Downtown Amherst roadwork: Short-term pain for long-term gain

Sports Briefs: No high school football state championship games at Gillette Stadium this year, per MIAA

The MIAA announced on Monday that Gillette Stadium will not host any of the football state championships this year. The New England Patriots’ home field has been the site of the state championship games since 2007. “Whereas the 2026 MIAA Football Tournament begins this week, we will work diligently to secure host sites that provide […]

Guest columnist Greg Tuleja: Vladimir Putin a humanitarian?

A few weeks ago, Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff referred to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian, an expression of praise that stands out as one of the most nauseating public statements made by any member of Trump’s circle in either of his two terms in office. A torrent of offensive remarks has […]

Boys Athlete of the Month: Noah Hambley

Noah Hambley of the South Hadley football team has been named the Gazette’s Athlete of the Month for October. Hambley, a senior, played a crucial role in the Tigers posting a 4-1 record this month, including a three-interception performance against rival Holyoke on Oct. 15. South Hadley beat the Purple Knights, 55-0. Hambley, a safety, […]

More than 1.1M Massachusetts voters cast ballots early, but Galvin uncertain about Election Day turnout

BOSTON — More than 1.1 million people have already voted in Massachusetts as of Monday morning, according to Secretary of State William Galvin, though he didn’t offer a figure for just how many Bay Staters he thinks will turn out in total.  There’s been “a dramatic increase” in early in-person voting, Galvin said at a […]

Northampton data center moratorium: Planning Board, council committee unanimously back yearlong pause

NORTHAMPTON — With unanimous recommendations from the Planning Board and the council’s Committee on Legislative Matters, the City Council Thursday will take up a proposed yearlong moratorium on commercial data centers. The council formed a committee last month to study data centers’ potential impact on their host communities — a topic that arose as the […]