Serving the city HOLYOKE since 1995 FREE the January 15, 2021 Local news. Local stories. Local advertisers. A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com [email protected] www.sun.turley.com ★ ★ ★ MAYORAL ELECTION 2021 ★ ★ ★ Curbside corned Sheehan first to Lisi declares intention beef dinner planned declare candidacy to run for mayor HOLYOKE – By Shelby Macri vices so they can By Shelby Macri the city.” The Ancient Order of [email protected] appropriately [email protected] She further Hibernians-James A. plan around it. explains that her Curran Division One and HOLYOKE This can help to HOLYOKE campaign is all The Ladies Ancient Order – Holyoke School improve the qual- – Holyoke City about building of Hibernians Division Committee mem- ity of life for the Councilor Rebecca bridges, one that Two of Hampden/ ber Devin Sheehan city’s residents. Lisi announced her connect the past to Hampshire Counties are announced his can- He speaks plans to run for the future. sponsoring a “2021 Irish didacy for mayor about transition- mayor on Monday, Lisi has spear- Night in Holyoke-A Go on Friday Jan. 8, ing the city’s Jan. 11. headed the pro- Go”, a curbside pickup after giving a lot of schools back to During the cess of downtown of a Traditional Corned thought on it and Devin Sheehan local control as past year, Lisi has Rebecca Lisi revitalization to Beef and Cabbage Dinner speaking with com- well. taken on leadership stabilize the city’s and Ribs prepared by the munity members prior. “Expanding the tax base roles to help the city and its tax base, and was instrumen- Log Cabin of Holyoke. “I had been thinking by ensuring people recog- residents, she explained that tal in passing ordinances that about running for some time nize that Holyoke is ready people had suggested she helped bring marijuana man- DINNER, 9 and solidified my decision for new business growth and run during this time but had ufacturing to the old and his- and announced,” Sheehan will welcome them to open not considered it until Morse toric mill buildings. As mayor, said. “The mayor’s position their doors in the Paper City,” was not planning to continue. she would work closely with is non-partisan and I look for- Sheehan said. “This will also Lisi is a registered Democrat the Office of Planning and ward to working with all indi- allow the city to lower our and explains that she is very Economic Development to viduals regardless of political commercial and residential focused on creating neighbor- make sure she is marketing the affiliation.” tax rates.” Another of his hood associations and civic city, expanding indoor grow Sheehan been a mem- goals includes examining the initiatives early on if she were operations, and bring small ber of the School Committee process that businesses go elected as mayor. shops and restaurants back to since first being elected through to open in the city. “Also, I believe that there the urban core. in 2009, and is a registered New businesses say are several financial best prac- She supports open govern- Democrat, but is ready to it is a lengthy process to tices that the city can adopt ment and has worked towards work for the people no matter open up a place in the city. rather easily to help it regain that and municipal services, their political party. Sheehan plans to work with its financial footing,” Lisi she supported the implemen- Some of the cannabidiol Sheehan says if elected the Planning Department, said. “More long-term goals tation of the 2015 Salary and products in the foreground as mayor, some of his goals City Council, and communi- include supporting a hub of Compensation Study to attract were used to make cookies would include creating bet- ty partners to streamline the economic activity downtown, and retain talented and produc- during a cannabis culinary ter communication among the process of opening a busi- strong schools that are meet- tive employees with competi- assistant training course city and its residents, allow- ness. Businesses are essen- ing the needs of the families tive salaries. She’d go further early last spring at the HCC- ing residents to be aware of tial in a city and Sheehan in our district, and rolling out MGM Culinary Arts Institute. any interruption in city ser- residential fiber network in See LISI, page 9 Submitted photo See SHEEHAN, page 9 HCC adds cannabis job training New book details heroin addiction in western Mass. HOLYOKE – The Cannabis Education Center By Dalton Zbierski feel what they feel. affluent neighbor- “I didn’t want to white- at Holyoke Community Staff Writer That’s what I want- hood and everything wash it, but it couldn’t be too College has added a second ed to do with this; in between.” graphic. It was really important make people feel Each story cannabis core training pro- AGAWAM – During the See BOOK, page 