needs and are permitted to stay in temporary shelter sites for up to 30 days. There are 192 families currently in this system. The state is also working to transition families out of hotels and place them into safe and stable housing. Over the last 14 days, 1,2,12 hotel rooms have been in use for those in the emergency shelter system, and 196 have since been phased out. Number of families in western Massachusetts emergency shelters: Of the 4,800 families in shelters or hotels, 1,981 of those entered Massachusetts as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. In western Massachusetts, the following towns and cities have families in the Bridge track: Amherst: 5 Chicopee: 35 (23 hotel rooms in use) Greenfield: 8 Holyoke: 158 Northampton: 2 (2 hotel rooms in use) Pittsfield: 14 Springfield: 250 West Springfield: 29 (28 hotel rooms in use) Reasons for homelessness Domestic violence or abuse: 389 Health and Safety Risk / Ask to Leave, Threatened Eviction: 999 Housing situation not meant for human habitation: 1,742 Fire, flood, or natural disaster: 29 Asked to leave a Teen Living Program: 10 Other: 1,220 Eviction: 450 According to the report, fiscal year 2025's project costs will be around $1.064 billion. Local News Headlines 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. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
