Easthampton to update tattoo shop regulations after sexual assault complaint

Cummington Fair returns for 157th year

CUMMINGTON — The Cummington Fair, a 157-year-old mid-summer tradition, returns Aug. 27-30 with four days of agricultural exhibits, livestock shows, tractor and horse pulls, live entertainment, midway rides and family activities. The fair opens at 4 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday evening at 97 Fairgrounds Road. The fair has added three acres of parking […]

The Cummington Fair is 'in their blood': Volunteers are the lifeline of longtime event that kicks off Thursday

CUMMINGTON — The Cummington Fair, a long-standing agricultural tradition dating to 1869, is like a centuries-old clock: It takes a slew of gears to keep it running, and its arrival signals to many in the Hilltowns that summer is drawing to a close. From board president Albert Judd to longtime volunteer Larry Mason to the […]

Sports Briefs: Easthampton fencing coach receives national award

Paul Sise, who owns and operates the Pioneer Valley Fencing Academy in Easthampton, was one of two recipients of the Award of Merit For Outstanding Achievement in the Coaching and Teaching of Fencing by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association, this past weekend. Sise is a certified Fencing Master and also coaches the sport at Amherst […]

Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, dies at 80

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old. Parton died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist said in a […]

Investigation finds Amherst school restraints followed state law, but families still have concerns

AMHERST — Despite concerns about inappropriate use of restraints and seclusions at Fort River and Wildwood schools, all 98 occasions for their use since the start of the 2024 school year were proper for deescalating concerning behaviors, according to a recently completed investigatory report. With the Special Education Parent Advisory Council bringing forward worries about […]