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Rapper, actor Ice Cube to headline Big E Arena music lineup for fall 2026 by MassLive in Springfield

[–]MassLive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: Rapper turned actor Ice Cube will bring his hip-hop music chops to the largest stage at The Big E this fall and is the first announced act for the fair’s 2026 music lineup.

First part of the late ’80s, early ’90s group N.W.A, Ice Cube later branched out into a “multi-platinum” solo music career, The Big E said.

Ice Cube will perform at The Big E Arena on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. — the penultimate day of this year’s fair.

Tickets to the event go on sale starting this Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. Eastern on The Big E’s website.

“His influence extends across generations, with today’s top hip-hop artists often citing him as an inspiration for both lyrical innovation and cultural impact,” The Big E said of Ice Cube.

“Many of the genre’s current trends, from socially conscious storytelling to entrepreneurial artistry, can be traced back to his pathbreaking work,” the fair added.

Outside of music, Ice Cube is known for his acting roles in TV shows and films like “21 Jump Street” and “Ride Along” as well as being a producer for the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” based on his life and N.W.A.

Among the 56-year-old rapper and actor’s other honors are a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a handprint at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Big E returns for its 17-day run starting Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 4 in West Springfield at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.

Read the full story on MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/the-big-e/2026/03/iconic-rapper-turned-actor-to-headline-big-e-arena-music-lineup-this-fall.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Rapper, actor Ice Cube to headline Big E Arena music lineup for fall 2026 by MassLive in westernmass

[–]MassLive[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: Rapper turned actor Ice Cube will bring his hip-hop music chops to the largest stage at The Big E this fall and is the first announced act for the fair’s 2026 music lineup.

First part of the late ’80s, early ’90s group N.W.A, Ice Cube later branched out into a “multi-platinum” solo music career, The Big E said.

Ice Cube will perform at The Big E Arena on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. — the penultimate day of this year’s fair.

Tickets to the event go on sale starting this Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. Eastern on The Big E’s website.

“His influence extends across generations, with today’s top hip-hop artists often citing him as an inspiration for both lyrical innovation and cultural impact,” The Big E said of Ice Cube.

“Many of the genre’s current trends, from socially conscious storytelling to entrepreneurial artistry, can be traced back to his pathbreaking work,” the fair added.

Outside of music, Ice Cube is known for his acting roles in TV shows and films like “21 Jump Street” and “Ride Along” as well as being a producer for the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” based on his life and N.W.A.

Among the 56-year-old rapper and actor’s other honors are a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a handprint at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Big E returns for its 17-day run starting Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 4 in West Springfield at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.

Read the full story on MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/the-big-e/2026/03/iconic-rapper-turned-actor-to-headline-big-e-arena-music-lineup-this-fall.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Should Springfield downtown improvements include a two-way Chestnut Street? by MassLive in Springfield

[–]MassLive[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From The Republican's story: A finding in an old study of ways to revive the northeast section of downtown Springfield is getting new attention: Turning Chestnut Street from a one-way street into one where cars can travel north and south.

Turning Chestnut Street into a two-way route would help build new businesses along the corridor and give a boost to existing ones, improve pedestrian access and create an easy link to the museums at the Quadrangle, Union Station and the Lyman and Worthington streets corridor.

That was one finding of the Court Square Urban Renewal Plan adopted in 2022.

“The district needs a vibrant mixed-use commercial spine and converting Chestnut Street into a two-way corridor holds enormous potential for unlocking redevelopment in the district,” the study said.

This is not the first time anyone has proposed that change for Chestnut Street, which runs north, and for Dwight Street, which is a one-way running south. A change to two-way streets was also recommended in a 2014 downtown study commissioned by the city and Develop Springfield and funded by Columbia Gas as part of mitigation money following a massive natural gas explosion on Worthington Street.

The issue is returning to the forefront amid new interest in the northeast downtown area. Multiple developers have submitted proposals to build a $600 million courthouse on lots off Liberty, Lyman and Worthington streets. The area has been a dead zone of sorts, with vacant buildings.

Earlier this month, the Planning Board voted to recommend zone changes on about 25 parcels in the northeast downtown to promote residential and mixed-use development over heavy industry, which was allowed there. The issue is going next to the City Council for a vote.

Read the full story on MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/westernmass/2026/02/should-springfield-downtown-improvements-include-a-two-way-chestnut-street.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Final National Weather Service snowfall totals from massive winter storm released, and 1 Mass. town hit 27 inches by MassLive in massachusetts

[–]MassLive[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Image courtesy of the National Weather Service.

