Several Western MA Cities To Receive Cybersecurity Help

Here's a dumb question, Massachusetts. Although perhaps not so dumb for some: Why do we NEED cybersecurity? Is it really that essential? Well, yes it is, is the short answer. Ask anybody who has had their identity stolen.

Think about it. Cybersecurity protects us from cyberattacks which appear to be on the increase day by day. Cybersecurity protects our data and sensitive information and helps shield us from financial loss and identity theft.

Knowing how important cybersecurity is means you should appreciate the good news coming to parts of western Massachusetts. WWLP/22 News is reporting, thanks to some grant money, our cybersecurity is going to get much stronger.

Get our free mobile app

Awesome! Thanks to some grants from the Healey-Driscoll Administration, some Massachusetts cities and towns will soon be much better equipped to deal with cyberattacks.

This is all courtesy of the (get ready! It's a long name) Community Compact Cabinet’s Municipal Fiber Grant Program. This program, according to WWLP/22 News:

Aims to connect municipality-owned facilities and help protect communities against cybersecurity threats.

The program initially started in 2022 and since then, over $30 million in funding has been awarded to several communities in the Commonwealth. Some of the grants have been as high as $500,000!

Out of the 40 cities and towns in Massachusetts that will receive portions of the $7.7 million in funding are several in western Massachusetts, including a beloved town here in Berkshire County. The four western Massachusetts towns are:

Amherst - Completing the installation of a fiber ring, creating a redundant path ($160,837)
Northampton - Expansion of the city’s existing fiber optic infrastructure ($250,000)
Springfield - Expansion of the city’s existing fiber optic infrastructure ($250,000)
West Stockbridge - Expansion of the town’s existing fiber optic infrastructure ($55,699)

Just knowing that cybersecurity will be beefed up in these communities makes me feel safer already! Take a look at the full report by visiting WWLP/22 News' website here. Maybe it will make you feel a little safer.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

Gallery Credit: Elena Kadvany

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff