News
Multiverse of style: Volante Design in Easthampton has a mission to make jackets that anyone can wear anytime
By Alexa Lewis
EASTHAMPTON — When David Volante posted a photo to his blog of a custom jacket he was working on in 2012, he wasn’t expecting it to go viral.The interest in his design made him realize that people wanted what he was selling, and he could sell even...
The Mill River Flood 150 years later: ‘The whole valley was a wild torrent’
By JAMES PENTLAND
WILLIAMSBURG — Like many mill owners before and since, the consortium that created the Williamsburg Reservoir in 1866 wanted more power for their factories, and they wanted to pay as little as possible for it.Eight years after the dam began its...
Iron Horse gets its liquor license just in time for Wednesday opening
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
NORTHAMPTON — Ticket holders for the Iron Horse Music Hall’s grand opening Wednesday night will be able to order a drink from the venue’s newly-designed bar after the nonprofit worked through state bureaucracy to obtain a liquor license just hours...
A year after antisemitic incidents rocked Jabish Brook Middle School in Belchertown, a new program is having positive effect
By EMILEE KLEIN
BELCHERTOWN — One day this spring as she was walking past the gymnasium at Jabish Brook Middle School, guidance counselor Jennifer Parker heard something that made her do a double-take — in a good way. A group of eighth grade girls were calling out...
Bike-pedestrian crashes flagged as emerging threat as bike lanes expand
By Sam Doran
BOSTON — As bike lanes have expanded across Massachusetts, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said safety concerns are cropping up along the new public ways — but, perhaps surprisingly, not just with cars.Cyclists moving quickly are...
A tree whisperer: Chesterfield 16-year-old becomes youngest certified arborist in state
By JAMES PENTLAND
CHESTERFIELD — Being home-schooled for much of her secondary school career gives Priya McSweeney some measure of choice over how she spends her time.Still, that alone doesn’t fully account for the 16-year-old’s expertise in the field of arboriculture,...
Consumer Corner with Anita Wilson: AT&T breach a cautionary tale
In recent months, millions of current and former AT&T customers received notices that their personal data had been stolen and then published on the dark web.Generally speaking, personal data refers to personal information such as names, email and...
Making news in business, May 16
Florence Bank donates $100K to the Iron Horse FLORENCE — Florence Bank donated $100,000 to the Iron Horse Music Hall, supporting a $750,000 capital campaign for renovations and updates to the music venue in downtown Northampton that opened Wednesday....
Area briefs: Sensory garden open house; Goshen tag sale; Hadley Library bake, book sale
Sensory garden in Belchertown to hold open house BELCHERTOWN — An open house at the McPherson Sensory Garden in Belchertown on Saturday will feature a collection of local artists. The event at the Garden, 47 State St., will take place from 10...
Area property deed transfers, May 16
AMHERSTGary A. Leaf to Arzum Akkas, 80 Amity Place, Lot 80, $561,000 Melida D. Dyar to Yg Chestnut 161 LLC, 161 Chestnut St., $695,800 Aaron B. St John to Musbah Shaeen, 500 West St., Lot 16, $330,000 Mark S. Bauer and...
Three candidates for two Select Board seats make pitches in Hadley
By SCOTT MERZBACH
HADLEY — Protecting farmland, keeping Hadley affordable and family friendly, and promoting commercial development appear to be areas of agreement for the three candidates vying for two seats on the Select Board at next week’s town election.Fielding...
A Look Back, May 15
50 Years Ago ■Miss Franklin County became Miss Hampshire County when the annual Miss Hampshire County Scholarship Pageant was held Saturday night at Northampton High School. Deborah Dowling, 22, of 134 North St., who just completed a year as Miss...
UMass chancellor defends protest crackdown, arrests
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes defended the arrests of 134 people at a campus pro-Palestinian encampment last week, telling a special session of the Faculty Senate on Tuesday afternoon that the decision to break up the...
Opening night at Iron Horse: All systems go, but patrons will need to bring own alcohol while license snafu is sorted out
By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
NORTHAMPTON — The Iron Horse Music Hall begins its long-anticipated opening of concerts and shows on Wednesday, although its owners are still anxiously awaiting approval from the state on when it may serve alcoholic beverages at its venue.Despite...
Physician Pathway Act, co-sponsored by Amherst rep, may help ease physician shortage
By Jiashan Zheng
When she fled to the United States amid Haiti’s political turmoil, Dr. Marie Jacques envisioned continuing her work. However, upon claiming asylum in 2019, she encountered the harsh realities of the Massachusetts medical licensing system. “As a...
Events to mark 150th anniversary of Mill River Flood
On May 16, 1874, the sudden collapse of the Williamsburg dam on the East Branch of the Mill River let loose a flood that swept away parts of Williamsburg, Skinnerville, Haydenville and Leeds. It killed 139 people, all within an hour, and was the first...
Pathfinder budget dominates Belchertown TM discussion
By EMILEE KLEIN
BELCHERTOWN — Residents formalized the position of town manager in town bylaws, adopted a zoning bylaw for stand-alone battery storage systems and endorsed a roughly $61.6 million budget for fiscal year 2025 at Monday’s Town Meeting — though some...
Photos: Lasting tribute to volunteers
Goshen budget, up 4%, goes to vote at TM Saturday
By JAMES PENTLAND
GOSHEN — Voters will be asked to approve a budget of $3,819,596 and numerous other financial articles when they convene for Town Meeting at John James Memorial Hall on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.The budget, including $1,718,833 in school spending, reflects...
Plans for large self-storage project in Hadley inch forward
By Staff Report
HADLEY — A large self-storage project that would use about 5 of the 19 acres behind the Campus Shopping Plaza, 438-454 Russell St., continues to make its way through the town’s permitting process.James Martin, an attorney with Pullman & Comley, LLC of...
