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By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The Supreme Court decision Thursday banning the use of affirmative action in college admissions drew condemnation from education leaders, politicians, and others across the Pioneer Valley and state.In statement after statement released shortly after...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — As towns and cities see a rise in natural disasters that require greater emergency response than their local resources can support alone, two western Massachusetts lawmakers renewed their call Tuesday to divert a portion of excess capital...

By Sam Drysdale

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed three bills during its first formal session of 2024 on Thursday, including the one dubbed “blue envelope” filed by Sen. Jo Comerford that would require new guidance on how police officers should...

By EDEN MOR

Two Pioneer Valley lawmakers are seeking a more concrete plan — including the creation of a “watchdog group” — to improve the health of public school buildings and reduce their environmental impact throughout the commonwealth.Sen. Jo Comerford,...

By MADDIE FABIAN

BOSTON — The Senate moved Thursday to give people the option to select a nonbinary “X” identification on their drivers’ licenses and birth certificates, a choice LGBTQ allies have been advocating for years.The Massachusetts Senate unanimously voted to...

By Mercedes Lingle

NORTHAMPTON — The state’s largest human services group and an alliance that helps foster families each selected state Sen. Jo Comerford to receive a prestigious award for her recent support.The Providers’ Council announced in mid-May that it had...

By SYDNEY KO

Architects and lawmakers are advocating for a change in the state building code to allow gender-neutral bathrooms in new construction and renovations of buildings, calling it a further affirmation of a gender-inclusive and respectful...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — Clare Higgins, the executive director of Community Action Pioneer Valley, was blunt when describing the current crisis in retaining and finding early education staff.“They can’t pay the rent or feed their families with gift cards and...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — Educational issues pertaining to schools across western Massachusetts, including transportation, rural inequities and a lack of sufficient state aid peppered the discussion of a Joint Ways and Means Committee hearing at the University of...

By SYDNEY KO

BOSTON — The number of students choosing to attend post-secondary education in Massachusetts has dropped significantly in recent years, a trend that started nearly a decade ago and has only been exacerbated during the pandemic.“The pandemic’s impact...