‘Sad and angry’: Hundreds gather at vigil after ICE shooting

Former Kmart to become Walmart Supercenter in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — What has been known as the Kmart Plaza for about eight decades is on track to become the Walmart Plaza. Earlier this week, Dallas-based developer Cypress Acquisitions expressed its plans to city officials to build a Walmart at 2201 Northampton St., where a long-vacant and deteriorating Kmart has stood since the 1960s. The […]

Easthamtpon moves to pause data centers

EASTHAMPTON — The city is weighing a temporary ban on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers as the technology continues to be ridiculed by critics across the country and municipalities grapple with regulations. The potential ban smoothly jumped its first hurdle Tuesday night, with the Planning Board showing unanimous support for the draft moratorium. The meeting was […]

Mount Tom venue Tavern on the Hill sold in Easthampton

EASTHAMPTON — The Tavern on the Hill has officially closed after being the city’s most scenic dining destination for years, sold to a buyer planning to renovate the property into luxury condominiums. The property located at 100 Mountain Road was put up for sale last fall by husband-wife owners Amy and Lawrence “Larry” Guyette, priced at $995,000. However, the property was officially sold last week for nearly half that amount, $475,000. The broker for the sale, Paul Gallagher of Gallagher Real Estate, said the price drop is a sign of the times. “Bars and restaurants are struggling tremendously,” Gallagher said, a trend […]

Small art, big adventure: New Northampton festival turns downtown into a tiny art scavenger hunt

A typical outdoor art festival has big works — paintings, sculptures and the like — on display in rows and rows of large booths clustered together. At an upcoming art festival in Northampton, however, participants have to find the art themselves – it’s hidden, on purpose. Fun Sized: A Tiny Public Art Festival will make […]

Chesterfield finalizes battery storage bylaw

CHESTERFIELD — In an empty meeting room at town offices, the Planning Board burned the midnight oil Monday night as they finalized a battery energy storage system, or Bess, bylaw that will be taken up in a special Town Meeting. On Sep. 30, a special Town Meeting will be held in Town Hall, 403 Main […]