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By SCOTT MERZBACH

“We were trying to find someone who represents the multitudes of who we are as a school community. … Whatever Waleska brings to the building, it’s vast.”Principal Derek SheaAMHERST — Art from Indigenous tribes, Hawaii, Nepal, Mexico and Chile, among...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Municipal building inspectors and town police officers will soon have a mechanism for ensuring problem properties that affect the quality of life in Amherst neighborhoods, such as residences holding frequent loud parties with underage...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A new bullying reporting system is on the websites for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools, providing an improved process for notifying school officials about possible incidents and ensuring prompt investigations....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Town officials are exploring development of the former VFW site on Main Street into a new 40-bed homeless shelter with associated services and a four-story, 30-unit single-room occupancy apartment complex.At a recent presentation to update...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority will go fare-free beginning Nov. 1, part of a statewide “Try Transit” initiative that provides funding to allow transit authorities to waive fees for riders.PVTA said that no fares or passes will be...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Annual Trivia Bee, a long-running fundraiser for the Amherst Education Foundation that has typically been staged in school auditoriums, is moving to a downtown location in its 30th year.Scheduled for Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m., the event that...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In recognition of what elected trustees say is her exemplary work overseeing the Jones Library system, and the planned expansion and renovation project at the main branch, Director Sharon Sharry is earning a significant salary boost.Trustees...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Hundreds of people gathered in the back yard at a North Pleasant Street fraternity house, where loud music was playing and some underage guests were found urinating on a neighboring property, led to enforcement actions by Amherst Police late...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — The Planning Board will not make a recommendation to special Town Meeting this fall about a proposal to significantly expand the senior housing overlay district, to include a 30-acre property near the corner of Rocky Hill Road and North Maple...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — School officials are considering the installation of a high-tech tool to possibly identify anyone carrying a firearm into Hopkins Academy, though School Committee members are wary of moving forward with the idea without more information.The...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Better understanding of how certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often simply called PFAS and known as “forever chemicals,” negatively affect public health and cause assorted maladies, is leading to state and federal laws and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — An open-air gazebo is being proposed to protect the town common’s historic guideboard, an artifact that dates to 1837 and continues to be refurbished and restored at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center.While the Historical Commission...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A significant deficit anticipated in the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, amid continued enrollment declines in grades 7-12, is prompting Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to propose consolidating all secondary...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A pantry for University of Massachusetts students and employees who are experiencing food insecurity, representing a long-term partnership between the university and the Amherst Survival Center, will open next fall at the former Newman...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A Pelham resident with experience in economic development, event management and advocating for businesses in roles at both the University of Massachusetts and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce becomes the Amherst Business Improvement...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst Media Executive Director Jim Lescault is out at the cable access nonprofit after almost 17 years in the role, though those associated with the organization, and Lescault himself, are tight-lipped about his departure.While confirming...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — After recently acquiring an 80,000-square-foot building on Venture Way for a second campus, the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion School is seeking a 100-student increase in enrollment.Despite several parents speaking against the enrollment...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A general contractor to undertake the expansion and renovation of the Jones Library building is again being sought by the town, with a bid advertisement recently posted for an estimated construction cost of $36 million.The legal ad comes...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Several mixed-use buildings in downtown Amherst constructed over the past decade are enhancing the town’s tax base, providing both housing options for families and individuals and revenue needed to support municipal services and public...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In the waning days of Major League Baseball’s 1977 regular season, Sports Illustrated writer Melissa Ludtke, who grew up in Amherst, received a clubhouse pass from the New York Yankees, giving her permission to be with the players before and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

“We were trying to find someone who represents the multitudes of who we are as a school community. … Whatever Waleska brings to the building, it’s vast.” — Principal Derek Shea AMHERST — Art from Indigenous tribes, Hawaii, Nepal, Mexico and Chile,...