Guest columnist Stacey Y. McCullough: Vote 'no' on Question 7

AG Campbell visits Northampton High, announces $50K grant to support cellphone ban

NORTHAMPTON — As 17 school districts across the state share $625,000 in grant funds to carry out bell-to-bell cellphone bans, Attorney General Andrea Campbell sat down with Northampton High School students Tuesday to hear their thoughts on keeping a phone-free school. The state’s top law enforcement officer joined students, city and school officials at the […]

Amherst deploys extra ambulances to handle Halloween crowds

AMHERST — Four Amherst Fire Department ambulances will be staffed and four out-of-town standby ambulances will be present in town Saturday night, part of an effort to reduce dependence on mutual aid on Halloween. A year after a four-hour period on Halloween saw 30 patients transported by ambulance from Amherst to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in […]

Yes for Amherst Schools Committee donates leftover funds to Amethyst Brook

AMHERST — Participatory projects that teach civic engagement and organizing for students of all ages are being supported through a donation to the newly formed Amethyst Brook Parent Guardian Organization. With Amethyst Brook Elementary School open this fall, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, the Yes for Amherst Schools Committee gave its remaining $2,839.10 to the PGO. That money remained from the committee’s advocacy in advance of the May 2023 Proposition 2½ debt-exclusion override, which passed with 82% support. Under campaign finance laws, such funds must be donated to another candidate’s campaign or political action committee, or a nonprofit. For the Yes […]

'Building big': Amherst celebrates a school designed for the future

AMHERST — The new Amethyst Brook Elementary School is about $100 million worth of steel, brick and mortar. It’s a haven to cultivate learning for the town’s young people, and a place of recreation for residents of all ages who will have access to fields and a cafetorium. It’s also a milestone, the town’s first […]

Something evil is lurking on Main Street: Academy of Music brings zombies to life for outdoor 'Thriller' flash mob

On Friday, the Academy of Music will be overrun with zombies. Only a few days ago, these living humans, who will perform outside the theater, first had to rehearse being undead. “Who doesn’t like to shake and stomp and shimmy?” said choreographer Zazie Tobey. “The moves are really delicious to do.” The Northampton theatre will host its first-ever “Thriller Parade” on Oct. 30, at 5 and 5:15 p.m., before a performance of “Beetlejuice JR.” (The rain date is Saturday, Oct. 31, at the same times.) The “parade” isn’t a real parade per se: It’s a flash mob in which dancers dressed […]