Arts Briefs: Jazz 101 in Northampton, ‘Dances in the Orchard’ in Easthampton, and more

A Look Back, June 22

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After racist letter, Amherst residents discuss community values

AMHERST — Clear and concise values are a town’s best defense against racist events that may pop up locally, a pair of college professors told residents at the third of four community conversations last week. Speaking at the Bangs Community Center following the recent discovery of a racist letter last month, the educators warned that […]

‘We’re all rooting for the same thing’: Frontier team earns second place in new Envirothon category

The Frontier Environmental Club earned second place in the Eco Spoken Word Competition at the 2026 Massachusetts Envirothon, where they presented a 3D model of flash flooding and potential solutions to protect their local community from flooding.

Guest columnist Matt L. Barron: Lawmakers undermine the will of the people

Since Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa became my state legislator in 2023, she has provided good constituent casework and has been accessible with town hall meetings. But some of her votes leave a lot to be desired. Such was the case last week when Sabadosa voted to ram through the Orwellian-named bill H. 5469, an Act promoting […]

'Scary Gary's' last bell: One of PVPA's founding teachers retires after three decades

SOUTH HADLEY — At Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School commencement earlier this month, history teacher Gary Huggett joined the Class of 2026 on the Academy of Music stage in a purple graduation cap to turn his own tassel. “In case you hadn’t figured it out, I figured I’d graduate with these guys,” Huggett told […]