Ready for anything: Easthampton firefighters juggle medical calls, training and mutual aid as demand climbs

Guest columnist Barbara A. Rouillard: Anything but 'small potatoes'

My best friend Gini, like me, was a public school teacher. After every mass shooting, where the shooter either killed himself or had the police do it — death by cop, she used to say, “You couldn’t cut out the middleman… Why did you have to take some of us with you?” J. D. Vance […]

Leverett to hold informational sessions to gauge interest in creating a cultural district

LEVERETT — Informational sessions on creating a cultural district will be held at Town Hall twice this month. Both meetings, Tuesday and again on Oct. 20, begin at 6 p.m. with artists, musicians, authors and other cultural workers in town invited to offer their ideas and to help the Select Board gauge community interest in […]

Panel to review proposal to designate East Amherst village center a historic district

AMHERST — Even with skepticism from some members of the Town Council about whether a new Local Historic District should be created in the East Amherst village center, a subcommittee will review the proposal this fall. By an 11-1 vote last week, councilors agreed to refer the topic to the Community Resources Committee, which will […]

Nuclear having a moment, but hesitation is real

Nuclear power is undergoing a “transition,” a regional energy expert said, as New England looks anew to the technology to meet rising electricity demand. The shift was on display Wednesday at UMass Lowell, where energy officials, researchers and industry representatives from across the six-state region gathered to explore advanced reactors, fusion and the practical hurdles […]

Schools, overrides take center stage in FACT Force hearing

NORTHAMPTON — In its second hearing since its creation this summer, a budget task force heard the public’s concerns about the city’s financial health and impending Proposition 2½ override next year, which Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has said is necessary to maintain services amid rising costs and uncertain state and federal funding. The 13-member Fiscal Assessment […]