Good morning, Springfield.

A new veteran's home in Holyoke is set to open soon to provide long-term care and support services for veterans, and officials say it will begin accepting residents once licensing and staffing are complete.

UMassFive is hosting its annual winter coat and cold-weather clothing drive through Nov.

12 to collect clean, new, or gently used coats, gloves, hats, scarves, sweaters, snow gear, and boots. Drop off donations at branches including 233 Carew St., Mercy Medical Center Rehabilitation Building, Room 110 in Springfield; items will be distributed with Amherst Survival Center and the Gray House.

The new $405 million Veterans Home at Holyoke opens with a ribbon-cutting and tours today (10 a.m.), featuring a 350,000 sqft campus next to the old Soldiers’ Home with 212 single rooms, 11 double rooms, a 30-bed memory-care floor, and a 40-person adult day health program.

A player at MGM Springfield won a $12,995.52 slot jackpot on Sept.

6 after betting $4.40 on the Coin Trio Fortune Trails game, at a casino that houses more than 1,500 slot machines and paid out over $100 million in jackpots in 2025.

Desirée Garcia was named the 2027 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year at a ceremony at German Gerena Community School in Springfield, recognized for a decade in Springfield Public Schools and her work in dual-language education to prevent students from being left out by language barriers.

The Pigskin Prophet predicts outcomes for 29 high school football games in Week 8, with key matchups Friday, Oct.

30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 across Western Mass.; favorites include Springfield Central, Lee, and Westfield (predicted scores accompany each game).

Frontier Regional beat Agawam 5-1 with Addie Harrington scoring twice, and the Red Hawks improved to 16-1-1; they will play East Longmeadow in the Western Mass.

Class A final Saturday at 12 p.m. at West Springfield High School.

UMass sits 4-4 but counts as 3-4 for bowl purposes and must win three of its final four games to guarantee eligibility; Boston College is 4-3 and needs two wins in five, and North Carolina, 4-3, can reach a bowl by taking care of its remaining ACC opponents aside from No. 1 Miami.