Assistant Superintendent for Business Pamela Blair presented the East Longmeadow Public Schools’ budget development for fiscal year 2027 during the School Committee meeting on Jan. 5.
Page 4
LONGMEADOW
Progress with Fiberspring project presented to Select Board
South Hadley Electric Light Department met with the Longmeadow Select Board to present the current progress in the Fiberspring project at its Jan 5 meeting. Longmeadow has been partnered with SHELD since 2024 to provide the town with a local fiber network.
Page 6
Gulluni begins “Adopt-a-Class” at Birchland Park
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
EAST LONGMEADOW —
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni visited Birchland Park Middle School’s eighth grade class in East Longmeadow to continue this year’s “Adopt-aClass” program on Jan 6.
The program involves the Hampden District Attorney’s Office “adopting” three classes each year to offer them insight into the criminal justice system. Gulluni is also partnered with the Springfield Legacy Academy and Monson High School.
Gulluni’s initial school visit is an informative session about his responsibilities as DA, followed by a Q&A with the students. The program continues in several parts over the coming weeks through civics lessons and a student-run mock trial. The program concludes with a tour of the Hampden County Hall of Justice, where students may get the opportunity to witness a real trial in progress.
Birchland Park Principal Steve Pearson said the school was lucky enough to be one of three chosen for this year’s program.
“We have an excellent opportunity to get some real life experience on what it means to be a citizen of the United States and what our system of justice is all about,” Pearson said.
Gulluni told the students that they’ll have the opportunity to learn what they may see in shows like “Law and Order,” but from the actual experts in the court-
room every day and not from the actors. He said shows like that aren’t typically realistic at all, yet he does recommend “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
For the mock trial, students will portray each role, such as a judge, defense lawyers, prosecutors, witnesses, the jury and police officers. Gulluni said that he hopes this opportunity helps the students learn and potentially aspire to follow one of those career paths moving forward.
“You’re really gonna get to learn from experts about how a trial works, and we hope it helps you learn,” Gulluni said.
“This is all designed to get you guys to learn and understand what we do.”
Gulluni said that when he decided to run for DA, he wanted to do something positive for his community but many didn’t think he would win because he was young and may lack experience. He said that instead of listening, he worked hard and believed in himself, which the students should aspire to do as they get closer to high school and college.
“If you set your mind to something and you believe in yourself and you work hard, you can achieve whatever you want to
achieve,” Gulluni said. Gulluni also told students about the 27-year long investigation into the murder of 24-yearold Lisa Ziegert, which was solved in 2019. Ziegert was a teacher in Agawam with a second job at Brittany’s Card and Gift Shoppe, where she went missing on April 15, 1992. Her body was discovered four days later on April 19. He said that when he came into office 11 years ago, he really wanted to solve that case.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni visits Birchland Park Middle School.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
See GULLUNI on page 4
Toy for Joy campaign rides late surge to strong finish
By Ron Chimelis Special to Reminder Publishing
A late surge of generosity gave a strong finishing kick to the 103rd edition of the Toy for Joy Christmas campaign.
Thanks to the heartfelt donations of local and regional citizens, businesses and organizations, the 2025 drive brought in $94,317. Under the guidance of first-year Captain Stacy McNeil, and backed by Salvation Army social services manager Danielle LaTaille and dozens of invaluable volunteers, the total rallied in the final weeks.
“Wow, what an incredible show of generosity by the community in support of Toy for Joy. We are so deeply grateful for all of your contributions. We couldn’t have done it without you,” McNeil said.
The Salvation Army sponsors the campaign. McNeil was moved by how many people participated, allowing Toy for Joy to maintain its place as a standard bearer for charitable giving in Western Massachusetts.
Families and children were served at Salvation Army Citadels in Springfield, Holyoke and Greenfield. In Springfield alone,
more than 1,600 families and 4,300 children experienced the joy of Christmas gifts through Toy for Joy.
In the final days of the drive, many generous donors helped raise the final total. Always a set of loyal contributors, the Pathfinder Regional School of Three Rivers School Committee joined with Superintendent Eric Duda to donate $235.
Matching donations from The Republican employees totalled $2,350.
From the law offices of Mark E. Salamone came $972. Lia Toyota answered the children’s
need in a huge way with $2,500, as did Connecticut Valley Artesian Well with $1,000. Robert and Roberta Bolduc continued their leadership in charitable giving with $2,500. Joseph O’Brien gave $1,000, with Caroline Gruszka ($250), and a $300 donation was given in memory of Michael J. Farrell, “Mugsy” Silansky and Paul “Sammy” Samble.
Not to be overlooked were the hundreds and even thousands of dollars given anonymously, or the donations of any size by citizens who were determined to do their part in mak -
ing this a Merry Christmas for the children. Plans are already being discussed for the 104th edition of Toy for Joy, which will roll out in the fall of 2026. The Salvation Army, volunteers who helped the cause and sponsoring media (The Republican, Reminder Publishing , MassLive and El Pueblo Latino). All of those involved have deep and profound gratitude for those who participated to make so many children happy at Christmas, and look forward to the 2026 Toy for Joy campaign next fall.
Oliveira sees affordability as the state’s main challenge in 2026
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
This is the second year of the 2025-2026 legislative session. Typically, the first year of the session sees a flurry of activity, with about 7,000 bills filed. State Sen. Jake Oliveira filed more than 700 bills himself in 2025. In the latter half of the session, though, the bills work their way through committee and will, ideally, be taken up on the floor of the Senate.
Many of those bills will address one major issue with several heads. Like the hydra of Greek mythology, the monster that is affordability must be attacked from multiple angles.
Oliveira explained that utility costs are “crippling” seniors and those on fixed incomes. When it comes to electricity, he said, “Delivery charges frustrate me, frustrate my constituents. They’re higher sometimes than the supply cost.” Delivery charges are the set fees utilities charge to use their wires and poles to carry electricity to customers. In most municipalities, one utility owns most of the infrastructure, forcing people to pay their delivery charges. It does not have to be that way, though.
He said cities and towns with a municipally owned utility, like Chicopee, charge nearly half the distribution fee of Eversource. He said the state Department of Public Utilities is investigating why delivery costs are so high.
“People shouldn’t have to choose between paying for electricity and buying groceries, or paying a bill or buying medicine,” Oliveira said.
Another issue Oliveira is working on is the housing crisis. Despite the 2024 passage of the Affordable Homes Act, a five-year housing bond bill, people are still being priced out of the housing market.
“I’m a big fan of mixed-use housing,” Oliveira said, referring to buildings that contain a combination of housing units, offices, restaurants and shops. Redeveloping vacant buildings from the state’s industrial past lends itself to such uses. He cited the mixeduse redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills in his hometown. The housing there is age-restricted for seniors.
was passed, many municipalities have expressed concern and frustration that the state is mandating housing changes, such as allowing accessory dwelling units and affordable housing. Oliveira rejects the assertion that the Affordable Homes Act is forcing new restrictions on municipalities.
