Unknown no more: WWII sailor finally comes home to Holyoke
HOLYOKE — X-21. For 82 years, that’s what a Holyoke Navy man’s remains were known as. But on Saturday morning, thanks to the doggedness of a retired police chief from Texas and something about the sailor’s teeth, Merle Hillman, pharmacist’s mate 2nd...
Residents seek answers to big housing development at old Belchertown State Hospital
BELCHERTOWN — Donna Buxton hears every day that many Belchertown residents have no idea that a 108-unit residential development may be built on the old state school property off State Street.Prior to the creation of the Economic Development...
Families of overdose victims press for bill allowing safe drug use sites
Amherst superintendent search underway: Committee members make case for job’s attractiveness
Easthampton Mayor LaChapelle tapped to lead state Mayors’ Association
Columnist Susan Wozniak: Tracking my life through a small place
‘A natural, beautiful medicine’: NHS student, aspiring pianist plays for patients at CDH
High schools: Hopkins Academy girls basketball gets 1st win over Athol
For the first time all season, the Hopkins Academy girls basketball checked off one in the win column on Friday night.Ten different players scored points, and the balanced Golden Hawks built a double-digit halftime lead en route to a 40-29 victory...
Swimming: Senior Day the culimination of a fun season for Amherst, Northampton programs
AMHERST — The bleachers alongside Amherst Middle School’s pool filled with supporters of the Amherst and Northampton boys and girls swim teams as the ‘Canes hosted their senior night in their final dual meet of the season on Friday evening.Amherst...
Boys basketball: Greenfield handles Hopkins Academy in HL South action (PHOTOS)
GREENFIELD — It was going to be a challenge for the Hopkins Academy boys basketball team on Friday against Greenfield. The Green Wave, which currently has the top record in the Hampshire League South, were able to get what they wanted offensively,...
Analysis: Mahomes and the Chiefs must win a Super Bowl this season to challenge Patriots’ dynasty
If Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to challenge Tom Brady and the New England Patriots’ unprecedented two-decade run of success, they have to win a Super Bowl this season.Mahomes and the defending champion Chiefs are facing their...
High schools: Central’s defense thwarts Northampton 52-33 in battle of top girls basketball teams (PHOTOS)
NORTHAMPTON — After scoring 70 points in each of its last two games, the 9-1 Northampton girls basketball team couldn’t have been playing better entering Thursday night’s heavyweight matchup with 9-2 Central.The Blue Devils’ two best players, Ava...
Guest columnist Rutherford H. Platt: Reasons to question ‘trophy projects’
On Jan. 5, 2023, the Northampton City Council celebrated the new year by allocating $1 million to each of Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s two trophy projects: “Picture Main Street” and the Resilience Hub. These amounts were drawn from the COVID-era...
David Bliss: Online headlines
Bravo to the Gazette for updating your morning email of top stories in the paper. It is so refreshing to see new stories each morning, rather than the same ones being repeated for days on end. A job well done!David BlissFlorence
Anna Nagurney: Thanks for the uplifting, terrific local journalism
I’d like to commend the Gazette journalists and staff for the outstanding Jan. 25 print edition, which continues to make me smile (and that is quite needed during these very challenging times).From the front page article on the NHS senior Noah...
Tom Denault: Criticism of high school sports officials
On Thursday, I read an amazing article titled “Officials face fan criticism,” [Gazette, Jan. 25]. Very well written and informative.I recently attended a young women’s hockey game at Deerfield Academy where Deerfield hosted Choate. The game was one...
Thomas Doubleday: Why Trump stays on ballot
I find it very interesting that an attorney such as John Bonifaz, who is supposed to be versed on constitutional rights, thinks it is OK to skirt amendments such as the Fifth, which states that everyone is afforded the right to a fair trial and the...

