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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Skepticism and uncertainty from officials in Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury over Amherst Regional School Committee’s appeal for nearly $1 million more from the four member towns is prompting the convening of a four-town meeting next month...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Collective Power for Reproductive Justice, based on the Hampshire College campus, recently received a $1 million grant from Yield Giving, a foundation created by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.The organization, founded in 1981 as the Civil...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A dedicated outdoor fitness space could be added to the town’s recreational sites through support from a national initiative that would provide grant money to cover most costs of its installation.The Amherst Recreation Commission recently...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Three educators, two who work in Massachusetts and the other in the Virgin Islands, are finalists to become the next superintendent for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools.The Superintendent Search Committee on Tuesday...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Even as several school districts across the region anticipate reducing staffing levels before next school year as they face a so-called fiscal cliff, school officials in Hadley are maintaining the current level of services and teaching...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As she got to the podium to speak to the more than 50 people gathered at the ceremonial groundbreaking for Amherst’s new elementary school, resident and Democratic state Rep. Mindy Domb said she had goosebumps that a project to replace the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An Amherst police captain who has been the department’s temporary police chief since last May and a Chelmsford police lieutenant who has led the department’s wellness division are finalists to become the next chief for the Amherst Police...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An overhaul of the greenspace in front of Town Hall and removal of the adjacent 34-space parking lot is resuming this week, with the $1.79 million North Common project on track to be completed this summer.Crews from Caracas Construction of...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — During a summer in which area farms dealt with significant rainfall and flooded fields, keeping agricultural drainage ditches cleared became essential to protecting crops by ensuring excess water could be removed.Often, though, farmers found...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A Black-owned business organization is continuing its campaign to elicit financial support from the town, including money that it claims was unfairly withheld from those who run shops in town and needed the funds to recover from the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A battery storage project proposed for a Breckenridge Road gravel pit is raising public safety concerns for town planners, even as the municipal board brings forward revisions to Hadley’s solar energy bylaw that would explicitly allow such...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Hadley water rates could go up 10%, with an average household paying about $8 more per quarterly billing cycle, under an initial plan to cover the $9 million cost of replacing the Mount Warner and Mount Holyoke water tanks.The Select Board on...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Plans for a roundabout to replace the signalized intersection at University Drive and Amity Street, a major gateway to the University of Massachusetts, are moving forward.The Town Council this week voted to ask its Town Services and Outreach...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A $26.97 million budget to support Amherst’s three elementary schools for fiscal 2025, protecting level services for classroom instruction, is being recommended by the Amherst School Committee.The School Committee Tuesday voted unanimously...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Spring’s arrival is being celebrated by the Amherst Woman’s Club, which is holding its annual Flower Show and Sale on Saturday at the Hills Memorial Club House, 35 Triangle St.The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature classic...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Mostly homebound during the pandemic, Robert Mitton has made it a point to return to the Amherst Senior Center recently, dropping by the Bangs Community Center building on a regular basis to play games, socialize with friends and participate...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Black-owned business owners and supporters made a final appeal to the Town Council this week for $1.5 million of the $3.8 million in remaining American Rescue Plan Act money, though it appears that money is being directed to other...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — An eatery specializing in both sweet and savory crepes, developed from a street cart that began operating in 2003 on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont, could have its first restaurant in Massachusetts open on Route 9 this summer.The Select...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Even with Town Council adopting a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, supporters of the measure are calling for apologies from some councilors and anti-racism training because of their actions at that March 4...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An affordable housing development giving 30 families an opportunity to own their own homes is on track to be constructed over the next few years after receiving a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, with a condition that,...