Holyoke Public Schools
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who also chairs the School Committee, discusses the decision by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for a state takeover of the Holyoke Schools due to poor academic performance.
Gone But Not Forgotten: Riverside Park Speedway
Riverside Park Speedway was built in 1948, replacing an open air bandstand at Western Massachusetts’ most popular vacation destination—Riverside Amusement Park. For 50 years auto racing was held there. In the grandstands, loyalties to different drivers became fierce, and where one sat in the stands was determined by what driver one was rooting for. Many prominent drivers got their start at Riverside including NASCAR drivers Richie Evans and Geoff Bodine. Connecting Point Producer Dave Fraser sat down with former longtime driver/owner Bob Polverari, auto racing historian Al Fini and former track announcer Gary Danko to relive some of the memories at Riverside Park Speedway.
Joshua Devine
Jennifer Bakowski, the sister of Joshua Devine, a Chicopee native and U.S. Army veteran missing after a scuba diving excursion off Thailand, talks about her trip there to learn about efforts to find her brother and the continuing questions surrounding his disappearance.
Lonesome Brothers
As any musician will tell you, it’s hard to keep a band together, but the Pioneer Valley’s Lonesome Brothers have done just that! They’ve been playing their original music – what they refer to as ‘hick rock’ – for 30 years, in the process garnering a reputation for being one of the best live bands in New England. Producer Marla Zippay & videographer Mark Langevin found the Lonesome Brothers in their backyard and sat down for a chat.
