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By MATTEO PANGALLO

 It is difficult to imagine a more condescending and erroneous take on Question 2 than the one Ed Lambert of the Boston-based pro-business group Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education attempts to articulate in his Oct. 5 letter [“Weakening...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The idea of moving seventh and eighth graders to Amherst Regional High School, potentially turning the Amherst Regional Middle School building into an innovation center, is being greeted with cautious optimism by members of the Regional...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SUNDERLAND — After four consecutive interviews with finalists for the vacant town administrator position, the Select Board has settled on Shutesbury Town Administrator Rebecca Torres.In a unanimous vote, the Sunderland Select Board voted to put...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A referendum question on the state’s November election ballot seeking to eliminate the requirement that public high school students pass the MCAS test to graduate is being endorsed by the Amherst Regional School Committee.The committee on...

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — The Massachussetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has named South Hadley High School one of the 2024 Schools of Recognition for their improvements in attendance and academic performance over the past three years....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A new bullying reporting system is on the websites for the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools, providing an improved process for notifying school officials about possible incidents and ensuring prompt investigations....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A significant deficit anticipated in the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, amid continued enrollment declines in grades 7-12, is prompting Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to propose consolidating all secondary...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — An open-air gazebo is being proposed to protect the town common’s historic guideboard, an artifact that dates to 1837 and continues to be refurbished and restored at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center.While the Historical Commission...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Should the four towns in the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District limit their assessment increases next year, 35 middle and high school staffers, or 10% of the 350-member workforce, could lose their jobs, leading to what Superintendent E....

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — New Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman must strive to rebuild community trust so healing and stabilization take place this academic year in the Amherst, Pelham and Amherst-Pelham Regional schools, one of four broad goals spelled out this week...

By SARAH MANTEIGA

A question for Shutesbury Rights of Wetlands Initiative: Why try to reinvent the wheel? European countries have battled Japanese knotweed for decades longer; why stand in the way by not learning from their mistakes?Shutesbury Rights of Wetlands...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — State education officials have recognized Shutesbury Elementary School’s success in reducing chronic absenteeism by students with the presentation of a signed, gold-colored basketball from the 18-time NBA champion Boston Celtics at a...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Responding to written appeals from both Amherst and Pelham officials to begin discussions about the fiscal year 2026 operating budget for the regional schools, members of the Amherst Regional School Committee are committing to having a...

By DOMENIC POLI

For Shutesbury resident Bert Fernandez, climate change “may be the most important issue of our time.”“We’re seeing all these disasters happening all around the country,” Fernandez said. “Storms are different than they used to be. The ocean waters are...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Invasive and destructive, the growth of Japanese knotweed along town roads and municipal rights of way is an increasing concern for some residents, due to its potential for reducing animal and insect biodoversity, lowering water quality...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A federal lawsuit brought against the Amherst-Pelham Regional school district, as well as several current and former staff members, by a former middle school counselor contends that she and other counselors were targeted by colleagues and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Continued staffing challenges for small-town fire departments that depend on on-call and volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies is prompting officials in Shutesbury, Leverett, Wendell and New Salem to examine ways to potentially...

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — A local man facing 29 charges, including rape and strangulation, will be released from custody if he can identify an appropriate residence to stay at, a Franklin County Superior Court judge has decided.Branden M. Eugenio, 31, appeared...

It’s surprising that Amherst CPA Committee Chair Sam Macleod believes that by contributing 80% of the cost for the new Amherst Regional High School track and field facility, Amherst is paying “more than its fair share” (“Town may add $800K more for...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Lake Wyola State Park’s beach continues to be closed to swimming this week due to high levels of Enterococci bacteria, with red flags placed on the beach and visitors informed about the situation at both the park entrance and by...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — A serious accident involving two boats that injured one person on Lake Wyola in June is prompting town officials to consider forming a committee to examine overhauling a bylaw that governs use of the 128-acre site.But with the Select...