News
Making news in business, May 9
Heisler, Feldman, & Ordorica announce new shareholder SPRINGFIELD — Heisler, Feldman, & Ordorica, P.C., a Springfield-based public interest law firm, has promoted attorney Dan Ordorica of Amherst to shareholder.This new partnership, effective Jan. 1,...
Photos: Looking up, or down?
Ryan wins Select Board seat in Plainfield
Staff Report
PLAINFIELD — Polly Ryan is the town’s newest Select Board member after winning Saturday’s election over Ed Morann by 89 votes to 72, Town Clerk Ruth Osgood reported.In the other contested position, Erik Burcroff was elected tree warden, with 113 votes...
Area property deed transfers, May 9
AMHERST Kira Kmetz and Raghavan Manmatha to David Sandak and Allegra Sandak, 60 Country Corners Road, $925,000 North Pleasant St Partner to A1n1 LLC, 306 Northampton Road, $339,000 Acs 22-24 Nutting Ave Inc. to Eastern Realty LLC, 22-24 Nutting...
Solar project to top docket at Westhampton Town Meeting on Saturday
By Alexa Lewis
WESTHAMPTON — At Westhampton’s annual Town Meeting this Saturday, voters will consider a $7 million budget for fiscal 2025 and decide whether to fund a solar installation project atop the new Public Safety Complex.The budget represents a modest 4.4%...
More than 130 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at UMass
By SCOTT MERZBACH and ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
AMHERST — More than 130 people were arrested on the University of Massachusetts campus Tuesday night after those who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the South Lawn of the Student Union refused to dismantle tents and other parts of the site and...
A Look Back, May 8
50 Years Ago ■Charles L. Johnson, controller of Smith College, does not look like a lovesick maiden. But tomorrow night the broad-shouldered athletic-looking Johnson, along with biology professor George W. de Villafranca, will don velvet and ruffles,...
Comerford: Free community college plan will lift up students, offer immediate return on investment
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
A plan unveiled by Senate Democrats on Monday to make community college free for all in Massachusetts starting this fall has the potential to have a big impact for prospective students across the state, including here in the Pioneer Valley.The...
Easthampton to use built-up reserves to help cover $57.1M budget next year
By ALEXA LEWIS
EASTHAMPTON — As several other Hampshire County communities have spent the spring budget season grappling with how to overcome significant funding gaps brought on the expiration of support from pandemic funding, the city of Easthampton is sitting on...
Sharing a few notes: High schoolers coaching younger string players one on one
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Carefully holding and balancing his violin, 12-year-old Heedo Noh, a Fort River School sixth grader, gets a suggestion for positioning the bow so it runs straight across the strings as he practices G.F. Handel’s “Chorus from Judas...
Town manager’s plan shorts Amherst Regional Schools’ budget
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A $97.3 million town budget for fiscal year 2025, maintaining municipal staffing and programs and promoting climate change and racial equity objectives, is being proposed by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, even as concerns are being raised that...
State Senate budget funds free community college for all
By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DRYSDALE
BOSTON — Senate Democrats unveiled plans Monday to make community college free for all students in Massachusetts, starting in the coming fall semester.The “MassEducate” plan, which will be part of the Senate’s fiscal 2025 budget that was to be fully...
Fuller fends off challenge, wins 10th term on Chesterfield Select Board
By JAMES PENTLAND
CHESTERFIELD — In contested elections Monday, voters returned two incumbents to office and elected a newcomer to the local school committee, Town Clerk Sandra Wickland reported.Roger Fuller won reelection to the Select Board over challenger Emma Dee...
Photos: Boat season is here
School assessment, electricity program among items on Pelham Town Meeting docket
By SCOTT MERZBACH
PELHAM — An assessment for the town’s share of the fiscal year 2025 $35.27 million budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, a final step in approving a three-community plan for electricity to be supplied by green sources, and purchase of a new...
Easthampton native named Whately town administrator
By CHRIS LARABEE
WHATELY — With contract negotiations complete, the community’s newest town administrator will be returning to the Pioneer Valley in June.Swampscott Assistant Town Administrator and Easthampton native Peter Kane will take the reins in Whately on June...
Public gets a look at progress on Northampton Resilience Hub
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
NORTHAMPTON — The public got an up-close look at the future Community Resilience Hub last week when officials opened the downtown building currently under renovation for public viewing. A rendering of what the exterior of the former First Baptist...
Police respond to alcohol-fueled incidents in Amherst
Staff Report
AMHERST — Police broke up a large party at a North Amherst apartment complex, with a few hundred college-age people in attendance, as part of a handful of alcohol-fueled incidents late Friday night into Saturday morning.Officers responded at 10:33...
Former Easthampton firefighter to serve 8 months for filming colleagues in women’s locker room
Staff Report
NORTHAMPTON — A former Easthampton firefighter has been sentenced to serve eight months in jail after he admitted using secret cameras to spy on colleagues in the women’s locker room at the fire department where he worked in 2022.The Northwestern...
Bringing the Haitian vibe: Haitian Multicultural Day at Hopkins features Boston dance troupe
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Filling the Hopkins Academy gymnasium with sounds from the Haitian tanbou — the traditional cowskin and goatskin-covered barrel drums — students jumped, waved and did push-ups as they learned various folkloric dances, movements and exercises...
