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By MICKEY RATHBUN

Most of us humans assume that other creatures experience the world through their senses of sound, taste, smell and touch, the same way we do. But we couldn’t be more wrong, as science writer Ed Yong explains in his fascinating new book, “An Immense...

By EMILEE KLEIN

WESTHAMPTON — After over a year of contentious negotiations and 224 days without a contract, Hampshire Regional Education Association and the School Committee have agreed to a contract.The tentative contract between the school district and the...

By XINYI YANG

Anna Smith has applied three times to a state program that provides rental assistance for families — before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic — with the intention of “saving her two kids and her life.” What she didn’t anticipate was such a bleak...

By ARIA MARTINELLI

HOLYOKE — There’s something about the Girl Scout cookie Lemon-ups that speaks to Theresa Lynn, the new CEO of Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.In addition to a crispy lemon flavor, the cookies, which debuted in 2020, have stamped...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BELCHERTOWN — In what has become a steady drumbeat from school officials in many Hampshire County communities this budget season, Belchertown has become the latest to stare down a significant school budget gap that could mean the “staggering” loss of...

By STEVE PFARRER

Augusta Savage rose to prominence as a sculptor and educator when she moved to New York City in the 1920s, where she soon became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.But Savage, who was also a determined advocate for equal rights for African...

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

The groundhog predicted an early end to winter: did that also mean an earlier start to maple sugaring? Apparently so, according to several maple sugarers in the region.“This is the earliest we’ve ever started,” remarked Chip Williams of the...

As Jews, we urge the Gazette to stop quoting individuals and organizations who are falsely equating antisemitism with calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. In the face of unspeakable violence by the Israeli state, it is not antisemitic to protest the...

By WENDY BERG and MARK REYNOLDS

The magnitude of global climate change has come home to us in Massachusetts. Last summer, flooding caused by intensive storms washed away roads and other critical infrastructure, destroying the crops on many local farms and in our community...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON – Addressing road safety concerns, the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has approved speed limit reductions on a stretch of Route 10.The approved speed limit adjustments include a reduction from 35 to 30 mph from West Street to...

By MADDIE FABIAN

WESTHAMPTON — As Hampshire Regional School District teachers approach five months of working without a contract, over 115 community members showed up to an online forum Thursday night in support of the union’s fight for a new deal.The forum was held...

By MADDIE FABIAN

NORTHAMPTON — After longtime clerk Harry J. Jekanowski Jr. announced earlier late last week that he would not seek reelection for Hampshire County Clerk of Courts, state Rep. Daniel Carey, D-Easthampton announced his candidacy for the position on...

By MADDIE FABIAN

As the state considers the governor’s proposed $4.13 billion Affordable Homes Act — a comprehensive roadmap for affordable housing across the Commonwealth — a group of 16 western Massachusetts legislators are advocating for amendments to meet housing...

By MADDIE FABIAN

As coyotes become more active during their mating season, spanning January through March, pet owners are urged to stay vigilant.The eastern coyote — which resembles a medium-sized dog in its size and shape, but has pointed ears and denser fur — can be...

Another talented class of runners will be inducted into the Western Mass Runners’ Hall of Fame in March.The WMRHOF’s Board of Directors announced the inductees for the third class to enter the hall this week, with induction set for March 8 at the...

By MADDIE FABIAN

On any given weekday morning, upward of 40 people fill the Holyoke Community College gymnasium to partake in the sport that has become a favorite pastime for those looking to socialize and for people of all ages and abilities looking for a little...

By MADDIE FABIAN

Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final article from the Western Mass. Solar Forum series. The first three forums took place in September, and another series of forums is in the works for this spring. AMHERST — Most experts agree solar energy is...

By DON STEWART

As an inquisitive boy growing up in Amsterdam, he kept a menagerie of snails and toads and other small woodland fauna in his room, populating the glass terrariums he’d filled with mosses and ferns.Influenced by one uncle, an architect, and two others...

By EMILY THURLOW

A woman dressed in pajamas walks into a Cottage Street bar and challenges a random stranger to an arm-wrestling match.The circumstances sound like the set-up of a joke. It’s not.The woman is Rose Lynch of Easthampton, and over the next few weeks...

By MADDIE FABIAN

Ask almost any conservationist about an Endangered Species Act (ESA) success story and they will tell you about the bald eagle.“Growing up, I would have never seen a bald eagle in western Massachusetts,” said Jeff Collins, senior director of...

By SHEL HOROWITZ

Remember when the previous administration tore babies and children from their families’ arms and locked them in little cages? Bad news: Republicans in Congress and far-right activists, including that former president, are heating up even worse...