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By SCOTT MERZBACH

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.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Three sedimentation basins directly upstream from the reservoir at Atkins Reservoir, located in Shutesbury, will be dredged in the fall of 2026.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — At Ella Wang’s former middle school, a device would take regular readings of wind speed, precipitation, temperature and humidity — all information that would be useful to her and her teammates before Amherst Regional High School’s girls cross country meets.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

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.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Town officials are trying to find ways to reduce proposed spending on school and town services before bringing a total municipal budget of around $7.9 million to residents at annual Town Meeting on May 3.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — It’s back to the drawing board for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools’ proposed budget for next year, after the Town Council on Monday rejected changing the way assessments are determined for each of the district’s four member towns.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — At least 1,000 students, staff and faculty, many from the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, descended on the Campus Center at the University of Massachusetts Monday morning, rallying to preserve 18 positions at the middle and high schools that could be lost due to budget cuts.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Five years after its approval, legislation aimed at improving K-12 education statewide known as the Student Opportunity Act is not infusing school districts in western Massachusetts with much-needed additional funding as promised.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Visitors from Lexington and Marblehead were among those who came to see “Generic Male,” the off-Broadway physical theater performed at Northampton’s Academy of Music in early March.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Some Fort River School families and staff are faulting district leadership for failing to address a physical and verbal assault of a parent in the school’s lobby on Feb. 10, along with other incidents of bullying and harassment by parents, that have occurred over the course of the school year.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Even as some members of the Hadley Fire Department are training to become paramedics and others are preparing for a transition to a fully town-run Advanced Life Support ambulance service, those serving on the Select Board and Finance Committee are cautioning that this effort may not be realistic.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — An effort to carve off the commercial sites of Trader Joe’s grocery store and Chase Bank from the Hampshire Mall property could be hindered by town zoning rules related to parking, access and setbacks, according to members of the Planning Board.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Site work related to construction of a five-story, mixed-use building at the corner of Amity Street and University Drive is expected to begin before summer, following final approvals from the Planning Board last week.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A series of fee increases for school-related activities, which cover participation in athletics and parking at the high school, are being considered by the Amherst Regional School Committee.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Though Massachusetts is not one of at least six states that will lose out on $500 million in food deliveries promised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the leader of the region’s largest food bank remains concerned about future cuts.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Best-case scenarios for the Amherst elementary and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools, in which the budgets are around $2 million short of providing level services for the 2025-2026 school year, are leading a member of Amherst’s Town Council to suggest town officials find a way to get more money to local public education.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — On an early March weekend, as numerous musicians took the stage at venues across the city for the Back Porch Music Festival, some spent a portion of their downtime at Mill River Music and Guitars, relaxing on the store’s couches, surrounded by hundreds of acoustic and electric guitars displayed on the walls.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Money for projects to improve access to buildings and ensure more public amenities for residents with disabilities could be directed by a new Commission for Persons with Disabilities, which will begin meeting monthly in April.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Money targeted for both strategic investments and deferred maintenance on the University of Massachusetts campus is being temporarily diverted to a new account that will ensure research continues uninterrupted, should federal grants and contracts be paused or ended.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Mold and mildew that may be developing at the Amherst Regional Middle School, possibly related to the poor condition of the roof that could be fixed as part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s accelerated repair program, will be examined by school district officials.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee is putting forward a $37.08 million fiscal year 2026 budget that would limit some anticipated staffing cuts at the middle and high schools, a proposal that would significantly increase assessments for the four member towns.