A Look Back, Aug. 1

Valley Blue Sox clinch 2026 NECBL playoff spot

The Valley Blue Sox clinched a spot in the 2026 NECBL playoffs following their 8-6 win over the Mystic Schooners at Mackenzie Stadium on Friday. The Blue Sox will now attempt to snag their third NECBL title in team history. The Blue Sox won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. One of the hottest teams […]

Following a teen's death in Hatfield, 'Jesse's Law' makes its way to Beacon Hill

BOSTON — More than three years after 19-year-old Northampton High School graduate Jesse Johansmeyer was fatally struck by a pickup truck and left to die leaving a bonfire party in Hatfield, his mother testified before legislators Friday morning in support of a proposed bill that would legally compel bystanders to call 911 in the event of […]

A leap of faith: What's it like to paraglide off Mount Tom?

“I know it’s not normal to run off a cliff, but all you have to do is look out and run like hell.”  That was my last pep talk from expert paraglider John Gallagher moments before we sprinted off the 1,200-foot-high cliffside on Mount Tom’s peak for a tandem flight on a glorious summer afternoon in […]

Single-payer health bill hits milestone after 30 years

A legislative committee has ruled favorably on a Medicare for All bill for the first time in the measure’s 30-year history in Massachusetts, marking a major milestone for the state’s single-payer healthcare movement. About a week before the current legislative session ended on Friday, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing advanced a redrafted version […]

Hampshire Regional's $19.8M budget finalized after member towns approve dues

WESTHAMPTON — Hampshire Regional High School’s $19.8 million budget for the upcoming school year is now official, after each member town approved its share of dues at town meetings this spring. The budget cuts $280,000 in services, including two full-time positions. The budget represents a roughly $1.5 million jump from last year’s spending of $18.2 […]