Latest News



Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Amherst for 45 years ID’d for closure
AMHERST — The Natural Resources Conservation Service office for Massachusetts, located at 451 West St. since 1980, could close as part of 748 lease terminations posted online this week by the Trump administration.

“Instilling an expectation of success:” How Greg Carvel became UMass hockey program’s all time winningest coach
‘Winning’ and ‘UMass hockey’ were like oil and water before Greg Carvel arrived in Amherst.
Sports

High schools: Top-seeded Williston cruises past St. Paul’s, into NEPSAC Class A semis (PHOTOS)
EASTHAMPTON – The Williston Northampton boys basketball team took care of business in its NEPSAC Class A first-round playoff win against St. Paul’s on Wednesday at The Sabina Cain Family Athletic Center. The top-seeded Wildcats thumped the eighth-ranked Big Red, 82-61, and were led by Preston Edmead’s 31 points as Williston advanced to the semifinal round for the first time in two years.
Opinion

Guest columnist Joseph Blumenthal: What’s U.S. word worth with Trump shredding contracts?





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

Collective Copies renovating Florence store into new headquarters, will close Amherst location
NORTHAMPTON — Collective Copies, a worker-owned, union copy shop, is in the midst of expanding and renovating its production facility at 93 Main St. in Florence, a project that will accommodate the consolidation of its longtime site at 71 South Pleasant St. in Amherst when that storefront closes on May 1.




Arts & Life

Speaking of Nature: Opportunity taken: Omnivorous scavengers eat just about anything during the tough months of winter
Last week I regaled you with a story about a red-tailed hawk. This bird kept showing up in my yard and forlornly staring out across my back yard in the hopes of finding something to eat. At the time, the problem was one of precipitation, or, rather, the precise combination of temperature and precipitation. Snow, followed by rain, followed by prolonged temperatures below freezing had resulted in a landscape that was covered by a thick shell of ice.


Obituaries

Leeds, MA - Irene (Jasinski) Cloutier, 95, formerly of Easthampton, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at Linda Manor Assisted Living. Irene was born in Northampton on November 13, 1929, the daughter of the late Czesl... remainder of obit for Irene J. Cloutier

Maureen A. (Flynn) Barry HADLEY, MA - Maureen (Flynn) Barry, 90, formerly of Huntington Rd. in Hadley, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Quabbin Valley Health Care in Athol. Maureen was born in Northampton on July 10,... remainder of obit for Maureen A. Barry

Constance R. (Connie) Bunker Amherst, MA - Constance Bunker (Connie), of Amherst, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2025, after a lengthy illness. Connie, 88, was born in Lewiston, Maine. After graduating from Edward Little Highscho... remainder of obit for Constance R. Bunker

Southampton, MA - William G. Erickson, a life-long educator and resident of Southampton, passed away in February at the age of 83. After completing his undergraduate degree at Fitchburg State College, Bill began his long career in educ... remainder of obit for William G. Erickson