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By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL,EMILEE KLEIN and SCOTT MERZBACH

In a state that prides itself on its educational prowess, Massachusetts school districts across the commonwealth are facing a crisis of ability to adequately fund their schools. Hampshire County has proved to be no exception.

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 EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADELY — It’s shaping up to be a quiet election season in town this year, with a host of incumbents or newcomers running unopposed and only two contested races in District 1.

SOUTH HADLEY — Mount Holyoke College will host a conversation, “Protecting the Unprotected: Making Change in Today’s Immigration Landscape,” between Camille J. Mackler, immigration attorney, and David Hernández, associate professor of Latina/o studies and critical race and political economy.

By JIM BRIDGMAN

We are informed that at a late meeting of the trustees of Amherst Academy, it was voted that the trustees consent to and approve of the act to establish a college in the town of Amherst; and that all the property of every description pertaining to the Collegiate Institution be transferred and delivered to the trustees of the college.

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — South Hadley and Ludlow are organizing municipal and school leaders, students and community members from at least eight communities to attend a hearing Monday at UMass to persuade the state Legislature’s House and Ways Means Committee to support altering the state’s municipal education funding formula.

By JON HUER

Most Americans understand what the Cold War was about — a non-shooting war of ideology that began as soon as World War II had ended between liberal-capitalist America and communist-socialist Russia. The two camps, once allies against Nazis, competed for the hearts and minds of the world everywhere, arguing at the U.N., competing in the Olympics and brainwashing the young in classrooms.

By ALEXA LEWIS

WILLIAMSBURG — The Trustees of Reservations and its affiliate Hilltown Land Trust are working to raise $1.5 million by June 30 to purchase Beaver Brook Golf Course in Williamsburg and Northampton with the ambitious goal to “rewild” the 288-acre property, turning it into an area for both recreation and conservation.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern continues to tour the state, holding town halls across his district, and will again appear in Hadley on Sunday to rally farmers facing losses of federal aid as grants are put on hold or canceled by by the Trump administration. But his stop Friday brought him to the Applewood Retirement Living community in Amherst, where residents were especially concerned about President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s unpredictable, potentially disastrous tinkering with Social Security.

By EMILEE KLEIN

GRANBY — Firefighters arrived at a Chicopee Street house fire on Thursday night to find that a sprinkler system had already contained the blaze, keeping damage to a minimum.

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — The Holyoke Rotary Club will give South Hadley residents a chance to honor their personal heroes during its Flags for Heroes fundraiser from May 17 to July 5 on the South Hadley Commons.

By SUZANNE STILLINGER

I have real concerns about Northampton moving forward with Picture Main Street. As currently configured, it is strange, bloated, disruptive and fails to address any real safety issues.

My children graduated from the Amherst Regional Schools in 2010 and 2013 with an excellent education that prepared them well for college and the future. They learned how to evaluate the validity of information and how to be thoughtful citizens. Current students deserve the same quality education.

When antisemites like the Trump administration conduct a witch hunt for “antisemites,” lines blur and confusion rises, as the term antisemite becomes a tool of suppression. Read Timothy Snyder’s article [”‘Antisemitism’ and Antisemitism”] on the misuse and abuse of the word “antisemitism” for clarity as he reveals that “The American government’s war on higher education and freedom of expression is proceeding according to the same antisemitic rules of engagement as Russia’s war against Ukraine.” (The Russian foreign minister claims Hitler was Jewish.)

I am Jewish and feel dismayed to read that some Jewish parents see antisemitism in Hannah Moushabeck’s sweet children’s book, “Homeland, My Father Dreams of Palestine.”

I’m responding to Claudia Lefko’s March 13 column on the gloriously rich topic of placemaking [“Placemaking or unmaking place?”]. I applaud her appeal to imagine what Northampton will look like and contest her dour vision of the future.

A recent guest column about Northampton’s Main Street project raises several concerns including the idea that without starting a new and “better process” residents will become less willing to engage and participate in the community [“Main Street: Place-making or unmaking place?” March 12]. As a resident who has been actively involved for several years in the Picture Main Street process, I strongly disagree.

By BOB KATZEN

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent debate on the joint House-Senate rules. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.

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 SAMUEL GELINAS

GOSHEN – Retired nurse Marie Calderone has spent her life witnessing falls and seeing the impacts – events that for those over 55 can be fatal. But this phase of her life is about balance.