Chapter “40B has been on the books for decades. It just wasn’t enforced,” he said of a law setting a threshold of 10% affordable housing in each municipality. He said the Legislature tried to partner with each of the state’s 351 municipalities to avoid a one-sizefits-all approach. “There needs to be a balance and a recognition that residents in Massachusetts can’t afford to buy houses. A lot of young people are leaving, and when you ask why, they say it’s because its unaffordable.”
Oliveira called the “Big Ugly Bill,” changed health and tax credits. Some of Oliveira’s constituents are going to pay “tens of thousands” of dollars more this month than they did in 2025. He said it is most harmful to those people who are retired but not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare.
The state and municipalities are seeing 10% annual increases in health care costs, while tax revenue typically increases by just 3% each year. Health care is “crowding out” other government programs and initiatives, he said. Health care is also the largest employer in Oliveira’s district, which encompasses towns from Warren to South Hadley and from Belchertown to the Connecticut line. He also represents parts of Chicopee and Springfield, the latter of which is home to Baystate Health and Mercy Medical Center.
“We need to end a lot of these age caps,” Oliveira said. This would allow more young and middle-aged people who are currently priced out of homeownership to buy units in housing developments. “Springfield used to be the City of Homes,” he said. “Now, it’s a city of renters. A lot of that goes to affordability.”
Then, there is the issue of healthcare. The passage of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill, which
CORRECTION
Not everyone is sold on state-initiated housing changes. Since the Affordable Homes Act
See OLIVEIRA on page 4
In the Dec. 25 edition of The Reminder, Gerard N. Aubrey’s name was incorrectly placed under the Hampden section of the obituaries, Aubrey was from Holyoke, we regret this error.
State Sen. Jake Oliveira represents the Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District in the state Senate.
Reminder Publishing file photo
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EAST LONGMEADOW
East Longmeadow School Committee looks at FY27 budget
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
EAST LONGMEADOW —
Assistant Superintendent for Business Pamela Blair presented the East Longmeadow Public Schools’ budget development for fiscal year 2027 during the School Committee meeting on Jan. 5.
The district carried over $925,000 from FY25 into FY26 and projects $900,000 to carry into FY27, The goal is to try to not spend one full year’s revenues in 2027.
A large revenue source for the district is the Chapter 70 state aid, which provides funding for school operations. It also establishes minimum spending requirements for each school district and minimum requirements for each municipality’s share of school costs. The amount won’t be disclosed
for FY27 until around the third week of January, but was $15.5 million for the current FY26.
Grants are another form of revenue utilized in the budget process, staying pretty similar from year to year. During the meeting, the committee accepted two grants from Grynn & Barrett in the amount of $1,057.75 to the Mapleshade gift account and $2,043.41 to Birchland Park Middle School’s gift account.
The district has a number of revolving accounts, which “separately accounts for specific revenues and earmarks them for expenditure by a board or officer without appropriation for particular purposes to support the activity, program or service that generated the revenues,” according to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
The athletic account, which covers the $500,000 that the
athletic department costs, is one of the largest revolving accounts. The School Choice account is also relied on heavily, covering $350,000 to $450,000 for supplies. The account allots $5,000 per pupil with reimbursement for special education costs. $358,000 carried over from FY25 into FY26 and a revenue of $283,000 is projected, leaving $292,000 to roll over into FY27.
On the expenditures side for FY27, the current budget will be around $36.9 million. Salaries in the district make up around 80% at $29.7 million, with contractual obligations soon to affect the operating budget.
There are over 240 teachers going into their third and final year of contracts. Ninety-nine paraprofessionals are currently on their final contract year and will have negotiations for 2027 in the near future. There are 19
secretaries in the secretary association’s bargaining unit in the second year of its contract and 18 custodians who follow that same contract. There are 15 administrators and four central office clerical staff with individual contracts, and 11 employee atwill agreements with individuals performing services for individualized education programs.
Blair said the expense side of the budget is $7.2 million, approximately 20%. The total operating budget is $4.5 million, leaving $2.7 million for everything else. Digital licences cost around $60,000 with some of that price covered by the School Choice revolving account. These typically go up around 3-5% yearly, and the committee is trying to be fiscally conservative because many of the licenses are tied into the curriculum.
Blair also noted that the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational
Collaborative, which provides services for career and technical education, special education, transportation and Medicaid reimbursement, reduced the regular transportation by one bus for FY27. Blair said she is trying to figure out why and is concerned it may cause overcrowded buses and buses arriving at school late.
The committee was scheduled to meet with the Town Council to discuss the budget on Jan. 13, after Reminder Publishing’s deadline. Coverage of this meeting will appear in the Jan. 22 edition.
During the meeting, the committee also discussed questions for the superintendent candidates who were scheduled to be interviewed on Jan. 15. Coverage of the interviews and the committee’s discussion will appear in the Jan. 22 edition of The Reminder.
Holyoke Community College announces fall 2025 dean’s list
HOLYOKE — Each semester, Holyoke Community College recognizes superior scholarship through the dean’s list. A student is placed on the dean’s list if their G.P.A. is 3.2 or higher.
The following local students have earned dean’s list honors for the fall 2025 term:
East Longmeadow
Lily Gail Bernier, Sarah Con -
rad, Aubrey Lee Coutinho, Alexander Charles Joyce, Olivia Marcella Labonte, Cameron James Loranger, Andrew Makara, Ekaterina Evgenevna Melnikova, Vitoria Moran, Southep Phetmany, Xayavong Phetmany, Cassidy Noelle Pike, John Racine, Jillian Marie Scully, Hailey Renee Sutton, Justin Tran, Ella Margaret Wallace, Robert Edward Zemba.
Hampden
Adelaide Fay, Adison Oliveras, Adam Edward Poulin.
Longmeadow
Jack Ian Baker, James Gardiner Barnhart, Michael Edward Barton, Bahadir Birer, Aiden William Bombard, Reatrey Chen, Thomas William Cosgrove III, Alize Nextaci Diaz, Laura Catherine Frame, Mirna Hakim
Gulluni
Continued from page 1
“If someone you love was hurt, you would want to know what happened and why. You would want someone to be held accountable,” Gulluni said. “Her family desperately wanted answers, they wanted accountability, they wanted justice. That’s what I do and what the system strives for, which is justice.”
Gulluni said his office used DNA preserved from 1992 to es-
Oliveira
Continued from page 2
Cuts to health care will have significant repercussions on the economy and jobs in Western Massa-
Hashim, Sawyer Bean Hindley, Suhyun Lee, Lia Claire Lukezic, Benjamin Jacob Mahoney, Lindsey Victoria Mellis, Braeden Jerrold Mrozek, Jack Mrozek, Daniel Theodore Perez, Ronan Michael Quinn, Brady Matthew Russell, Julien Abbott Shanks, Samantha Trent, Nicholas Williams.
Wilbraham
tablish what the suspect may look like, which then led to a match with Gary Schara. Schara pleaded guilty to the murder in 2019 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“So 25-plus years later, because of forensic technology, because of good police work, because of the work that my office did, we figured out what happened to Lisa Ziegert back in April of 1992,” Gulluni said.
