Guest columnist Donald Joralemon: The politics of pretext

Comerford urges Northampton to rally for overhaul of state school funding formula

NORTHAMPTON — With the state preparing for a rare reexamination of how it pays for public education, state Sen. Jo Comerford is calling on Northampton residents and officials to make their voices heard, pushing for changes to a funding formula she says shortchanges many western Massachusetts communities. The senator addressed inequities in formulas that dictate […]

Northampton Jazz Festival 2026: Lakecia Benjamin headlines 15th year spotlighting women bandleaders

The Northampton Jazz Festival returns for its 15th year this Friday and Saturday at venues in downtown Northampton — and female bandleaders will be in the spotlight. “They’re still sometimes overlooked or not considered, but they’re great musicians and they are making huge strides in the jazz world, and we want to embrace that. … […]

Columnist Carrie N. Baker: American rape culture fuels tales of female vengeance

From the Hulu series Furious to recent novels like “Honey and A Certain Hunger,” popular culture is increasingly portraying women taking revenge on men who assault them. After a decade of institutions repeatedly refusing to deliver justice, no wonder fiction is giving women what reality won’t. The impunity America grants to powerful men is truly […]

Amherst Olympia Drive fire: State lab still examining material 10 months after blaze

AMHERST — An investigation remains active into a November 2025 fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction and spread to the neighboring Olympia Place, destroying the homes of some 230 people, mostly University of Massachusetts students. The fire broke out the evening of Nov. 7 at the construction site at 47 Olympia Drive. Intense heat carried the flames to the five-story, 230-bed Olympia Place at 57 Olympia Drive, which was also consumed in the blaze. Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren said Tuesday that material from the 47 Olympia Drive site continues to be examined in a state laboratory, as investigators try […]

A street divided: As Picture Main Street project nears, supporters and opponents clash over cost, congestion and the future of downtown Northampton

NORTHAMPTON — An ideological battle is raging between Northampton residents who believe the $43.3 million downtown overhaul known as Picture Main Street will poison the city, and those who see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in downtown infrastructure. Caught in the crossfire: Main Street business owners.  Picture Main Street has drawn controversy from […]