Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges
Gun Shop Owner Gets 18 Months In Prison On Machinegun, Other Charges A local firearms dealer has been sentenced to 18 months in prison on a variety of charges relating to the illegal sale, possession, and manufacturing of weapons. On Friday, Feb. 5, U.S. District Court Judge Mark D. Mastroianni sentenced Max T. Gaj, 30, of Belchertown, to one-and-a-half years in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2020, Gaj, the co-owner of Dark Horse Gunsmithing in South Hadley, pled guilty to: receipt and possession of unregistered firearms, receipt and possession of National Firearm Act (NFA) firearms not identified by serial number, making a …
COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates
Covid-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates Two local school districts experienced COVID-19 flare-ups over the last week, according to the most recent state data. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released how many COVID-19 incidents were reported by students and staff from Jan. 21-27. Most of the Central and Western Massachusetts, as well as the Berkshires, had school districts where no COVID-19 incidents were reported that week. However, Shrewsbury and Hampden-Wilbraham school districts each reported 12-15 students and faculty that had become il…
$1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland $1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland $1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland
$1 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In Rutland A Central Massachusetts man has won a $1 million prize through the Massachusetts State Lottery. On Monday, Jan. 25, the state lottery announced that a winning $1 million “Diamond Millions” ticket had been sold and the prize claimed by Lawrence Josti III, of Rutland. Josti won the $30 ticket’s grand prize. The ticket was purchased at Rutland Marketplace, 26 Pommogusset Road, in Rutland. The store will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. In recent months there has been a handful of $1 million-or-more prize winners west of I-495: a $1 million winning ticket was sold in Aubu…
$2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley $2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley $2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley
$2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket Sold In South Hadley A South Hadley man recently won a $2 million prize playing the lottery. James Peetz, of South Hadley, won $2 million in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$2,000,000 50x Cashword” instant game, according to the Massachusetts Lottery. Peetz bought the winning ticket at Stop and Go, 4 Bardwell St., in South Hadley. The store will receive a $20,000 bonus for selling the lucky ticket. Peetz chose to take a cash lump-sum and received a one-time payment of $1.3 million (before taxes), the Lottery announced on Nov. 13. He plans to use his winnings to renovate his kitchen and buy a new truck.
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal?
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile in…
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker More than 30 years after it happened, charges have been filed against a former Lybian Intelligence Officer and bomb-maker in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. More than a dozen of the passengers who perished were from Massachusetts - including people who lived in South Hadley and Shrewsbury. On Monday, Dec. 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced new charges against Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, aka Hassa Abu Ojalya Ibrahim, or Masud, for his role in building the bomb that killed 270 people in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland 32 years ago. The U.S…
Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area
Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area Federal authorities announced charges Monday against an accused Libyan terrorist on the 32nd anniversary of the Flight 103 bombing over Scotland that killed 270 people. Abu Agila Mohammad Masud is charged with terrorism-related crimes in the 1988 bombing over the village of Lockerbie that killed 190 Americans in all, Attorney General William Barr said Monday. The victims in modern-day history’s worst attack on Americans before 9/11 included 33 New Jerseyans and 61 New York State residents, as well as 11 from Massachusetts, nine from Pennsylvania and five from Connecticut (see list below). …
Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation
Shooting In Western Mass College Town Under Investigation Police are investigating an apparent shooting in a Western Massachusetts college town. On Tuesday, a little before 8 p.m., police received numerous reports of gunshots in the area of Camden and Lyman streets in South Hadley. Soon thereafter, police learned of a single victim transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment to a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said. South Hadley Police are investigating the incident. It appears to be an isolated incident without a threat to the community, police said.  South Hadley doesn't have many reported shootings. The town has ap…
Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley
Program That Keeps Offenders Out Of Jail Is Expanding In Pioneer Valley A program meant to keep adults who have done wrong out of the court system and jail is expanding in the Pioneer Valley. Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ) is partnering with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office to provide an alternative to the court system. It's called restorative justice and it's kind of like doing community service to atone for causing harm - but without the perpetrator being charged with a crime. “Restorative justice provides an alternative to the criminal justice process,” said Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan. It enables “the community to ta…
Gun Shop Owner Admits To Selling/Owning Illegal Firearms - Including Homemade Machinegun Gun Shop Owner Admits To Selling/Owning Illegal Firearms - Including Homemade Machinegun Gun Shop Owner Admits To Selling/Owning Illegal Firearms - Including Homemade Machinegun
Gun Shop Owner Admits To Selling/Owning Illegal Firearms - Including Homemade Machinegun The co-owner of a local gun shop has admitted to owning and/or selling illegal machineguns and other banned firearms. Max T. Gaj, 29, of Belchertown and co-owner of Dark Horse Gunsmithing in South Hadley, pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 25, to receipt and possession of unregistered firearms, receipt, and possession of National Firearm Act (NFA) firearms not identified by serial number, making a firearm in violation of the NFA, selling firearms in violation of state and local laws, as well as making false entries and properly maintaining records, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Massac…
COVID-19: College-Town Businesses More Likely To Stay Closed COVID-19: College-Town Businesses More Likely To Stay Closed COVID-19: College-Town Businesses More Likely To Stay Closed
Covid-19: College-Town Businesses More Likely To Stay Closed College town businesses that closed due to COVID-19 conditions are 24 percent more likely to stay permanently closed once the virus is gone compared to communities without institutions of higher education, according to a recent Yelp analysis. Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts are home to many communities with economies that depend on business serving higher education institutions and people - especially: - Worcester, MA: (Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Assumption College, UMass Worcester, Becker College, etc.), - Hartford, CT: (Hartford University, Trinity…
COVID-19 Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampshire County (Aug.) COVID-19 Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampshire County (Aug.) COVID-19 Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampshire County (Aug.)
Covid-19 Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates, Trends - Hampshire County (Aug.) South Hadley had another tough week of rising COVID-19 infections, while Granby is no longer deemed a “high risk” community by the state. Many Hampshire County communities saw reductions in the rate of COVID-19 infections. Rates in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, and Northampton had significantly fewer new infections compared to last week. The 14-day positive COVID-19 test rate in South Hadley was 3 percent last week - now it’s 3.7 percent, according to the most recent information from the Baker Administration. The infection rate in Ware also went up from 0.6 on Aug. 12, to 0.8 Aug. 19…