“Some of the best moments of my professional life, my jobs, were telling Lisa’s mother and father
chusetts, he said.
Oliveira said that part of the problem is a lack of medical professionals licensed in Massachusetts. Legislation that he filed allowing physician assistants licensed in other states to work in
Liam George Colclough, Kayla Ann Coolbeth, Mia Yareisha Figueroa, Khaliyah Jordan Gagner, Celia M. Labarbera, Daniel Patrick Loomis, Jeramie Joseph Marquez, James George Martine, Madison Elizabeth Meunier, Alek Milov, Olivia Catherine Picard, Jason Nicholas Sutter, Aaron Treat.
that we solved the case and that someone was going to be held accountable … that must have been really hard for them not having those answers.”
The visit ended with a lengthy Q&A session, where students asked Gulluni different questions about things like forensic testing, how to become a lawyer and the different types of cases.
Looking forward through the program, Gulluni will meet with the students twice more in the coming weeks, concluding with the private courthouse tour.
Massachusetts is in committee. Supply is only one aspect of the issue, though. Pharmaceutical benefit managers work as intermediaries between insurance companies and pharmacies managing drug prices. Oliveira said those intermediaries — the three largest of whom are Optum RX, CVS Caremark and Express Scripts — are profitable and drive up prices. In 2024, the state Legislature passed licensing requirements for pharmaceutical benefit managers. The health care issue, like housing, requires an “all-handson-deck” approach, but “unless the federal government is a partner,” Oliveira said the situation will not improve.
EAST LONGMEADOW
EAST LONGMEADOW
PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following events are organized by the East Longmeadow Public Library, 60 Center Square. For more information or to register, head to eastlongmeadowlibrary.org or call 413-525-5420. The library will be closed on Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• The New Menopause: A Discussion for Women’s Health — Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. A conversation about women’s midlife health, inspired by Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book “The New Menopause.”
Teen programs:
• Cupcake Wars — Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 2:30 p.m. Battle it out cupcake-style with other teens. Two cupcakes, two themes, one panel of judges. Grades 6-12 welcome. All ingredients will be provided. Space fills up fast.
Children programs:
• Wiggles and Giggles — Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 10 a.m.
EAST LONGMEADOW HISTORICAL MUSEUM
HOURS
The East Longmeadow Historical Museum, located at 87 Maple St. East Longmeadow, will open Saturday, Jan. 17. And as always, with free admittance. The museum boasts an impressive display of local history and many treasures such as period furniture and clothing displays, antique quilts, and Native American relics. There is also a display of artifacts from EL’s Redstone mining era from the town’s
many quarries. Any donated heirlooms for the museum’s collections will be accepted. Guided tours are available.
HAMPDEN
HAMPDEN SENIOR CENTER
The following events are organized by the Hampden Senior Center, 104 Allen St. For more information or to register for programs, call 413566-5588.
• Greeting Cards with Ellie — Monday, Jan. 26, 1-3 p.m. Cost is $3 per person. All materials are provided.
• Pickleball Clinic with Mary Grassetti — Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 11 a.m.
National Pie Day with Entertainment by Rick Gilday — Friday, Jan. 23 at 12:30 p.m.
LONGMEADOW
RICHARD SALTER STORRS LIBRARY
The following events take place at the Richard Salter Storrs Library, 593 Longmeadow St. For more information or to register for programs, call 413-565-4181, or head to longmeadowlibrary.org. The library will be closed on Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Youth programs: First Line Book Club (grades 2-3) — Tuesday, Jan. 20, 3:304 p.m. This second and third grade book group explores books that draw readers in from the very first line. Each month we’ll enjoy a page-turning chapter book and meet to discuss what kept us turning those pages. This month’s book selection is The Great Puptective by Alina Tysoe.
• LHS Late Nights — Tuesday, Jan. 20, Wednesday, Jan. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 22 from 8-10 p.m. Longmeadow High School students are invited to study for final exams until 10 p.m. at Storrs Library. Meeting rooms are available for group study and refreshments will be provided. LHS ID required for admission. This is an LHS only
event, the library will be closed to all others. Fortune Tellers Makers — Thursday, Jan. 22, 3:30-4 p.m. Come learn how to make and decorate your own Fortune Tellers! For ages 10 and up! Page to Screen Club: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
— Friday, Jan. 23, 12:15-2:15 p.m. All ages are invited to join the Page to Screen Club! Each month we pick a movie that’s based on a book and watch it together! This month the group is watching “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (PG).
Adult programs:
• Cookbook Club — Tuesday, January 20, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Love to cook? Visir the library for Lunchtime Cookbook Club!
Every month, we will explore a different chef, cuisine or cookbook. This program welcomes anyone who would like to try new recipes and share their prepared dish from the month’s selected book or chef. Every month is a food bonanza as we sample and discuss the many different recipes we prepare. Novice cooks are always welcome! This month’s selection: Jacques Pepin
• Library Virtual Speakers: Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with Journalist Julia Hotz — Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2-4 p.m.
• The National Gun Foundry at Springfield, 1777-1801: The Nation’s first industrial investment in national defense — Wednesday, Jan. 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
LONGMEADOW ADULT
CENTER
The following programs are organized by the Longmeadow Adult Center, located at 211 Maple Road For more information or to sign up for programs, call 413-565-4160 option 1.
• Final Planning Talk — Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. This
presentation helps you start thinking about preparing for your future. Forastiere Family Funeral & Cremation will explain how pre-planning your final wishes provides you with the opportunity to continue your legacy for your family. This gift is a thoughtful step to provide you with peace of mind, and your loved ones the comfort of knowing that these important decisions are taken care of for the future.
“Foes of a Minimum Wage Guard” — Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. Writer and performer Ken Harris portrays the story of an aging security guard and 11 other characters in this recently Broadway featured solo show! Steve Smelly finally has a day off but when his menacing manager demands he reports to work, chaos unfolds making Smelly face moral and physical challenges. Producer Angela Grout, former owner of Agawam Flower Shop; and Host of the yWrite Podcast; along with Director Michael “Buster” McMahon, writer of the Michael Buster McMahon Televised Radio Playhouse & Used Tire Company are proud to showcase this one hour performance.
Drums with Tara — Thursday,
Jan. 22 at 1:30 p.m. If you have a heartbeat, you can drum! For millennia, drumming has brought people together to create peace, health and wellness. The uplifting rhythms of Africa relieve stress and help people connect with each other, as well as their own joy. Tara Murphy leads creative movement and drum classes for seniors of all abilities. Please note, this is a high-energy program, be prepared for a workout! Registration required, spaces limited. LONGMEADOW DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE MEETING
On Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m., the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee will hold their monthly meeting. The meeting will be held at the Longmeadow Adult Center, 211 Maple Road, in the Multipurpose Room. LDTC member Bill Johnson presents “Hidden in Plain Sight: The dark truth behind the chains at the feet of the Statue of Liberty”. America has a long history of treating people with dark complexions, both immigrants and enslaved people, unfairly. Yet they still rise. After the presentation, we’ll take some time to share ideas on next steps to reclaim our democracy. Bring some non-perishable items for the food drive.
