Latest News

WMass legislative delegation urges Healey to speed up judge nominations
NORTHAMPTON — Vacancies for more than a third of the seats on the western Massachusetts Superior Court, causing some court sessions to be canceled and recall judges to be used to cover the workload, is prompting area legislators to appeal to Gov. Maura Healey for expediting the nomination of new judges.

Declutter your mind, with some help: Local author offers 201 prompts of ‘Fierce Encouragement’ to aspiring writers
Author Margaret Atwood supposedly once said, “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” With a new book, “Fierce Encouragement: 201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times,” author and writing coach Jena Schwartz wants to inspire writers to build their own creative practices, no matter if the result isn’t entirely perfect.
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Sports

A memorable run: Smith continues run of success in reaching another national title game
NORTHAMPTON — After watching for just 10 minutes, I reached for my phone, picked it up and texted as many of my friends who love the game of basketball as I could.
Opinion

Barry De Jasu: Becoming Vichy officials
Our Democratic experiment is under a full blitzkrieg. And too many Democrats really believe that remaining calm and quiet is the best tactic in defense. Sen. Chuck Schumer and others really believe that we should not challenge this blitzkrieg because these anti-democratic corrupt forces will just destroy themselves before they completely undo the American government and decency.




Your Daily Puzzles

An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."

A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.

Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.

Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
Business

State pilot program puts restaurant takeout meals on food aid menus around region
NORTHAMPTON — More than a half-dozen restaurants in Hampshire County are partnering with survival centers in Northampton and Amherst to provide free meals to those facing food insecurity in the region as part of a larger initiative taking place statewide.




Arts & Life

Earth Matters: Do plants know math? Three Valley plants share a surprising secret
Asparagus, strawberries and sunflowers are, to my mind, three of the best reasons to live in western Massachusetts.
Obituaries

Northampton, MA - Joseph G. Sharp, 81, of Northampton, passed away on February 18 at Baystate Medical Center. He was born on December 1, 1943, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Enid and Garland Sharp. He graduated from Michigan State Un... remainder of obit for Joseph Sharp

Florence, MA - Walter Dragon of Deerfield Drive in Florence, Ma is now resting in peace at the age of 99, after a life well lived. Walter died on Saturday morning, March 22, 2025, with his loving wife at his bedside. Walter attended... remainder of obit for Walter S. Dragon

Amherst, MA - Nicholas Xenos died on Wednesday, March 12th after a brief and acute illness. He died in the company of his beloved wife Lynn Peterfreund, and sons Ezra and Sam. Born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1948 into the Greek immigran... remainder of obit for Nicholas Xenos

Brea, CA - Anne E. Shaffer died unexpectedly on March 17, 2025 at St. Jude's Hospital in Fullerton, CA. Anne was predeceased by her parents Edward and Mary Parrow and by her sister-in-law Tracy Tracum. Anne was born June 10, 1962 at Co... remainder of obit for Anne Shaffer