News

Area briefs: Walk for peace in Gaza; high blood pressure support group forms; Velis honor work recovery work

Walk for peace in GazaLEVERETT — The Village of Light Ashram in Leverett is sponsoring a walk for peace in Gaza on Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk organizers say the walk is an effort to stand with those who are suffering in both Israel...

Photos: Making science fun

A Look Back, May 9

50 Years Ago ■Betsy E. Vaundell, a teacher in Northampton, was elected director for Hampshire County District of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) at their annual meeting held this weekend in Northampton. Miss Vaundell is president of the...

With Jones project in question, Amherst won’t sign lease for temporary digs

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A significantly higher bid for construction of an expanded and renovated Jones Library is causing Amherst officials to scrap plans for leasing a temporary location elsewhere in town, as well as raising worries about whether the new $97.5...

Amherst College faculty join students in urging divestment from military suppliers to Israel

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The faculty of Amherst College is joining the college’s Student Senate in asking trustees to divest from corporations supplying military equipment to Israel in its ongoing war in Gaza.The divestment appeal, made last week, came with support...

Hampshire Regional School Committee signs off on new three-year deal with union

By Alexa Lewis

WESTHAMPTON — The fraught debates surrounding the Hampshire Regional Education Association’s contract have come to an official end, with the School Committee voting to ratify a new three-year contract during at its Monday meeting.The contract, already...

Political newcomer defeats Shores Ness for Deerfield Selectboard seat

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — In the town’s highest-turnout race in at least a decade, political newcomer and longtime resident Blake Gilmore defeated Deerfield political fixture Carolyn Shores Ness, 898-857, for a seat on the Select Board.Gilmore claimed victory on...

Around the Hamptons: City Arts to unveil Cottage Street sculpture

By Alexa Lewis

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton City Arts (ECA) Public Art Committee will host an unveiling on Saturday of its newest sculpture on the Nashawannuck Pond Promenade. The sculpture has been years in the making, with the initial idea proposed in 2019 by...

‘Knitting treasure’ of the Valley: Northampton Wools owner spreads passion for ancient pastime

By EMILEE KLEIN

NORTHAMPTON — Above the rows of shelves at Northampton Wools, amid all of the yarn of different colors, materials and thickness that fill every cubby in sight, sits a famous sweater worn by Charlize Theron in the Academy Award-winning film “The Cider...

Making news in business, May 9

Heisler, Feldman, & Ordorica announce new shareholder SPRINGFIELD — Heisler, Feldman, & Ordorica, P.C., a Springfield-based public interest law firm, has promoted attorney Dan Ordorica of Amherst to shareholder.This new partnership, effective Jan. 1,...

Photos: Looking up, or down?

Ryan wins Select Board seat in Plainfield

Staff Report

PLAINFIELD — Polly Ryan is the town’s newest Select Board member after winning Saturday’s election over Ed Morann by 89 votes to 72, Town Clerk Ruth Osgood reported.In the other contested position, Erik Burcroff was elected tree warden, with 113 votes...

Area property deed transfers, May 9

AMHERST Kira Kmetz and Raghavan Manmatha to David Sandak and Allegra Sandak, 60 Country Corners Road, $925,000 North Pleasant St Partner to A1n1 LLC, 306 Northampton Road, $339,000 Acs 22-24 Nutting Ave Inc. to Eastern Realty LLC, 22-24 Nutting...

Solar project to top docket at Westhampton Town Meeting on Saturday

By Alexa Lewis

WESTHAMPTON — At Westhampton’s annual Town Meeting this Saturday, voters will consider a $7 million budget for fiscal 2025 and decide whether to fund a solar installation project atop the new Public Safety Complex.The budget represents a modest 4.4%...

More than 130 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at UMass

By SCOTT MERZBACH and ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

AMHERST — More than 130 people were arrested on the University of Massachusetts campus Tuesday night after those who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the South Lawn of the Student Union refused to dismantle tents and other parts of the site and...

A Look Back, May 8

50 Years Ago ■Charles L. Johnson, controller of Smith College, does not look like a lovesick maiden. But tomorrow night the broad-shouldered athletic-looking Johnson, along with biology professor George W. de Villafranca, will don velvet and ruffles,...

Comerford: Free community college plan will lift up students, offer immediate return on investment

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

A plan unveiled by Senate Democrats on Monday to make community college free for all in Massachusetts starting this fall has the potential to have a big impact for prospective students across the state, including here in the Pioneer Valley.The...

Easthampton to use built-up reserves to help cover $57.1M budget next year

By ALEXA LEWIS

EASTHAMPTON — As several other Hampshire County communities have spent the spring budget season grappling with how to overcome significant funding gaps brought on the expiration of support from pandemic funding, the city of Easthampton is sitting on...

Sharing a few notes: High schoolers coaching younger string players one on one

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Carefully holding and balancing his violin, 12-year-old Heedo Noh, a Fort River School sixth grader, gets a suggestion for positioning the bow so it runs straight across the strings as he practices G.F. Handel’s “Chorus from Judas...