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By EMILEE KLEIN

NORTHAMPTON — Sue Stubbs isn’t afraid of taking risks — in fact, she welcomes it.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A new security system to identify if a firearm is brought into the public schools, alerting specific local school and law enforcement personnel in these circumstances, will be installed at both Hopkins Academy and Hadley Elementary...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The town’s conservation areas and trails could get new signs that will bring some consistency to the appearance of those sites and mirror the branding of what is known as the downtown wayfinding system.With a request for up to $100,000 in...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Residents, town officials and the legislative delegation are raising concerns about a proposed forest management plan for land at the edge of the Quabbin Reservoir that could involve removing many tall white pines using large equipment...

Indoor garden report: The two amaryllis are several inches high. One has two buds, the other has three.***Holiday greetings to all those who celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings also known as the Epiphany, which is on Jan. 6.***My Orchard Valley...

By FRANK COUVARES

 As a supporter of the Jones Library renovation and expansion plans from the beginning, I think everyone involved in conceiving, designing and carrying forward this project can be congratulated. Their dedicated efforts have assured us of an invaluable...

By JOSHUA WALLACK

The Kittredge estate holds a unique place in Leverett’s history — a nearly 80-acre property whose next chapter deeply respects the character, values and “vibe of Leverett” and its neighbor Amherst. As someone who has spent decades creating projects...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Major changes to Amherst’s council-manager form of government, which has been in place since December 2018, would likely require establishment of a new Charter Commission, townwide votes and possibly approval from the state Legislature.Yet...

Hear the heir to cumbiaThe Drake in Amherst will kick off its 2025 programming with an exciting show on Jan. 9, presenting cumbia accordionist Yeison Landero.Landero grew up in Colombia, immersed in cumbia music; his grandfather, Andrés Landero, was a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The long-awaited senior housing project that will serve as one of the key slices of Deerfield’s municipal campus will take a major step forward in January, as the Select Board has approved the release of a request for...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A smaller increase in municipal revenues, while the ambulance fund is being incorporated into the town’s operating budget for the first time, are among challenges Hadley officials anticipate as they prepare a fiscal year 2026 spending...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

AMHERST — It didn’t take long after Election Day for students to start visiting the offices at the UMass Stonewall Center seeking advice on how to prepare for another Donald Trump presidency. A significant number of these visitors were seeking...

By EMILEE KLEIN

GRANBY — The Select Board approved entertainment and common victualler licenses for neighborhood winery Wine Haus in a 2-1 vote, with the chair dissenting due to ongoing discussions around noise and zoning.Over the past month, residents have come...

Some people think that we teens don’t need our own space in our new library, but we do. One reason is when you are at home and you have a younger sibling it is very hard to get work done, so this space would be very helpful for that. Another reason...

Thanks to Raymond Fontaine for his wonderful recollections of public radio past from WGBH and WFCR 88.5FM [”Memories of public radio past still glow,” Gazette, Dec. 21]. I was at GBH when most of those shows were produced. And I’m proud of those...

The town of Leverett is home to a unique resource. This is a former Christmas tree farm now known as the Blueberry Patch kindly donated by Gordon S. King for community use. Recently its accessibility has been unjustly obstructed by no trespassing...

On Friday, Dec. 20, about 5:30 p.m., I was driving home east on Route 9 from South East Street in Amherst. It was terrifying. My good snow tires had zero traction on the icy surface. Vehicles were going 10 mph yet still skidding.At one point I saw a...

Not a wreath nor a tree, or even a poinsettia to signify the Christmas holiday at the Hadley Housing Authority. On Dec. 20, notices were placed door to door, stating that all outdoor Christmas lights and holiday decorations must be removed by...

By STEVE PFARRER

During my last several years as the Gazette’s arts and features writer, I compiled a list of my favorite books of the year each December, given that newspapers all do that best-of-the-year thing and I thought it would be fun to get on board...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Nationwide testing of all dairy herds for the bird flu, testing already completed four times so far in Massachusetts, is winning praise from state agricultural officials and local farmers.The virus, also known as Type A H5N1, or Highly...