Smith Vocational set to use weighted lottery for admissions next year

A Look Back, June 1

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Guest column: The missing piece in Northampton’s future — A plan for economic growth

Northampton is entering a period shaped by a broader economic reality: an increasingly unpredictable environment where costs for families — housing, utilities, energy, health and dental care, home and auto insurance, and everyday goods — continue to rise. Municipal governments are not insulated from these pressures. Construction costs, infrastructure maintenance, public employee health insurance, school […]

Three candidates to appear on ballot for 1st Franklin District seat vacated by Natalie Blais

Three of the five candidates vying for the open state representative seat in the 1st Franklin District secured enough signatures to appear on the ballot, while two candidates did not receive enough signatures by the state deadline.

As ICE activity rises, Valley advocates mobilize

HOLYOKE — “When we organize, we take our power back.”  That message has guided Ariana Keigan and the Pioneer Valley Workers Center (PVWC) as immigrant advocacy groups across western Massachusetts respond to increased immigration enforcement activity during President Donald Trump’s second term. Speaking Wednesday at Holyoke Community College’s annual Fair Housing & Civil Rights Conference, […]

A place to belong: HCC honors diverse graduates who will carry forward with 'compassion, dignity and care'

HOLYOKE — A diverse class of 781 Holyoke Community College graduates celebrated the college’s 79th Commencement on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, where associate degrees and certificates were conferred upon members of the Class of 2026. Graduates processed to pomp and circumstance as family and friends cheered in the arena. Half of this […]