In the News

 A ceremony Monday marked the start of construction work to restore a landmark building in Springfield, Massachusetts.    Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and other participants in the ceremony spoke on the sidewalk under the marquee of the Paramount Theater as cars and trucks passed in front on North Main Street and trains moved in and out of nearby Union… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — The New England Farm Workers Council ceremonially broke ground Monday on the long-planned but oft-delayed $38-million rehab of the Paramount Theater and Massasoit House Hotel. “It’s a great day,” said Heriberto Flores president of the New England Farm Workers Council and developer of the historic building. “A lot of things had to come together… Read more »

The Internal Revenue Service could be getting its first redesign in more than two decades under the bipartisian Taxpayer First Act, which was approved by Congress last week. The bill, H.R. 3151, was introduced earlier this month by U.s. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia. It seeks to revise requirements for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding its organizational structure, customer… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Massachusetts, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, on Thursday sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to roll back Obama era regulations designed to curb the effects of climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday eliminated targets set by the Obama administration that would have required states to… Read more »

A U.S. House committee approved a package of bills that provide tax breaks for a variety of select industries and constituencies, kicking off what’s likely to be a protracted negotiation with Senate Republicans over whether and how to pay for them. The bills include dozens of breaks for specific industries, including biodiesel producers, wind-energy farmers, and beer and wine… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal has been appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Democrats’ Trade Working Group. The task force will be charged with negotiating with the Trump administration to collaborate on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Neal is chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. “One of the most important issues within the… Read more »

Amtrak announced today it has started operating out of Springfield’s historic Union Station. Two years after Union Station reopened following a $95 million restoration, Amtrak has opened a ticket office in the main concourse and closed a track-level waiting room.  The passenger rail company joins the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and intercity bus services that moved in and… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — Amtrak showed off its new ticket window Monday and checked luggage drop-off on the first floor of Union Station. The counter moves Amtrak customer service to the main concourse with the Peter Pan and Greyhound counters and vending machines selling tickets for both CTrail’s Hartford Line and its connecting Metro-North service. Amtrak is now just down the corridor… Read more »

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Valley Blue Sox celebrated their home opener Saturday, with Congressman Richard Neal throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The Holyoke-based collegiate summer baseball team returns after winning back-to-back league champions. Saturday night, hundreds of Blue Sox fans made their way to MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke to to see their team beat the… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — Employers will gather Monday at Springfield Technical Community College to talk about preparing potential applicants for jobs that businesses are having trouble filling. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is the keynote speaker. The event is organized by the college and the Western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association, a local trade… Read more »