Fiberspring project progress presented to Select Board
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
LONGMEADOW — The South Hadley Electric Light Department met with the Longmeadow Select Board to present the current progress in the Fiberspring project at its Jan 5 meeting. Longmeadow has partnered with SHELD since 2024 to provide the town with a local fiber network.
Fiberspring is a high-speed internet service, powered and introduced by SHELD in 2019, that delivers fiber optic networks directly to homes. Optical fibers use pulses of light along thin pieces of glass to carry out signals rather than electricity.
A wide range of benefits are available through Fiberspring, such as a lower monthly rate, compared to Xfinity or Verizon. It also typically provides faster
download and upload speeds, the capacity for more connected devices and isn’t affected by power surges. Fiberspring also notes that a fiber network can add about $5,000 to the purchase price of a house.
SHELD and Fiberspring General Manager Sean Fitzgerald began the presentation with the project’s history since 2024 before turning it over to Director of Operations Adam St. Martin. Fitzgerald said a lot of work has been done in the past 12 months.
On the engineering and design side, SHELD conducted 91 miles of walkout data collection through the town, which rolls over to the pole applications to Verizon and Eversource. Fifty-four applications would be submitted for 2,268 poles in the town.
“As we developed the engineering, the consideration and
part of the boots on the ground evaluation was to count all the passings and make sure that we had sufficient fiber to support access for all those individuals,” St. Martin said.
A central office would be the “brain of the operation,” located next to existing Verizon infrastructure near the high school’s tennis courts. It would be used as a network and distribution hub, equipment housing and fiber management. St. Martin detailed a centralized pond network that would manifest itself from the central office and proliferate throughout the town. Twenty seven different fiber service areas would each get above ground fiber distribution cabinets to split the fiber and provide service throughout the town.
LYA to present One Shabbat One World on Jan. 23
LONGMEADOW — Fresh
home baked challah, gourmet Shabbat food, words of inspiration, and a feeling of community warmth await you on Friday night, Jan. 23 as Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy presents One Shabbat One World.
The festivities will begin with Shabbat services at 4:45
LONGMEADOW — Willie
Ross School for the Deaf has announced its spring term of American Sign Language classes beginning Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the school’s Longmeadow campus, 32 Norway St. Classes will be held once a week on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m., and will run for 13 weeks through May 12 (there are no classes on Feb. 17 or April 21).
Registration is $175 for the term, and those interested can
p.m. at LYA, 1148 Converse St. in Longmeadow. Dinner will follow at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will include a gourmet Shabbat dinner complete with Shabbat delicacies. A special children’s program is being planned.
The guest speaker for the evening will be Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman, co-director of
sign up at wrsdeaf.org/american-sign-language-classes. Registration will also be open on the evening of the first class, Feb. 3, from 6-6:30 p.m. Sign language classes are taught by deaf individuals.
WRSD will offer Levels 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 3. All class levels begin on Feb. 3, and during the first class WRSD teaching staff assess participants’ fluency to determine the best level placement. Individuals must be at least 16
curriculum at the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Dinerman participated in the creation of more than 30 JLI courses spanning many areas of Jewish scholarship.
Dinerman enriches minds through his podcast exploring Jewish history and Jewish Law. He is an educator at Beth Rivkah
years of age to participate.
The Level 1A beginner course is for students who have no previous experience in sign language or fingerspelling. Students will learn the manual alphabet and will learn to combine words to form simple sentences. The Level 1B course will focus on expanding basic vocabulary and conversation skills.
The Level 2A intermediate course will focus on further expanding vocabulary and
Division of Higher Learning in Brooklyn and spiritual leader of Unzer Shul in Crown Heights. He resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and five children. The fee for the dinner is $25 for an adult, $7 for children under 11 and a family price (two parents and all their chil-
conversation skills; and the 2B course is designed for students who possess a strong basic sign language vocabulary and fluency in expressive and receptive communication. The Level 3 course will emphasize receptive and expressive discourse with ASL users, focus on non-manual signals, complex grammatical construction, and idiomatic expressions.
All WRSD sign language courses use the Signing Natural-
dren) of $60. Attendees are requested to RSVP by Monday, Jan. 19. Call LYA at 413-567-8665 or email: info@LYA.org or online at LYA.org. Checks should be made payable to LYA and may be mailed to 1148 Converse St, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Your check is your reservation.
ly curriculum. Books are available for purchase for $85. Certificates of completion will be issued based upon three or fewer absences. To learn more, visit wrsdeaf.org/american-sign-language-classes.
WRSD is also offering a free sign language course for parents and guardians of Willie Ross School for the Deaf students on Wednesday evenings. Handout materials will also be available in Spanish.
Neal talks passage of health care credits, ICE shooting
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — After months of back-and-forth, a federal government shutdown and the U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-196 to resurrect the expired Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years.
The tax credits were created as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, subsidizing the cost of health care bought on health care marketplaces. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Congress passed in July 2025, the tax credits were not renewed, and beginning in January this year, many Americans saw their premiums skyrocket. Since the fall, when Congress was negotiating the federal budget, Democrats have worked to force a vote extending the credits, allowing the House and Senate time to craft new legislation. The federal shutdown that happened in October 2025 and ended nearly two months later hinged on whether the Republicans in control of the House would allow a vote to extend the tax credits.
While House Speaker Mike Johnson would not agree to bring a House vote on the issue, House Democrats, with the help of four Republicans, passed a discharge petition, which allows a simple majority of the house to force a vote. On Jan. 8, 17 Republicans joined all House Democrats in the approving the extension of the subsidies. However, the issue is far from settled.
“There’s a great sense of urgency,” said U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, speaking from the Federal Courthouse in Springfield on Jan. 9. He said the issue will now go to the Senate, where Republican Senate Majority Leader John
Fiberspring
Continued from page 6
St. Martin said a centralized network will also help identify and troubleshoot issues much faster, maximizing uptime for customers. Each fiber service area accounts for 288 customers and holds spare fiber to allow for future development or housing.
Financial Manager Michael Conchieri then ran the Select Board through the project’s financial review. Initially, the cost was looking to be around $25 million with a 50% take rate at $85 per subscriber. With the new data, SHELD now believes the project may cost $27.2 to $30 million, depending on a take rate between 40-60%. Conchieri said a higher take rate means a higher cost per subscriber, potentially at $90 per subscriber, and it may be at least seven to 14 years before the town sees a positive cash flow.
“People may look at that and say, ‘wow, that’s not great,’” Fitzgerald said. “You have to remember, you’re building a utility. You’re building a 50 to 100 year utility, and it’s not an easy task but it’s a great task if you can accomplish it.”
Thune will decide whether to allow the vote to come to the floor.
The Senate was unsuccessful in extending the tax credits in December 2025, with a vote of 5148. Now, however, Neal thinks the math has changed.
“We think they should take this measure up,” Neal said.
