In the News

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the House Ways and Means Committee chair, will meet this week to continue negotiations on another round of coronavirus relief legislation that could include major infrastructure spending, Neal said Wednesday. Neal said he would lay out Democrats' plans to pursue a major infrastructure spending package and would hope to… Read more »

As protests continued last night across the country over the death of George Floyd, hundreds came together for a prayer vigil in the largest city in in western Massachusetts. A racially and generationally diverse gathering of perhaps 300 people stood in front of Springfield City Hall Tuesday evening for a vigil promoting justice in the case of Floyd – the Black man who died when a… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WHSM) -- A prayer vigil to honor the life of George Floyd brought a crowd to downtown Springfield. Black Lives Matter protesters, religious leaders, elected officials and the Springfield Police Department all came to recognize one thing -- the pain everyone is feeling. People came to the steps of City Hall to honor the life of George Floyd. Mayor Domenic Sarno… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — Girding for an expected three days of protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, hundreds gathered on the steps of City Hall late Tuesday afternoon for a vigil urging peaceful demonstrations. Mayor Domenic Sarno led a speaking program fueled primarily by faith leaders from around Greater… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The city of Springfield came together on the steps of Springfield City Hall in response to nationwide unrest after the death of George Floyd. The peaceful event was led by a number of religious leaders from all different faiths. Well over a hundred people showed up to support the black lives matter movement. Although this is different than the protests… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the U.S. will be terminating its relationship with the World Health Organization, saying it had failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus because China has “total control” over the global organization. He said Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO… Read more »

EASTHAMPTON — U.S. Sen. Ed Markey has announced new legislation that he says would help expand passenger rail service across western Massachusetts. In an online press conference Friday, Markey said the bill would bring $5 billion in yearly investment — a total of $25 billion over five years — to build intercity rail. In an effort to give the bill a catchy acronym, the… Read more »

Massachusetts U.S. Senator Ed Markey has announced a new $25 billion bill to expand passenger rail across the state and country. The Building Rail Across Intercity Networks To Ride Around Interior of the Nation or “BRAIN TRAIN” Act calls for $5 billion dollars to be invested on railways between cities ever year for five years. “Studies consistently show that expanding… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — Dependent on state aid for about half its $58 million annual budget and on even more unreliable fare revenue and advertising proceeds for the rest, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority on Friday welcomed $36 million in federal coronavirus response money. U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, announced the funding at a news conference at Union Station with Mayor… Read more »

A proposal from Sen. Ed Markey to invest $5 billion annually over the next five years in intercity passenger rail expansion could gain bipartisan support as lawmakers gear up to work on a new infrastructure package, Rep. Richard Neal said on Friday. Markey, in a video conference Friday morning, announced the Building Rail Across Intercity Networks To Ride Around… Read more »