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Mass. astronaut continues orbiting space due to spaceship malfunctions
One of the NASA astronauts who’s been orbiting space for weeks due to several malfunctions on her spaceship is a Massachusetts native. Although Sunita L. Williams was born in Ohio, Williams considers Needham her hometown and graduated from the town’s high school in 1983, according to her NASA biography. In 2019, Needham renamed an elementary school after Williams to honor her aerospace career, MassLive previously reported. It was also the first time a school in Needham was named after a woman of color.
Amherst councilors wary of road funds fall-off in 2025 capital budget
AMHERST — As $2.75 million in road and sidewalk projects continue throughout town this summer, members of the Town Council are worried that there will be significantly less financial resources available in 2025 to resurface streets and fix sidewalks. Of the $4.3 million in capital spending approved for fiscal...
Amherst Regional track project heads to bid, though money still short
AMHERST — While a preferred $3.36 million overhaul of the track and field at Amherst Regional High School remains $932,175 short of what is needed to begin the work, the Regional School Committee is supporting putting the project out to bid, with much of the funding gap to be made up by adding certain aspects at a later time.
Around Amherst: First standalone restroom coming to Kendrick Park
AMHERST — Downtown Amherst’s first standalone restroom could soon be installed at Kendrick Park, close to a playground that opened in August 2021 as a way to activate the 3.3-acre common at the north end of downtown. The Planning Board recently approved the site plans and special permit,...
Amherst community safety committee member balks at losing seat
AMHERST — A lawyer employed by the University of Massachusetts, who has helped lead the town’s Community Safety and Social Justice Committee may lose her position on the panel charged with advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and community safety in Amherst. While the status of Debora Ferreira’s tenure on...
Grant Ingle: UMass chancellor’s task force plan ‘deficient’
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes has again demonstrated that he should resign. Reyes made the ill-advised decision to call in the State Police in riot gear to arrest students and faculty members peacefully protesting in support of Palestinians. Videos of this event make it clear that State Police in riot gear arresting peaceful protesters looks eerily similar to arrests of peaceful protesters in authoritarian countries like Russia and Georgia. Similarly, the arrests of protesters at UMass sent an unambiguous “might makes right” message completely at odds with the values of a higher education institution.
Amherst officials deem $4M estimate to fix bathhouse at War Memorial Pool too high
AMHERST — A $4 million price tag for rebuilding the bathhouse connected to War Memorial Pool is prompting Amherst officials to put off for a year applying for a state grant to cover up to a quarter of the construction costs, as well as to begin considering whether the town can do without one of its two full-size, outdoor swimming pools.
E. coli closes Puffer’s Pond for at least a week
AMHERST — Puffer’s Pond is being closed to swimming after high levels of E. coli bacteria were measured in the water in the latest round of water analysis testing. After being closed for several weeks at the end of last summer due to the same concerns over E. coli, the pond, located off State Street in North Amherst, had remained open for swimming throughout the warm spells this spring and summer.
Funding drive collects $300K for Hadley Elementary School playground makeover
HADLEY — With plastic pieces breaking off the slides and rust creating instability in the main bolts holding together some play structures on the Hadley Elementary School playground, a portion of the play space has been roped off, keeping children safe from potential dangers, but preventing them from having an inclusive, fun and accessible experience.
Figure skating: New England West sending 7 youth athletes to 2024 State Games of America in San Diego
New England West Skating Club figure skaters will be competing against some of the top competition in the country this month at the State Games of America in San Diego. The club, which competes out of Deerfield Academy, has been rebuilding since the multiyear COVID-19 disruption, director Suzanne McCaughtry said.
Photos: Chief Nelson’s fond farewell
Amherst Fire Chief Walter “Tim” Nelson applauds from aboard Engine 2 on his last day of duty before retirement after a send-off party last Friday at the Amherst North Fire Station. Nelson, a South Hadley resident who led the Amherst department since early 2010, closed out a 43-year career in fire services, including 29 years serving for the Holyoke Fire Department. The ride home aboard a fir truck is a traditional farewell for those retiring from fire services.
Global 'chess boom' ripples through western Massachusetts
Normally, Alex Cespedes' classroom is filled with fourth and fifth graders learning science and social studies. But on Thursdays, after classes let out, students at McMahon Elementary School in Holyoke, Massachusetts, pour into the room for a different reason: to do battle. “That’s actually a very good move,” Rodman Parvin,...
Fireworks, beach closures and traffic: Your guide to the Fourth of July in Mass.
People across the country woke up Thursday morning excited to show their pride on this Independence Day. And there are so many great ways to celebrate in Massachusetts, whether it's having fun on the coast or enjoying a fireworks show. Here's a detailed look at everything you need to know:
Only 1 state in the US completely bans consumer fireworks
Firework laws are always a bit confusing for Americans ahead of the Fourth of July. Are you allowed to set them off? What kinds of fireworks can you legally purchase? It's a state-by-state mess that nobody seems to understand.
College Football Stadium Tour Roasts One Team's Stadium in Viral Video
We're approaching the time of the year where fans consider what college football road trips to make for the 2024 season. One college football enthusiast isn't fond of one particular stadium venue. On Friday, a video went viral for its descriptions of a college football stadium in the ...
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