News
Gomez ready for Beacon Hill: Easthampton City Council president set to replace Dan Carey as state rep for 2nd Hampshire District
By ALEXA LEWIS
EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton City Council President Homar Gomez is ready to make the leap to Beacon Hill after concluding his uncontested bid to represent the 2nd Hampshire District in the State House.Once he is sworn into office in the new year, Gomez...
Questions simmer over downtown Amherst project: Some question whether new building is a dorm
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A downtown mixed-use building under construction, to house Amherst College students starting next fall under an agreement between the college and the developer, is continuing to raise questions from residents and members of the Planning...
Northampton council approves resolution calling for arms embargo to Israel
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton City Council has approved a resolution that endorses an embargo on U.S. arms to Israel in an act of protest against the war in Gaza, although only after the inclusion of a single word during its second reading.The...
British paratrooper who spent his later years in South Hadley recognized with new headstone
By SAMUEL GELINAS
SOUTH HADLEY — After years of military service — which included two captures, an occasional bayonet to the gut, various injuries and involvement in one of World War II’s more popularized battles — Hugh Adamson finally has a grave that commemorates...
A Look Back, Nov. 11
By JIM BRIDGMAN
50 Years Ago ■At the University of Massachusetts, the biggest local coal consumer, chief power plant engineer Edward R. Gilbert said today he expects “no trouble at all” from the United Mine Workers strike. While UMass uses 190 tons of coal a day to...
Schools, town of Amherst look to formalize building use
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Amherst Regional Middle School’s swimming pool is regularly used for aquatics programming by Amherst Recreation, a town department that also has its administrative offices in the building.Yet for many aspects of the relationship between the...
Photo: Just a little off the top
South Hadley voters to consider flexible zoning, other articles at special TM
By EMILEE KLEIN
SOUTH HADLEY — Town Meeting members will discuss eight bylaws to update the flexible development zoning bylaw, create animal impoundment guidelines and remove lawn care requirements during a special Town Meeting on Wednesday.The meeting at the Pioneer...
Hadley special TM to consider expanding senior housing district
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Expanding the senior housing overlay district to accommodate a development off North Maple Street, adjusting the accessory dwelling unit bylaw and providing funding for a protective area beneath the new playground at Hadley Elementary School...
10 housekeeping articles on tap at Whately Special Town Meeting
By CHRIS LARABEE
WHATELY — Several financial transfers, grant matches and amendments to clean up the zoning bylaws will come before voters in a housekeeping special Town Meeting set for Tuesday.Residents will consider 10 articles during the meeting, which will start...
A Look Back: Nov. 9, 2024
200 Years Ago■Gaius Pomeroy will sell at public auction on Wednesday, the 17th inst., at two o’clock in the afternoon, at Oliver Warner’s Tavern, his house and lot pleasantly situated in that part of Northampton called New Boston, and near Round Hill....
Northampton council airs resolution opposing expansion of Hadley charter school
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton City Council has introduced a motion opposing the planned expansion of the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley, saying it would further burden a Northampton Public School system that is already...
Community connectors: After 25-pus years on the job each, two South Hadley mail carriers are integral parts of neighborhood
By EMILEE KLEIN
SOUTH HADLEY — Within the first few minutes of Robert Mandeville’s arrival at Loomis Village each day, 30 to 40 seniors crowd into the mailroom to chat with “Bob the mailman.” “They (Loomis Village residents) don’t have visitors coming in all the...
After being ordered to stop using Northampton lot as storage, dealer’s vehicles heading to Hadley
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — More than three months after the city of Northampton ordered a regional auto dealer to remove some 300 vehicles being stored at a vacant King Street lot it owns, the dealership’s owners have zeroed in on a spot in Hadley to keep the new...
Child care dilemma at UMass: Unions highlight capacity problem, while university plans for new, larger facility
By SAMUEL GELINAS
AMHERST — It can take years for University of Massachusetts faculty and staff to get child care coverage on campus — a longtime problem that union members are demanding the university address as waitlists for new parents currently stand at more than...
A filling alternative: Skinny Pancake brings crepe expectations to dining scene
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Whether filled with cheese, chicken or chocolate, or served at breakfast, lunch or dinner — or for dessert — both savory and sweet crepes are a great food concept, says The Skinny Pancake founder Benjy Adler.“It is an unusually versatile...
Electricity program in Hadley extended three years
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — A group purchasing program for electricity, designed to increase renewable energy use while also providing electricity supply options that help residents and businesses manage their costs, will be extended another three years.Hadley officials...
Popular jeweler signing off: Ted’s Creative Jewelers owner says it will be ‘heart-wrenching’ to close store after 27 years
By ALEXA LEWIS
SOUTHAMPTON — After 27 years as a beloved community staple, Ted’s Creative Jewelers Inc. is closing its doors. After decades of creating jewelry cherished by members of the Southampton community and beyond, the store’s owner, Ted Blais, is looking...
Beacon Hill Roll Call, Oct. 28-Nov. 1
By BOB KATZEN
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from budget vetoes by Gov. Maura Healey. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. $2.5 MILLION FOR PROGRAMS TO TREAT PRISONERS SUFFERING...
Around Amherst: Pocket translators helping with municipal outreach
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — In a town where many languages are spoken, handheld translation devices are helping municipal employees who interact with the public to better support residents.With the success of Pocketalk Translators bought two years ago for Amherst’s...