APRIL 2, 2026 | FREE
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Stranded resident offers aid in Lebanon
SOUTH HADLEY
Override, electric light facility highlight April 14 election South Hadley will host its Town Election on Tuesday, April 14, featuring multiple contested races and a major Proposition 2 1/2 tax override vote on the ballot.
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CHICOPEE
Schematic design phase begins for Barry school project The Anna E. Barry Elementary School project will move forward now that it has been recently approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to enter the schematic design phase.
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HOLYOKE
Holyoke takes next step toward building new middle school At its March 23 meeting, the School Committee voted to move forward with a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a core project that would replace the H.B. Lawrence Elementary School with a new middle school.
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From left: Hassan Mourad hands food to a child whose family is sheltering at a school. Hassan Mourad talks about the humanitarian need in Lebanon. Smoke rises from a nearby airstrike in Lebanon. Photo credit: Hassan Mourad
By Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com
BEIRUT, LEBANON — It is hard to be away from home for extended periods. Harder still when one is in a war zone. Hassan Mourad, a Springfield resident who traveled to Lebanon on business in late February, became stranded in the country amid the Iran War. However, he has turned his circumstances into action, working to help displaced people however he can. On March 17, Reminder Publishing reached out to Mourad via Zoom. He stood in front of a wall of windows. In the background, the setting sun cast a warm, hazy glow over the skyline of Beirut. The haze, he explained, was from the plumes of smoke that rise from the hourly air strikes in Douha, Lebanon, a couple miles south of Beirut. Throughout the course of
the interview, Mourad repeatedly looked behind him into the distance as the sound of air raids carried across the city. Mourad, a first-generation Lebanese American, is a 33-yearold business owner and father of two who was born and raised in Springfield. He went to Lebanon to strike distributing deals for his uncle’s line of hair care products. Less than 48 hours later, the United States and Israel launched surprise attacks against Iran. After Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the first wave of attacks, Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and banned paramilitary group, launched missiles at its neighbor and long-time adversary, Israel. Israel responded by stepping up its attacks against Lebanon and launching a ground invasion. Many Americans left Lebanon immediately after the war began,
Mourad said, but a few days later when the American embassy closed, commercial flights largely stopped. The only flights available now are through Beirut-based Middle East Airlines. He had booked a flight to Turkey, but it was canceled. He said if he were able to successfully catch a flight, it would likely take him to Cyprus or Egypt, and he would need to make his way to the United States from there. Mourad is less concerned with fleeing the country, though, and more focused on helping people in Lebanon, much to the dismay of his family. He said his parents are worried, particularly when they hear reports of aid workers killed in air strikes. His mother calls him every day asking him to come home. “I tell her, ‘I have to help our people,’” he said. Mourad’s children also fear for their father. While he tries to as-
sure them that he is safe but said they are old enough to understand news reports. “They tell me, ‘No one is safe. Look at what happened in Gaza.’ Once I feel like my mission here is complete, I’ll be more focused on getting home.” When asked how he is faring, Mourad said, “I’m still alive, so that’s good. It’s a surreal experience for me.” He admitted, “It takes a lot of courage to be out here.” This is not Mourad’s first time in Lebanon while the country is at war. Israel crossed into Lebanon in October 2024, and despite a ceasefire signed roughly two months later, there have been consistent air strikes since. Mourad’s parents left Lebanon to escape war with Israel, which has been recurring since 1978. “In 2024, I was very unhapSee LEBANON on page 3