Roberta Twining News Today

. (Tribune News Service) — Cheryl Turgeon just wants the families of the Holyoke Soldiers Home veterans to have their voices heard. Turgeon — whose father, Dennis Thresher, a Korean War veteran, was a resident at the home — has spent months calling for change and transparency at the facility thats seen nearly 80 residents die from COVID-19. Her father, who experienced COVID-like symptoms when the virus first swept through the facility last spring, died Saturday. He was 90. "These vet...

HOLYOKE, Mass. (Tribune News Service) — All Francis “Skip” Hennessy wanted for Christmas was a ride home. The 82-year-old U.S. Army veteran settled in at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke in late 2019. His mobility deteriorated after a fall. Mild dementia had taken hold. His daughter was comforted when her father won a bed at his twilight home of choice after 10 months on a waiting list. Initially, his move to the state-run facility was a bit rough. Staff were caring, albeit a little...