News

South Hadley man fatally shot in attempted robbery

By SCOTT MERZBACH

CHICOPEE — A South Hadley man is dead following a shooting during an attempted robbery of a smoke shop and convenience store in Chicopee Thursday night, according to the Hampden district attorney’s office.Robert Papalardo, 53, died after being taken...

Historic murals restored at Victory Theatre in Holyoke

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HOLYOKE — A $400,000 restoration of two 23-foot-tall murals at the Broadway-style Victory Theatre, created by Italian immigrant Vincent Maragliotti in 1942, is complete, another step in the process toward reopening the 1920 building that has been...

Boards balk at limiting use of Hadley Town Common

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Significant work and time for municipal staff associated with preparing for New England Public Media’s annual Asparagus Festival is prompting Hadley officials to examine whether fees should be increased and other adjustments made to how...

Holyoke man gets 5 years for assault, drug charges

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Holyoke man arraigned last month in Hampshire Superior Court on drug trafficking and assault charges was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison after pleading guilty to most of the charges he faced.Hector Diaz Torres, 22, admitted...

Shelter money fading, but ‘not at the end of the line’

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — State dollars for the emergency family shelter system are dwindling, and restaurateurs who for years enjoyed expanded outdoor dining and the ability to sell drinks to go remain “in limbo” amid a sustained period of legislative...

A Look Back: April 19

By JIM BRIDGMAN

50 Years Ago■A city budget of $11,687,698 for the fiscal year July 1, 1974, through June 30, 1975, some $400,000 over last year’s 12-month expenditure, was passed unanimously at last night’s City Council meeting. At some point between now and June the...

Sinkhole closes Eastman Lane in Amherst

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A section of Eastman Lane, from the traffic signal at East Pleasant Street to just east of the entrance to Sylvan Lot 44, is closed after a leaking drainage culvert caused a sinkhole in the road Wednesday.Jersey barriers are set up and...

AT&T’s proposed cell tower extension moving forward in South Deerfield

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — AT&T’s plans to extend the cell tower behind the South Deerfield Fire District can proceed following recent approval from the Deerfield Zoning Board of Appeals.The project previously received approval from the Planning Board to raise...

Around Amherst: Sustainability Festival camping out on Common Saturday

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Family fun, education and entertainment are expected to be part of the Amherst Sustainability Festival, being held for the 12th time on the Town Common on Saturday.Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the festival will have a number of vendors,...

Intermittent rail trail closures expected in Amherst, Belchertown

STAFF REPORT

AMHERST — Intermittent closures of the Norwottuck Rail Trail from Station Road in Amherst to Warren Wright Road in Belchertown are beginning Friday and will run through June 5.The periodic closures, which will necessitate detours, were announced by...

Fearful Belchertown residents blame stray bullets on nearby gun club, appeal to town for help

By EMILEE KLEIN

BELCHERTOWN — Jake Hulseberg won’t let his children play on the swing set he built them in their backyard on Mountain View Drive because of bullets that shattered glass doors on two houses on the street.Instead, Hulseberg keeps his kids in the front...

State: South Hadley’s fiber-optic revenues not public records

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — The Secretary of the Commonwealth has upheld South Hadley Electric Light Department’s policy of restricting public information on the fiber-optic network Fiberspring after ruling on an appeal of a public records request for Fiberspring...

New federal mandate requires informed consent for sensitive exams

By XINYI YANG

BOSTON — Massachusetts teaching hospitals and medical institutions must obtain written informed consent before any sensitive and intimate examination, including breast, rectal, prostate, and pelvic exams, as a result of a federal decision effective...

Photos: Flowers for grandma

Man granted parole for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of 2 Dartmouth College professors

By KATHY McCORMACK

A man who has served more than half of his life in prison for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of two married Dartmouth College professors as part of a plan to rob and kill people before fleeing overseas was granted parole Thursday.James Parker...

Developer lands $400K loan for affordable housing project in Easthampton mill district

By SCOTT MERZBACH

EASTHAMPTON —  A Springfield nonprofit developer planning to construct One Industrial Lofts, a 96-unit affordable housing development at the former Hampton textile mill at 11-15 Ferry St., is receiving a $400,000 loan from a public-private community...

Area Briefs: Northampton kicks off Earth Day celebrations

NORTHAMPTON — The city will kick off Earth Day celebrations with a ceremonial tree planting on Saturday, with 12 trees planted by volunteers to replace ash trees on Ice Pond Drive damaged by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer, a wood-boring pest that...

Hadley planners advance battery storage bylaw

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A bylaw that would allow standalone energy storage systems in most zoning districts in Hadley, but which would prohibit them in the aquifer protection areas, is being brought to annual Town Meeting next month, with an endorsement from the...

Gun buyback event collects 195 unwanted firearms

STAFF REPORT

The two-county gun buyback event held by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office on April 13 collected 195 unwanted firearms, one of which was an antique that was subsequently donated to The Springfield Armory.The event was held at the Greenfield...