NHL commissioner to be executive-in-residence at UMass
AMHERST — National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and the longest serving commissioner in professional sports, has been named as the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management Executive-in-Residence at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management.
Bettman will visit the UMass Amherst campus on Tuesday, Dec. 2, during which he will participate in the Mark H. McCormack Sport Innovator’s Lecture at 6 p.m. in Room N151 of the Integrative Learning Center. Bettman will discuss his career with Brian Burke, former NHL general manager, Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) executive and founder of You Can Play, an organization that combats homophobia and promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. The event will be livestreamed on the department’s Facebook page.
Bettman’s residency activities will also include classroom visits, roundtables with McCormack students and faculty, and participation in the McCormack Collection Oral History Project.
Bettman has served as the NHL Commissioner since Feb. 1, 1993, and has guided the world’s top professional hockey league for over three decades. Under his leadership, the league has achieved record revenues, record attendance and a variety of fan-friendly initiatives.
Before being named NHL commissioner, Bettman served 12 years with the National Basketball Association, rising to senior vice president and general counsel.
Recent McCormack Executives-in-Residence include former CBS Sports Chairman and CBS News President Sean McManus, former NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern.
More information about the Executive-in-Residence program and recaps of previous visits by sports industry leaders can be found on the McCormack Department of Sports Management website.
Aging support group to meet
An aging support group called “Living Fully, Aging Gracefully, and Befriending Death”, will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 4 to 6 p.m., online by Zoom. The group will meet twice each month through April of next year, and participants may attend regularly or occasionally. The cost is $8 per meeting.
Each group is attended by up to 15 participants, and provides a safe and supportive space to discuss the joys and challenges of aging. Often a relevant poem is read aloud and discussed to deepen the conversation.
John Berkowitz, 78, of Northampton, facilitates the meetings with simple guidelines to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and no one dominates the conversation. He has offered these groups for 14 consecutive years.
For more information, call 413-387-8439, or email johnpberk@proton.me.
National Grid’s customer assistance event in Belchertown
BELCHERTOWN — National Grid will hold an in-person customer assistance event on Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m., at Belchertown Town Hall, 1 South Main St.
The event is designed to help customers manage their energy bills and explore cost-saving programs. Attendees will have direct access to National Grid customer service specialists who can provide personalized guidance on payment options and energy solutions to meet each household’s needs.
In addition to this in-person opportunities, National Grid is hosting two Winter Bill Assistance Webinars on Tuesday, Nov. 18, for English speakers from 10:30-11:30 a.m., and one for Spanish speakers on the same day from 1-2 p.m. These webinars will provide an overview of bill management solutions and financial assistance options.
Some of practices covered include enrolling in National Grid’s new payment assistance bundle, budget billing, energy discount rate (for qualifying customers) and scheduling home energy assessments and sharing information on other energy efficiency opportunities for homes or businesses.
Westfield State registrations for basic EMT program
WESTFIELD — Registration is open for the spring 2026 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic program offered at Westfield State University. Classes will be held primarily on Monday and Wednesday, Jan. 21 to May 4, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
In addition to these scheduled evening classes, the program includes some additional Saturday morning classes. More information on these dates can be found on the website.
The EMT program is a blended course consisting of an online component, face-to-face lectures and clinical labs. Students are provided instruction on theoretical knowledge and skills, in symptom recognition and emergency care techniques pursuant to state and national protocols. The program uses real world, live patient simulations.
Students will also participate in scenario-based patient assessments, dynamic problem-based group exercises, and larger inter-professional health care collaborations working with other health care programs on campus. Successful completion of an EMT Basic program and the subsequent state and national exams is also a prerequisite for the Paramedic Program which begins at Westfield State every September.
The cost to register for this EMT Basic program is $1,125 which includes the required clinical, equipment, and practical exam fees. For more information on course prerequisites or to register online, visit www.westfield.ma.edu/emt.
Fundraiser for Easthampton dog park
EASTHAMPTON — Friends of Easthampton Dog Park in collaboration with THCC (The Heavy Culture Cooperative) are holding a pet food drive on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 1 Northampton St., Easthampton, to benefit the Easthampton Community Center.
The ECC helps over 11,000 people in over 60 cities and towns in western Massachusetts, and the pet food drive is for animals who likely need help.