Latest News



Spreading the Mexican spice: After five years in Florence, Masa Mexicano spreads its wings with second location in Belchertown
BELCHERTOWN — Before chef Saul Ayala cooked in decorated Italian restaurants and high-end bars in Boston, Dallas and New York City, he learned about working in a kitchen from his cousin Roberto Saravia, owner of Masa Mexicano in Florence.

Feedback mixed for 3-building, 140 housing units near Atkins Corner in Amherst
AMHERST — A proposal to develop three four-story, mixed-use buildings on Hampshire College land near Atkins Corner is receiving mostly praise from members of the Planning Board, even as some residents who live nearby worry about the height of the buildings and the possibility that the apartments will be occupied by college students, rather than families.
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Sports

NCAA Div. 3 Women’s Ice Hockey: Mammoths set sights on national title
This year’s Amherst College women’s hockey team is littered with talent.

Opinion

Douglas Amy: Undocumented immigrants' contributions
Fox News and the Republican Party have convinced many Americans that undocumented immigrants don’t contribute anything to our society and are just a drain on federal programs.





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

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.
Obituaries

Eugenia W. ("Fi") Herbert South Hadley, MA - EUGENIA W. HERBERT, Historian of Africa and South Asia Eugenia "Fi" Herbert died peacefully on March 10, 2025, surrounded by her family and friends. Fi was 95. Following her graduation from ... remainder of obit for Eugenia W. Herbert

Ruth M. (Mollison) Dresser GOSHEN, MA - Ruth Eleanor (Mollison) Dresser, 97, passed away Friday, March 21, 2025, at home. She was born on August 20, 1927, in Goshen on the family farm, the daughter of John Stewart Mollison and Emeline To... remainder of obit for Ruth M. Dresser

Holyoke, MA - Robert Friel "Bob" Loughrey, age 94 of Holyoke, MA died March 19th , 2025. He was born in Holyoke, son of the late F. Joseph and Rose (Walsh) Loughrey and was a graduate of Holyoke High School Class of 1948. Upon graduatio... remainder of obit for Robert Friel Loughrey

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