News
South Hadley teachers, district reach tentative contract agreement
By EMILY THURLOW
SOUTH HADLEY — After more than two months of working only their contracted hours, the town’s public school teachers, paraeducators and other staff members are no longer “working-to-rule.” Members of the South Hadley Education Association put an end to...
Around Amherst: Rights Commission celebrating MLK’s 94th on Sunday with reading, ringing
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — The life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated in Amherst this Sunday on what would have been the civil rights leader’s 94th birthday.The Human Rights Commission is sponsoring the event, which begins at 2 p.m....
Which way to Ripton? Historical Commission eyes preservation of iconic guideboard in Shutesbury
By SCOTT MERZBACH
SHUTESBURY — For close to 200 years, a guideboard on the town green in Shutesbury center has provided travelers a sense of direction and their distance from communities both near and far.Whether it be the 17 miles west to Northampton, the 40 miles...
Emily Dickinson Museum receives $2.5 million donation to endow the executive director’s position
By STEVE PFARRER
AMHERST — The Emily Dickinson Museum, in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to expand its resources and reach, has received a major new donation to help realize that goal: $2.5 million.Jane and Robert Keiter of Lakeville, Connecticut, have made...
Amherst teachers rally for contract resolution
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — As students at the Amherst Regional Middle School boarded buses to take them home last week, teachers, paraprofessionals and other staff marched toward Chestnut Street to draw attention to the expired contract under which they have been...
Amherst man gets 5 to 7 years in death of infant son
By SCOTT MERZBACH
NORTHAMPTON — A former Amherst man will serve five to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty in Hampshire Superior Court on Wednesday to a criminal charge stemming from the 2019 death of his 4-month-old baby, according to the Northwestern...
Suspect arrested in shooting of Hadley man, 51; investigation continues
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — A Hadley man is recuperating at home and his alleged assailant is in custody in Connecticut following a shooting on Mill Valley Road on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. in the area of 102 Mill Valley...
Amherst to protect 17 acres at former Hickory Ridge Golf Course
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A 17-acre section of the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course is expected to be permanently protected as recreation land that will include trails for the public and associated features, such as informational kiosks.As a requirement of the town’s...
Average Hadley home taxes rising $364 after revaluation, return to single rate
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Residential taxpayers will face a bigger jump in their tax bills in the coming year after town officials minimized the increase last year by shifting more of the tax burden to commercial properties.With the Select Board deciding to return to...
Open Meeting Law complaint targets Amherst Town Council president
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Recent private meetings between members of the Town Council and Amherst police, disclosed publicly during a council meeting in December, are prompting an Open Meeting Law complaint against the council’s president.The Dec. 20 filing with the...
CPA panel supports $700K for school playing fields in Amherst
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Improved playing fields that would be built at a new elementary school at the Fort River School site could be supported with Community Preservation Act money.Following an extended discussion about the request from residents for $3 million to...
Hadley police ranks strained by illness, state rules
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Police reform legislation in Massachusetts and challenges to the health of several officers is making it difficult to keep the Hadley Police Department fully staffed.On the evening of Dec. 21, when the Select Board appointed Officer Jacob...
Not too late to start: Late-blooming Amherst writer wins top prize in longstanding sci-fi/fantasy fiction contest
By STEVE PFARRER
As Marianne Xenos sees it, you’re never too old to find new ways to be creative.Xenos, of Amherst, is a longtime visual artist who also received a degree in literature years ago and wrote poetry and short literary fiction for a time. But that writing...
Hadley to tell its history with new sign project
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Signs containing narratives and graphics to inform visitors and residents about Hadley history are expected to be placed around town in the coming months.Last month, the Planning Board unanimously approved the concept for the four, 2-foot...
With climate education, Hitchcock Center looks to help children envision ideal world
By JULIAN MENDOZA
WHATELY — While winter’s warmest days remind us that our climate’s future could be bleak, the future generation reminds us that it may not have to be.Stephanie Apanell’s fourth grade class at Whately Elementary School joined forces with Amherst’s...
Wool-ology in South Deerfield closes brick-and-mortar store, will expand online presence
By CHRIS LARABEE
After four years operating on Routes 5 and 10, Wool-ology has closed its brick-and-mortar shop and will be expanding its online footprint.The fabric and fiber shop specializing in wool at 242A Greenfield Road is closing its doors last week, as the...
Panel recommends three candidates for Amherst ZBA
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A member of Amherst Town Meeting for more than 40 years, who began his career in activism as part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, is poised to return to municipal service.Vincent O’Connor of Summer Street, along with Jordan Helzer...
Amherst eases permit process for restaurants, bars, nightclubs
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Revisions to the town’s zoning bylaws should make it easier for restaurants, bars and nightclubs to operate in Amherst, according to municipal planners.The Town Council on Monday approved a series of changes to sections of the bylaws on Dec....
New language program to benefit older immigrants at Jones Library
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Older immigrants to the region, including those without English skills and a formal education, will benefit from development of a new curriculum for a program that will be housed in the long-running English as a Second Language Center at the...
State school building authority boosts reimbursement to towns
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Communities across Massachusetts, including Amherst, will get more financial support from the state for school building projects they are pursuing, although a reimbursement increase recently approved by state officials fell short of appeals...
