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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More than one-third of the almost $19 million cost to Amherst for rebuilding the Centennial water treatment plant in Pelham is being covered directly by the state through principal forgiveness on two loans.Town officials on Thursday...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Speed and efficiency in searching for and rescuing those lost in remote locations increases survival rates, with success going down dramatically when such operations last more than a day, experts say.Understanding that there may be ways to...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Contending that tens of billions of dollars are going to for-profit insurance companies instead of paying for necessary medical needs of senior citizens, Valley Action in Amherst and other regional activist groups are calling for stronger...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A project to resurface a 3.2-mile stretch of the Route 116 bypass, running from Meadow Street in Amherst south to Route 9 in Hadley, will prompt a realignment of the off-ramp from Route 116 where the state highways meet as a way of improving...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — A new veterans agent to assist Hatfield military veterans is being sought by town officials, as the possibility of a more permanent link up with the Central Hampshire Veterans Services in Northampton is considered.The Select Board’s...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An insufficient pool of applicants of those seeking to become the next police chief in Amherst is prompting the town’s search committee to increase efforts at widening interest.At a periodic Cuppa Joe meeting on Friday morning, focused on...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Scarcity of appointments for COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021 and technological challenges for senior citizens prompted Amherst Senior Center staff to get up at midnight or 3 a.m. as slots opened up, ensuring local seniors could get their...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More effectively evaluating and prioritizing issues introduced to the Town Council and providing a greater understanding to the public of how decisions will affect them are among steps District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer is pledging to take...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Improvements to the area surrounding the War Memorial Pool, including possible reconstruction of the pool house and basketball courts and future affordable housing developments across town, are being supported by the committee making...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A K-5 mathematics program in the Amherst and Pelham elementary schools, being used in classrooms since fall 2022, appears to be succeeding in getting more students to their grade level, including for children whose first language is not...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A permanent disaster relief fund to assist farmers devastated by acts of nature, and providing farmers more flexibility for using their properties once they are protected in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, are bills the state...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — As a young girl, Dr. Latoya Bosworth of Springfield remembers venturing to Hazel Avenue in Amherst with her grandmother to visit relatives and hear stories and, when the weather was nice, play in the yards and listen to the jazz music coming...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Significant progress on upgrading the North Common this fall, with weather conducive for work both on the visible greenspace and below ground for drainage improvements, is putting the project on track to be finished by the end of June,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Known for performances as Elvis Presley and leading a fun life, even when he’s not playing the King of Rock and Roll, Lee Williams will be alone on Christmas, expecting to open presents at his apartment during an online conversation with his...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — On a necklace worn by Hopkins Academy senior Lucas Red Owl is a ring given to him by his late father. The ring is Red Owl’s only remaining possession, after a fire heavily damaged his East Street home earlier this month.“Everything I had was...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst officials are temporarily putting off construction of the first municipal pickleball courts at Kiwanis Park following concern over noise from neighbors and growing uncertainty about the project’s costs.Calling it “hitting the pause...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — An action plan centered around improving mental health for students and staff at the Amherst public schools is underway.During a recent Amherst Regional School Committee, Maureen Fleming, the district’s mental health and behavioral...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A Route 9 dental office’s potential move to a new building that would be constructed less than a quarter-mile away on the state highway could be complicated by the continued road widening project and an historic farmhouse on the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A long-running program in which middle school students and their chaperones from Kanegasaki, Japan visit Amherst could resume in 2024, as the elected leaders in both communities this week renewed a friendship agreement.At the Amherst Town...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A haven for Black and Afro-Indigenous families, a 40-acre stretch along Hazel Avenue, Baker Street and Snell Street is being recognized as the Westside National Historic District.On Thursday at 11 a.m., District 4 Councilor Anika Lopes will...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST —Two Amherst restaurants that closed this fall will reopen with new names and under new ownership in the coming weeks, while a new nightclub is also coming to downtown.The Board of Licence Commissioners is holding virtual hearings Dec. 28 at...