Downtown Amherst in flux: closures, openings and a call to shop local

Building the future: UMass celebrates $125M Computer Science Laboratories

AMHERST — Inside a room at the Physical Computing Makerspace on the University of Massachusetts campus, a 3D printer is fabricating a chalk case that a teaching assistant will use to carry writing utensils. The case’s design started as a computer file, drawn up nearby by Bennett Gillig, a UMass graduate student pursuing a master’s […]

What places leave behind: After winning an international design competition, Smith College's Isabel Strauss contemplates the healing power of architecture

As an architect, Isabel Strauss often wonders about physical space. What is here now, and what came before it? What is still possible? Places tell stories — whether they are historical buildings or vacant lots — and she takes everything into consideration. Last autumn, in her first semester of teaching at Smith College, the assistant […]

'Anybody and everybody can do it': New murals to capture the memories, values and culture of the Valley

Blank walls across the cities of Springfield and Holyoke are about to become permanent cultural landmarks. Common Wealth Murals, a Springfield nonprofit that brings mural art to local neighborhoods, recently announced its 2026 cohort of artists for its Community Mural Training program. As part of the initiative, the 16 selected artists are bringing five new […]

Guest columnist Jonathan Shefftz: Will Massachusetts' ticketing bill help ticket purchasers or just Ticketmaster?

Recently my teenage daughter and I drove from the hinterlands of western Massachusetts to New York to watch the U.S. Open. Having taken up tennis last year, she was excited. As was I. My excitement was coupled with relief that tickets for the qualifying rounds, the only portion that fit her school schedule, were entirely free. So much for the “no such thing as a free lunch” saying of my economics profession. For the main rounds, tickets are far from free. As an economist, I was intrigued that the usual online tennis chatter about gear and technique was joined by outrage […]

Born to run: Iron Horse and The Drake team up to create new race from Amherst to Northampton

The Drake in Amherst and the Iron Horse in Northampton co-hosted Miles for Music, a new 8.2-mile run, relay, and walk to raise money for the two venues, on Sunday, Sept. 13. “We’re taking all of the fun that you think of at a music festival, and we’re trying to inject that into the experience […]