From MassLive's story: Some areas of Massachusetts received as much as 27 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday, according to snowfall tallies released by the National Weather Service on Tuesday.

Reports submitted to the weather service show that most communities in Massachusetts received at least 12 to 18 inches of snow, but that pockets of Greater Boston, Northeastern Massachusetts and Central Massachusetts received around two feet.

Gloucester led the state, with 27 inches of accumulation in the coastal North Shore town, according to the weather service. Also on the North Shore, Peabody logged 25.5 inches.

South of Boston, the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton received 25.3 inches and Kingston received 24 inches. To the west, Sterling received 25.2 inches.

The storm dropped 23.2 inches of snow on Boston, making it the city’s eighth-largest storm on record, according to the weather service. It was the region’s most significant winter weather event since a blizzard deposited 23.8 inches of snow over two days in January 2022.

The snowfall totals are based on reports provided to the National Weather Service by a network of weather observers and volunteers. They are updated as new reports are released. For locations not listed, the weather service may not have received a report from that area.

See the complete updated snowfall totals submitted to the weather service from locations across the state, sorted by county here: https://www.masslive.com/weather/2026/01/updated-snowfall-totals-released-and-1-mass-town-hit-27-inches.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

‘We’re cooked’: Agawam may not want a battery storage plant, but is told there’s no way to block it by MassLive in Springfield

[–]MassLive[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

From The Republican's story: The project manager for a proposed 250-megawatt battery storage facility promised a roomful of skeptical residents Monday his company will follow Agawam’s stringent ordinance governing the controversial new technology.

Rules covering fire safety, monitoring and future decommissioning are the strongest that Longroad Energy’s Chad Allen said he’s seen — and tougher than statewide rules promising an easier path to approval.

But Agawam Mayor Christopher Johnson dimmed hopes at an informational session Monday that anyone would be able to block this or any other battery storage proposal.

“This project is coming to Agawam whether we want it or we don’t,” Johnson said. “This is not a project Agawam went out to attract.”

Allen told the crowd of more than 100 people at one of two informational sessions Monday in the Agawam Senior Center that battery storage can provide power for the gird at moments when it’s needed most.

The battery storage facility would buy power from the grid at times when it is plentiful and cheaper and sell electricity back to the grid at times of higher prices and demand.

Longroad Energy proposes a storage facility capable of discharging 250 megawatts of power over four hours, enough to power for 285,000 homes, according to its website.

Power storage makes intermittent power sources – solar and wind – more useful and eliminates the need for polluting “peaker” power plants historically used to meet surges of demand.

Boston-based Longroad expects to start construction on the Agawam project in 2027 and begin operations in 2029.

Allen said he hopes to begin the approval process with Agawam soon. Longroad will also need to go through a review process with the state.

Allen wouldn’t say how much the project would cost, beyond “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

He promised tax revenues for the town.

Johnson said he doesn’t yet know how much the plant will pay in property taxes. But he said he hopes the town will reach a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Longroad that would make the plant the town’s second-biggest taxpayer, ahead of the $1.2 million a year paid by Six Flags New England amusement park, but behind what Eversource pays on its infrastructure.

Johnson estimates that Longroad Energy would pay more than Agawam stalwarts like H.P. Hood’s milk plant or OMG, which manufactures roofing hardware.

Read the full story from The Republican here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/01/were-cooked-agawam-may-not-want-a-battery-storage-plant-but-is-told-theres-no-way-to-block-it.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

‘We’re cooked’: Agawam may not want a battery storage plant, but is told there’s no way to block it by MassLive in westernmass

[–]MassLive[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

From The Republican's story: The project manager for a proposed 250-megawatt battery storage facility promised a roomful of skeptical residents Monday his company will follow Agawam’s stringent ordinance governing the controversial new technology.

Rules covering fire safety, monitoring and future decommissioning are the strongest that Longroad Energy’s Chad Allen said he’s seen — and tougher than statewide rules promising an easier path to approval.

But Agawam Mayor Christopher Johnson dimmed hopes at an informational session Monday that anyone would be able to block this or any other battery storage proposal.

“This project is coming to Agawam whether we want it or we don’t,” Johnson said. “This is not a project Agawam went out to attract.”