UMass basketball: Minutemen look to rebound against Saint Louis; Minutewomen hope to snap skid at URI
After winning two of its first three Atlantic 10 Conference games, the UMass men’s basketball team has now lost three of its last four – including two crushing defeats at the buzzer stemming from an inability to rebound down the stretch.The Minutemen...
Slow start dooms UMass women’s basketball against Davidson
A slow start plagued the UMass women’s basketball team in its 72-42 road loss to Davidson on Wednesday night. The Minutewomen scored just eight points in the first quarter and found themselves down nine at the end of the frame. Although UMass played...
UMass basketball: Minutemen to host La Salle, Minutewomen on the road at Richmond
AMHERST — The effort and no-quit attitude that the UMass men’s basketball team showed against Dayton on Sunday was a promising sign for the Minutemen moving forward.UMass’ 64-60 loss on the road was the closest the Minutemen have come to beating the...
UMass basketball: Minutemen’s 2nd half rally falls short in 64-60 loss to Dayton
Looking to make a major statement about the state of the Atlantic 10 Conference with a win on Sunday afternoon, the UMass men’s basketball team settled for a near-miss.The Minutemen racked up 20 offensive rebounds and held host Dayton to just 38.3...
US advances to world junior semifinals; Canada gets knocked out by UMass goalie Michael Hrabal, Czechia
GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Gabe Perreault scored twice and six other players had a goal as the U.S. routed Latvia 7-2 Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the IIHF world junior championship.Perreault, the New York Rangers’ 2023 first-round pick,...
Earth Matters: Facing the ‘age of humans’: Should a new epoch, the Anthropocene, be initiated to reflect human impact on Earth?
As I concentrated on the computer screen, the news played in the background. A story about the environment got my attention, causing me to sit back and listen more carefully. I played the piece again to be sure I heard it correctly.In summer 2023, the...
Staying in the game: Veteran actors and teachers Raye and Candace Birk are still involved with theater after decades of performance
Looking for some talented older actors who can play a wide range of roles? Who have decades of experience in theater, film and television?Raye Birk and Candace Barrett Birk are at your service.The Florence couple, relatively new transplants to the...
The Beat Goes On: A busy couple of weeks at The Drake, a new acoustic music series in Holyoke, and more
In my last column, I mentioned that The Parlor Room in Northampton and the Marigold Theater are maintaining busy schedules right through these early, dead-of-winter days.Another area venue that keeps pumping up the music is The Drake in Amherst, and...
Speaking of Nature: Drama at the feeders: The arrival of winter means the arrival of some foul-weather friends
It appears as though winter has finally arrived. November and December (most of which is technically autumn) were very mild and all through the Christmas break the high temperatures were consistently above freezing. This resulted in little to no snow...
A song for the ages: Easthampton Theater Company presents ‘Torch Song,’ an iconic work of queer theater
Ever since the November 2022 elections, politicians in over a dozen Republican-controlled states have seemed to compete with each other in attacking parts of the LGBTQ community: banning or restricting gender-affirming medical care for transgender...
Sandra McCulloch-Schmidt
South Deerfield, MA - Sandra Lyn McCulloch-Schmidt, born on August 24, 1963, in Bourne, MA, peacefully departed this world on January 20, 2024, at the age of 60. A compassionate soul and a ... Read More
Bernyce Bauver Grant
Northampton, MA - Bernyce Bauver Grant, a longtime resident of Northampton, MA, and currently residing at Reeds Landing in Springfield, passed away on January 22nd after a brief illness. Sh... Read More
Thelma Mae Manson
Jasper, AL - Thelma Mae (Phelps) Manson, formerly of Florence MA, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 29 2023 at 97 1/2 years old Born April 10, 1926 in Northampton MA, she lived in Florence... Read More
Joanne Fappiano
Southampton, MA - Joanne (Gendreau) Fappiano, age 85, passed away at home on Jan 14, 2024. She was born in Hartford Ct, on Sept 28, 1938, the daughter of Alcide and Mary (Zawacki) Gendreau.... Read More
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