Page 16 - Don Treeger News Today

Railroad underpass work to improve safety, access to Springfield’s Riverfront Park Updated Feb 18, 2021; Posted Feb 18, 2021 The railroad underpass leading to Springfields Riverfront park will get an upgrade under the recently passed state transportation bond bill. (Don Treeger/ The Republican) Facebook Share SPRINGFIELD — The state’s $16 billion transportation bond bill includes $1.5 million to upgrade a railroad underpass to make it easier and safer to walk from the city’s downtown ...

Takeout helps sustain Massachusetts restaurants during ‘bleak’ times Updated Feb 18, 2021; Posted Feb 18, 2021 Chef Adan Mendoza cooks in the kitchen at Three Figs restaurant in Suffield, Connecticut. (Hoang Leon Nguyen / The Republican) Facebook Share One of the top restaurant trends for 2020 reported by the National Restaurant Association was delivery-friendly menu items. That was even before the coronavirus pandemic changed everything for restaurants, many of which last year turned to ...

Beyond COVID: Expect a ‘click and mortar’ approach as colleges emerge from the pandemic Posted Feb 16, 2021 Westfield State University professor Tarin Weiss teaches a geology class from her Westhampton home in December. (Don Treeger / The Republican file photo) Facebook Share When the coronavirus pandemic closed college campuses in March of 2020, administrators initially hoped that some normalcy would return by the fall semester. That did not happen. Some schools that reopened dormitories ...

Technical high schools adapt to COVID’s immense challenge Updated Feb 16, 2021; Posted Feb 16, 2021 1/21/2921 -Westfield- Students at work in Westfield Technical Academys auto repair shop. (Don Treeger / The Republican) Facebook Share The vocational director at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy says the last 11 months have been difficult, but could have been worse. “Some districts were caught (unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic). They planned for hybrid last summer and the...

COVID marks new chapter for independent bookstores Updated Feb 16, 2021; Posted Feb 16, 2021 Zelmon "Zee" Johnson adjusts the shelves in her Olive Tree Books-n-Voices, a community bookstore on Hancock Street in Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican) Facebook Share SOUTH HADLEY — For Joan Grenier, owner of the Odyssey Bookshop across from Mount Holyoke College, 2020 was a year of constant reinvention — and gratitude. With business interrupted by the coronovirus pandemic, Grenier said ...

Can Springfield get its ‘mojo’ back? COVID has taken a toll, but city looks toward rebound Updated Feb 15, 2021; Posted Feb 15, 2021 6/5/2019 - Springfield - Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and new chief development officer Timothy T. Sheehan at the press conference Wednesday afternoon. (Hoang Leon Nguyen / The Republican) Facebook Share The city of Springfield is primed to rebound economically and get back its “mojo” that had been going strong before the pandemic struck a year ago, m...

Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts helped nonprofits survive COVID Updated Feb 15, 2021; Posted Feb 15, 2021 1/20/2021 -Easthampton- Volunteer Mary Bianca (L), gives some food items to Jada Springfield of Northampton at the Easthampton Community Centers food pantry at their Clark Street headquarters. (Don Treeger / The Republican) Facebook Share Every week since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world back in March, Robin Bialecki has seen more new faces in need of food to get th...

Massachusetts manufacturers struggle to fill critical jobs Updated Feb 15, 2021; Posted Feb 15, 2021 Springfield rail car manufacturer CRRC last fall hired 40 electrical engineers and 42 mechanical engineers to meet demands for the coming year and beyond. (Don Treeger / The Republican file photo) Facebook Share It has been one of the economic conundrums of the coronavirus pandemic: Unemployment rates rose to unprecedented levels, but some employers have been begging to fill jobs. With the on...

New England Farm Workers Council in Springfield faces $147,000 tax debt and continued delays in Paramount-Massasoit development Updated Feb 14, 2021; Posted Feb 14, 2021 The New England Farm Workers Council, which owns the Paramount-Massasoit block in Springfield, is faced with delayed plans for a $38 million redevelopment and delinquent taxes on multiple downtown properties. This photo was taken before the start of a groundbreaking ceremony at the former theater, also known as the Hippodrome...

Are smaller vaccination sites the key to reaching residents within Massachusetts’ urban centers? Updated Feb 13, 2021; Posted Feb 13, 2021 One of the 10 National Guards m edical personel stands outside the doors at the Eastfield Mall vaccination site. (Douglas Hook / MassLive) Facebook Share As the vaccine slowly drips through to municipalities across the state, city leaders look at where they could open their own sites for residents. Springfield houses the only super vaccination site west...