Columnist Russ Vernon-Jones: Is this what you want?

The bones of history: Amherst History Museum renovations expose centuries-old craftmanship

AMHERST — On the main floor of the Simeon Strong House, long, thick pieces of rough-cut wood, many of which date back to the home’s 1750s construction, rest on short pillars made from both large and small stones. Exposed after removing the wide-plank flooring and subflooring during renovations to stabilize the Amherst History Museum’s longtime […]

Sounds Local: Cloudbelly to release new album at The Drake

Indie folk band Cloudbelly is set to release its new album "Throwing the Game" on Nov. 13, with a celebratory double-album release show featuring Jake Klar & Blue Ranger scheduled for Nov. 21 at The Drake in Amherst.

UMass professor Harley Erdman to present illuminated lecture on 'Queen Esther'

Four centuries ago, a Spanish play about a famous Bible story got its author thrown in jail for heresy. Later this month, a local playwright will help give the play justice by telling it in an uncommon form of theater. Harley Erdman, a playwright, translator, dramaturg and professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts […]

MWRA withdraws request to take 20M more gallons a day from Quabbin

BELCHERTOWN — The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority on Thursday dropped its proposal to withdraw an additional 20 million gallons a day from the Quabbin Reservoir in response to loud opposition from communities surrounding the watershed. Opposition boiled over in September, when more than 130 people packed Belchertown Town Hall to speak against the request. Commenters […]

‘Telling is healing’: New audio-video podcast gives voice to survivors of sexual violence

Donna Jenson used to harbor a horrible secret. She couldn’t tell anyone that her father was sexually abusing her. She didn’t even want to acknowledge it herself. It took decades before she could reckon with the abuse privately, let alone speak publicly about it. But now, she’s helping other survivors amplify their own paths to […]