Smith College student tells tale of early 1900s Rose Tree Inn in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON - The photo shows a middle-aged woman with gray hair, dressed in a mannish-looking dark suit and tie paired with a stark white shirt. She stands with her hands in her jacket pockets, looking off to the side. Nearby is a sign that reads Ye Rose Tree Inn.

Her name was Anna de Naucaze, and the inn she co-owned from 1908 to 1923 stood at 252 Bridge St.

'Girls and Women in Sports Day' at Smith links fun, fight against gender bias

NORTHAMPTON - One hundred and fifty aspiring athletes descended on the Smith College Indoor Track and Tennis facility Sunday to sample the many ways they can grow and compete. The afternoon offered sports clinics designed for girls in grades 3 to 5 taught by members of several Smith athletic teams and clubs. The yearly event is part of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day. "I started this event about 20 years ago. We picked these grades because there wasn't a lot of athletic opportunities offered to girls at this age," Smith Athletic Director Lynn Oberbillig said.

• Click here for National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Region's tree-lined colleges confront damage from Halloween storm

SOUTH HADLEY - Two and a half months after the freak Halloween snowstorm, grounds crews at the region's colleges continue to address the damage to their tree canopies. Paul Breen of Mount Holyoke College says 90 percent of the 1,100 trees on the core campus in South Hadley sustained some damage, and just over 50 will have to be removed. Campuses around the Pioneer Valley are in various stages of recovery.

• Related story: Communities to replant in storm aftermath

Smith, Mount Holyoke help increase women leaders in public service

NORTHAMPTON - It is only fitting that Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges are playing a major role in a new U.S. State Department initiative to boost the number of women leaders in public service worldwide. As Smith President Carol T. Christ points out, the Northampton college and its sister colleges, including Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, have been educating women for leadership since the end of the 19th century. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will officially launch the project and give a keynote speech at a colloquium in Washington, D.C., today, with more than 100 students, faculty and alumnae from Smith and Mount Holyoke expected to attend.

• Click here for the Women in Public Service Project

Delegation from China tours local institutions