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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee violated the state’s Open Meeting Law several times last summer during negotiations with former Superintendent Maria Geryk prior to her departure, the attorney general’s office said this week.In a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Town Meeting on Wednesday set in motion a process that could lead to eventual improvements to the 1970s-era Wildwood and Fort River elementary schools.Following three unsuccessful votes to authorize borrowing for a $66.37 million project...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A University of Massachusetts sophomore from Springfield died at an off-campus home in North Amherst Friday evening.Dillinger Perez, 19, was majoring in history in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and was also an active member of the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A battery testing facility in western Massachusetts that supports clean energy technology and combats climate change would help both grow the economy and protect the environment. At least that’s what state Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose, D-Amherst,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — On a Friday morning in September 2015, an announcement of $1 million in federal funding ensured that a community health center, in the heart of Amherst, would one day serve residents’ medical, dental and behavioral health needs, no matter...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Walking through downtown Amherst several times a week, Town Manager Paul Bockelman has noticed the damage to the two-sided circular sign depicting the logo for Starbucks, exposing an empty interior where lights would normally illuminate the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST —  A project to expand and renovate the Jones Library, which comes before annual Town Meeting that begins Wednesday, is being endorsed by the Select Board.The board Monday voted unanimously that the elected trustees for the library should be...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SOUTHAMPTON — The cause of a brush fire that consumed more than 12 acres in Southampton on Easter Sunday has been ruled accidental, said Fire Chief John C. Workman.Investigators pinpointed an old railroad bed as the origin of the fire, which burned...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A South East Street farm that borders the Norwottuck Rail Trail and the Lawrence Swamp Conservation Area is being permanently conserved as agricultural land.The 63-acre Foxcroft Farm, at 908 South East St., was recently placed into the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A blaze that damaged the porch of a multi-family home in the town’s Cushman neighborhood early Saturday morning remains under investigation, said officials with the Amherst Fire Department.Firefighters responded to the 99 Bridge St. building...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — With various appointments by President Donald Trump still not made and continued reversals and flip flops in the administration’s objectives, a sense of chaos and drama exists in the nation’s capital that Massachusetts congressmen...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Preparing to row the equivalent of a marathon or more every day for 50 straight days, Jim Brassord will soon embark on solo journey, along much of the eastern seaboard, that will test the limits of his endurance.But it’s a 1,400-mile quest that the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Customers of a community supported agriculture farm share program have enjoyed the fruits of Simple Gifts Farm owner Jeremy Barker-Plotkin’s labor for more than a decade. Soon even more people will have the opportunity.Barker-Plotkin, who...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With terms such as “grotesque,” “bizarre” and “folly” being used, the concept of a 60-member town council, a compromise proposal between those who want to preserve Town Meeting and those seeking a shift to a mayor-council form of government,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Six teenagers are being summoned to court for being minors in possession of alcohol after officers from Amherst and the University of Massachusetts police departments monitored a gathering in North Amherst Tuesday afternoon.With...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The last vacant parcel on University Drive could become a mixed-use development, but such a project may depend on whether town officials can grant a new entry point to the site.Amherst developer Barry Roberts is considering a construction...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A popular gathering spot in North Amherst for off-campus parties again attracted some 1,500 college-age revelers Saturday afternoon, even though a 7-foot-tall fence installed on the property last month is designed to limit access for...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A town council that would be the largest in Massachusetts is being proposed by the Charter Commission as part of sweeping changes for Amherst municipal government that would also see a mayor and chief administrative officer replace Town...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

PELHAM — As other cities and towns across the state push to become official sanctuaries, Pelham could be the first town to support making all of Massachusetts a safe and welcoming place for all immigrants. When Town Meeting convenes May 6, voters will...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Back from the supermarket with four bags of groceries, Joyce Silverstone was confronted by a pond in the middle of her street, and a dilemma: should she drive through the deep water to get home, or would it be wise to park the vehicle on...