9 gram to its spring calendar COVID-19 pandemic, anoth- like they’re living it featured within of workforce training pro- er grave epidemic has all but with them.” “Voices from the grams. slipped from the public eye. As it delves into Fallen” is written Opioid addiction is a cri- the depths of addic- in the first person, CANNABIS, 9 sis, one that takes the lives of tion, “Voices from allowing readers to thousands of Massachusetts the Fallen,” is based emotionally con- residents each year and has entirely in truth. nect with charac- Arrest made plagued the region for decades. The background of Mike Tourville ters. Mike Tourville, an each real-life char- Tourville spent in homicide Agawam author with Chicopee acter differs from the next, countless hours researching investigation roots, recently complet- Tourville’s deliberate attempt and communicating with fami- ed “Voices from the Fallen,” to ensure that the book reaches lies who have been affected by HOLYOKE – On a book that chronicles the a variety of targeted audiences. the Opioid Epidemic, includ- Saturday, Jan. 11 a struggles of eight western “A reader may say, ‘Seven ing those who have lost loved Holyoke Police Officer Massachusetts residents bat- of these stories don’t jive with ones to addition. heard multiple gunshots tling substance abuse. me, but one of them did,’ and Tourville, who has two while on patrol in the “These aren’t case studies; that’s all that matters. That teenage granddaughters, wrote vicinity of 131 Sargeant case studies are dry and clini- can be the difference,” said the book in an attempt to edu- Street. Multiple officers cal. These are deeply person- Tourville. “There’s a 53-year- cate youths both locally and old grandfather, who started nationally on the dangers responded to the area of al,” said Tourville, who’s pub- “Voices from the Fallen” a newly- using heroin. I’ve got a preg- posed by substance abuse. He 133 Sargeant Street and lication is available on Amazon released book by Agawam author discovered a male vic- both in print and digitally. nant woman who is using her- walked a fine line as he com- Mike Tourville, offers a grave but “You almost feel like you’re oin and a Hispanic guy from piled each story, hoping to cre- necessary look at drug addiction ARREST, 9 in the story yourself; you feel Holyoke. I’ve got a 19-year- ate a product that is suitable in western Massachusetts. like you’re part of it and you old kid who lives in a very for a high school classroom. Courtesy photos ◗ In The News Spikes cause remote learning to remain in place By Shelby Macri Early learners are planned to return ing experience; and it’s in accordance for more live online instructional time [email protected] sometime in Feb., but there will be more to the Department of Elementary and to fit the needs of students and follows information by the end of this week. Secondary Education guidelines. This the DESE guidelines. The re-entry tar- HOLYOKE – City schools are Pre-K and Kindergarten students will be structure allows students to be more get dates have been pushed back but it remaining remote into 2021 due to the involved in an integrated hybrid model, engaged with their peers and teachers will not affect the new hours starting on spike in COVID-19 cases. where students who want to participate and will offer small group instruction Jan. 19, the staff has a goal of creating There was an update added to the in in-person learning will be in cohort for additional support, and includes time the best educational experience for the Holyoke Schools website that speaks C and will attend in-person four days to take breaks for in-person and online students despite the challenges this year about the return to school plan, target a week. Fully remote students will be students. provides. re-entry dates, and adjusted school hours cohort D and will be assigned their own The new schedule will give stu- Flu vaccinations will be required for remote and in-person learning. The teacher, as will cohort C. dents a six-hour school day with four for students in-person and fully remote, school will be phasing into a hybrid Grades one through 12 will partic- to five hours of online learning sched- the Massachusetts Department of Public model on a staggered schedule and will ipate in the livestream hybrid model, uled throughout the day, giving time Health is requiring both types of stu- be prioritizing younger learners to return where students who want to participate for movement breaks, lunch breaks, dents to get the vaccination unless first, grades one through twelve will be in in-person learning will be a signed hand-washing breaks, transitions, clean- they have obtained a medical or reli- on a hybrid schedule with two days of to cohort A or B and will only attend ing time, and recess for younger stu- gious exemption.