“There could be effort between the two chambers.” He added that he believes the tax credits would pass in the Senate. Even if it does, however, the matter would be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk, where it could face a veto. It is unlikely that the required two-thirds of both the House and Senate would vote to override the veto.
Neal also addressed the shooting of a Minnesota woman by Immigration and Customs En-
Select Board Vice Chair Veneeth Hemavathi said that something he thinks should be noted is that although it may be a $27.2 to $30 million project, most of the cost would be covered by subscriber fees. The amount the town would be paying is between $1.5 to $4.3 million based on the take rate. He said the worst case scenario would be the town covering the $4.3 million at a 40% take rate.
“I think the other unique part about what makes this project much different than other capital projects is that we are offering our residents an opportunity to take a monthly bill that they already have … and to replace that bill with something that’s most likely going to be much cheaper for them,” Hemavathi said. “When we’re talking about reducing costs or making it more affordable to live in Longmeadow, this is a way to make it more affordable to live in Longmeadow in the long run.”
Hemavathi said a phrase that keeps coming back is “fiber is future proof,” and if the technology was expected to become obsolete, the town wouldn’t be asking to borrow $30 million to implement it. He said fiber performance has been monitored over two years in
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES FALL 2025 GRADUATES
HAYS, KANSAS — Christopher Brennan, with a master of professional studies, was one of approximately 981 graduates recognized by Fort Hays State University during its fall 2025 commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13, at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas.
forcement agents. ICE has alleged that the woman, Renee Nicole Good, tried to intentionally hit agents with her vehicle. However, bystander video shows that when one ICE agent attempted to open her driver’s side door and reached into the vehicle, Good turned her wheels away from the agent in front of the vehicle and tried to flee.
“She was not a domestic terrorist. She was a mother of three,” Neal said, chastising Vice President JD Vance for his description of the incident. Of the deadly interaction, he said, “It was inevitable because of the escalation” of tactics by ICE. “The tactics that are being used are, again, over the top.”
While Trump originally stated that ICE agents were being
South Hadley and there was only one report of a small outage that lasted for an hour.
“That is such a stark difference to what we have now,” Hemavathi said. “If you go to the Longmeadow open forum any day, people are complaining. The internet service is disrupting their work from home, disrupting school work, disrupting their entertainment. To just have something that you know is going to just work and something you just don’t have to even worry about. I mean that is priceless.”
deployed to arrest “the worst of the worst,” Neal said people who are in the country legally are being apprehended after voluntarily going to courthouses for routine paperwork review.
To prevent such incidents in the future, Neal said, “There needs to be some restraint on the part of ICE. There’s also been some lag in training,” amidst efforts to increase ICE’s ranks. He said the training is necessary as “crowd control” is not among ICE’s responsibilities.
Asked if Congress will take action to prevent more deaths during ICE’s interaction with the public, Neal said, “Congress is going to react to opinion, and opinion right now is pretty clear” that ICE’s actions are “over the top.”
Select Board member Andrew Lam said that everyone has acknowledged that moving forward is a risk, but there is a good chance the risk could turn into a wonderful investment.
Moving forward, SHELD plans on getting “make-ready costs” from pole owners to create a refined cost projection. A town vote will then be conducted in May to approve funding and construction. A two-thirds vote by the town will be required for approval.
O’NEILL INDUCTED INTO SIGMA THETA TAU INTERNATION-
AL HONOR SOCIETY OF NURSING
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Saint Anselm College student Colleen O’Neill from East Longmeadow, a nursing major in the class of 2026, has been inducted into the Epsilon Tau-atLarge Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing for the 2025-2026 academic year. Sigma Theta Tau is the second-largest nursing organization in the world with over 135,000 active members in more than 100 countries globally. The society is committed to advancing world health and celebrating nursing excellence through scholarships, leadership and service.
BERTHIAUME INDUCTED INTO PHYSICAL THERAPY PRO
BONO NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
NORTH HAVEN, CONNECTICUT — Quinnipiac University physical therapy student Gabrielle Berthiaume, of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, has been inducted into the Physical Therapy Pro Bono National Honor Society. Founded in 2014, the Physical Therapy Pro Bono Honor Society recognizes outstanding physical therapy students who provide pro bono service as part of their education.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal speaks at a press conference in November 2025.
Reminder Publishing file photo
HAMPDEN/WILBRAHAM
School Committee talks moving eighth grade to Minnechaug
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
WILBRAHAM — The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District School Committee discussed the potential of moving eighth grade students at Wilbraham Middle School into Minnechaug Regional High School at its Jan. 8 meeting.
The discussion comes after a couple months of planning within the School Committee regarding the ongoing Massachusetts School Building Authority project. The committee received approval in December from the Wilbraham Select Board and Hampden Selectboard to withdraw from the MSBA accelerated repair program and apply for the core program, with a clause from Hampden to submit a comprehensive five-year plan on what can be done for the middle school during the ongoing project.
Committee member Sean Kennedy said during the Dec. 18 meeting that he believed moving the eighth graders was always the plan.
“That would free up space; when I talked to [Principal] John Derosia, he said the number one thing we need is space,” Kennedy said. “Number two, security, number three, health. Health is the air, health is the asbestos floor tilings coming up.”
Committee member Michael Tiribassi also said on Dec. 18 that moving eighth graders would have never been a long-term solution due to projections of
the student body rising by over 200 in the next 10 years, eventually moving the overcrowdedness at the middle school to the high school.
Committee member Rich Rediker began the new discussion and said that if he were in eighth grade, he would want to move into Minnechaug and that it would need to be proposed to families properly.
“Given the condition of Wilbraham Middle School, given the overcrowding at Wilbraham Middle School, given that right now, you can take a percentage of people in the eighth grade and put them into much nicer accommodations,” Rediker said.
Kennedy said that some parents have expressed fears of moving their children into Minnechaug due to being around older students and mentioned his own experience with his son, who is currently doing his eighth grade year at Minnechaug through the Innovative Career Pathways Program alongside 19 other students. The program is designed to expose students to work in high-demand industries to prepare them for life after graduation.
“He loves the school,” Kennedy said. “He loves most of his teachers and he does love the relationships that he has with upperclassmen, it’s a positive thing in his life. I understand what people were saying before but I’ve seen what my son has gone through and I’m telling you right now, he has a jump on every oth-
er eighth grader that is coming to Minnechaug next year because he is already used to this school, the school is his home … will it be different with more students, it could be, but I’m telling in every way that the positives yes, the negatives, yes, this was an outstanding experiment that has benefited my child.”
Kennedy said that the praise for Minnechaug isn’t negative towards Wilbraham Middle School because the teachers and administration there are still doing incredible work for the students, but moving the eighth grade would benefit the students so there’s no adjustment when freshman year begins.
Tiribassi followed up Kennedy and said he is still strongly against moving the eighth grade to Minnechaug despite the capacity and physical state of Wilbraham Middle School, because overcrowding the high school isn’t the solution.
