Destigmatizing grief through powerful portraits: A Springfield gallery becomes a space for healing

Preserving a language through song: Yidstock brings vibrant Yiddish culture and klezmer to the Valley

Bridging the heartfelt and heartbreak with soaring celebration, traditional and contemporary Yiddish music will fill the air this July as the Yidstock festival returns to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. The four-day cultural celebration, running from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12, features an array of concerts, talks, workshops and film screenings. The […]

Blue Sox break losing streak with 2-1 walk-off win over SteepleCats

HOLYOKE — Small ball was alive and well in the Valley Blue Sox’s 2-1 walk-off win against the North Adams SteepleCats at Mackenzie Stadium on Wednesday. During the bottom of the 11th inning with the score tied, 1-1, the Blue Sox executed two perfect sacrifice bunts to best their Western Mass. rivals as well as […]

Amherst middle school event draws criticism over counselor contact requirement

AMHERST — An end-of-year event at Amherst Regional Middle School is drawing criticism after students were directed to a counselor whom some LGBTQIA+ students were prohibited from contacting because of no-contact orders stemming from an earlier Title IX case. Critics say the event, advertised with rainbow colors in the flyers, sent a mixed message during […]

Landon Nycz highlights UMass hockey's loaded 2026 NHL Draft class

Eight players affiliated with the UMass hockey team were selected during Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Saturday. Rising sophomore defenseman Landon Nycz went to the St. Louis Blues with the 107th overall pick (fourth round). Nycz had three points in 35 games with the Minutemen as a true freshman and was the only […]

Oh deer, ‘ticks are winning’: Booming deer populations, shifting weather are fueling sharp rise across New England

Every year, “The Tick Guy” Thomas Mather is asked if the tick season will be bad, and his answer is always yes. “Most tick experts will say, ‘Oh, they’re probably going to be bad,’ and they will never be wrong, because to the average person, one tick is a bad tick year,” said Mather, director […]