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Garden report: the lilacs have bloomed.

By PETER DEMLING

The world is in a difficult place today, to say the least.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Work on the $46.1 million expansion and renovation of the Jones Library is expected to begin in mid-June after low bidder Fontaine Brothers, Inc., of Springfield signed a contract with the town to be the project’s general contractor.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A $103.3 million fiscal year budget that goes most of the way toward meeting the spending requests from the Amherst and Regional school committees, while leaving six full-time and one part-time municipal positions vacant and assorted Jones Library staff positions unfilled, is being delivered to the Town Council.

By Staff Report

AMHERST — Award-winning creative director David Korins, a 1999 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, who has created the worlds, or imagined locations, for more than 25 Broadway shows, including the Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton,” will be the keynote speaker at the university’s 155th commencement ceremony, and the 55th held at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, May 16 at 5 p.m.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Town Manager Paul Bockelman is proposing sizable increases in water and sewer rates, which if adopted would add $211 to the $1,033 annual bill for an average homeowner.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst officials are renewing appeals to residents to step up to fill numerous vacancies on municipal boards and committees.

By DARCY DUMONT

At the outset of the COVID 19 epidemic, I wrote that towns need to be resilient to climate impacts in addition to the impacts of a global pandemic. We hadn’t foreseen the extent of the pandemic and it opened our eyes to imagining other risks that might come in the future. Around that same time, towns in the commonwealth created Municipal Vulnerability Plans to address our potential economic, infrastructure and societal risks and vulnerabilities to climate change. Many of the risks identified in those plans would also exist in other potential catastrophes. An example is Amherst’s plan.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

In one sculpture made from fired terracotta, with a natural patina, life holds and cradles life. In another sculpture, life holds and grasps death.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst Recreation Department’s work at expanding accessibility and empowering youth is being recognized through an award presented by the Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association.

Garden report: the forget-me-nots have bloomed. The Solomon seal is many inches high. Radish and snow pea seeds have sprouted.

MOJO WORKING

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A restructuring of the progressive New College of Florida by that state’s Republican leadership in 2023 prompted Hampshire College to offer students there a respite and opportunity to continue their studies in Amherst.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — When UMass Permaculture organizes its weekly student farmers markets in spring and fall, vendors interested in selling their wares must act fast to scoop up the limited number of spots.

By EMILEE KLEIN

For the last two years, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment has aimed to help more than 1,000 third graders in Springfield Public Schools envision themselves as scientists and engineers.

Garden report: the pulminaria has bloomed as has the dandelions. I planted radish seeds in a raised bed. The bugs are back, saw a mosquito and wasp and other flying winged creatures.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With planned improvements to modernize and make accessible the Simeon Strong House at 67 Amity St., along with anticipated disruptions from the expansion and renovation at the neighboring Jones Library, Amherst Historical Society operations will be relocating to a downtown commercial building this spring.

By ELLA ADAMS

BOSTON — Students warned lawmakers Tuesday of funding deficits and unpredictability, faculty layoffs and slashed electives at regional and rural schools, piling on to heightened calls to “crack open” the state’s Chapter 70 and rural aid funding formula.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More than 100 residents at Applewood Retirement Community made their voices heard on the Saturday morning before Easter, appealing to preserve democracy and fight against actions by the Trump administration during a “No King” protest.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Creation of a 6th Grade Academy inside the Amherst Regional Middle School, coinciding with the opening of the new elementary school building on South East Street, will be supported by $450,000 in capital spending.

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Over the last year, an energy storage solutions research and development company focusing on supercapacitors has been settling into its new facility off routes 5 and 10.