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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More than one-third of the almost $19 million cost to Amherst for rebuilding the Centennial water treatment plant in Pelham is being covered directly by the state through principal forgiveness on two loans.Town officials on Thursday...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Speed and efficiency in searching for and rescuing those lost in remote locations increases survival rates, with success going down dramatically when such operations last more than a day, experts say.Understanding that there may be ways to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Contending that tens of billions of dollars are going to for-profit insurance companies instead of paying for necessary medical needs of senior citizens, Valley Action in Amherst and other regional activist groups are calling for stronger...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A project to resurface a 3.2-mile stretch of the Route 116 bypass, running from Meadow Street in Amherst south to Route 9 in Hadley, will prompt a realignment of the off-ramp from Route 116 where the state highways meet as a way of improving...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — A new veterans agent to assist Hatfield military veterans is being sought by town officials, as the possibility of a more permanent link up with the Central Hampshire Veterans Services in Northampton is considered.The Select Board’s...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An insufficient pool of applicants of those seeking to become the next police chief in Amherst is prompting the town’s search committee to increase efforts at widening interest.At a periodic Cuppa Joe meeting on Friday morning, focused on...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Scarcity of appointments for COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021 and technological challenges for senior citizens prompted Amherst Senior Center staff to get up at midnight or 3 a.m. as slots opened up, ensuring local seniors could get their...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More effectively evaluating and prioritizing issues introduced to the Town Council and providing a greater understanding to the public of how decisions will affect them are among steps District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer is pledging to take...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Improvements to the area surrounding the War Memorial Pool, including possible reconstruction of the pool house and basketball courts and future affordable housing developments across town, are being supported by the committee making...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A K-5 mathematics program in the Amherst and Pelham elementary schools, being used in classrooms since fall 2022, appears to be succeeding in getting more students to their grade level, including for children whose first language is not...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A permanent disaster relief fund to assist farmers devastated by acts of nature, and providing farmers more flexibility for using their properties once they are protected in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, are bills the state...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Peter Pouncey, Amherst College’s 16th president, who led the college from 1984 to 1994, died on May 30 at 85, according to the college.Pouncey’s tenure began at a time of unrest and transition, following the unexpected death of President...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — For a dozen years, Yasmin Brandford has owned and operated Amherst Extensions and Beauty Salon, specializing in maintenance and care for African American hair.But Brandford says she didn’t seek American Rescue Plan Act money to grow her 460...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The arrest of a University of Massachusetts student during an altercation with a campus police officer is being reviewed by the campus leadership team after witnesses expressed concern for the person taken into custody, according to a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Sayhan Islam arrived in Amherst from Bangladesh in 2020 never having played sports. Even so, he became a member of the Amherst-Pelham Regional High School boys lacrosse team.“Sayhan didn’t even know what lacrosse was two years ago,” said...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts is pushing back its commencement ceremony to late May beginning next year, the result of a revised academic calendar that features a new six-week winter session.But the decision by the Faculty Senate, causing...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An in-depth study of traffic on the University of Massachusetts campus is underway after recent crashes that killed one pedestrian and seriously injured another.Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., with a local office in Springfield, was recently...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A 150-acre parcel featuring more than a mile of frontage on the Fort River, including mostly greenspace used as a golf course since 1969, is now owned by the town.Amherst officials announced this week that the West Pomeroy Lane site,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A record-setting enrollment of Black students in Amherst College’s first-year class is garnering attention from a publication that focuses on the status of African-Americans in higher education.For college officials, topping The Journal of...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A man who allegedly broke into a downtown apartment and then reportedly assaulted a police dog by barking at it was arrested early Sunday morning, according to Amherst police.Patrick C. Kelly, 21, of Weymouth, was arrested at 1:02 a.m. on...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A 17-unit townhouse development in the shadow of the tower dormitories in the Southwest Area of the University of Massachusetts campus is being proposed for a 2.2-acre parcel at the corner of Sunset Avenue and Fearing Street.The process of...