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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Giving the Demonstration Response and Safety Team at the University of Massachusetts an expanded role in promoting safety, education and deescalation at protests, clarifying the campus land-use policy by defining structures according to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Amherst Historical Commission is accepting cost-saving measures in the plans for the expanded and renovated Jones Library, including removal of a skylight from the roof, use of synthetic slate shingles and streamlined landscaping.The...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Enslaved from 1770 to 1776 at the Forty Acres homestead in Hadley, now known as The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House Museum, Caesar Phelps wrote a letter from Fort Ticonderoga, where he was serving in the Continental Army, to his owner, Charles...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — All students living in the 22-story Coolidge Hall in the Southwest Area of the University of Massachusetts campus were safely evacuated for three hours Sunday night into early Monday morning after an unattended candle caused a small fire in...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Hadley Town Administrator Carolyn Brennan is poised to retire in December after more than four years serving in the role.Brennan last week submitted a retirement letter to the board, citing “recent medical issues” as a factor in departing.In...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — A nearly $700,000 grant from the National Park Service, awarded in advance of the country’s semiquincentennial birthday in 2026, will help the nonprofit Friends of North Leverett Sawmill continue to restore the town’s pre-Revolutionary War...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Senior citizens participating in the Senior Tax Work-off Program will have the opportunity for a 33% boost in the abatement they receive on their property taxes.Town officials recently announced that the maximum earnings from the program for...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — The Blueberry Patch, a former Christmas tree farm where beef cattle were raised many years ago, is a popular place to walk, pick blueberries and enjoy nature and birding — and for years visitors have done just that, taking advantage of easy...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A five-member committee that will regularly consult with the Black community in Amherst, making recommendations for how reparations money is disbursed, could soon be established by the Town Council.The charge for the Amherst Black...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Music from centuries-old folk songs and contemporary and classical tunes emanates through the hallway at the Bangs Community Center on a recent morning, as some of the autoharp players hold the instrument upright against their shoulders and below...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

PLAINFIELD — A permanent barbecue pit recently constructed at the Plainfield Public Safety Complex will debut during Sunday afternoon’s chicken barbecue fundraiser, an annual tradition being held for the 53rd time.The large barbecue pit, with a cement...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Responding to written appeals from both Amherst and Pelham officials to begin discussions about the fiscal year 2026 operating budget for the regional schools, members of the Amherst Regional School Committee are committing to having a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A storefront for the University of Massachusetts that will serve as both a place to welcome students and families and stage microevents such as lectures, readings and workshops, will be coming to Amherst center during the new academic...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As long as two windows in the existing building are preserved and reused and the original 1928 building is protected from damage, the demolition of the 1990s addition to the Jones Library can proceed, based on a recent Amherst Historical...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — After a spring semester that came to a close with the arrests of 134 students, faculty and community members at a pro-Palestinian encampment, and nearly 500 faculty members and librarians subsequently taking a no-confidence in Chancellor...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — Every child should be able to thrive educationally, develop socially and emotionally and benefit from inclusive practices at Leverett Elementary School, according to the school’s new principal.For Siby Adina, who began her tenure in early...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Internet usage by Hadley residents is being surveyed by the town’s Digital Equity Steering Committee, a first step in developing a digital equity plan.With an aim of all townspeople having access to digital devices and the Internet, along...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In a town like Amherst, where a significant number of rentals are offered for local college students, accessory apartments, featuring a kitchen, bath and sleeping quarters, have long been allowed by a matter of right, so long as one of the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Invasive and destructive, the growth of Japanese knotweed along town roads and municipal rights of way is an increasing concern for some residents, due to its potential for reducing animal and insect biodoversity, lowering water quality...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A geothermal energy project to heat and cool all buildings on the Amherst College campus is underway, with some of the upcoming work of boring holes down 850 feet to be visible for passers-by on College Street throughout 2025.Along with an...