No laughing matter: Senator presses Boston radio hosts over corn maze jokes

TD Garden to host UMass men's basketball for rematch with Boston College this fall

The UMass men’s basketball team announced it will take on in-state rival Boston College on Friday, Nov. 6 at TD Garden, on Friday. The matchup will be part of the Hall of Fame Series Boston, with both teams making their return to the Garden hardwood for the first time since facing off against each other in 2014. “What an incredible opportunity to once again play Boston College in our own state,” Minutemen head coach Frank Martin in a news release. “Thankful to the Hall of Fame for making it happen last year in Springfield and obviously this year at TD Garden in […]

Senators pad $575 million economic development bill

BOSTON — Senators stamped their approval on a $575.4 million economic development borrowing package just after midnight Friday, hitching to it a controversial change to a voter-approved tax rebate law and artificial intelligence regulations as the sprawling package moves toward negotiations with the House. Senate President Karen Spilka’s office described the authorizations as “investments to boost every aspect […]

Fairways to wetlands: Restoration at old Northampton golf course is letting nature take back the land

NORTHAMPTON — Under a clear June sky, volunteers of all ages waded into the tall grass at the former Pine Grove Golf Course, driving chopped lengths of wood into a streambed and weaving branches between them. The goal: build dams good enough that beavers will take them over as their own. The structures, known as […]

Illustrating the rhythm: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art displays the visual symphony of Jerry Pinkney

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney once said, “I’d like my art to feel the way music sounds.” A new exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst explores this connection. Featuring more than 75 of Pinkney’s works, the display pairs his illustrations with the music he listened to while creating them. The Eric Carle Museum is hosting “Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney” through Sunday, Jan 3, 2027. The show was co-organized with Woodmere, an art museum in Pinkney’s hometown, Philadelphia, which put on the show in 2025. “There is definitely a rhythm to the way […]

From Western Mass to the Wild West: Author’s new book sets autistic protagonist in 1840s Sierra Nevada

Drawn to the “outlaw sensibility” of the Wild West since childhood, author Josh Weil has channeled his lifelong fascination into the creation of his fourth published book. The Leverett-grown writer will read from his latest novel, “What Came West,” at Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley on Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m. Set in the […]