“If the situation in the middle school really deteriorated to where it was like, we had no other choice, then we would have to start thinking about where we can farm off kids into other buildings as a temporary stopgap measure,” Tiribassi said. “Right now, I’m personally against moving the majority of the eighth grade into the high school.”
He added that it wasn’t just his belief either, but people in both towns felt the same way, and it is part of his responsibility to represent the people who’ve
elected him.
Kennedy asked what the other choice might be, and Tiribassi said Derosia noted that 50 to 100 more students makes it an “unworkable situation,” and that they would have no choice but to move a significant number to the high school. Tiribassi said he would want Derosia to tell the committee “we are at the wall, we can’t take anymore kids.”
Committee Secretary Lisa Murray said she was frustrated they were still having this discussion because she believed it had been put to bed. She is also against moving the eighth grade.
“We were literally talking about this a year ago,” Murray said. “We had all residents make a resounding ‘no.’ Nothing has changed at the middle school since that. I know that there’s talk about eighth grade moving up there before this happened, it was still a resounding no then too.”
She said they’re trying to provide a space where the students feel welcomed and doesn’t believe moving the eighth grade opens that space.
Superintendent John Provost said whatever they do, they will be faced with a crisis at the middle school before there is the potential for an answer that provides space. He is not in favor of moving the eighth grade just because of the conditions of the middle school. He said he could imagine himself being in favor as part of a plan in getting the middle school to a place it needs to
be in. He said he hopes they’re accepted into the core program so a feasibility study can be done to pinpoint options for a plan.
“With no disrespect to myself or anyone else who’s been thinking about it, we don’t know what the answer is, right, because we haven’t been able to do it,” Provost said. “We keep circling around the same ideas over and over again. I really hope we have the opportunity for people who are experts in the field to say ‘here are your best three options.’”
Provost said the core program would be a minimum six years and Kennedy asked what will ,be done during those six years. He said he has asked for choices towards what can be done to mitigate the issues and he has not been given any.
Committee member Tim Collins said he doesn’t want to see a rush to judgment and correct the middle school’s problem by creating a high school problem. He said there are a lot of different ways to approach it, but the bottom line is, the needs of students in the district have been ignored for a decade.
“As a person who spent 25 years teaching middle school, that’s the last place you want to overcrowd,” Collins said. “I mean, think about it, kids that age, what they’re going through, their challenges, their insecurities, they need space and they need class sizes that are not in crowded, tiny little spaces. We need to address this problem.”
Nomination papers available in Wilbraham for town election
WILBRAHAM — The Wilbraham Town Clerk’s Office is announcing that nomination papers are now available for placement of your name as a candidate on the Saturday, May 16, 2026 annual town election ballot. The last day to obtain nomination papers is
Wednesday, March 25. The positions being voted that day are:
• One Select Board member for three years,
• One assessor for three years,
• Two Regional School Committee members for three years,
• One cemetery commissioner for
three years, One cemetery commissioner for two years
• One water commissioner for three years,
• Two library trustees for three years,
• One Planning Board member
for five years, One Wilbraham Housing Authority member for fvie years.
The deadline for submission to the Registrars for certification is Friday, March 27 at 5 p.m. Fifty signatures from registered Wilbraham voters are required to have a
name listed on the ballot as a candidate. We suggest calling our office to set up an appointment to pick up the papers. Contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 413-596-2800, ext. 200 if you have any questions. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Librarians call for assertive approach to funding in Massachusetts
By Sam Drysdale State House News Service
BOSTON — Facing spending
cuts and political pressure, Massachusetts librarians are warning public officials that libraries are being treated as budget leverage
— and saying that has to change. The warning came on Jan. 6 during a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners strategic
planning session at the Boston Public Library’s Central Branch, where librarians urged a more assertive approach to funding, both on Beacon Hill and in city and town halls.
The meeting was the first in a series to inform the board’s next three-to-five-year strategic plan. Unlike past cycles, the agency is drafting the plan internally after cuts eliminated funding typically used to hire an outside consultant. The previous plan expired last summer at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Participants described a pattern in communities pursuing Proposition 2½ property tax overrides: libraries being placed at the center of budget debates.
Worcester Public Library Executive Director Jason Homer said municipal officials view libraries as effective rallying points for voters — institutions whose popularity can help drive support for tax increases.
Homer argued this turns libraries into bargaining chips rather than essential municipal services and asked for help from the board in reframing debates so that libraries are considered non-negotiable
infrastructure.
“We’re on the chopping block consistently because we’re the only thing that motivates voters,” he said. “At some point we need to figure out how to reposition that power to say, if we’re the thing everyone can’t stop gushing about, then we have to figure out how to own that and not just be passive.” That effort, attendees said, needs to happen locally as much as at the State House. While state aid remains critical, librarians said advocacy needs to start at the community level.
“Our Legislature is dysfunctional, and trying to do anything there is very difficult,” said Robert DeFabrizio, senior manager of law libraries at the Massachusetts Trial Court. “When it comes down to it, a lot of cities and towns have had overrides to keep their libraries open. That has nothing to do with the state Legislature. You see signs, ‘Keep the library open,’ on yards. It’s a local issue.” DeFabrizio said that state funding is important, but to better get through to lawmakers on Beacon Hill libraries should help their
DINING ENTERTAINMENT
Ice Art Festival gears up for
By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com
NORTHAMPTON — Win -
ter magic is returning to Northampton in the form of the 15th annual Ice Art Festival on Jan. 31, turning the city’s downtown into a walkable winter art gallery.
This year’s festival, once again put on by the Downtown Northampton Association, is set to be the biggest iteration yet, according to organizers, as 17 frozen art locations grace downtown. Sculptors will begin carving in the morning and finish their work before dusk, and their finished art will be viewed until nature melts them over the following days.
“It’s really amazing to be able to watch a carver work to completion starting from just a block of ice,” Northampton DNA Board President Amanda Shafii told Reminder Publishing . “Typically, stations get two blocks of ice each, delivered between 8-9 in the morning and then throughout the day, the carver works on their masterpiece, and it’s amazing what they can do. We’ve had dragons, we’ve had the Grinch, we’ve had so many different beautiful works of art, and it’s very fascinating to be able to watch it all happen in live time.”
With more sculptures, more artists and more places to explore, visitors are invited to wander, discover and experience ice art around every corner. From iconic downtown spots to hidden gems, each location offers something unique, according to organizers. The festival encourages guests to explore local shops, restaurants and gathering spaces along the way.
“It happens to be a good time to try and bring an event downtown. Things get a little quieter after the holidays. Everyone loves it,” added Shafii.
The free, all-day festival is a beloved winter tradition in the community that highlights the energy of downtown Northampton while supporting local artists, shops, restaurants and gathering spaces. Shafii said a map of the ice art locations throughout downtown will be released the day of the event on the DNA’s website and socials.
There is also a competition element to the festival, as attendees will be asked to vote on their favorite piece by the day’s end. This year’s People’s Choice Award will be dedicated to the memory of local ice sculptor David Rothstein, who passed away unexpectedly in November.
