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Q&A With Bruce Sommer

Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job? I was born and raised in Springfield, and technically my first job was when I was 9 years old, emptying garbage cans at the family business. My first job after college was as an accountant at Boulder Medical Center in Boulder, Colo. How […]

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Downtown’s festival dilemma

Downtown Springfield has been facing some difficult hurdles lately. In addition to the devastating fire which damaged several businesses on Adams Street in June, the Jaycees’ annual Fourth of July Capital City Celebration, with its popular downtown fireworks display, didn’t happen for the second year in a row (the derecho nixed it in 2023). AbeFest, […]

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SMTD tries to reduce pollution

The federal government is cutting Springfield Mass Transit District a check to the tune of $17.8 million to provide the city with buses that pollute less and are more efficient to drive. The transit district will be adding 12 hybrid buses that are powered by a combination of diesel fuel and batteries, along with seven […]

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Maid-Rite: 100 years without many changes

What’s happening at the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop is not complicated, but it is enduring. Preparing to celebrate 100 years in business, longtime owner Sam Quaisi downplays his product’s specialness while providing a distinctive spin on why it is indeed special. “There is nothing special about the recipe because it’s the same. It’s the same thing, […]

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