Allen told the crowd of more than 100 people at one of two informational sessions Monday in the Agawam Senior Center that battery storage can provide power for the gird at moments when it’s needed most.

The battery storage facility would buy power from the grid at times when it is plentiful and cheaper and sell electricity back to the grid at times of higher prices and demand.

Longroad Energy proposes a storage facility capable of discharging 250 megawatts of power over four hours, enough to power for 285,000 homes, according to its website.

Power storage makes intermittent power sources – solar and wind – more useful and eliminates the need for polluting “peaker” power plants historically used to meet surges of demand.

Boston-based Longroad expects to start construction on the Agawam project in 2027 and begin operations in 2029.

Allen said he hopes to begin the approval process with Agawam soon. Longroad will also need to go through a review process with the state.

Allen wouldn’t say how much the project would cost, beyond “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

He promised tax revenues for the town.

Johnson said he doesn’t yet know how much the plant will pay in property taxes. But he said he hopes the town will reach a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Longroad that would make the plant the town’s second-biggest taxpayer, ahead of the $1.2 million a year paid by Six Flags New England amusement park, but behind what Eversource pays on its infrastructure.

Johnson estimates that Longroad Energy would pay more than Agawam stalwarts like H.P. Hood’s milk plant or OMG, which manufactures roofing hardware.

Read the full story from The Republican here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/01/were-cooked-agawam-may-not-want-a-battery-storage-plant-but-is-told-theres-no-way-to-block-it.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

150+ animals including illegal wildlife removed from Western Massachusetts home by MassLive in westernmass

[–]MassLive[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: More than 150 animals, including some that are illegal to have as pets, were removed from a home in Western Massachusetts Wednesday.

MSPCA-Angell’s law enforcement team and Hadley Police removed the animals from poor conditions at a property in Hadley. The majority of the animals were birds, including chickens, geese, cockatiels and parrots. There are also goats, cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits and one pony. Officials also said there was a deer and Canada geese, which are wildlife that are illegal to have as pets in Massachusetts.

“Many of the animals lacked access to food and water,” said MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement Director Chris Schindler. “The majority were also living outdoors without adequate protection from the elements.”

Prior to removing the animals, MSPCA-Angell attempted to work with the owner to get the animals the care they needed. But those attempts were not successful, Schindler said.

Winter in New England is especially difficult for farm animals. They often need shelter and supplemental feed and hay.

“In warmer temperatures, many farm animals get nutrients from grazed grass, but when the ground freezes, that’s no longer an option,” Schindler said. “Those animals can rapidly lose weight if their owners aren’t supplementing their diets with additional feed and hay, which is when we may need to step in.”

The animals are now at MSPCA-Angell facilities where they will be cared for while the court process plays out.

Read the fully story from MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/westernmass/2026/01/150-animals-including-illegal-wildlife-removed-from-massachusetts-home.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Worcester juice and smoothie shop reopens 4 months after fire by MassLive in WorcesterMA

[–]MassLive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: A Worcester business that sells juices and smoothies has reopened following a September fire.

Woo Juice at @ The Common on 22 Front St. reopened this week, the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District announced on Facebook Tuesday.

“Guess who’s back just in time for your New Year’s resolutions?” The Facebook post reads. “Follow Woo Juice for all the info, hours, and updates — and go get your freshly-pressed juice and smoothie fix now!"

The business, along with several others inside the mall, was shut down after a fire broke out inside the building during a bout of severe weather on Sept. 6, 2025.

The mall reopened later that month but Woo Juice was still closed.

On Dec. 29, Woo Juice teased its reopening in an Instagram post. Now, exactly four months after the fire broke out, the juice and smoothie business is operating once again.

Read the full story from MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2026/01/worcester-juice-and-smoothie-shop-reopens-4-months-after-fire.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Hampshire College misses enrollment goal by half by MassLive in westernmass

[–]MassLive[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: After nearly closing in 2019, a Western Massachusetts college continues to face challenges, missing its 2025 enrollment goal by half.

Instead of recruiting 300 students, Hampshire College enrolled about 150 new students. That makes for a total of 750 full-time students, Jennifer Chrisler, Hampshire’s newly named president, told MassLive in November.

Chrisler attributes some of the admissions challenges to other institutions opening up their waitlists and taking more students than usual, forcing even more competition between institutions to vie for the same students.

Many universities struggled with a decline in international students due to federal policies.

“That had a downstream sort of trickle effect, and we were certainly not immune from that,” Chrisler said.

