Worcester, MA
Weather
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update
How Much Ice Did You Get? Local Accumulation and Power Outage Update Ice covered much of Central and Western Massachusetts Tuesday, Feb. 16, morning, creating dangerous road conditions, but few power outages. The ice is thickest in the Berkshires where 0.21-0.23 inches of ice has accumulated, according to the National Weather Service. In Springfield and Worcester, 0.5-0.6 inches of ice accumulated overnight. Northward, in Greenfield and Fitchburg, ice accumulation was between 0.17 and 0.21 inches. About 300 of Eversource's hundreds of thousands of customers lost power momentarily and sections of Westfield were also without power for about an hour st…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates COVID-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates
Covid-19 Incidents Shoot Up In 3 Pioneer Valley Communities - Town-By-Town Trends and Rates The COVID-19 incident rate shot up dramatically in Amherst where UMass is attempting to tamp down on the virus’s spread. The daily average COVID-19 rate in Amherst per 100,000 people was 26.6 last week, Feb. 4. As of Thursday, Feb. 11, Amherst’s COVID-19 rate is 78.8. Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 new incident rates also went up in two more of the Pioneer Valley’s largest communities - Easthampton and Northampton. On Thursday, Feb. 11, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released the weekly town-by-town COVID-19 rate report. The numbers showed declining cases in nearly all of the Pio…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus COVID-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus
Covid-19: Cases Skyrocket In Amherst As UMass Reigns In Partying, Shuts Down Campus The COVID-19 incident rate shot up dramatically in Amherst where UMass is attempting to tamp down on the virus’s spread. The daily average COVID-19 rate in Amherst per 100,000 people was 26.6 last week, Feb. 4. As of Thursday, Feb. 11, Amherst’s COVID-19 rate is 78.8. The uptick in infections comes on the heels of the University of Massachusetts Amherst shutting down its campus to stop the virus’ spread. The roughly 13,000-member student body has been asked to self-quarantine. A spike in COVID-19 cases in Amherst has been linked to one or more “massive” frat parties thrown over the Feb. 6 w…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
Police & Fire
Updated: On-Duty Police Officer's Leg Broken In Route 66 Crash Updated: On-Duty Police Officer's Leg Broken In Route 66 Crash
Updated: On-Duty Police Officer's Leg Broken In Route 66 Crash A police officer had to cut himself free of his seatbelt and pull himself - with a freshly broken leg - out of his cruiser following a head-on crash with a vehicle that allegedly crossed into his lane. The crash happened on Saturday, Jan. 30, when Officer Matthew Knowlton with the Northampton Police Department was patrolling Route 66 by Rocky Hill Road in Northampton. At around 11:30 p.m., Knowlton observed a vehicle, allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed, toward his cruiser, according to WHDH Boston. The vehicle allegedly crossed the double yellow lines, entered Knowlton’s lane a…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Weather
Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA
Who Got The Most Snow? Snowfall Totals In Central, Western, Berkshire, MA A passing Nor'Easter left about 3-17 inches of snow across the region with snowfall totals varying greatly in communities all over Central or Western Massachusetts. The National Weather Service has put a winter weather advisory into place until Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m. Before the late afternoon, people can expect to see light snow showers and pockets of freezing drizzle. A glaze of ice developing on top of the snow is possible. Wind gusts may reach as fast as 40 mph. Below are snowfall totals from the Monday, Feb. 1 winter storm. The totals are reported as inches are as of 8 a.m. Tuesday,…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Amherst, MA
Police & Fire
Fire At Homeless Tent City Fills Downtown With Black Smoke Fire At Homeless Tent City Fills Downtown With Black Smoke
Fire At Homeless Tent City Fills Downtown With Black Smoke A fire at an unofficial homeless tent city created big clouds of black smoke rising from downtown Northampton on Sunday, Jan. 31. At around 10 a.m. on Sunday, Northampton Police started to receive reports of a fire at the unofficial, transient encampment under the New South Street bridge. One person suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital, Northampton Police said. The fire quickly extinguished. An investigation into the blaze indicates that the fire was started accidentally by a propane space heater inside one of the tents. 

