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PSA-20260618

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THE ORIGINAL

PENNYSAVER BLANDFORD | CHESTER | EAST OTIS | GRANVILLE | HUNTINGTON | MONTGOMERY RUSSELL/WORONOCO | SOUTHWICK | TOLLAND | WESTFIELD

JUNE 18, 2026 | FREE

PUBLISHED BY REMINDER PUBLISHING

Freedom Truck canceled after losing parking spot By Cliff Clark

cclark@thereminder.com

EDITION WESTFIELD

Westfield officers to wear body cams WPD now has nearly $300,000 to fit its officers with body-worn cameras.

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SOUTHWICK

A visit by the Freedom Truck Mobile Museum, which is part of the Freedom 250 celebration, was called off by the Westfield Police Department last week after Westfield State University rescinded its initial invitation to host it in a parking lot on its campus.

The Select Board decided not to eliminate prorated transfer station stickers.

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Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SPRINGFIELD, MA PERMIT NO. 142

tiative made possible by a $14 million grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to Freedom 250, which is a wholly owned subsidiary and limited liability company created by and housed inside the National Park Foundation. The IMLS is an independent agency of the federal government. It is the primary source of federal funding and support for the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Responding to the backlash, Hall said the department released a statement saying its participation wasn’t “condoning any type of partisan event.”

ECRWSS

181 ROOT ROAD WESTFIELD, MA 01085 413 - 562 - 7221

those comments online was that the truck was aligned with PragerU, which, according to its website, “is not an accredited university, nor do we claim to be. We don’t offer degrees, but we do provide educational, entertaining, pro-American videos for every age.” PragerU also states on its website that “Marxists have intentionally infiltrated our educational institutions, seeking to impose their radical ideology on our students and transform our classrooms into social justice factories.” PragerU partnered with Hillsdale College, a small Christian school in Michigan, to create the exhibits in the truck. The Freedom Truck Mobile Museum is a public-private ini-

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SPRINGFIELD, MA PERMIT NO. 142

school,” he said. Then, the south parking lot on the campus of Westfield State University was identified as an excellent lot to use. Hall said officers with the Community Policing Unit contacted the WSU Police Department to ask if it was possible to use the lot. “They ran it up their chain of command,” Hall said, adding that a day or so later, the department was told it could use it. With space for the truck secured and available June 14-16, the department announced on its Facebook page that the truck would stop in the city. “Almost immediately, we were getting comments that it was a partisan initiative,” Hall said. The primary concern from

POSTAL CUSTOMER

Board punts sticker fees

POSTAL CUSTOMER

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Police Department decided not to host the Freedom Truck Mobile Museum last week after Westfield State University rescinded its initial decision to allow the tractor-trailer to park in the south parking lot on its campus. “It seemed like a good thing to do,” said Police Capt. Eric Hall, when describing why the department originally reached out to the Freedom 250 organization that operates a fleet of six state-of-the-art 18-wheelers. The department has been planning for its annual Public Safety Night, which will be held on June 18 at the Old Juniper Park School, and several officers thought having the truck there would be an excellent addition to the event. “We thought it was a federal program … so we thought it would be cool to be at Public Safety Night,” Hall said. The only challenge was finding a place where it could be parked. “They had very strict parameters on where to park it,” Hall said. Those parameters include a parking footprint 140 feet long and 65 feet wide, placement on a paved or concrete surface, and a route that is clear of obstructions to allow the truck to navigate safely. The department began looking for a space that fit those requirements, and there was nothing in the city that qualified except for the parking lots of several of the city’s public schools. “We couldn’t use those because the students are still in

IN THIS

See FREEDOM 250 on page 2

126 INDUSTRIAL DRIVE EAST LONGMEADOW, MA 01028 413 - 562 - 7221


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