Around and About with Richard McCarthy: A chilling prediction of monstrous changes

Supporting survivors beyond the legal system

Editor’s note: This piece discusses child abuse and trauma. For free, confidential support and resources 24/7, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. When I was navigating the aftermath of my own abuse, the hardest part wasn’t just dealing with what had happened to me. It […]

A dramatic homecoming: Mount Holyoke College's summer theater program returns after 25-year hiatus

On the surface, a recent rehearsal for “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express” at Mount Holyoke College’s Kendall Sports & Dance Center in the Studio Theatre seemed standard. Actors in jeans and tennis shoes ran through the show’s first act, in which detective Hercule Poirot, played by Sam Samuels, has to solve a murder […]

Let’s Talk Relationships: The real relationship problem: How we handle distress

When people think about why relationships end, they often point to communication problems, financial stress, infidelity, intimacy issues, parenting conflicts, addiction, unresolved resentments or growing apart. While these issues certainly create strain, I have come to believe they are often circumstances rather than the fundamental problem. These situations generate distress — feelings such as hurt, anger, sadness, fear, loneliness or disappointment — but what frequently determines the fate of a relationship is one main thing: how each partner responds to their own distress. As you may have noticed in your own life, distress is inevitable when you join your life with […]

PVTA ridership soars as fare-free program continues

Bus riders can continue to keep their change in their pockets — at least for now. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) will continue to operate without fees for the foreseeable future as the state reports increased ridership among Massachusetts’ 15 regional transit authorities. How long riders will continue to travel for free remains uncertain, […]

Westhampton approves $7.55M budget, makes cuts after override failures

WESTHAMPTON — Voters approved a fiscal year 2027 budget of approximately $7.55 million at a recent second Town Meeting that made cuts to town and school services in the wake of two different Proposition 2½ overrides failures this spring. The budget was finalized on Monday, June 22, at a Town Meeting that was continued from the first session on May 9. The $7.55 million budget consists of just less than $6 million for the town’s operating costs, and its $1.6 million dues obligated to the Hampshire Regional School District. The warrant for the meeting had 11 articles, seven of which passed […]