Northampton
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Police Respond To Boat Striking Marker
STAFFORD – Police helped two boaters whose vessel had struck an intercoastal water marker. The crash took place at around 5 a.m. on August 23. The vessel took heavy damage and began taking on water. One of the boaters onboard was injured but the injuries weren’t life-threatening, police said.
Fests to feel good attending: River Roads Festival, Sept. 7, and Arcadia Folk Festival, Aug. 23-24, center on environmental causes
Nature has served as an artistic muse for centuries, so it’s no surprise that music and environmental activism have historical connections. Two music festivals returning to Easthampton this summer embody the relationship between the natural and musical worlds by generating excitement about local conservation and modeling how community events can reduce their environmental impacts. The River Roads Festival and Arcadia Folk Festival are musical gatherings with an environmental edge, both of which encourage attendees to explore new ways to coexist with the planet as they enjoy live music in scenic outdoor settings.
$5M in CDBG money to help area towns with infrastructure, housing, social services
A handful of Hampshire County communities are in line for nearly $5 million in state grants to help offset the cost of a variety of projects from development of affordable housing to neighborhood infrastructure improvements. The money is part of $3.9 million awarded through the Community Development Block Grant program...
Volleyball Chosen LEC Preseason #1 by Coaches
DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The Little East Conference (LEC) has announced the preseason polls for women's volleyball entering the 2024 season and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth – the defending Regular Season and Conference Champions – were named the top team to beat in the coaches' poll with five first-place votes and 61 points.
2024 UMass Minutemen Football Preseason Preview: Offense
UMass showed signs of life on offense not scene since Mark Whipple’s second stint. The Minutemen averaged more than 20 points per game for the first time since 2018. Unlike the recent past, a productive ground game was the centerpiece of the UMass offense. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams was the heart...
Herrell’s Ice Cream Is open in North Amherst
Herrell’s Ice Cream opened its new pop location at 83 Cowls Road in the Mill District on Wednesday, August 21. The soft opening drew steady traffic. The store is open from noon to 9 p.m. every day and features the same premium ice cream as the Northampton store. The current location is a temporary one. A larger celebration is planned when the store moves to its permanent location at 69 Cowls Road between the Carefree Cakery and Provisions in December.
Former counselor sues Amherst-Pelham school district, adding to complaints in wake of Title IX investigations
AMHERST — A federal lawsuit brought against the Amherst-Pelham Regional school district, as well as several current and former staff members, by a former middle school counselor contends that she and other counselors were targeted by colleagues and administrators due to their Christian beliefs. In a lawsuit filed in...
Colleges holding breath on FAFSA financial aid fix
With the announcement last week that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2025-2026 year will open to all students on Dec. 1 — two months later than the usual rollout date — Hampshire College has begun to prepare for another financial aid nightmare. “The goal...
Ball Lane affordable housing project in Amherst gets $350K town boost
AMHERST — A $20.5 million development in North Amherst featuring 30 affordable homes, each of which will be owned by families, is getting another influx of money from the town, a commitment that should ensure ground can be broken next spring. The Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund voted unanimously...
Matteo Pangallo: Equitable cost-sharing for the ARHS track project
It’s surprising that Amherst CPA Committee Chair Sam Macleod believes that by contributing 80% of the cost for the new Amherst Regional High School track and field facility, Amherst is paying “more than its fair share” (“Town may add $800K more for track project,” Aug. 6). Even setting aside the fact that the town of Amherst has far more financial resources at its disposal than all three of the other district towns combined, and setting aside the fact that the facility is physically located in Amherst and thus is far easier for Amherst residents to access than for residents of the other towns, Macleod’s comment ignores the distribution of student population at the high school. Last year, Amherst Regional High School had 841 students, of whom 620 — or 74% — were from Amherst. Just 82 were from Leverett, 74 from Pelham, and 65 from Shutesbury. It’s only equitable that how we share the costs for a regional resource be determined by considering both the differing means available to the region’s individual communities as well as the question of which communities will be making the most use of that resource.
Two More MA National Drug Stores Have Closed their Doors, Permanently!
A new court filing this week announces the number of Rite Aid locations have dwindled as 77 stores have become casualties while the drug chain continues downsizing amid a bankruptcy that was recently filed by the national pharmacy chain. Hundreds of Rite Aid locations have closed since an initial announcement...
Rotary bringing Town Fair to Amherst Common: Three-day event helps put bow on summer starting Aug. 23
An annual tradition since the 1950s, the Rotary Club of Amherst Town Fair returns to the Town Common for three days beginning Friday, Aug. 23. Bringing amusements including a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and a climbing wall, food booths with cotton candy and caramel apples and other activities to the Amherst green, the event, previously put on in the spring and in recent years held toward the end of August, is one of two late summer fundraisers organized by the Rotary Club.
State awards millions in flood resilience grants to area communities
AMHERST — Amherst, South Hadley and Holyoke are each getting more than $1 million grants from the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program to replace culverts, improve water quality and make the communities more resilient to floods. In Amherst, a $1.18 million grant will go toward the second phase...
Amherst recreation leaders say two pools key for aquatics program
AMHERST — With a pause in plans to rebuild the aging bathhouse at War Memorial Pool, and discussions beginning about whether the town needs two full-size outdoor swimming pools during the summer, Amherst Recreation officials say having both facilities is important to the aquatics program and summer camps. Recreation...
Amherst native Vanessa Chakour brings women’s boxing classes to Franklin County's YMCA
Vanessa Chakour didn’t always want to be a boxer. If you asked the Amherst native what she wanted to be when she grew up, she may have said a National Geographic photographer, an author or an illustrator, but never once did being a professional fighter cross her mind. After...
8 Massachusetts communities now at high risk of West Nile virus, DPH warns
BOSTON — Public health officials warned Friday that eight Massachusetts communities are now at high risk for West Nile virus. According to the Department of Public Health, this elevated risk level applies to Boston in Suffolk County and Abington, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Whitman in Plymouth County.
Massage studio’s sudden closure leaves Hadley customers feeling burned
HADLEY — Some residents are having a hands-on experience with frustration, as the sudden closure of Elements Massage has left customers with unredeemed memberships and gift cards, sparking complaints to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development confirmed the closure of...
Mid-contract deal gives Hadley school paras a boost
HADLEY — Educators who work with the most vulnerable students in the Hadley public schools are getting a pay increase as the result of recently completed mid-contract negotiations between the Hadley Education Association and school and town officials. The 20 or so education support professionals, or ESPs, will see...
Let them run wild: Doc from Hadley-born filmmaker explores the lives of wild horses
Growing up in Hadley, Steven Latham had a wild Chincoteague pony on his family farm, but it wasn’t until he learned about a veterans’ program pairing veterans with mustangs to train that he was inspired to create his documentary. “A couple friends told me about a program outside...
These 4 Mass. cities made the "Hottest ZIP Codes" list
SALEM - Massachusetts is home to four of the hottest real estate markets in the country this year, a new ranking says. In fact, three cities in the state make the Top 10 in Realtor.com's list of the "Hottest ZIP Codes of 2024." Salem is third on the heat map, behind only top-ranked Gahanna, Ohio and Ballwin, Missouri. Leominster is seventh, Westfield is eighth and Attleboro is 13th. What makes a "hot ZIP"? Realtor.com says it determines its Hottest ZIP Code rankings by looking at how many views a property gets on its website, and how long that listing remains active. The highest-ranked markets...
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