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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.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A draft housing production plan with a series of strategies to ensure there are sufficient housing options in Amherst for people with a range of income levels is suggesting Amherst produce 265 to 715 new housing units by 2030.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Five years ago, Amherst became one of the first communities in Massachusetts to adopt a Percent for Art bylaw, ensuring that school and town building projects priced at $1 million or more would incorporate permanent art installations 

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Alleging there has been antisemitic discrimination and harassment at 60 colleges and universities across the country, including at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is warning of potential enforcement actions, according to a letter sent on Monday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Entirely knit with black yarn surrounding a foam interior, an enderman, the tall, thin blob seen in the Minecraft video game, is being turned into a three-dimensional form inside a classroom at Amherst Regional High School.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

April Fool’s Day will also be the opening day for the Amherst Oyster Bar, the long-planned restaurant in Amherst center that will replace Judie’s Restaurant.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A recent incident at an Amherst school, in which one parent was confronted by other parents in an apparent threatening and harassing manner, is prompting Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to send a message to families about the importance of being respectful toward each other and developing a Caregiver Code of Conduct.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In advance of a final fiscal year 2026 budget proposal for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools being brought forward for an anticipated School Committee vote Friday, a three-member subcommittee is recommending preserving almost all student-facing positions at the high school and middle school by restoring $696,000 in possible cuts.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — A member of the Hatfield Housing Authority who’s been absent from every meeting since September, not up to date on mandated state training, and whose behavior has concerned colleagues could be removed from the panel by the Select Board, pending a hearing later this month.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — Inside Jean Hobbie’s nurse’s office at Hatfield Elementary School on a recent morning, second grader Arun Bun drops by to make sure he can successfully address his low blood sugar level, a challenge of having Type 1 diabetes.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Life-threatening dangers are posed any time a migratory bird approaches a building, unaware that it could be on course to strike a window.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Hayley Bolton, who for the past six years has led senior centers in Amherst and Bernardston, is poised to become Shutesbury’s town administrator in April.