22News at 4: Digital Edition 10/29/26

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to 22 News at Four. I'm Claire Overton. We'll get to your top four at four in just a moment, but first we always have a look at commuter traffic and weather. Let's bring in 22 News Storm Team meteorologist Brian Lappis. Brian, it was a pretty sunny day outside. Those fall colors really shining on the trees. Yeah, we got up to 70 in a few spots today. One wonders, is this the last time we see 70 degrees until 2027? That could be pretty sad. Yeah. Are you wondering that? No. Are you wondering that? Are you? I've spent the day wondering that, but that's the world I live in. what to be a meteorologist yeah let's take a look at the traffic right now you can see that there are no major backups in fact we're running pretty good for this time of day downtown Mass Pike is in good shape and I-91 is in good shape as well let's talk temperatures you can see here that we're at 70 in Westfield close to it in Springfield 68 in Greenfield in Northampton 64 in Pittsfield and 69 degrees in North Adams right now and the sunshine continues so pretty good chance that you may see 70 degrees on a car thermometer here before the sun sets and then much cool did you like that much cooler air is on the way in here for tomorrow we'll talk about Halloween with our 22 News Storm Team seven day forecast a West Springfield man will serve up to 11 years in state prison after being convicted of a shooting in Holyoke that left one man paralyzed 23-year-old Jevi Pabon-Flores pleaded guilty to multiple assault charges, including armed assault with intent to murder. The Hampden DA's office says Pabon-Flores shot the victim, 36-year-old David Carvalho, on Sergeant Street on July 24, 2025. He was paralyzed from his injuries, and investigators used surveillance video to identify Pabon-Flores, including footage showing a driver leaving his vehicle at a racing mart just before the shooting began. A man has been arrested in connection with Monday morning's high street stabbing in Holyoke. Police say 30-year-old Jorge Rolón Romero was arrested Wednesday morning after officials conducted a traffic stop on the same street the adult male victim was stabbed on. He was stabbed in both of his legs and was transported to a local hospital. Rolón Romero is charged with attempted murder as well as multiple assault and armed assault charges. Smith & Wesson is sharing more details about its acquisition of Savage Arms. In a statement sent to 22 News, the company says Savage Arms' two manufacturing facilities, including its Westfield location, remain part of its long-term plans. While Smith & Wesson adds that some operations could be realigned between facilities to improve aligned between facilities to improve efficiency, it does not plan to consolidate those locations. Savage Arms has been headquartered in Westfield for more than 130 years. Mayor Michael McCabe previously saying he hoped to meet with Smith & Wesson's CEO to discuss its future in the city. It was one of the most memorable snowstorms to ever hit western Massachusetts. The October snowstorm dumped wet, heavy snow across the region 15 years ago today. Many cities and towns picked up more than a foot of snow, and the storm was forecasted to start as rain and then change over to snow, but most places saw it as snow right away. You know, this is pretty incredible. This is pretty unprecedented to be dealing with an October snowstorm, Brian. Yeah, here we are, 327 p.m. on October 29th, and you can see snow-covered roads there in Greenfield. It was late October, but most of the trees in the Lower Pioneer Valley still had their leaves. Trees and power lines were down everywhere, and many cities and towns were left without power for several days as long to a week. tornado as in terms of kind of like wow weather can do this here in New England. Yeah and that was 15 years ago and now we're reaching 70 right now so definitely times have changed. Exactly and we've got a dry weekend on the way too that continues to be kind of locked in here for Halloween weekend so there's good news there. Let's take a look at the clouds and radar right now and you can see that we've got clear skies over the valley and as we move forward into the evening hours temperatures close to 70 right now we'll be dropping through the 50s i expect this evening so evening temperatures 50s and 40s and in fact we don't get out of the 40s it's going to be a mild night it's a persistent breeze out of the south southwest will keep us mild also some clouds rolling here after midnight tonight and if you're at the right spot at the right time you may even catch a sprinkle or two coming out of the sky here overnight but nothing more than a sprinkle 7 o'clock tomorrow morning, sunshine. We're expecting the high temperature to come between 9 a.m. and about 1, 2 p.m. tomorrow. So the high temperature is going to come earlier in the day than it usually would. And that high temperature will be in the low to mid-60s. And as we move through the afternoon hours, we'll be cooling down into the 50s. It's a dry day. You'll notice the wind out of the northwest. Brush fire danger continues to be very high, so it is best not to burn outside tomorrow. trick-or-treating looks pretty good all things considered we'll show you on 22 news starting at five, the new veterans home in Holyoke is officially open this morning state and local officials joined federal officials to cut the ribbon at the nursing facility signaling a new chapter for veterans in this region construction on this new building began in 2023 after a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at what was then known as the Holyoke Soldiers Home a state audit found that soldiers home to ensure nurses could safely monitor the veterans. While today's ribbon cutting marked a major milestone . the transition is not quite complete We owe a debt of gratitude to generation after generation of men and women who have left Massachusetts to serve our country and we are grateful. Parents will be moving in soon but when all the work is completed by 20-28 . the new home will be ready to go. The new home will be ready to go. soon, but when all the work is completed by 2028, the new home will feature more than 200 long-term care beds, a specialized memory care unit, and an adult daycare program that takes on 40 people a day. Staffing for the new building was also increased by 30 percent. Springfield's Aquatic Department is bringing back a water-based fitness program to help individuals exercise in a supportive, low-impact environment. City officials say the eight-week program is designed to make physical activity accessible. Participants can engage in exercise at their own pace through the activities and health experts say that water-based exercise can help reduce stress on joints while improving circulation. The O2H program begins November 10th and no swimming experience is required. And now for a look at what we're working on for 22 News starting at 5, we're tracking the latest after a drug and alcohol counselor from Chicopee was found guilty of assaulting a former client. Plus, we take a closer look at the annual report that examines motor vehicle-related deaths among teenagers in the Bay State, and it also identifies ways to prevent further casualties. And finally, we'll tell you how a new substance abuse treatment center in Springfield will better serve residents living in Hampden County. Traffic moving along pretty nicely right now. No major problems downtown. I-91 north of the city is in good shape, and the Pike is also running fine. And the dry The weather continues into and through the weekend This is about as warm as it's going to get for a little while, though. We'll track temperatures on 22 News starting at 5 Claire? Thanks, Brian, and thank you for joining us this afternoon for 22 News at 4 Join us on TV tonight starting at 5 Then you can get all your local news and weather updates anytime on www.wwlp.com and the 22 News mobile app