Hourly service to New York was the headline out of the March 19 Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors meeting. Rail & Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger turned heads when she announced that as a goal last Thursday. Yet the clarity she offered on the future of passenger rail in Western Mass more generally may have been more significant.
The Massachusetts Ethics Commission served former Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley with an order to show cause, leveling no fewer than five charges against him for violating state ethics laws. Four of the alleged violations stem from his legal practice. Bartley had represented clients with
The City of Springfield, several fellow municipalities and environmental groups will try to convince a Washington appeals court on Monday to revive a lawsuit to restore climate grants the Environmental Protection Agency illegally eliminated. Springfield was one of the first recipients of the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant (ECJBG) program. Yet, the city like many others lost its grant amid the chaos of the Trump administration’s slashing last year.
Western Mass legislators are no longer having all the fun. Tara Jacobs, the Governor’s Councilor whose district encompasses the 413, shall have primary challenge. Her 2022 rival Michael Fenton, a Springfield City Councilor, has pulled papers to run for the seat.
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors hurled disapproval and invective, at times in an apparent violation of the body’s rules during Monday’s tempestuous meeting. In the end, however, it signified nothing—at least for now. The Council voted down a resolution of no confidence in Council President Tracye Whitfield but not before trading fire amongst themselves for some time.
Supporters of Whitfield filled the chamber, but there had been signs before Monday the no-confidence push might peter out.
This past Monday Massachusetts’s pundits and commentariat opened their inboxes and found something missing. The Bay State’s own version of Politico’s Playbook was not there. It was not a holiday or one of the newsletter’s seasonal hiatuses. Rather, the daily tip sheet on state and local politics is simply no more. Its last writer moved on and the Arlington, Virginia-based news outlet decided not to replace her.
There were four concurring opinions, two dissents, and a majority opinion that had only three votes in parts. Nevertheless, a solid six justices said Trump lacked the power to impose these tariffs. The Bay State’s electeds welcomed the ruling and blasted Trump for instituting them in the first place.
Several incumbents face challenges in the primary. Democrats from North Adams to Springfield will have to fight to secure their party’s nomination. The representative for the 5th Hampden District has now joined the list. Holyoke Rep Patricia Duffy will face political consultant and Democratic State Committee member Dori Dean in the primary.
As announced, the Springfield City Council held a special meeting Friday to purge its “tainted” vote to discontinue a stretch of Wallace Street. Essentially a street only on paper, the body had approved the discontinuance on February 2. That would return the land to abutting property owners. One of those owners was JETS Property Development, LLC. City Council President Tracye Whitfield owns part of JETS.
Springfield Congressman Richard Neal is facing a primary challenge from Jeromie Whalen, a teacher who lives in South Hadley. Whalen has tried to harness ubiquity to overcome Neals’ advantages like fundraising. In the final quarter of 2025, Neal raised nearly ten times as much as Whalen.
