NORTHAMPTON — Soundslide: Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, and the Pioneer Valley Gay Men’s Chorus graced the stage at the 31st Annual Noho Pride rally at the Three County Fairground on Saturday. Audio Mary Serreze; Photography Paul Shoul; full speeches at bottom of post. Audio: Elizabeth Warren Audio: [...]

Because the agenda wasn’t posted for the BPW’s April 25 meeting, when hefty water and sewer rate hikes were adopted, the board was ordered to take a “re-vote” last night. This time, more than two dozen residents – most of them from Ward 6 – showed up to cry foul. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – Last night, for [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Mayor David J. Narkewicz unveiled his fiscal 2013 municipal budget on Thursday, balanced with staff cuts and other savings. For the first time in many years, the proposed budget does not draw upon reserves. The $95.8 million budget, which represents a 3 percent increase over FY2012, includes the $79.4 million general fund and [...]

One week from deadline, the mayor and his finance director are crunching numbers, identifying savings, and meeting with department heads in an effort to present a balanced budget to the City Council next Thursday.   NORTHAMPTON — It’s not going to be easy, but Mayor David Narkewicz says he’s confident he can find enough savings [...]

It wasn’t your typical anti-nuke protest — nobody got arrested at the crowded, family-friendly event. And top elected officials, instead of ducking controversy, proudly briefed Vermonters on their battle to send the Entergy Corporation packing.   BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Governor Peter Shumlin, Attorney General William Sorrell, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders rallied a crowd of [...]

NORTHAMPTON — A proposal by Mayor David Narkewicz to change the way the city’s ambulance service is funded got a green light from the City Council’s Public Safety Committee last Monday night, and is now headed to the full City Council, despite concerns expressed by Fire Department management and labor. The committee voted 3-1 to [...]

As residents mobilize to rescue a sugar maple on their street, questions arise about the city and the utility’s compliance with a state law that seems to requires public notification before a mature street tree is cut down.   By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — A group of Harrison Avenue residents are fighting to save an [...]

A Northampton District Court Judge Again Denies Bail For Suspect Ryan Daniel Welch, While Prosecutor Says Welch Made an Earlier Knife Threat on Jessica Ann Pripstein’s Life, Telling Her that Police Would Never Take Him Alive. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – Accused murderer Ryan Daniel Welch of Easthampton was again ordered held without bail today [...]

The state’s highest court heard oral arguments last Nov. 9, and their ruling on admissibility of the 9-hour police interrogation could make or break the high-profile arson and murder case against suspect Anthony Baye. The defense says the cops went too far, lied about the law and made false promises of leniency to force a [...]

The ambulance “receipts reserved” account finished the last fiscal year with more than $860,000 in the bank, but on the 7th of July the City Council transferred $745,000 of that to various Emergency Medical Services accounts, including $450,000 for employee stipends. The EMS division is now self-sufficient and has outgrown its need for a dedicated [...]

A police search of the alleged killer’s apartment yielded bottles of prescription drugs for anxiety and depression, one of which – Gabapentin – the FDA warned would increase the risk of suicide or violent deaths. Suboxone, used to treat narcotics addiction, was also found. By DAVID REID EASTHAMPTON – Five returned search warrants in the murder case [...]

The new mayor, working hand-in-glove with his finance chief, held the parking director’s feet to the fire over the course of two months — until the heat became a bit too much to bear, newly-revealed records show. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — In a series of three recent formal memos to now-deposed “Parking Czar” William [...]

The Jan. 10 audit and management letter by Scanlon & Associates LLC singled out the Parking Division for poor record-keeping and lax internal controls; a little more than a month later “Parking Czar” Bill Letendre was out the door. What happened?   By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — The city’s annual outside audit, normally a dry [...]

The evidence — gathered from a bloody Easthampton apartment, a witness statement and a chilling E-911 telephone call — led the police and the DA’s office to charge Jessica Ann Pripstein’s boyfriend with her murder. Ryan Welch, who police allege slashed his own throat after the homicide, was arraigned today at Baystate Medical Center. Welch says he didn’t do [...]

The former owner of TJ’s Sports Bar agrees to pay $42,000 in cash as part of a guilty plea that brings probation, avoids jail time and lets him keep his Bridge Street home. By DAVID REID   NORTHAMPTON – John Smith, arrested last October for having 30 pounds of marijuana in his home here, has [...]