Easthampton resident wins $100 Week for Life

EASTHAMPTON — Diane Brown of Easthampton has won a $100 a week for life prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s new “$100 a Week for Life” $1 instant ticket game that went on sale last month.

Brown chose the cash option on her prize and received a one-time payment of $80,000 before taxes. She plans on saving her winnings.

The winning ticket was purchased at College Highway Variety, 334 Main St., in Easthampton.

The store will receive a $1,040 bonus for its sale of this ticket.

Magic for Maddie 3v3 tourney back for third year

SOUTHAMPTON — Community members of all ages will make a fast break to the basketball courts Saturday and Sunday for the third annual Magic for Maddie 3v3 basketball fundraiser at Norris School. The tournament is presented by the Southampton Youth Athletic Association and Hyundai Hope on Wheels.

This year, Massachusetts state Sen. John C. Velis will be on hand Saturday as a player among the total 155 basketball teams participating in the tournament.

New to the 3v3 tournament this year is an online auction to support Magic for Maddie. The auction is open now and will close at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

High school teams (grades 9 & 10) and grades (11 & 12) and the three adult brackets (women, men under 40 and men over 40) are set to tip off at 2 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, grades (1 & 2), (3 & 4), (5 & 6) and grade (7 & 8) divisions will tip off at 9 a.m. There will be double elimination brackets, prizes for winners and best “Spirit of Maddie” team awards.

Magic for Maddie was born during the summer of 2022 to raise funds for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, research and to help fund Maddie’s clinical DIPG trial at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. Although Maddie Schmidt lost her heroic 10-month battle against (DIPG), her legacy continues to shine and inspire her community.

To date, Magic for Maddie has raised more than $750,000 and funded more than $90,000 in research. The foundation has also donated more than $365,000 in direct financial support to pediatric cancer families and kept $70,000 local, supporting western Massachusetts nonprofit organizations and families fighting serious childhood illnesses.

For more information, visit www.magicformaddie.com.

Northampton hosts free screening of ‘Recovery City’

NORTHAMPTON — Hampshire HOPE, Northampton Recovery Center, Drug Addiction Recovery Team (DART), and the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will host a free regional screening of “Recovery City,” a documentary directed by Lisa Olivieri.

The screening will take place on Thursday at the Academy of Music. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the film will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a panel question-and-answer session featuring the filmmaker and two of the film’s participants. Tables featuring community resources centered on harm reduction, recovery, and treatment will be available before and after the screening.

For more information, please contact Taylor McAndrew, city of Northampton DHHS director of substance use prevention, at tmcandrew@northamptonma.gov or 413-587-1322.

Home & Garden Show runs Thursday to Sunday

SPRINGFIELD — With anticipation of home improvements trends continuing to be high in 2025, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute, the 70th Western Mass Home & Garden Show that opens Thursday and runs through Sunday has two buildings of home improvement companies that will be on hand to show, demonstrate and advise thousands of homeowners expected to attend.

The show takes place at the Eastern States Exposition, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield.

Andrew Crane, executive director of the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Western MA, said show vendors will be busy building displays and setting up products and samples that will help homeowners gain more insight and a better understanding of the options available to them for their next home improvement project.

The show will provide friends and family with a chance to explore various product lines in an interactive environment where they can see and touch the products, receive advice from vendors, and connect with installers and contractors who may be involved in their next project.

Entry is $10 per person, with children under 12 free. A coupon offering a discount for entry is available on the Western Mass Home & Garden Show website.