Average tax bills near $10K in Amherst as council votes to keep single tax rate

A legacy of service: Hadley fire chief calls it a career

HADLEY — On the busiest days, around 100,000 vehicles pass through or stop in Hadley, significantly increasing the size of the town that has about 5,300 year-round residents. Yet until 2005, when Michael Spanknebel became Hadley’s first full-time firefighter, the Hadley Fire Department depended exclusively on on-call firefighting staff, those who could respond to emergencies from their workplaces or homes. In the 21 years since, and his 13 years as fire chief, the department has become more professional. By the end of this summer, it will return to having at least two full-time firefighters on each shift, with one shift having […]

Shalini Bahl: When good intentions lead to harm

Most of us believe that if our intentions are good, our decisions will be too. I used to think so as well. But during my years on the Amherst Town Council, I learned that good intentions can still lead to harmful outcomes when they’re shaped by incomplete information, hidden biases, and the limits of our own perspective. I expected disagreement on the council. What surprised me was something deeper: caring, thoughtful people often reached very different conclusions because each of us was seeing only part of the picture. We naturally give more weight to the people we hear from, the experiences […]

Deerfield eyes banning sale of kratom

The Greenfield and Deerfield boards of health are considering local measures to ban the sale of kratom products due to the substance's potential for addiction and its opioid-like effects.

Leverett weighs pursuit of cultural district status from state

The Leverett Selectboard discussed a proposal to seek state-designated cultural district status and a longstanding dispute regarding driveway access.

‘Meet the moment,’ disability advocates urge at statewide session held in western Massachusetts

Individuals with disabilities, families and advocates gathered at a Meeting the Moment listening session in Northampton to share their experiences and inform state lawmakers about critical issues such as accessible housing, transportation and employment opportunities.