Nashville, TN

Agawam, MA

AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Local security experts are now weighing in on how schools and other organizations train and prepare for an active shooter situation. Mass shootings like the one Monday in Nashville often call into question school security and safety. We brought our questions to one local expert, who said that preparation and confidence are key.

Security experts discusses training practices to prepare for mass shootings

Boston, MA

Palmer, MA

PALMER, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Several schools in Palmer are on lockdown. Our crew on-scene reports seeing a police cruiser to Palmer Public Schools blocked off. Parents were seen lining the street and waiting for updates worried about their students inside. We spoke with one parent who said she’s worried events like these will leave her kids scarred.

Officials: Palmer High School shelter in place for ‘potential incident’

Springfield, MA

West Springfield, MA

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Hundreds of vendors gathered at the Big E fairgrounds for the Original Western Mass. Home Show held this weekend. With the price of home goods and services on the rise, Western Mass News stopped by the convention to see how the show is helping people to improve their homes for the best bargain.

Homeowners searching for deals amid inflation at Original Western Mass. Home Show

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- As we enter spring, many parents are already looking ahead to summer and camp options for their kids. Western Mass News met with the director of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Uriah Rodriguez, about this year’s summer camp options for parents. She said costs this year range from $100 a week to $260 a week, but they work with families who need help.

YMCA preparing for summer camp season

Massachusetts State

(WGGB/WSHM) - Multiple school communities were left terrified on Tuesday after a string of threats came one day after the deadly Nashville shooting. Parents across the Bay State received calls from their children’s schools Tuesday and alerted them to a lockdown, including Hope Corsi. “I immediately sped here and...

Police investigating hoax threat calls made to several area schools

Chicopee, MA

The Springfield Thunderbirds announced Monday that O’Heir will be at the Pucks and Recreation Night as part of the team’s Fan Appreciation Weekend. One local professor told us that transgender individuals are more likely to be victims of violent crimes rather than the suspects, which he said makes Monday’s shooting stand out that much more.

Chicopee official, resident express road safety concerns following deadly crash

(WGGB/WSHM) - Western Mass News is taking you town by town to Agawam, Holyoke, and Springfield. Geissler’s Supermarket in Agawam has finally finished their renovations after beginning the remodel of their Agawam location in July. The store added a new kiosk popping fresh popcorn, kettle corn, and caramel corn,

Town by Town: Geissler’s remodel, tax work off program, and Liberty St. paving

Amherst, MA

AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Police at UMass Amherst are investigating an assault that took place on Saturday, March 4. The incident began on a bus heading southbound on North Pleasant Street and spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of the Integrative Learning Center. Several individuals were fighting, which resulted...

UMass Police investigating assault along North Pleasant Street

Indiana State

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Actor Jim O’Heir, known for his role as Garry Gergich in the television show Parks and Recreation, will attend the Springfield Thunderbirds game on April 15th against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Springfield Thunderbirds announced Monday that O’Heir will be at the Pucks and Recreation...

Actor Jim O’Heir to attend Thunderbirds Pucks and Recreation Night

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - After nearly three years and over 400,000 tests, the COVID-19 testing site at the Eastfield Mall will close for good this weekend. Officials with AMR said that the ‘Stop the Spread’ site, which opened on August 29, 2020, will close on Saturday, April 1. Daily testing will remain available through Friday, March 31. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, AMR set-up shop at the mall with 12 drive-thru testing booths. Now, in March 2023, those booths have dwindled down to one as the number of COVID-19 tests administered has gone from 1,000 per day to 30 per day.

AMR to permanently close Eastfield Mall COVID-19 testing site

We’re learning new information about the deadly shooting in Springfield last week and court documents said that the issue surrounded alleged bullying on a school bus. Local leaders are reacting to the shooting at a Nashville private school that left three children and three adults dead. Letters being sent...

Crews battle 3-alarm house fire in Palmer

South Hadley, MA

This week, we're getting answers from U.S. Senator Edward Markey. GoFundMe set up for homeowner injured after car hits house on Montgomery Street. GoFundMe set up for homeowner injured after car hits house on Montgomery Street. Homeowners searching for deals amid inflation at Original Western Mass. Home Show. Updated: 21...

Annual luncheon honors Polish-American award winner in South Hadley

Tennessee State

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Multiple schools across the Bay State and here in western Massachusetts were placed on lockdown due to threats of an active shooter, which turned out to be hoaxes. Parents are now wondering how to help their kids get through these experiences, especially as they hear about...

Getting Answers: Mental health toll on students following swatting hoax calls

Holyoke, MA

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - On Tuesday morning around 6:20, crews responded to Hillside Ave for reports of a garage fire. Crews arrived to find a detached garage on fire set about 20 feet back. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it extended to the house. The fire...

Holyoke crews respond to garage fire on Hillside Avenue

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Springfield Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 15-year-old girl. Police said that Jaynia Johnson left her home on Johnson Street around 6 p.m. Monday. She is approximately 5′1′', 120 lbs. with black hair, brown eyes, and a nose ring. She...

Springfield Police looking for missing 15-year-old

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - We’re learning new information about the deadly shooting in Springfield last week and court documents said that the issue surrounded alleged bullying on a school bus. Christina Guzman and Rafael Calo were both charged with murder in connection to the deadly shooting of 34-year-old Justin...

