$400 million bond bill for new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home clears 2nd legislative committee
Updated 5:00 AM;
HOLYOKE With just six days to go before a deadline to apply for federal financing for a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, a $400 million bond bill cleared its second legislative committee Friday.
The Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets polled its 21 members Friday afternoon and the bill passed by a wide margin. The milestone cleared the way for the proposal’s debate by the full House next week, according to state Rep. Joseph Wagner, D-Chicopee, second assistant majority leader.
“I am comfortable that we are moving this along a timeline that will allow us to make a timely application to the federal government for funding for this reconstruction project,” Wagner said.
Holyoke veterans deserve more than a new building
What ails the Soldiersâ Home wonât be solved without a change in how it is led and governed.
By The Editorial BoardUpdated April 8, 2021, 2 hours ago
Email to a Friend
An arial view of Soldier s Home in Holyoke.Blake Nissen for the Boston Globe
Fixing whatâs wrong at the Soldiersâ Home in Holyoke â and whatâs wrong, generally, when it comes to providing health care services to Massachusetts veterans â will take more than a new building.
Yet, even as a legislative oversight committee prepares an in-depth report, with a detailed list of policy recommendations, Governor Charlie Baker is moving ahead under the old rules to hire a superintendent to head the Holyoke facility. Lawmakers are also being pushed by Baker to approve a $400 million bond bill by April 15, in order to secure federal funding to replace a tired and worn facility.
Regional equity, tight timeline re-emerge as prime concerns over $400 million bond bill for new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
Updated Apr 05, 3:23 PM;
Posted Apr 05, 2:00 PM
Facebook Share
A joint legislative committee on capital expenditures is considering the $400 million bond bill to pay for the construction of a new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, slated for completion in 2026.
Monday’s hearing before the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets is the second hurdle to push the bill through ahead of a critical deadline to secure up to $260 million in federal dollars for the project.
The bill cleared the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight last month, but needs to emerge favorably from this committee and the Ways and Means Committee before debate in the full House and Senate. The bill has 10 days pass before April 15, to satisfy the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ deadline to secure a 65% reimbursement.
‘It’s OK to look back, but don’t stare’: Chairman of Chelsea Soldiers’ Home cautions oversight committee on Holyoke counterpart
Updated 4:22 PM;
The special legislative oversight committee on the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home held its eighth hearing since October Monday, featuring testimony from experts on veterans’ health and wellness.
The oversight committee was formed in response to the pandemic which claimed the lives of at least 77 veterans at the state-run facility on Cherry Street in Holyoke. The oversight committee is tasked with scrutinizing the response to the outbreak at the Western Massachusetts facility, the hardest hit of the state’s long-term care facilities.
How Kill Bill Helped Shape the Mortal Kombat Movie and Its R-Rated Violence
How Kill Bill Helped Shape the Mortal Kombat Movie and Its R-Rated Violence
Mortal Kombat movie will take an important cue From Kill Bill.
The upcoming cinematic reboot of
Mortal Kombat hopes to put a serious spin on the iconic gaming franchise. Gone is the campiness of the
Mortal Kombat films from the nineties, to be replaced by a gory bloodfest of savage brutalities and spine-chilling fatalities. Despite the bloodbath that has featured in the movie s trailer so far, director Simon McQuoid revealed in a recent interview that an effort was made to not make the gore too over-the-top, in which direction producer Bennett Walsh proved helpful by drawing on his experiences with