Paul Tuthill

The  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded more than $21 million to the city of Springfield Massachusetts to help it recover from the June 2011 tornado. 

   Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said the money will fund specific projects detailed in the tornado recovery master plan the city produced last year.

Efforts by residents of a low- income housing cooperative in Springfield, Massachusetts to recover  from the June 2011 tornado have been dealt another setback.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development , which funded the  90- unit complex nearly 40 years ago, is weighing foreclosure.

The city of Springfield is seeking an exception to Proposition 2 ½ , the Massachusetts property tax cap law, when it comes to casinos.

   An $800 million resort casino could mean tens of millions of dollars annually in additional property taxes for Springfield.  But Mayor Domenic Sarno said the city will not get the full financial benefits from a casino development unless a change is made to Prop 2 ½.

Supporters of gay rights participated in vigils and rallies held in cities across the country on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing arguments in two same-sex marriage cases.

   While about 50 people gathered around the front steps of the Federal Court House in Springfield to cheer and applaud speakers, Charlie Rogers stood like a sentinel on the curb facing oncoming traffic on State Street. He held a hand-painted sign reading “Overturn DOMA”

Educators, business leaders, and philanthropists are backing an initiative in Springfield Massachusetts to combat a problem that confounds many urban schools: a  low high school graduation rate.

The mayor of Springfield Massachusetts, Domenic Sarno,  is saying little about a published report that a federal investigation is probing ties between a political consultant and the mayor’s office.

   Sarno was asked if he had any knowledge of  a federal investigation that was reported Sunday by the Springfield Republican newspaper

Earlier today, WAMC's Paul Tuthill asked Springfield Domenic Sarno about a published report that the FBI is investigating a political consultant's ties to the mayor's office. Tuthill asked if he was aware of an FBI investigation.

Supporters of  gay rights are holding a candle light vigil Monday night  in front of the Federal Courthouse in Springfield Massachusetts.

The demonstration is on the eve of the oral arguments before the US  Supreme Court in two cases that challenge the validity of laws restricting gay marriage.  Leora Harpaz, a professor of constitutional law at Western New England University School of Law, says its one of the biggest cases the court is taking up this year.

   A decision is not expected before June.

Rallies are being organized on Sunday in Albany, Boston and other cities by the National Association of Letter Carriers to save Saturday mail delivery. 

   The president of a letter carriers union local in Springfield Massachusetts, Michael Harazmus, said it won’t  just be postal workers who will be negatively impacted if six day a week mail delivery goes away.

An anti-crime task force was  launched on Friday to help almost 50 mostly small towns in western Massachusetts combat drugs, guns and gangs. 

   The members of the task force, most of whom will be working undercover, were sworn in Friday at the Northampton office of the Northwestern District Attorney.  The top priority is to disrupt the distribution of drugs, which District Attorney David Sullivan said is at the root of most crime in Hampshire and Franklin Counties.