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By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With the $4 million plan to construct a new bathhouse at War Memorial Pool considered cost prohibitive, town officials are working with architects to come up with a less-expensive, long-term plan to either rehabilitate or replace the 1950s-era building.

By Staff Report

AMHERST — Easthampton, Amherst and Pelham are in the first cohort of Department of Energy Resources’ Climate Leader Communities, recently announced by the Healey-Driscoll administration

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — A sprinkler system, renovated bathrooms and a freshly painted exterior at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, a rebuilt outdoor performing arts venue at Buttery Brook Park in South Hadley and theatrical lighting and sound equipment for the Northampton Community Arts Trust’s Hawley Street building are projects being supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

By MICKEY RATHBUN

In the Orchard Arboretum, a little-known public garden in South Amherst, a living work of art is making its debut this spring. “I call it a daffodil ribbon,” explained Richard Waldman, a retired landscape architect from New York City who conceived of the project two years ago and has finally brought it to fruition.

Most of us will become disabled at some point in our lives. Whether through accident, illness, or simply old age, we will all join the largest minority in the U.S. For decades, institutionalization was standard for people with disabilities. Conditions were commonly squalid, overcrowded, and abusive.When the deinstitutionalization movement gained momentum in the 1960s and 70s, we developed support systems to help people with disabilities live on their own.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst officials are renewing appeals to residents to step up to fill numerous vacancies on municipal boards and committees.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — In 2013, Canadian police estimated that there were 1,181 unresolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The number today is closer to 4,000.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The National Endowment for the Arts has stripped funding for two well-known Amherst organizations — Amherst Cinema and Restless Books — saying that the mission of those nonprofits is out of alignment with Trump administration priorities.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — A general contractor that handles residential and commercial construction could move its offices from downtown Amherst to a new building on a commercial parcel on Church Avenue.

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Throughout the entire spring season, the Amherst Regional track and field programs have had to hit the road for all of their dual meets. The track at the high school doesn’t meet the standards to host competition, as runners are forced to avoid small cracks and holes in the surface.

NORTHAMPTON — As part of Bay State Bike Month, Northampton bicycling advocates are hosting a variety of events to get folks rolling for Bike Week that kicks off on Monday.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst may be 90 minutes from the nearest ocean, but oysters are taking center stage at the town’s newest restaurant, where demand for the delicacy has been high since opening day on April 1.

By GARRETT COTE and RYAN AMES

NORTHAMPTON — It has been quite the spring season for the Amherst Regional girls track and field team, and Wednesday added to the Hurricanes’ undefeated campaign. Both the Amherst girls and boys defeated Northampton behind terrific performances both on the track and in the field. The Amherst girls won by a score of 103-33.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — After the conclusion of business hours next Wednesday, May 14, the main branch of the Jones Library at 43 Amity St. will close to patrons for the next 18 or so months, beginning the process for renovating and expanding the building for the first time since the early 1990s.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — Ten years ago, Angelo Mercado began the lengthy and difficult process of becoming an American citizen. On Tuesday inside the Bowker Auditorium at Stockbridge Hall at the University of Massachusetts, that arduous journey finally came to an end.

Did you know that one of the most vital parts of our planet is ecosystem engineers? These species are vital to their environments because they help modify and cycle nutrients in a way that promotes growth and biodiversity for all. Without them our planet would be much sparser and out of control, such as what happens when beavers disappear from certain areas. So, what if I told you that one of these important ecosystem engineers is on the verge of extinction, with only 372 individuals remaining in the whole world. The right whale is a baleen whale that migrates throughout our oceans in search of plankton and to have their babies. These whales help the environment by way of nutrient cycling and supporting plankton growth. Throughout their life and beyond they provide nutrients and support for many organisms in our oceans. However, these whales are under massive pressure because of us, they get caught in nets and hit by boats, which has drastically reduced their numbers. But hope isn’t lost, we can still save this beautiful species! Everyone can make a difference in this fight, and we hope that you’ll help us make that difference. Call politicians about this issue and show your support for policies protecting whales, everything helps. With you on our side we can fight for this species and secure their future alongside us for centuries to come.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Each year, in the months leading up to the development and release of the budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, representatives from the four member communities gather together at the invitation of school officials to discuss school funding at one or more “four-town” meetings.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — For those who live in the Orchard Valley section of South Amherst, the Nigerian Dwarf goats Walnut and Peanut have become a familiar sight in the yard at Jade Alicandro’s home.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts researchers have uncovered rabbit ticks in Maine that harbor a new strain of bacteria related to pathogens known to cause spotted fever in humans.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A fight between students at Amherst Regional Middle School last week that prompted a shelter-in-place order when parents got involved in the incident and staff members were injured, is prompting educators in the Amherst-Pelham schools to request district leaders take a series of steps to improve safety.