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By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — An Amherst man was sentenced Thursday to six to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to rape of a child and five other charges.Kemal Banatte, 44, will serve five years on probation after he...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A long-running case against two men accused of conspiring to defraud the University of Massachusetts through an environmental remediation company in which they both had an interest ended Wednesday with the men admitting to sufficient...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Ware man will remain incarcerated following arraignment in Hampshire Superior Court on charges stemming from a murderous assault on the mother of his child outside the Northampton police station in October.Judge Edward McDonough agreed...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HATFIELD — Working from a foundation laid down by the business it bought at 4 Linseed Road last year, Harrison Diesel Solutions is building a name for itself in the field of heavy equipment maintenance.Husband and wife Drew and Ashley Harrison began...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A flyer since her teens, Fly Lugu flight school founder Fredrika Ballard was remembered this week as a consummate professional who worked hard to support opportunities for women in aviation.Ballard, 53, of Southwick, was killed Sunday...

By JAMES PENTLAND

BELCHERTOWN — State utility regulators have given a green light to municipal aggregation in Belchertown, allowing residents and businesses to act as a bulk buyer of electricity supply.Aggregation typically helps to keep electricity rates down and can...

By JAMES PENTLAND

WILLIAMSBURG — Firefighters from six departments responded to a blaze that caused extensive damage to a Chesterfield Road home on Tuesday afternoon. Fire Chief Jason Connell said the residents were home at the time and called around 12:45 p.m. to...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — A developer of low-carbon cement has firmed up plans to build its first commercial manufacturing plant in Holyoke, bringing 70 new jobs to the city.Sublime Systems, a Somerville start-up company producing what it calls “the only...

By JAMES PENTLAND

SPRINGFIELD — A Belchertown man who stole more than $114,000 in disability benefits over 16 years was sentenced last week in federal court to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release.Kenneth Pontz, 59, was previously convicted in...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Hadley woman charged with animal cruelty in 2022 after nine cows and 22 goats were seized from the Amherst farm where she was keeping them will spend five years on probation after pleading guilty Friday to three counts in the 35-count...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A surge in donations has pushed the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund close to its goal as the year draws to a close.Dozens of donors stepped up to bring the fund’s year-to-date total to $57,814.26, Gazette business manager Patti Wasilewski...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Katie Lyons was well known among her wide circle of friends and family for her dedication to children in foster care.So it was only natural that a a fund set up in her memory would aim to benefit those children. Katie’s Fund was...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — Receiver/Superintendent Anthony Soto is recommending that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education begin the process of releasing the school district from receivership after more than eight years under state control.In a...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — One of the more substantial annual contributions to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund comes from a business celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.“It’s something we can do — give to those less fortunate, put a smile on children’s...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Florence man who last week pleaded guilty to 13 counts of possessing child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to serve four years in jail followed by five years probation.Hampshire Superior Court Judge James Manitsas also ordered...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — An Amherst man who tried to kidnap a toddler from a downtown home during a break-in in March 2021 was sentenced Monday to eight to 10 years in state prison.At a change-of-plea hearing before Judge James Manitsas in Hampshire Superior...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — When Brit Albritton learned that St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton would not be hosting a Messiah sing this year, he decided that was a void that needed to be filled.On short notice, Albritton, board president of the Illuminati...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — A former head women’s soccer coach’s age discrimination case against the University of Massachusetts can proceed to trial, the Massachusetts Appeals Court said Thursday.The decision reversed an October 2022 ruling by Hampshire Superior Court...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A city man was arraigned Friday in Northampton District Court on charges including four counts of assault to murder in connection with an incident Thursday night in Northampton, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Continuing their high-profile involvement in state Republican politics, city physician Jay Fleitman and his wife, Mary Lou Stuart, are heading up the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign for Massachusetts.The two have co-chaired the...