Question 7: Voters to decide whether to allow homes on smaller lots statewide

Columnist Sara Weinberger: Don't take sacred right for granted

Just like fall foliage, cider doughnuts, and sweater weather, the atmosphere is buzzing with this year’s midterm elections. Midterms can be as lackluster as dried-up leaves waiting to be raked away. The driving force that breathes life into the midterms, creating fodder for pollsters and pundits, is the name that does not appear on the ballot. […]

Easthampton Ferry Street mill demolition about to begin despite sinkhole closure

EASTHAMPTON — Demolition of several century-old mill structures on Ferry Street is expected to begin within weeks, even as crews work to determine what caused a large sinkhole that opened in the middle of the street earlier this month. The demolition will make way for the the One Ferry Project, a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. The city […]

Proposed census rules would exclude noncitizens and snowbirds, experts say

BOSTON — U.S. Census Bureau proposals would exclude a large noncitizen population in Massachusetts, change whether the state’s “snowbird” population is counted, and cause “severe inaccuracies” in population data in 2030, a local research expert told lawmakers Wednesday.  One lawmaker said the thought of the impact that would have on the state was “flabbergasting.” The bureau […]

Washing Well laundromat in Easthampton avoids major damage after dryer vent fire

EASTHAMPTON — Firefighters responded to a dryer vent that caught fire at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Washing Well laundromat on Union Street, filling the inside of the business with smoke. The fire was contained to the dryer vent and was extinguished by firefighters before it could expand any further, Fire Chief Christopher Norris […]

From protest to the polls: No Kings rallies push early voting across Valley

NORTHAMPTON — More than 100 people gathered in Pulaski Park Saturday afternoon for a No Kings demonstration — an event that last year served as a protest against authoritarianism, but this year held a renewed meaning with midterm elections around the corner. As the musical group “Singing Resistance Western Mass” harmonized folk songs, members of […]