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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A shift in culture has occurred at Crocker Farm School over the past decade, where even those students having a challenging time in their classrooms and in interactions with their peers are not sent to the main office.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Natural Resources Conservation Service office for Massachusetts, located at 451 West St. since 1980, could close as part of 748 lease terminations posted online this week by the Trump administration.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An administrative request by the university demanding that a Pride flag flying from a flagpole at the UMass Transit Services area of the University of Massachusetts campus be removed is leading to the circulation of a petition calling out campus leaders.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A proposed $23.31 million fiscal year 2026 operating budget will maintain existing staffing and services at the public schools and in municipal departments, while supporting the continued transition to a town-operated Advanced Life Support ambulance.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Annual pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Amherst, where numerous college-age people dressed in green began consuming alcohol early Saturday morning, led to 29 arrests and 23 medical transports to the hospital, according to information supplied by town and University of Massachusetts officials.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A recent incident at an Amherst school, in which one parent was confronted by other parents in an apparent threatening and harassing manner, is prompting Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to send a message to families about the importance of being respectful toward each other and developing a Caregiver Code of Conduct.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — J. Crew Factory, a national clothing retailer, will be coming to Mountain Farms Mall later this year.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Improving pedestrian access and parking near Kendrick Park, the site of a downtown playground, and preparatory work on a housing development at the former VFW site on Main Street that will include space serving homeless individuals, are projects being recommended for Community Development Block Grant funding.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As Town Manager Paul Bockelman puts together a nearly $29.5 million fiscal year 2026 budget for Amherst’s municipal operations, the spending plan is currently projected at around a $540,000 deficit.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A three-building development featuring 140 residential units, 12,000 square feet of commercial space and 180 parking spaces is being proposed for 7.7 acres of vacant land owned by Hampshire College in the Atkins Corner area of town.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A full team of five teachers at Amherst Regional Middle School, who provide instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and special education to seventh and eighth graders, would be eliminated as part of at least 18 staff cuts, saving around $1.39 million, at the regional schools if a proposal under consideration is adopted for next fiscal year.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Eliminating the reading intervention program, cutting five special education instructors and three paraprofessionals, and reducing hours for specialist instructors and band teachers are among changes that could be implemented at Amherst’s three elementary schools beginning in the fall.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Dr. Khama Ennis, an Amherst resident and board-certified emergency physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience, is receiving the 2025 Black Excellence Award for the 3rd Hampshire District.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A Worcester company denied permission to place a standalone battery in a Breckenridge Road gravel pit is suing the town’s Planning Board, contending its Jan. 7 decision is legally untenable and “unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious.”

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Less than two years since taking the helm as chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Javier Reyes interviewed as a finalist to become the next president of West Virginia University.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — PiNZ, a business featuring an eight-lane bowling alley, more than 40 arcade games and a restaurant and bar with seating for about 150 people, has closed at Hampshire Mall, 367 Russell St.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School’s enrollment can increase by 100 students after the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Tuesday narrowly supported acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston’s recommendation allowing the K-12 school to have up to 684 students.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An investigation has cleared Amherst Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman of allegations of threatening harm to a district employee, creating a hostile work environment for an employee, and retaliating against employees who are part of a protected class.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Famous for its giant popovers, Judie’s was a mainstay of Amherst’s dining scene, a popular place for people to go to on graduation, alumni and homecoming weekends and to celebrate special events for more than 40 years.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Even with the late start on constructing a new $97.5 million elementary school on South East Street, indications are that the building will still be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2026.