Court documents reveal new details into deadly Springfield shooting

The Springfield Thunderbirds announced Monday that O’Heir will be at the Pucks and Recreation Night as part of the team’s Fan Appreciation Weekend. We’re learning new information about the deadly shooting in Springfield last week and court documents said that the issue surrounded alleged bullying on a school bus.

Criminal justice expert breaks down details surrounding fatal Nashville shooting

CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Authorities have identified a teenager who was killed when the car he was in struck a Chicopee home and caught fire over the weekend. Jim Leydon, spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, said that Chicopee Police saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Broadway around 2:45 a.m. Saturday. An officer followed the vehicle onto Montgomery Street and conducted a traffic stop, but as they approached the car, it took off at a high rate of speed north on Montgomery Street.

Victim of deadly crash on Montgomery Street in Chicopee identified

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Springfield Police seized a loaded firearm, nearly a kilogram of cocaine, and arrested two suspects on the 100 block of White Street late Monday night. Around 10 p.m., officers responded to the area of Grand and Revere Streets for a ShotSpotter activation. Upon conducting a traffic...

2 arrested, gun and cocaine seized on White Street in Springfield

Berkshire County, MA

Pittsfield, MA

PITTSFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Four people are facing charges in connection with what police described as organized shoplifting at a Berkshire County store. Pittsfield Police were called to the Ulta Beauty store on Hubbard Avenue for a shoplifting incident Tuesday night. They noted that the store had been the target of organized theft multiple times in recent weeks.

Pittsfield Police: 4 suspects facing charges following ‘organized’ shoplifting case

Hampden, MA

HAMPDEN, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Police responded to a bus crash on Main Street in Hampden on Monday. Investigators told Western Mass News that the call came in at 8:23 a.m. after a school bus went off the road and hit a utility pole. Aboard the bus was the driver, a...

Main Street in Hampden reopen after school bus crashes into utility pole

LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Western Mass News has spoken to one local police chief, who weighed in on what he saw playing out in Nashville yesterday by watching the police bodycam video released on Tuesday. Ludlow Police Chief Daniel Valadas walked us through the six-minute video, commending the first responders...

Local police chief weighs in on bodycam footage of Nashville school shooting

Ludlow, MA

LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A Springfield man was arrested for drug possession with the intent to distribute following a traffic stop in Ludlow early Saturday morning. According to Ludlow Police Chief Daniel Valadas, 22-year-old David Vaddy of Springfield was in a vehicle on Center Street in Ludlow around 12:55 a.m. Saturday when police conducted a routine traffic stop. There were three occupants inside the vehicle, including a 3-year-old child.

Springfield man arrested in Ludlow for drug possession, intent to distribute

Connecticut State

Hatfield, MA

HATFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office has released more information regarding a teen who was hit and killed by a truck last Friday night. According to the D.A.’s office, 19-year-old Jesse Johansmeyer is dead after being hit by a pickup truck in cornfields in Hatfield. They report that Johansmeyer had been at a bonfire Friday night in an area known as the Hatfield Meadows near Great Neponset Road and South Street, right next to the Connecticut River.

D.A.’s office releases new details into deadly Hatfield hit-and-run

Belchertown, MA

PALMER, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A man has been arrested after attempting an armed robbery at the County Corner Citgo in the Three Rivers section of Palmer Monday afternoon. According to Palmer Police Lieutenant Erin Sullivan, they received the call around 3:39 p.m. that a male party was attempting to rob the Citgo. Officers arrived on scene within two minutes of receiving the call and begun a search for the suspect, issuing a BOLO for the suspect’s vehicle to surrounding communities.

Belchertown man arrested following armed robbery attempt in Three Rivers

Enfield, CT

ENFIELD, CT (WGGB/WSHM) - On Monday, Enfield Community Police Officers located two individuals wanted on outstanding arrest warrants. During the course of the investigation, K9 Britford located controlled substances and paraphernalia. The Enfield Police Department would like to inform the public that we work in conjunction with St. Francis Hospital...

Two suspects arrested, drugs seized by Enfield Police

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A family is remembering their 13-year-old boy who died in a fiery car crash into a home on Montgomery Street in Chicopee early Saturday morning. Three other teenagers survived the crash, and the homeowner suffered serious injuries after being hit by the car. Western Mass News...

Getting Answers: criminal charges Chicopee driver could face after fatal crash

Franklin County, MA

Northfield, MA

GREENFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A Franklin County man is facing charges after allegedly making a threat against a school. Laurie Loisel, spokesperson for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, said that 46-year-old Theodore Sweeney of Northfield allegedly made the threat against Northfield Elementary School on Friday, which prompted a shelter-in-place order.

Suspect accused of making threats toward Franklin County school

Bristol, CT

BRISTOL, CT (WFSB) - The brother of late embattled New England Patriots player and Bristol native Aaron Hernandez is accused of vandalizing ESPN’s property. Dennis “DJ” Hernandez was arrested last week after he reportedly threw a brick at a building in Bristol, according to an incident report from Bristol police.

Report: Aaron Hernandez’s brother accused of vandalizing ESPN property

NewsBreak

Western Mass News: Getting Answers - Jan. 29

Mild, Breezy, And Cloudy With A PM Shower To Close Out The Last Weekend Of January. Mild, Breezy,...

Western Mass News: Getting Answers - Jan. 29

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