“David was very active in the carving community and a carver with us for a bunch of years, and unfortunately, he just passed recently, so we want to honor him with dedicating the people’s choice award to him this year,” explained Shafii. “I hope that we get a busy day full of people coming downtown. I hope we get a lot of votes as well because we like to make the competition even more competitive, and it’s even more fun the more people that join in.”
A2Z, beryl, Eastside Grill,
Familiars, Forbes Library, Hotel Northampton, Thornes Marketplace and more will feature frozen art.
For more information on this year’s Ice Art Festival, visit nohodna.org/ice-art-festival-2026/.
“I hope that everyone has a great day, gets to do a little shopping, and maybe warm up with a cup of coffee or get a nice dinner after,” added Shafii. “It’s really great to see the carvings come to life during the daytime, but at nighttime, they’re all lit
ferent
Works from sculptors during previous Ice Art Festivals help turn downtown Northampton into a walkable winter art gallery.
Photo credit: Downtown Northampton Association
Springfield to pay $14.8 million in child sex abuse suit
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield has reached a settlement with the families of two children in two civil suits stemming from 2023 criminal child sex abuse charges against Robert Gayle, a then-social studies teacher at STEM Middle Academy in Springfield.
While three victims have been identified in the criminal case against Gayle, Robert DiTusa, a partner at Alekman DiTusa, and Alexander Sneirson of Sneirson Law Firm represented two of them in the civil case. The criminal case against Gayle is ongoing.
The civil suits were filed in February 2025 against Gayle, the city, former Principal Luis Martinez and then-interim Principal
Rhonda Jacobs. The latter three defendants were accused of negligence in not keeping the students safe, despite reports of inappropriate behavior from students, families and teachers.
The city of Springfield has agreed to pay $1.8 million to the family of one of the children and $13 million to the other family. The larger of the two settlements is the largest child sexual abuse settlement in the state’s history.
“These amounts reflect the harm done to the two children and their families, and they are also a testament to the strength of the survivors and their families, who had the bravery to speak out, seek justice and demand accountability,” said DiTusa.
Gayle was arrested in March 2023 when and charged with aggravated statutory rape of a child,
indecent assault and battery of a person 14 or older. He has since also been charged with aggravated indecent assault and battery of a person under the age of 14. The assaults allegedly took place between 2021 and 2023.
Springfield City Solicitor Steve Buoniconti acknowledged the settlement in an email. He stated, “The negotiated settlements took into account the facts of the cases, the alleged harm perpetrated on the victims and the liability the city would face at trial. Families across the city entrust the school system to provide a safe environment for their children to learn and grow, and that obligation remains a central focus.”
DiTusa declared, “Every child has a right to be safe at school. The city of Springfield categorically failed in its responsibility to
keep these children safe.” He said, “Child sexual abuse is an epidemic in our country. It is a serious public health crisis. Whether we’re
City Council elects Whitfield as first Black woman president
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — The City of Firsts again earned its moniker on Jan. 5 when the City Council elected Tracye Whitfield to serve as its president, the first Black woman to do so. The crowd that turned out to see Whitfield sworn in filled the City Council chamber to capacity and spilled out into the hallway and the adjoining room.
“This is a momentous occasion our forefathers could only dream about,” said Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Sonia Dinnall. “Tracye Whitfield is a shining example of what can happen when you believe in yourself and lead with integrity, and never back down from your goals.”
Whitfield invited Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers to speak. He said, “I look forward to working with you” to ensure Springfield residents receive “the best they can from the city.” Akers said he had heard that Whitfield was overly critical of the police, but upon getting to know
her, found that was “not totally true.” He said she believes in accountability and “holding people accountable doesn’t always mean opposition.” He went on to say, “I truly feel that police and politics should stay separate for obvious reasons, but on this joyous event, I put that aside. This is something that just doesn’t happen every day.”
For Whitfield, the swearing-in was a family affair. Her mother, Jane Maye, held the Bible Whitfield placed her right hand on during the oath of office. Maye said her daughter has had “restless days and sleepless nights trying to make Springfield a better place.” Whitfield’s daughter, Taquoya Whitfield, said her mother “didn’t take a seat at the table. She earned it.”
Jelani Bland, Whitfield’s son, referred to the crowd and said, “She loves Springfield as much as y’all love her.” The father of Whitfield’s children, Jason Bland, read a poem he had written for the occasion. In it, he said, “When God took the pen to write the story of Tracye Lynn Whitfield, clearly, excellence was the moral
of the story.”
The ceremony was closed out with a poem written and read by Whitfield’s friend Lynnette Johnson, titled “More Than That” because, she said, Whitfield is more than just the first Black woman president of the council.
When Whitfield spoke, she said she had reconciled old misunderstandings and was starting 2026 with a clean slate. She thanked outgoing Council Pres-
ident Michael Fenton for his thoroughness and his willingness to help fellow councilors. She said she was committed to “being present” because “leadership means showing up.” Whitfield announced that she would be launching a training course for new and aspiring city councilors. Her goals included streamlining residential development, limiting property tax increases, fiscal accountability and expanding eco-
nomic growth. With each goal, she named a councilor to help spearhead it. When she said she would lead, “not with a vision, but with collaboration, she received a standing ovation. Councilor Jose Delgado was elected as the council’s vice president. Meanwhile, two new councilors, Gerry Martin and Justin Hurst, joined the governing body. Hurst previously served on the council from 2013 to 2023.
Forest Park Zoo seeks donations to care for animals
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Exotic birds,
camels, bison and alligators. The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center offers people in the greater Springfield area a chance to
visit and learn about animals they may not otherwise ever encounter. But caring for those animals is a costly endeavor, particularly in the cold months of winter.
“We get asked a lot by people out in the public, ‘what can they do?’” said Executive Director Sarah Tsitso.
While the zoo is closed to the public from early November to late March, Tsitso said, “Animals still need things 365 days a year.” The zoo leaves its Amazon wish list active all year, so people can donate at any time. Some items are for animal enrichment, like
bird toys and large herding balls. Other items may strike people as being more mundane. She said the zoo needs everyday items like nails and screws, extension cords, sponges and office supplies.
Winter-specific items are also needed, including heaters, heated water bowls and humidifiers.
“These items take a beating,” said Tsitso. She said, “Think about the hay. We’re ordering about $1,500 worth of hay every three weeks,” for animals that use it as feed or bedding.
However, Tsitso said with a laugh, “We don’t need more blan-
kets. Please.” She explained that the zoo received an influx of blankets a few years ago and simply has nowhere to store more. “We appreciate them, but only a few animals can actually use them. Some will eat them,” she said.
“We’re not a traditional zoo. A lot of animals come to us with health considerations, come to us elderly,” Tsitso said. “These are animals that need a home, that would not survive on their own.” As such, they have “very specialized medical needs,” she said. The most expensive item on the wish list is a portable radiograph machine, which can cost several thousand dollars.
“We’re raising money all year round,” Tsitso said. The zoo’s operating budget is funded from three sources: admissions fees, educational programs, and grants and fundraising. She said, “We really are looking to the community who know and love these animals.”