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Weather
Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA
Updated Snowfall Forecast - Up To 15 Inches Predicted For Parts Of Western, Central MA When this Nor’easter is over, some communities in Central and Western Massachusetts are expected to be covered in more than 1 foot of snow. A Winter Storm Warning by the National Weather Service is in effect until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Heavy snow is expected with total snow accumulations of 7 to 15 inches and winds gusting as high as 45 mph. The communities that are expected to see the most snow are across the Worcester Hills and the east slopes of the Berkshires. The following are forecast snowfall totals including the smallest amount predicted, the most likely amount to fall…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Massapequa, NY
Lifestyle
CIA Declassifies Hundreds Of Local, International UFO Documents CIA Declassifies Hundreds Of Local, International UFO Documents
CIA Declassifies Hundreds Of Local, International UFO Documents Has anyone seen a UFO like the one recently spotted flashing in the sky in New England? The CIA just made it a little easier to find out. Earlier this month, January 2021, the Central Intelligence Agency declassified 700 files about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) aka unidentified flying objects (UFOs), according to multiple media reports including Fox, the Daily Mail, and the Black Vault, clearinghouse of declassified government documents with an emphasis on UFOs. On Thursday, Jan . 7, a video purportedly of a UFO flying over Northampton, Massachusetts, hit the web. Joe Douglass pos…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts
Check It Out: The Hungriest Truck-Eating Bridges Of Central And Western Massachusetts It doesn’t matter how many signs some cities and towns put up, people keep feeding Massachusetts’ truck-eating bridges. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the most recent example of a too-tall 18-wheel truck being shredded by a low bridge happened in Westborough. The city’s East Main Street railroad bridge is notorious for tearing the roofs off of semis trying to squeak by. “I drove close to that bridge every day for 3 years,” said Vanessa Saez on a photo posted by the Westborough Police to Facebook of a TT truck stuck under the bridge. “There are signs up and down that road warning drivers. They are …

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Schools
COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates
Covid-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates Two local school districts experienced COVID-19 flare-ups over the last week, according to the most recent state data. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released how many COVID-19 incidents were reported by students and staff from Jan. 21-27. Most of the Central and Western Massachusetts, as well as the Berkshires, had school districts where no COVID-19 incidents were reported that week. However, Shrewsbury and Hampden-Wilbraham school districts each reported 12-15 students and faculty that had become il…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
COVID-19: Advocates Win More Vaccines, New Vaccination Sites For Central, Western MA COVID-19: Advocates Win More Vaccines, New Vaccination Sites For Central, Western MA
Covid-19: Advocates Win More Vaccines, New Vaccination Sites For Central, Western MA In a turn of events, Central and Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires will be receiving thousands of more COVID-19 vaccine doses - and establishing more vaccination sites -  than previously scheduled. On Thursday, Jan. 28, Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. Mindy Domb said in a joint statement that Western Massachusetts would be receiving 3,000 additional COVID-19 vaccines per week starting Feb. 1. In a Jan. 21 report of vaccination distribution, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health doled out COVID-19 vaccines to counties in the following amounts: Worcester - 69,825 Hampden - 34…

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
Death Of Street Musician 'Bucket Man,' aka 'Motown Man,' Mourned In Pioneer Valley Death Of Street Musician 'Bucket Man,' aka 'Motown Man,' Mourned In Pioneer Valley
Death Of Street Musician 'Bucket Man,' aka 'Motown Man,' Mourned In Pioneer Valley Bennie M. Johnson wasn’t in the movies or politics, but he certainly was famous. Johnson, also known as the Bucket Man, recently died. As the Bucket Man Johnson was well-known in the area for his percussive performances on a white, plastic contractor’s bucket he’d carry around. Some people knew Johnson as “Motown Man” or “Motown Benne.” Johnson was a talented musician playing jazz, classic rock and Motown with a bucket and kazoo. He’d often dress the part of a rockstar wearing a shimmery scarf like a cape and wearing brightly-colored Mardi Gras beads. He’d play on the streets, but people …

SHARE

by Kristin Palpini