Valley Bounty: Cultivating a healthy landscape: Livestock plays a vital role in restoring the pastures at Birch Brook Farm in Heath

Hadley backs $1.5M override in nail-biter election

HADLEY — Three firefighter positions lost last year will be restored and current school and town services will be maintained after voters narrowly supported the larger of two Proposition 2½ tax-cap overrides Tuesday. With just 12 votes to spare, voters approved a $1.5 million override by a 928-916 tally. A smaller $850,000 override also passed, […]

On the Run with John Stifler: The joy of running and remembering a behind-the-scenes star

It was going to happen eventually. Sooner or later I would finish last again in a race. I accomplished that feat last month in the Tuesday night Northampton Cross-Country 5K. I finished last in some races my freshman year in college, when I was new to competitive running. Since then, I always finished ahead of […]

Reenactment group showcases family life in 18th-century Belchertown

For a day, the Stone House Museum in Belchertown transformed into an 18th-century reenactment, showing what family life was like around the time of the Revolutionary War. The day was complete with chicken roasting on a shovel over a fire, wool spinning, apothecary remedies, tin-lantern making and grazing farm animals. The annual event was held […]

MIAA baseball: Hopkins Academy's Tucker Russell shines in 6-1 victory over Lenox in Div. 5 Round of 16

HADLEY — Tucker Russell’s seven-inning gem on the mound led No. 3 Hopkins Academy to a 6-1 victory over No. 14 Lenox in the MIAA Division 5 Round of 16 on Wednesday night. The junior struggled with a few baserunners early on in the top of the first inning, quickly bouncing back. After getting out […]

MIAA softball: Frontier Regional falls to West Bridgewater in Div. 4 Round of 16

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The fourth-seeded Frontier Regional softball team could not get past No. 13 West Bridgewater in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament Round of 16 on Wednesday afternoon. The Redhawks lost to the Wildcats, 6-4, at warm and sunny Zabek Field. Frontier had a three-run lead but a sixth inning rally by the […]