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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Ericilda Xiomara Herman, a superintendent of a school district in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, will be the next superintendent for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools, pending successful contract negotiations.Citing...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Responsible for $135,000 in student debt, Amherst resident Ian Rhodewalt observes that during the yearslong federal pause in making loan repayments during the pandemic, he and his family were able to get a vehicle, to replace a broken-down...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A new retail store carrying assorted Amherst College merchandise, as well as school supplies, tech accessories and snacks, is open at 45 South Pleasant St., as demolition of a building immediately to the south, and removal of an attached ell...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Construction of a three-unit, 10-bedroom home behind an existing home at 98 Fearing St., in the North Prospect-Lincoln-Sunset Local Historic District is inappropriate for the neighborhood, according to a panel that reviews projects and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In September 2022, the Town Council committed to keeping the $46.1 million project to modernize and expand the Jones Library going, at least until it reached the construction bid stage.For Amherst resident Toni Cunningham, that decision...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A lone $42.7 million bid by a general contractor for expanding and renovating the Jones Library building, coming in more than $7 million over cost estimates, could be putting the entire project at risk.“We are disappointed to have received...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A fire station, possibly combined with a new community center, or an affordable housing development, are among the concepts unveiled for the front portion of the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course on West Pomeroy Lane, the 150-acre, town-owned...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Significant capital investments that include a $9 million project to replace the Mount Warner and Mount Holyoke water tanks and $2 million to buy a ladder truck for the Fire Department, and adopting a bylaw to permit stand-alone battery...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Editor’s note: The third of three finalists for the job of superintendent was interviewed Thursday. A decision could be made as soon as Monday. AMHERST — Collaboration, empathy and communication are being emphasized as traits Ericilda Xiomara Herman,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — On a Friday morning filled with music, ceremony and speeches by state leaders to inaugurate Javier Reyes as the 31st leader of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the first Hispanic chancellor of the flagship campus, protesters...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Sixth graders from Amherst’s three elementary schools will relocate to a stand-alone 6th Grade Academy housed at the Amherst Regional Middle School in fall 2026, at the same time as the new 575-student, K-5 elementary school opens at the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Amherst Regional School Committee agreed on Wednesday to a new budget proposal for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools next year that is nearly $500,000 less than a spending plan approved in March. The new budget means smaller 6%...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A townwide cleanup day, organized by Amherst’s community participation officers and University of Massachusetts work study students, is taking place Saturday.Rain or shine, volunteers will fan out in town to remove trash and debris beginning...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Interim Superintendent Douglas Slaughter has opted against hiring a permanent middle school principal despite a search that yielded three finalists, a decision one of those finalists says is retaliation against her because she recently filed...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — Town officials are recommending the use of free cash to cover a significant and unanticipated increase associated with the cost of tuition and transportation for Hatfield students attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural School in...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Editor’s note: The second of three finalists for the job of superintendent was interviewed Tuesday. The final candidate will be interviewed Thursday. AMHERST — Experience in teaching, administration and establishing collaborative relationships,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A deep energy retrofit planned for Hopkins Academy, using ground-source heat pumps, would cut more than three-quarters of the building’s greenhouse gas emissions and would significantly reduce estimated expenses associated with the health and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Temporary Police Chief Gabriel Ting, who has led the department since last May and been a member of the force for almost 27 years, will become Amherst’s permanent chief, pending approval by the Town Council.Ting’s appointment to serve a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Bylaws to regulate large-scale battery storage, limit outdoor light pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new housing construction and control door-to-door solicitors will be considered by residents at annual Town Meeting...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Scaled-back increases in the assessments for the Amherst Regional Schools are expected to be considered by residents when Shutesbury and Leverett hold their annual Town Meetings on Saturday.But the compromise 6% increases over the current...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Money for continued restoration of the North Leverett Sawmill, a citizen petition calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, and a $7.56 million budget for fiscal year 2025, which adds a fourth police officer to the Police Department, are...