HAMPDEN COUNTY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - As local communities are left with a multi-million-dollar budget hole. After the state cut off casino mitigation money, if you drive on Park Street in West Springfield or depend on local police response times, this funding could directly impact your daily life.

The writing has been on the wall for a while now as annual funding has been declining. In recent weeks the state has officially pulled the plug on casino money that’s been fixing roads, funding police, and transforming neighborhoods for seven years here in Springfield and surrounding towns like West Springfield.

“When the legislature, you know, came and said, we’re going to allow casinos, you know, gambling in Massachusetts, this was a key cornerstone to gain community support for that prospect. An

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