Valley Bounty: Potatoes are ‘in our blood’: Valley Spud grows and distributes potatoes from Maine to Florida

Sports Briefs: UMass, Amherst College to host badminton tournament

The second annual Amherst Invitational, a collegiate badminton tournament, will return to the Pioneer Valley on Saturday, Oct. 10 . Co-hosted by UMass and Amherst College, the tournament expects to welcome more than 100 players to Amherst. Last year’s event featured teams from Yale, Brown, Williams and Boston College. Prizes and raffles will be awarded […]

Judge denies defense bid to independently examine Hotel UMass murder suspect's phone

NORTHAMPTON — A Superior Court judge denied a defense attorney’s motion to independently examine the cellphone of murder suspect Jeffrey MacDonald following a lively debate in Hampshire Superior Court on Thursday. MacDonald, a Wilbraham chef accused of murdering his wife at the Hotel UMass in April, appeared in court alongside his attorney Mary Saldarelli for […]

Northampton weighs demolition of historic house owned by Cooley Dickinson Hospital

NORTHAMPTON — The Historical Commission is deciding whether to delay Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s plans to demolish the 150-year-old “Louise Finn” house at 1 Denniston Place, which was dedicated to a community pillar in 2009 and is believed to have ties to the early abolitionist movement. John Atwater, facilities manager at Massachusetts General Hospital, which owns […]

A new path to homeownership: Amherst Community Homes officially opens

AMHERST — After more than 25 years in North Amherst, the last 17 as a renter at Riverside Apartments, Cat Stryker never expected to own a home here. This fall, she will. Next month, Stryker will acquire a duplex at Amherst Community Homes, where she’ll share a dwelling with her grown daughter. “I could never […]

Write on: Local literary organizations offer seasoned scribes and undercover word-lovers opportunities to keep busy

The Valley is a land of writerly possibility. Whether creators are new to the area or new to the page, or published and looking for professional peers, they will find that meet-ups, workshops and readings abound. As the fall goes into full swing, here are five organizations for creatives to consider. Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop […]