Good morning, Springfield.

A new mutual aid pantry from the Indian Orchard Citizen’s Council opened this week next to Myrtle Street Park, stocked with canned goods, fruit, soup, and essentials, and will be open (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday) for two weeks before a community poll sets permanent hours.

Florence Bank donated $45,500 to the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region ( $25,000 directly; employees pledged $20,500) as United Way’s 2026-27 campaign, which began Oct.

8, focuses on community health, youth opportunity and food and economic security.

A player at MGM Springfield won a $10,103.70 jackpot after a $1.76 spin on the Coin Combo slot on Sept.

10; the casino has more than 1,500 slot machines and paid out over $100 million in jackpots in 2025 + players must be 21 to gamble.

With AI note takers now able to join calls and create searchable transcripts, businesses should set rules now for meeting recording (who may record, how consent is obtained, where files are stored, and how long they’re kept) to avoid legal risk and preserve sensitive conversations.

City Council's Public Safety Committee will meet today at 1 p.m. to get an update on the Palmer Renewable Energy biomass plant after a state judge allowed the company to keep pursuing the project by extending its permits (the city continues to challenge it on environmental and public health grounds).

BusinessWest held the 2026 Healthcare Heroes gala to honor local health workers and present awards to standout clinicians and community leaders, with organizers highlighting nominees, sponsors, and fundraising results.

Mercy Medical Center will become Baystate Mercy Hospital and join Baystate Health on Nov.

1, and Baystate says IT, staffing, paychecks + benefits will be ready for day one while longer-term integration planning continues. The system also said the birthing center will not reopen in the immediate future.

On Sept. 6 a player at MGM Springfield hit a $10,811.29 jackpot after a $5.28 slot bet; the casino houses more than 1,500 machines and paid out over $100 million in jackpots in 2025.

MassLive compiled the top-10 Western Massachusetts girls soccer leaders in goals+assists+saves through Saturday, Oct.

24, ahead of the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament; coaches can report missing stats to sports@masslive.com.

Six Western Mass. teams won quarterfinal matches Monday night: Longmeadow, Belchertown, Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, Mount Greylock, Pioneer Valley, and Franklin Tech; each advances to sectional semifinals with dates and locations to be announced.

Five Western Mass. high school players delivered standout Week 7 performances as the regular season wound down: Kelsey Blais and Abby Xu posted big save totals in goal, while Sophia Jagodzinski, Brooklyn King and Nora Vaughn scored multiple goals to boost their teams into postseason contention.

MassLive compiled top-10 regular-season leaders in Western Massachusetts girls volleyball in kills, blocks, digs, assists, and aces using stats through Saturday, Oct.

24, 2026, ahead of the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament that began Monday.

Five Western Mass. girls volleyball players, Ariana Cestary of Baystate Academy, Bella Baltazar of Lenox, Madeline Maharne of Agawam, Carly Brown of Ware, and Ainsley Chrzanowski of Smith Vocational, delivered standout Week 7 performances, with Cestary recording 122 digs and 38 kills as teams head into the postseason.