The zoo’s Amazon wish list can be found at forestparkzoo. org/wish-list.
talking about the Boy Scouts, the Catholic church, our schools or
From left: Tracye Whitfield smiles from the podium as she is nominated by her peers to serve as City Council president. City Councilors Gerry Martin and Justin Hurst are sworn in.
Reminder Publishing photos by Sarah Heinonen
Laura Mangini of Alekman DiTusa and Alexander Sneirson of Sneirson Law Firm flank Alekman DiTusa partner Robert DiTusa as he discusses the settlement of a child sex abuse civil suit.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
Jamie Conti, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology Jennifer Lundgren Garcia, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology
Continued from page 10
even a summer camp, it remains a consistent issue in our communities and in our institutions. It’s one that’s often shrouded in silence, in secrecy, in disbelief.”
Laura Mangini, of Alekman DiTusa said, in this case, there were “clear warning signs” and
Librarians
Continued from page 8
constituents understand the scope of modern library services — and how close some libraries come to service reductions or closure during fiscal downturns.
“It’s like, listen folks, I know you hold all the purse strings, but if the taxpayers, they start an uprising, at least now they’re hearing it not just from us,” DeFabrizio said.
Participants emphasized the importance of communicating libraries’ return on investment, pointing to growing demand for digital resources, expanded social services, broadband access and workforce development support.
At the state level, attendees expressed appreciation for MBLC’s advocacy work and its success in maintaining level funding in a difficult budget year. Still, Boston Public Library President David Leonard called for a longer-term, more coordinated advocacy strategy on Beacon Hill.
“Honestly, if you look across the country, the strongest fiscal library areas usually have some level of their own taxing authority, like a levy or another approach. That’s more of a 15-year goal, given the speed at which
that the school system “ignored complaints from the students, they ignored complaints from teachers and staff and they ignored complaints from the parents, themselves.” She said Gayle had been reported by another teacher two years prior to his arrest for giving a student rides home. A different teacher reported him for allowing students to “hang out with him in his classroom.” Meanwhile,
Massachusetts moves reform, but if you don’t start, you never get there,” he said.
Funding pressures are also reshaping the library workforce, another major theme of the meeting.
Chronic understaffing, retirements and post-pandemic workplace changes have left many libraries operating in what participants described as a near-permanent state of crisis. That strain, they said, is colliding with an outdated training and credentialing system.
Librarians questioned whether current degree requirements and library school curricula align with the realities of the job, particularly in smaller communities where “accidental directors” are often promoted out of necessity rather than preparation. They said these managers lack training in budgeting, labor law and conflict resolution.
“The world, the industry, the sector continues to change, and I know these programs, certifications and expectations — certainly that’s true of the library schools, and I’ve told that to them, so I’m not saying anything I haven’t said — is behind rather than ahead. I think in Massachusetts we should be ahead. We should be leading,”
Leonard said.
At the same time, attendees
Mangini said, “multiple female students” told school councilors that Gayle was “creepy,” and that they were uncomfortable and needed help. She said they and their parents’ complaints were disbelieved.
Mangini said the hope was that there would be “real reform” beyond new policies, training sessions with enforcement and “real strategies that put our children
such as Percivial Salazar, a student and librarian assistant in The Public Library of Brookline, said the line between librarians and library assistant staff is narrowing, as staff take on more responsibility without corresponding increases in pay.
Continuing education, Homer added, is not required despite rapid changes in technology, digital infrastructure and public expectations.
Oak Bluffs Public Library Director Allyson Malik said that in Maryland, where she got her degree, continuing education is required every year.
Several participants suggested MBLC could help lead a broader conversation about the future
first.” In his email, Buoniconti said, “The School Department has invested significantly in programming and training so that all staff members are more educated on the signs of improper relationships between staff and students and report those concerns to the proper authorities right away, all in the effort of preventing future harm to students.”
DiTusa shared statistics about
of librarianship in Massachusetts — potentially in partnership with library schools and other agencies — to rethink credentials, career pathways and continuing education expectations. Ideas ranged from more structured professional development to creative workforce support. One proposal from Malik that generated interest was a librarian exchange program that would allow staff to work temporarily in different library environments. She said such exchanges could broad-
Maria Meccia
child sexual abuse, which occurs every nine minutes in the United States. He said 1-in-5 girls and 1-in-20 boys are sexually assaulted and 90% of them know their perpetrator. Victims are four times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder, four times more likely to abuse drugs and three times more likely to experience depression in adulthood.
en perspective, reduce burnout and foster understanding across systems ranging from small rural branches to major urban libraries. As MBLC drafts its plan, strategists are focused on how best to turn ideas on funding, advocacy and workforce reform into action across the state.
Sam Drysdale is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro. Reach her at sdrysdale@statehousenews.com.
TheReminder.com
Every week we will provide you with a complete listings of deaths from the preceding week from throughout Greater Springfield. We are doing this as a convenience to our readers in case you miss an obit in the daily paper. We hope you find this useful and that you will refer to it weekly.
CHICOPEE
Audrey P. Chausse
Teresa M. Daigneault (Galarneau)
Robert M. Joyal
Richard Allen Mastronardi
Jean Claude Peloquin
Helene C. Sears
Joan A. Skypeck
Kathleen T. Stanek
EAST LONGMEADOW
Douglas P. Howie
Rita M. Hurley
Patricia Lewis HOLYOKE
Gerard N. Aubrey
Jacqueline A. Fitzgerald
Elizabeth A. “Betty” Kane
Maria V. Maldonado
LONGMEADOW
Joseph C. Suse
LUDLOW
Anna T. Celona
Rev. J. Donald R. Lapointe
Alice P. Mannix
Claire T. Natario (Paulhus)
SOUTH HADLEY
Marie J. Cassidy
James G. Lowe
Richard J. Ross
Guido C. Schiappa
Roger W. Strange
SPRINGFIELD
Agnese Basile
Martha Black William Elian
Susan Ehrlich
Gaynor
Berniece M. LaMotte
Mary F. Magiera
Donald Anthony Manoni
Micheline P. Meunier
Antonio S. Monteiro Jr.
Dorothy Pulowski
Jacqueline E. Stanek
Candice Lynn Stolpinski
Richard Wright Jr.
WILBRAHAM
Anthony G. Laino
Stephen Mucha
Gisele G. Pin
The Lancers’ Joe Martinez attacks the basket as Noah Enriquez-Davis from East Longmeadow defends.
Longmeadow’s
Noah Enriquez-Davis led all scorers with 20 points.
Jayden Anoje launches from 3-point land.
Jack Serafini, Shane Gray and Gavin Goncalves (L-R) stand together during the playing of the national anthem.
East Longmeadow’s Nolan Garstka vies for the rebound versus Sam Tyson.
Sam Newton looks to pass the ball to the low post.
EAST LONGMEADOW - HOOK
144 Papers: St. Joseph Dr., Wisteria Ln., Tracey Ln., Pembroke Terr., Abbey Ln., Rockingham Cir.,
