Powell Press Release: Reign in Day Care Centers

“POWELL PROPOSES LOCAL CONTROL OF DAY CARE CENTERS” Springfield: – City Council candidate Karen Powell today said that the City should introduce home rule legislation to allow greater local control of the siting of Day Care Centers. “I have witnessed egregious examples of Day Care Centers, with literally dozens of clients smack in the middle [...]

Written on July 31, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,City Hall,Elections,Feature Stories,Politics,Society | 8 comments

Simpson’s on E-Bay thru August 5th

The life-sized Simpsons props provided by Fox Network for the Simpson’s Movie Contest are now up for bidding over at E-Bay. The set includes five plastic family members plus a heavy cardboard couch. Check out the online auction here. All proceeeds from the sale are going to the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield & [...]

Written on July 30, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,Feature Stories | 1 comment

Editorial Podcasting

About a year or so ago I did some podcasting episodes from my personal blog, Earth to Bill. I tried out various techiniques and formats, and learned a bit from those trials. The experiment turned out to be an ordeal for me, however, because at the time I had only a dialup connection to the [...]

Written on July 27, 2007 | Posted in Opinion,Podcasts | 3 comments

A Walk Up Maple Street in Springfield, MA

Maple Street in Springfield, MA, has been somewhat maligned in recent years. Perhaps it went through a dark period in the seventies and eighties, I don’t know. But today – in the peacefulness of daylight – the street is rather nice looking. It exemplifies the Springfield that used to be – a mix of wealthy [...]

Written on July 26, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,Society | 10 comments

Summer Bash Held for Sgt. Mark Ecker

On Saturday, July 21, 2007, the Springfield Lodge of Elks and V.F.W. Post #7352 co-hosted a Summer Bash benefit in honor of Sgt. Mark Ecker, a local hero seriously wounded in Iraq. The event was held at the Elks Lodge, located on Tiffany Street (Spfld). There was food, face painting, raffle prizes, and live entertainment [...]

Written on July 23, 2007 | Posted in Feature Stories,Society | 7 comments

Local News Roundup: 7/21/07

[A WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE, WITH INFORMATION CULLED FROM THE CITY'S NEWS & NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITES, PLUS VISITOR SUBMITTED INFORMATION.] LOCAL NEWS IN REVIEW: – SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL: The biggest news of the week for Springfield, MA, was the passage of new ordinance provisions for sex offenders living in the city. The Springfield [...]

Written on July 21, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,City Hall,Elections,Feature Stories,Society | 1 comment

Lysak Begins Run for City Council

Springfield City Council candidate John Lysak kicked off his campaign on Wednesday evening (July 18), at the Aquarius Club in Springfield, surrounded by his family, friends, and supporters. Lysak, 28, introduced himself as a man who supports the long-needed reforms brought in by the Springfield Finance Control Board. He said he believes the City needs [...]

Written on July 20, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,Elections,Feature Stories,Politics | 1 comment

On the Sex Offender Ordinance Vote

On Monday, July 16, the Springfield City Council voted unanimously to ban sex offenders (Levels 2 & 3) from within 500 feet of schools in the City. The ordinance change, which currently awaits Mayor Charles Ryan’s signature, would also place limits on other areas of the City where children frequent. This vote is controversial because [...]

Written on July 17, 2007 | Posted in Cities & Towns,Feature Stories,Society | 1 comment