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By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Katie Lyons was well known among her wide circle of friends and family for her dedication to children in foster care.So it was only natural that a a fund set up in her memory would aim to benefit those children. Katie’s Fund was...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — Receiver/Superintendent Anthony Soto is recommending that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education begin the process of releasing the school district from receivership after more than eight years under state control.In a...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — One of the more substantial annual contributions to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund comes from a business celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.“It’s something we can do — give to those less fortunate, put a smile on children’s...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A Florence man who last week pleaded guilty to 13 counts of possessing child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to serve four years in jail followed by five years probation.Hampshire Superior Court Judge James Manitsas also ordered...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — An Amherst man who tried to kidnap a toddler from a downtown home during a break-in in March 2021 was sentenced Monday to eight to 10 years in state prison.At a change-of-plea hearing before Judge James Manitsas in Hampshire Superior...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — When Brit Albritton learned that St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton would not be hosting a Messiah sing this year, he decided that was a void that needed to be filled.On short notice, Albritton, board president of the Illuminati...

By JAMES PENTLAND

AMHERST — A former head women’s soccer coach’s age discrimination case against the University of Massachusetts can proceed to trial, the Massachusetts Appeals Court said Thursday.The decision reversed an October 2022 ruling by Hampshire Superior Court...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A city man was arraigned Friday in Northampton District Court on charges including four counts of assault to murder in connection with an incident Thursday night in Northampton, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Continuing their high-profile involvement in state Republican politics, city physician Jay Fleitman and his wife, Mary Lou Stuart, are heading up the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign for Massachusetts.The two have co-chaired the...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — A change-of-plea hearing in Hampshire Superior Court for a 62-year-old man originally charged with rape and strangulation was almost derailed Tuesday when the defendant contested the prosecutor’s statement of facts in the case.After a...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Joining a rising wave of fledgling student worker unions nationally and locally, student dining workers and residential advisers at Smith College have announced the formation of new unions to represent their interests.Those moves come on...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Smith College is set to break ground in the spring on a 15,500-square-foot building that will bring its career development and leadership centers together under one living roof. Kathleen McCartney Hall — named after the college’s most...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HADLEY — Sixteen months after the Hadley store became the first Trader Joe’s in the nation to unionize, a group of workers is calling it a failed experiment and pushing for decertification.Crew members at the grocery store are accusing the union of...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Along with its announcement this week of a new State Police unit to combat hate crime, the Healey administration awarded $462,000 in hate crime prevention grants to 10 school districts, including Gateway Regional and Granby.The grants...

By JAMES PENTLAND

SPRINGFIELD — The family of a woman who died after suffering an asthma attack from working in a Holyoke cannabis production plant is suing the corporation that employed her, a health and safety manager and a contractor.Lorna McMurrey, 27, died in...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — The applications are in, the vouchers are going out and the presents are ready to be claimed.It’s that time of year again when the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund launches its appeal and generous donors respond. The fund provides vouchers for...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Two men indicted on cocaine trafficking charges pleaded not guilty at their joint arraignment Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court.Judge James Manitsas ordered Jarell A. Smith, 38, of Springfield released on $10,000 bail, previously...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — While extremist Republicans in Congress are trying to gut programs that provide food to those in need, Massachusetts could become the first state to end hunger, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern told a special state commission on agriculture...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — A secondary school that offers student-centered learning out of a leased space on Race Street has been awarded a $500,000 state grant to buy the Sons of Zion building at 378 Maple St.The grant, through the Community One Stop for Growth, will...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — A Somerville company pioneering a method of producing low-carbon cement is eyeing construction of a Holyoke production plant that could bring 70 new manufacturing jobs to the city. Holyoke has approved five-year tax increment financing (TIF)...