State to invest $93M in MassMutual Center upgrades, Thunderbirds sign 5-year extension

Bringing her braids to the national stage: Miss Massachusetts, a UMass grad, heads to Miami

Two months after being crowned Miss Massachusetts USA 2026, a University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate will compete at the Miss United States pageant on Aug. 27 in Miami — where she’ll represent a look no state titleholder has worn to the crown before hers: braids. Kayshauna Montaño, 28, a former New England Patriots cheerleader, won […]

Around Amherst: Electrify Amherst gets underway

AMHERST — Local artists have two opportunities to participate in Amherst Public Art Commission initiatives, with the next round of Electrify Amherst getting underway and the Town Hall art gallery available for shows. Electrify Amherst, started in 2018 and funded by the Amherst Cultural Council, with support from the Amherst Business Improvement District, has artists create paintings on utility boxes. So far, 16 have been completed around town. Three artists will be selected for the latest round, with a $650 stipend awarded. The boxes to be painted are on the North Pleasant Street end of the alley between Moge Tea and the […]

Hadley finance director, treasurer retires

HADLEY — After more than a decade as treasurer and 2½ years as Hadley’s first finance director, Linda Sanderson is retiring from both positions. The Select Board on Wednesday voted unanimously to accept Sanderson’s retirement, and afterward named Dede Dibrindisi, the assistant treasurer, to the permanent treasurer position. First elected by voters in 2015 to a position that has since become appointed by the Select Board, Sanderson will conclude her employment next week, though she anticipates being available to provide assistance. “It has been a pleasure,” Sanderson said of the job. Once elected, Sanderson said she took to the work right […]

A fresh start: Cornucopia opens new Holyoke store after 40 years in Northampton

HOLYOKE — The familiar scent of incense and essential oils will still greet customers the moment they step into Cornucopia Natural Wellness Market. That hasn’t changed. But gone are the cozy aisles in the basement of Thornes Marketplace in Northampton. Cornucopia’s new home is a 3,000-square-foot storefront at 384 Dwight St. in Holyoke, where sunlight […]

Area Property Deed Transfers, July 31

AMHERST Frederick N. Bloom and Leslie Matlen to Miguel Diaz and Katherine L. Giles-Diaz, 60 Amity Place, Lot 60, $555,000 Anne Burton RET and Anne M. Burton to Anne E. Sayre, 10 Dana St., $925,000 Christin C. Martin to William Leonard, 242 N. East St., Lot 24, $270,000 1107 N. Pleasant St. 01002 T and […]