Search Results

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A five-story, 68-unit project is ready to break ground at 47 Olympia Drive, which when complete will provide another housing option for local college students.Archipelago Investments LLC of Amherst received approval last week for both the...

By CAROLYN BROWN

Thousands of University of Massachusetts Amherst students have learned from percussion instructor Thom Hannum, whose 40-year career at the college included a tenure as the assistant director, then associate director, of the Minuteman Marching Band...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — A general town bylaw creating a licensing process for large-scale battery storage in Shutesbury has been struck down by the state attorney general’s office, for both unreasonably regulating renewable energy and improperly regulating...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A traditional celebration that has been part of Amherst’s holiday season since the 1960s, the Merry Maple lighting is back at its usual location on the North Common on Friday, with a newly lit maple tree.A year after continued construction...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst came close to a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, earning 99 out of a possible 100 points.The Municipality Equality Index is a nationwide evaluation of cities and towns on how...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Douglas Slaughter, who served as temporary superintendent for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools for the 2023-2024 academic year, is joining the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District as its assistant...

Winter is coming. The white-coated lawns and shrubs last week are a harbinger of things to come. The temperature numbers this weekend will be really low. Time to find the gloves and scarves. If you open your car with a key, don’t forget the lock...

By SAMUEL GELINAS

A week after warm weather led to warnings of fire danger statewide, homeowners are finally starting to turn their thermostats up as temperatures drop. But for many, the extra expense to heat their homes is a tough ask. That’s why state and local...

By STEVE PFARRER

War has been a regular horror in Lebanon for nearly half a century, flaring most recently this fall with Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon in attacks against the Iranian-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah, a spillover in turn from the brutal,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A graffiti-covered section of the Berlin Wall sits side by side with the Taj Mahal and the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Vault of Heaven, and nearby is a large rat representing its role in the Great Plague.They are among sites and events from...

By SARENA NEYMAN

 We have just elected a cruel and ruthless monster who represents the worst of humanity and I feel my blood vessels pulsing with rage. I’m boiling with fury at the ignorant, mean-spirited electorate who were duped into thinking that a billionaire...

By DARCY DUMONT

It may seem odd not to address the expected reversal of progress on climate and what that will mean at home and abroad, but pardon me while I take a breath. My latest thought is to simply to keep moving in a positive direction, doing whatever we can...

Anonymous letters are abhorrent. However, the hypocrisy of the Amherst Pelham Education Association in criticizing the “low tactics” of the correspondence disparaging Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman is truly stunning. Many of us remember that, in the...

So, let’s get this straight — a violent international fugitive, wanted for committing assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Massachusetts, was finally arrested. Northampton and Amherst officials, including two new police chiefs, want to...

Recently at the Amherst Farmers Market, we approached people with a sign that said, “Stop the Library Demolition.” We pointed out that their statement is simply not true; the library is not being demolished but renovated and expanded. The person we...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Reflecting on his time volunteering at the Amherst Survival Center when it was housed in the basement of a former school building, sorting clothes and doing some cooking, Sky Lloyd appreciates how the annual Thanksgiving meal brings people...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — New life may soon be coming to the vacant farmstand at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and North Hillside Road.Maple Valley Creamery, the Hadley-based dairy farm that also operates Maple Valley’s Scoop at the Silos, is eyeing the...

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — “Don’t breathe. Be invisible. We don’t want trouble.”As a woman who grew up under illegal occupation in Palestine, these words became mantras for Fatima Elabed out of necessity. Her daughter, however, Michigan congresswoman and...

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — In the midst of trying to hire a new head football coach, the University of Massachusetts athletic department can’t seem to get out of its own way.While Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford hasn’t addressed the fanbase since firing former head...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With concerns over how long it’s taking to complete a mandated federal historic review of the planned renovation and expansion of the Jones Library, town and library officials are requesting an extension of up to three months for hiring a...