Agawam News

Good times, bad times, and everything in between. That's what our weather looks like this week, with a rather wishy-washy forecast.

State police are seeking witnesses to an accident on I-84 eastbound that resulted in the death of a 70-year-old man from Agawam, Mass., about 12:15 p.m. Thursday.

Monday, foster chlidren and their families got the chance to experience a fun-filled afternoon compliments of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

By GEORGE GRAHAM ggraham@repub.com AGAWAM - A laundry room fire, which broke out late Monday night in a laundry room at Heritage Hall nursing home, caused some $20,000 to $30,000 in damage, Agawam Fire Chief Stephen A. Martin said.

"We were absolutely floored. We spent the whole night up," said Brecken Chinn Swartz, a professor of communications at the University of Maryland, who is the adoptive mother of a Shriners patient and executive director of the nonprofit HandReach, which seeks to provide burn and orthopedic care for children living in rural China.

Springfield's mayor wants to raise the city's meal tax in the fiscal year that begins July 1st.

Microtest Laboratories , a provider of package validation services, is now offering accelerated aging studies for medical device manufacturers.

Yet another candidate is seeking the mayor's seat in Agawam. 32-year old businessman Derek Benton made an official announcement of his candidacy, making him the seventh person to throw their hat into the ring.

The former Massachusetts State Police Academy in Agawam, above, is being eyed for conversion to housing for veterans.

By JIM DANKO jdanko@repub.com AGAWAM - Kurtis P. LeDuc, 11, of Longmeadow, was feeling pretty good as he led hundreds of people for a lap around Six Flags New England on Sunday.

By JIM DANKO jdanko@repub.com AGAWAM - Some city councilors are calling it a mistake to cut back on curbside collection of yard waste this summer, a move Mayor Susan R. Dawson said will save the city money during difficult economic times.

In Agawam...Susan Dawson says she is running for re-election as mayor. And she told supporters last night that voters are too smart to be fooled by what some opponents may try to use as scare tactics...and the much talked about brawl with a woman over that woman's husband, in a Springfield restaurant.

Agawam Mayor Susan R. Dawson announces her bid for a second term on Tuesday at the Captain Charles Leonard House on Main Street in Agawam.

A man was seriously injured when he fell from ladder inside an Agawam business on Monday morning.

By JIM KINNEY Business writer jkinney@repub.com WEST SPRINGFIELD - It's going to take a lot more than the proposed federal subsidy of as much as $4,500 to get George R. Kelly of West Springfield to part with his 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis station wagon.

Agawam enforcement officer Richard Bosini takes a photograph of Alan Griffin and his goats in the goat pen at Griffin's Agawam home in 2006.

By BUFFY SPENCER bspencer@repub.com SPRINGFIELD - Alcohol addiction had wreaked havoc on Richard G. DellaGiustina's life, but never took away his kindness and love of family, his father and two brothers told Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder in Hampden Superior Court on Wednesday.

By MIKE PLAISANCE mplaisance@repub.com SPRINGFIELD - One guy bought a house for his son and another man scooped up some land for his business as the city sold 27 properties at an auction Tuesday.

West Springfield pitcher Sam Taylor fires the ball during the Terriers' 4-0 preliminary round win over Agawam.

Mike Baggetta, guitarist, composer and educator, is originally from Agawam, Massachusetts.