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We write as individuals who have, to some extent or another, publicly opposed the Jones Library expansion/demolition project. We continue to have profound and valid concerns about the project including its negative impact on historic preservation, dramatic cuts to sustainability features, excessive and unknown costs, and the severe ramifications its inadequate funding will have on the town’s other needs for decades to come.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — A steep increase in what Leverett will pay into the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools’ fiscal year 2026 budget is being supported by the Select Board, even with concerns from board members about the process used to arrive at the town’s assessment.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More than 100 residents at Applewood Retirement Community made their voices heard on the Saturday morning before Easter, appealing to preserve democracy and fight against actions by the Trump administration during a “No King” protest.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — People for Ethical Treatment of Animals will receive all videos, photos and other documentation associated with experiments involving marmoset monkeys in a University of Massachusetts laboratory, according to a settlement agreement announced Tuesday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With planned improvements to modernize and make accessible the Simeon Strong House at 67 Amity St., along with anticipated disruptions from the expansion and renovation at the neighboring Jones Library, Amherst Historical Society operations will be relocating to a downtown commercial building this spring.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Supporters of the Jones Library building project are condemning a letter sent to both the Trump administration and National Endowment for the Humanities requesting termination of a $1 million grant going toward build-out of a humanities center within the expanded building. 

We are writing to celebrate and express our heartfelt gratitude for our incredible Amherst community! On a drizzly Sunday, April 6, nearly 200 residents joined forces all over town for the annual Amherst Rubbish Roundup! Volunteers from all Amherst districts came in support of this community cleanup to beautify our beloved town. These amazing volunteers braved busy roadsides, bustling sidewalks, downtown parking areas, quiet conservation trails, and public school lands to collect an impressive 184 bags of garbage and recycling.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A yearly event to promote energy efficiency, recycling, electric and hybrid vehicles and solar power is being held on the Town Common Saturday, alongside the Amherst Farmer’s Market.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Creation of a 6th Grade Academy inside the Amherst Regional Middle School, coinciding with the opening of the new elementary school building on South East Street, will be supported by $450,000 in capital spending.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A large, colorful display depicting the four seasons, created by students in two kindergarten classes from cardboard, wood and paper, is greeting visitors in the lobby at Fort River School.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts officials are dispelling unconfirmed chatter this week that federal agents affiliated with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement were present on the Amherst campus.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern’s complacency and inaction felt less like a personal failure and more like a symptom of the Democratic Party itself. Instead of providing clarity or hope, the recent town hall at UMass Amherst on Wednesday seemed to be just another reason to disengage from the dire state of American politics completely.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Three full-time positions at the Jones Library will remain vacant, as they have for the past six years, in the $3.09 million budget proposal recommended by the elected trustees.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Several Amherst Regional High School students recently had the opportunity to travel to the State House to offer testimony to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means hearing, explaining to legislators why funding formulas for state aid to local school districts should be revised.

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

The COVID pandemic — with its fear, and its quarantine, and its ongoing recommendations for limiting social contact — is still affecting us. Even if we are not among the many unfortunate individuals who are still ill with long COVID, our situation has changed. We are now living in a society where loneliness has increased and trust has decreased. As Jeet Heer wrote in The Nation, “In the wake of COVID, Americans have become more individualistic, more conspiracy-minded, and less committed to collective social effort.” We tend to be more separate from each other.

By CAROLYN BROWN

An Amherst festival dedicated to a famous Baroque composer is coming … Bach.

We have always been in favor of the Jones Library renovation and expansion. We think the improvements to the HVAC system and teh climate controlled space for Special Collections alone make it a worthwhile project. The addition of dedicated children’s and tenn space, in addition to the expanded ESL space and teh new display space for teh African American Civil War tablets, speaks to those citizens in our community whose interests and needs can be easily overlooked. The fact that the renovation doesn’t use fossil fuels and advances the building to a net-zero structure gives it another great advantage over the current structure. 

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

Humans are great at building things, but it’s also beginning to dawn on us that these impressive and sometimes magnificent structures also impact the other creatures that we share this earth with.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Professional mold remediation in the music and instrument storage rooms during April vacation, along with recent roof repairs and replacement of HVAC air filters, are among steps being taken to improve air quality at the Amherst Regional Middle School.

By EMILEE KLEIN

For the last two years, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment has aimed to help more than 1,000 third graders in Springfield Public Schools envision themselves as scientists and engineers.