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Memorial Day weekend produces mixed emotions. The holiday is a time for somber reflection and remembrance of the tens of thousands who have served in our military over the centuries and have given their lives in their nation’s wars.The holiday has its...

By DUSTY CHRISTENSEN

EASTHAMPTON — The state attorney general’s office has launched an investigation after months of racial tensions at Easthampton High School.During an update on race-related incidents and the school district’s response, Superintendent Nancy Follansbee...

A sense of urgency reflecting the nation’s political climate fuels a call to service delivered by college commencement speakers here this month.Graduates of the local private colleges and University of Massachusetts Amherst were urged to engage in...

By MIRANDA DAVIS

SUNDERLAND — A llama assisted the Sunderland Public Library on a mission to get children excited about reading.Debbie Labbe and her 8-year-old llama named Jack paid a visit to the library Saturday, where she taught children facts about llamas and...

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

ASHFIELD — A $140,000 state grant may allow a local theater company to expand further by converting a barn into an artists’ studio.The Double Edge Theatre has just received a Cultural Facilities Fund grant that makes it possible to complete the...

Massachusetts, regarded as a bastion of progressive thinking, has never elected a woman governor.Yes, Lt. Gov. Jane Swift filled that seat from April 2001 through 2002 when Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci left to become ambassador to China before his...

By ANDREA AYVAZIAN

Although it has become cliché, it is also true: Donald Trump has made America great again.We are great in our resistance, great in our inventive placard-making, great in our love for democracy, great in our ability to differentiate between lies and...

By JACK SUNTRUP

EASTHAMPTON — Alex Blow spread peanut butter on an English muffin upstairs, flipped on the TV to watch Netflix downstairs, and, after a while, heard a pop outside the basement door on Oliver Street.“Before I even opened the door I saw an orange glow...

By DEENA RUBIN

I was pregnant and gave birth to my daughter, Ayala, in Cambridge, England. This was my first introduction to universal health care.I began my pregnancy by going to the gynecologist, getting ultrasounds and having blood and urine tests. As the...

Bad enough that President Donald Trump is inflicting his intemperance, narcissism and lack of compassion on the nation that elected him its leader. But it’s now becoming clear that Trump’s disregard for the rules of American justice and international...

By CAITLIN ASHWORTH

SOUTHAMPTON — Like most youth of her generation, Rylie Simmons, 8, is adept at using today’s technology to watch gymnastics on YouTube or to research do-it-yourself projects like how to make such as how to make slim foam. But, like many youngsters —...

There’s an old saying that a leader always should try to leave a place better than he or she found it. That’s exactly what Mary MacInnes did as longtime administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority — and then some.MacInnes, who retired April...

By JOE GANNON

Where does hope come from at this time when the world is lurching ever rightward? What can unite us enough to pull in the opposite direction when the old ideologies are gone?The French may have slowed that lurch toward right-wing populism in last...

By EMILY CUTTS

NORTHAMPTON – A 70-year-old Hawley man on Friday denied a charge of negligently operating a school bus that killed a 9-year-old girl in Plainfield last year.   Tendzin Parsons pleaded not guilty in Northampton District Court to a charge of negligent...

By FANNY ROTHSCHILD

When do we stop sitting in our homes or offices, activate our protector natures, and take to the streets?When I lived in Argentina for six months in 1996, I volunteered with the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a group of mothers who had begun to march 20...

By DUSTY CHRISTENSEN

AMHERST — Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of animal life, and the term “Anthropocene extinction” gives an obvious clue as to the cause: human activity.Due to everything from habitat destruction to environmental degradation and climate...

Former president Barack Obama spoke about courage Sunday night in Boston when he accepted the 2017 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.“I hope that current members of Congress recognize that it takes little courage to aid those who are already...

At the opposite ends of their careers, Barbara Black and Allison Jenks share a commitment to improving the lives of people they touch with their compassionate and spirited leadership.The two women received the Person of the Year and Young Community...

By BILL NEWMAN

People with pre-existing conditions fear that they “are going to die because of a vote we might be taking.”Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Florida) said that earlier this week. He added, “(A) lot of people … call my office … daily who are extremely angry … because...

By RICHIE DAVIS

SANDISFIELD — Eighteen protesters, including 12 from Hampshire County, were arrested Tuesday morning at the entrance to Otis State Forest after they blocked a pipeline project access road.Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. contractors were attempting to begin...