UMass hockey sputters out the gate, gets swept by Colorado College in season-opening series

Northampton City Council OKs new sign regs

NORTHAMPTON — Following a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that messages written on signs are protected as free speech, the City Council, after years of review, has created new regulations on the display of signs in the city. After councilors spent more than an hour deliberating over details, weighing businesses’ freedom to advertise over potential nuisance caused by illuminated signage, the council voted on Oct. 1 to limit the number of ground signs a business can display to six and to require illuminated signs to turn off at 11 p.m. The ordinance categorizes signs by size, type and location. It allows residents, […]

Hilltown microtransit reaping rewards

CHESTERFIELD — Microtransit is paying off as every $1 invested in Hilltown microtransit balloons to $23 in economic return, according to a new study by the Donohue Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. That’s $4 million of economic growth in the area from 2022 through 2025 driven by three Hillside Easy Ride vans. Meanwhile, […]

Columnist Joanna Buoniconti: An unexpected week in the intensive care unit

Around 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, I entered into my bedroom after a full week of being in emergency rooms and bouncing between intensive care units. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath. And, believe me, I’m still processing those words as I type them. This day […]

Pelham voters face $80K request for Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity homes at special Town Meeting

PELHAM — An $80,000 appropriation to help Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity complete ongoing construction of two single-family homes is one of three articles residents will decide at a special Town Meeting Tuesday. The session begins at 5 p.m. at the Old Town Hall at the intersection of Route 202 and Amherst Road. The building, […]

Amherst Dems to hold public forum on three statewide ballot questions

AMHERST — Three statewide questions on the Nov. 3 election ballot will be discussed during a public forum hosted by the Amherst Democratic Town Committee this Wednesday. Held at the community room at the police station, the conversation will address the referendums on state revenue, single-family home construction and firearm regulations. There will be a […]