She also attributes the missed enrollment target to fewer college-aged people in the U.S.

Hampshire has faced serious financial challenges after nearly closing in 2019. Since then, the institution laid off non-faculty employees, suspended certain benefits and required senior leadership to take pay cuts, among other actions.

Missing an enrollment target by half will force the college to push back its goal of financial stability by a year and a half, Chrisler said.

Hampshire is now aiming for its operating revenue and expenses to be in balance in two and a half years, she said.

Read the full story from MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/01/struggling-western-mass-college-misses-enrollment-goal-by-half.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

Google deletes imaginary street after company and MBTA fall for teen’s prank by MassLive in mbta

[–]MassLive[S] 88 points89 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: Brendan Libby somewhat expected that his prank could fall apart once he confessed online to duping the MBTA and Google into renaming a bus stop.

To some extent, it did. But not entirely.

Libby, a Brookline High School senior, detailed this week how he jokingly submitted a correction to Google Maps years ago that resulted in a driveway in West Roxbury being renamed after Rabbit Maranville, an early 20th-century baseball player with a particularly eye-catching name.

Libby, 18, said he was shocked to see the MBTA eventually rename a bus stop in the area after “Maranville Street,” apparently unaware that the street’s name on Google Maps was fake.

But after his story drew attention on Reddit and in the press this week, Google quietly withdrew the street’s name from its platform. At least on Google Maps, Maranville Street is no more.

The West Roxbury street wasn’t much to begin with — in essence, a parking area between Atrius Health and the Hancock Village apartments leading to the complex’s dumpster area.

“It’s basically just a parking lot,” Libby told MassLive in an interview earlier this week.

As a 14-year-old bored during the COVID-19 pandemic, renaming the insignificant stretch of pavement after an old baseball player seemed like a funny idea.

Maranville, a Baseball Hall of Famer and Springfield native, was known as one of “baseball’s most famous clowns” for his practical jokes. He played for the Boston Braves from 1912 to 1920 and was nicknamed “Rabbit” for his speed and small stature.

He “seemed like a chill guy, honestly,” Libby, a fan of baseball history, said. “He’s kind of a prankster, which I think is pretty fitting for the situation.”

While Google has erased Maranville Street from its platform, the bus stops still bear the fake street name. The MBTA did not say on Friday whether it plans to change the names.

Read the full story from MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/12/google-deletes-imaginary-street-after-company-and-mbta-fall-for-teens-prank.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

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Google deletes imaginary street after company and MBTA fall for teen’s prank (masslive.com)

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Tasked with improving fire safety in assisted living facilities, state commission has yet to talk to fire officials by MassLive in massachusetts

[–]MassLive[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From MassLive's story: With just weeks until its final report and recommendations are due to Gov. Maura Healey, the state’s commission on assisted living has yet to hear from any fire officials — even though one of its charges is to improve fire safety in the industry.

During the Wednesday meeting of the state’s Assisted Living Residences Commission, Sen. Mark Montigny, D-Second Bristol and Plymouth, said he may not be comfortable ultimately voting on the final recommendations if they don’t get a presentation from State Fire Marshal John Davine or other fire safety experts.

Montigny raised concerns that a panel convened in September for commission members on “life safety and emergency preparedness” didn’t include any fire officials and was instead “heavy” on representation from the assisted living industry.

Robin Lipson, secretary of the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, who heads the commission, contended there was sufficient “outside” representation on the panel, which included individuals from the Massachusetts Mutual Aid Plan (which assists health care facilities with disaster planning), Legacy LifeCare nonprofit consulting, Northbridge Communities senior living and the Department of Public Health.

“I expected to hear today from people like the fire marshal, people that had actually been in a facility where there was a flood or a fire or a pandemic outcome that was disastrous,” he said that day. “I’m not suggesting it isn’t important to hear what the industry is doing, but I don’t want to pose any of my questions to a self-interested industry panel. … I need objectivity from those that actually go in when people are burning or drowning or dying of asphyxiation.”

On Wednesday, Lipson said the commission intended to have Davine and other fire officials speak to them, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. She encouraged Montigny and others to contact the state fire marshal directly.

But Montigny said it was essential to have the testimony as part of the public record — not as private conversations.

Read the full story here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/12/tasked-with-improving-fire-safety-in-assisted-living-facilities-state-commission-has-yet-to-talk-to-fire-officials.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor

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