Beacon Hill Roll Call, Sept. 22-26

H.S. Roundup: Smith Voc girls volleyball extends winning streak to five

After falling short of a state title last season, the Smith Vocational girls volleyball team looks like it’s on another mission this fall. The squad dropped its first match of the season but has built up a winning streak since then. The Vikings made Franklin Tech its latest victim with a 3-1 set victory on […]

Former Amherst nonprofit 80 Acres sued over unpaid wages

NORTHAMPTON — After an Amherst-based nonprofit dedicated to teaching children about racial and climate justice closed abruptly from a lack of funding, a former employee has filed a class action lawsuit against the organization, claiming more than $120,000 in unpaid wages. 80 Acres, Inc., a homeschool cooperative for children, began in Florence in 2021 and […]

'$72.80 isn't enough': Northampton college student uses new podcast to advocate for vulnerable nursing home residents

NORTHAMPTON — For the past two summers, Noah Daube-Valois, a 20-year-old from Northampton, has worked at the Rockridge Retirement Community, where he has watched residents struggle to live on $72.80 a month. He’s decided it’s time for a change. That’s why the Northampton High School graduate, now a junior at Vassar College, has launched the […]

UMass football eyes most wins as FBS program against Eastern Michigan

An already surprising season has the chance to leave its mark in the record books when the UMass football team hosts Eastern Michigan at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday. After beating Sacramento State for its fourth-straight win to open the season, a win over the Eagles would give the Minutemen their most wins in a season as a FBS team. The last time they won five-games as a program was in 2011. “ I think it’s the best coached team we’ve played so far, uh, on tape. It is a group that is established in this league,” UMass football head coach Joe […]

What's next for Hampshire College land? Amherst forums favor mixed housing, farmland protection

AMHERST — New housing for a range of ages and incomes, protected open space and farmland, and the preservation of some existing buildings, possibly for community use, should be encouraged through rezoning of the Hampshire College campus, according to residents who took part in a pair of listening sessions and design workshops last week. Participants […]