Authorities identify Northampton man found dead in Gill

GILL — The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office has identified the 29-year-old man whose body was found in the Connecticut River near the French King Bridge on Nov. 25 as Northampton resident Daniel Esrick.No foul play is suspected, according to...

New pastor aims to strengthen community ties at First Congregational Church in Southampton

By ALEXA LEWIS

SOUTHAMPTON — After years of interim pastors, the First Congregational Church of Southampton has welcomed Rosemary Dawson to serve as its designated term pastor. Dawson is bringing her years of experience and enthusiasm to Southampton with hopes of...

Chance Encounters with Bob Flaherty: Foley and his Franks: Tragedy and a new beginning for the guy with the smile

For 17 years the hot dog guy, Mike Foley, has held down this spot, out at the truck turn-around on Route 5, at the southernmost edge of Northampton. His lunch-on-the-run customers skid into the lot one after the other, grabbing dogs, burgers, chili,...

Photos: Marching into holiday season

Hampshire County Jail captain earns state supervisor of the year award

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Capt. Eric Jacque’s philosophies as a corrections officer are seemingly simple and very precise: “Get them out on the street in better condition than they came in,” and “Care. Custody. Control.” These are quite literally award-winning...

AG waiting to weigh in on audit of Legislature

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Campbell plans to stay on the sidelines in the donnybrook between Auditor Diana DiZoglio and the Legislature, at least until the two sides wind up in a “legal dispute” if DiZoglio seeks to exercise her new auditing...

A Look Back, Dec. 2

By JIM BRIDGMAN

50 Years Ago ■The Northampton National Bank and Bradlees Department Store will become the first two outlets in Northampton to sell food stamps, with stamp sales beginning this month. Northampton National was one of four banks visited by 25 protesters...

Area briefs: S. Hadley Hazard Mitigation Plan; Big Y’s sack hunger campaign; Holyoke winter farmers market launches; and more

Town to hold public event for Hazard Mitigation PlanSOUTH HADLEY — Community members are invited to attend a public engagement event to learn about and provide feedback on the town’s new Hazard Mitigation Plan. The goal of the plan is to assess the...

Trust closes on Horse Mountain buy between Williamsburg and Hatfield

By ALEXA LEWIS

HATFIELD/WILLIAMSBURG — Horse Mountain’s two peaks have long been recognized as a historic landmark between Williamsburg and Hatfield. Now, 150 acres at the summit of Horse Mountain have been purchased by Kestrel Land Trust, ensuring that the land...

South Hadley decides on 65-gallon carts for new trash system

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — The Select Board recently made another key decision in the town’s effort to move to a new trash system next July 1, approving 65-gallon trash carts with orange tops and 95-gallon recycling carts with black tops.Earlier this year, the...

Maple Valley Creamery plans farmstand in South Deerfield

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — New life may soon be coming to the vacant farmstand at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and North Hillside Road.Maple Valley Creamery, the Hadley-based dairy farm that also operates Maple Valley’s Scoop at the Silos, is eyeing the...

A Look Back, Nov. 30

200 Years Ago ■Jonathan Smith, agent, respectfully informs the inhabitants of Northampton and vicinity that he has taken the shop opposite the house of the Hon. Samuel Hinckley, where he will keep constantly on hand a complete assortment of school and...

Adding some ‘extra’ to curriculum: VINS volunteers bring expertise into Northampton schools

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — It’s late morning inside Laura Mangones’ kindergarten classroom at Bridge Street Elementary School, and the children have all gathered around attentively on a small carpet in front of the classroom, small strips marking where each...

Singing the Messiah: Annual event on Sunday to benefit Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — The “Messiah,” a pinnacle of choral music, reminds Justina Golden of the family Christmas of her childhood at her grandparents’ home in historic Deerfield.“The first thing we would do is get a live tree, and once the tree was in place, my...

Tradition lives on: Silent auction features historical cakes as part of senior class fundraiser at ARHS

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A graffiti-covered section of the Berlin Wall sits side by side with the Taj Mahal and the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Vault of Heaven, and nearby is a large rat representing its role in the Great Plague.They are among sites and events from...

With repairs complete, Northampton Bikeway set to reopen Monday

By Staff Report

NORTHAMPTON — The city will officially reopen the Northampton Bikeway on Monday after the 2.5-mile section of the Mass Central Rail Trail had been closed for the last month for repairs. The stretch of trail extends from the rotary in front of Look...

Hopkins locker room upgrades scaled back

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — An overhaul of the two locker rooms at Hopkins Academy is expected to be scaled back as the result of rising costs associated with the project.With voters in December 2023 approving a $1.07 million debt exclusion to cover the refurbishing of...

Roundabout among ideas pitched to improve safety at Deerfield crossroads

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — As the town continues to look at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10, North Main Street and Mill Village Road, it has released a road safety audit detailing safety concerns in the area, while also laying out some potential enhancements.The...

A Look Back, Nov. 29

50 Years Ago ■A complete audit of school of education finances has been requested at the University of Massachusetts, following charges by an administrator that federal funds have been misused. Dean David C. Bischoff of the UMass provost’s offices...

Home heating help on tap: Residents urged to apply for fuel assistance

By SAMUEL GELINAS

A week after warm weather led to warnings of fire danger statewide, homeowners are finally starting to turn their thermostats up as temperatures drop. But for many, the extra expense to heat their homes is a tough ask. That’s why state and local...